34: Change your team retros to account for impact
Discover how Contribution Boards surface unseen work—mentorship, support, emotional labor—that Jira misses. Build a culture of trust, generosity, and collaboration without the popularity contest.
32 - The Product vs. Design Battle Isn’t a Bug—It’s a Feature
Discover why tension between PMs and designers isn’t a flaw—it’s a feature. Learn how this creative friction fuels innovation, alignment, and smarter, more strategic product development.
27: Leadership Secrets No One Tells You—But I Will
Leadership isn’t about answers—it’s about better questions and brave humility. From Target to Venmo, I share lessons on visibility, boundaries, and leading with empathy in uncertain, complex spaces.
Messy Middle #25: The best journeys aren’t always the smoothest
Design’s middle management is messy. It’s not about avoiding failure—it’s about resilience, boundaries, and coaching. Reframe uncertainty to build trust, growth, and lasting team impact.
How Great Design Leaders Win Stakeholders with Powerful Storytelling
Great design leaders don’t just build products—they tell stories that drive action. Storytelling aligns teams, wins buy-in, and turns vision into impact. The best designs don’t speak—they resonate.
Corporations Are Living Systems, Not Machines: Ditching the Machine Mentality for a More Human-Centered Future
For too long, businesses ran like machines—rigid and resistant to change. But thriving orgs act like ecosystems: adaptive, collaborative, and evolving. Learn how to shift from control to resilience.
Pruning for Growth: The Art and Discipline of Critique in a Remote World
Excellent critique is like pruning a bonsai—careful, intentional, and growth-focused. Learn how to give structured, inclusive feedback and build a thriving critique culture in remote design teams.
Balancing Speed and Safety: Building Trust in Expansion Mode
In high-growth orgs, psychological safety fuels innovation. Explore five ways to build trust—curiosity, guardrails, feedback, shared ownership & pauses—so teams take risks, learn, and drive real impact.
Exploring New Frontiers: Equipping Design Teams with Tools, Tips, and Strategies for the AI Era
Design leader navigating AI-era challenges? Learn how to align with strategy, prevent headcount loss, and integrate AI—while proving design’s value and driving innovation with practical, lasting impact.
Parenthood as a Leadership Blueprint
Parenting taught me to lead through ambiguity with resilience and trust. In both parenting and leadership, progress comes from patience, connection, and embracing imperfection with compassion.
Unlocking Talent Excellence - Tips for Senior Managers to Hire the Best Talent
Learn how senior managers can hire with empathy and strategy—from defining roles to onboarding. Explore inclusive job posts, witty interviews, and offers that attract top talent and drive success.
Embedding Customer-Centricity into the DNA of Your Organization
Organizations must adopt a holistic view of the customer journey to embed customer-centricity. Design leaders align teams around a shared vision, integrating feedback and fostering collaboration. This approach drives growth, enhances brand loyalty, and reduces operational costs by proactively addressing issues across touchpoints, creating long-term value for customers and the business.
Harnessing Diversity: Lessons from a Design Leader
Resilience is built through challenge and identity. As an immigrant and design leader, adapting to new cultures taught me empathy, shaped my leadership, and helped me build stronger, inclusive teams.
Lessons on Leadership I learned from my first manager
Jean Cattell, my first design manager, shaped my path with fierce advocacy and heart. This tribute shares 3 timeless lessons she taught me—on autonomy, contribution, and leading with integrity.