Brand How to introduce yourself at a conference Attended my first Grace Hopper Celebration after 20 years in tech. I'm sharing tips on empowering women and non-binary folks in our field. Learn to craft your story, showcase your value, and use diverse skills to stand out.
Communication How to KISS - Keep it short, stupid Navigating the challenges of a new team, I find myself caught in the crossfires of conflicting work styles, tackling issues of execution, culture, and politics.
Brand How to build your distinct personal brand Define yourself and target audience to communicate your unique value
Career Growth Onboarding to a new team in thirty days If you are starting a new project with a new stakeholder, a new job, or even a new team, what should you do in the first 30 days?
Leadership The power of confidence lies within vulnerability Authenticity demands imperfection and vulnerability
Paid-members only Research Featured Premium Edition: How to design innovation - video 84% of company leadership believe innovation is a high priority, but 94% of them are dissatisfied with the performance of the innovation. A great product and service is long-lasting, but how do we know the idea today will stick?
Frameworks & Mental Model How to speak about complex topics to college students I presented a talk called "How do you design innovation" at the University of Chicago and SAIC, focusing on customer-centric design and exploring Jobs-To-Be-Done. I aimed to cover this complex subject in less than 18 minutes.
AMA Mentee AMA: how to level up to senior designer As a personal project, I am working with Aaron to create a new Youtube series "Speedrun to Senior" where I will try to speed up his skills and fill the gaps.
Satire There should be a course for being laid off "Cat, are our jobs safe? Google is laying people off."
Burnout Breaking trust is easy, because they don’t know how to fix it A company’s business and way of working dictates the limitations and boundaries in which designers manage, operate, and deliver for end customers.
Career Growth Featured 5 stories from two decades of design Celebrating two decades in design this February, I hope my story highlights the qualities that define not just successful designers, but individuals who thrive in an environment of constant change.
Career Growth From good to great, don't be well-rounded Surprise! An email on a Friday. Warm welcome to 5 new subscribers in January! Sxd4383, Pooja, Miyu, Lanre, and Emylie. You know what I do on Fridays? I briefly summarize: 1. What were my top 2-3 focus tasks this week? 2. What small wins did I achieve with these tasks?
Career Growth What do I want to achieve? Last Wednesday at the office was eerily quiet. Layoffs of 2024 happened with a few teams (Audible, Prime Video, Twitch).
Career Growth How to explain yearly achievements to your manager Last week, we had to turn in written descriptions for "above and beyond" actions, expectations exceeded from role guidelines.
Paid-members only Career Growth Featured Premium Edition: How do I plan my career growth and document my accomplishments 🔒Paid members only content. Support this newsletter with a price of a coffee.
Life Year-end reflections 2023 Reflective trip to Seattle. I was given the gift of clarity and broadened perspectives.
Frameworks & Mental Model Thanksgiving season brings the pumpkin lattes and resignations I don't know what's in the air this past week, but my mentees were asking me about internal transfers and changing teams. Changing teams internally requires a smaller, less painful interview process...
