The Curse of Knowledge Is Costing You Customers

About this episode

In this episode, Shelly Rood discusses the impact of the curse of knowledge on customer perception and shares insights from a customer experience audit conducted by Ali Guy.

Episode 44: "The Curse of Knowledge Is Costing You Customers" of Hardcore and At Ease - powered by Others Over Self® You have poured yourself into your offer. You know every corner of it. So why are the right people not finding their way in? The answer might surprise you — and it has nothing to do with your content. In this solo episode, host Shelly Rood shares what happened when she brought in a customer experience expert to walk through her business as a complete stranger — no context, no tour, no insider knowledge. That expert is Ali Guy , founder of The Shared Co. and a marketing strategist who has spent her career helping businesses see the gap between what they think they are saying and what their audience actually hears. What Ali found in one hour reshaped how Shelly talks about her work, organizes her content, and is building toward the biggest opportunity of her career. The lesson she brought back is one every business builder needs before they launch anything. CHAPTERS 00:00 The Blind Spot in Your Offer 02:50 High Stakes Outside Eyes 04:55 Curse of Knowledge Explained 08:58 Secret Shopping Findings 13:31 Coherence and Gotcha Moments 16:38 Rewrite Labels as Promises…

People in this episode

Host: Shelly Rood

Guest: Ali Guy

Topics covered

• customer experience
• curse of knowledge
• business strategy
• marketing
• audience perception

Keywords

• customer experience
• curse of knowledge
• business audit
• marketing strategy
• audience engagement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Shared Co.

More episodes of Hardcore and At Ease - powered by Others Over Self®

• When You've Gone Over the Edge (And How to Come Back) · June 9, 2026 · 54 min
• Why Women Veterans Keep Getting Misread: What 242 Just Told Us · June 2, 2026 · 28 min
• When Opposite People Become Your Greatest Asset · May 26, 2026 · 53 min
• Building a Category Instead of Writing a Book: The Strategic Decisions That Shape It · May 19, 2026 · 27 min
• Double Middle Fingers and a Homecoming · May 12, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Built for a Different Body: How to Claim the Skills Nobody Documented · May 5, 2026 · 22 min