Courage to be imperfect: strategies for personal empowerment

"To be authentic, we must cultivate the courage to be imperfect—and vulnerable." - Brené Brown Over the past week, several people have shared their struggles with self-confidence with me. Given the recurring questions around self-advocacy, I’ve decided to explore this leadership topic more deeply in today’

10 insights from women leadership training

Last week, I attended a two-day women's leadership training in Seattle, which was one of the best I've ever experienced. For the first time, I heard women from SDM, PMT, and TPM openly discuss their challenges. The environment was judgment-free, psychologically safe, and supportive, making it

Greetings from Seattle

I'm writing to you from the PNW! Flew in on Sunday and had my first bowl of 🍜Ramen at Danbo. I've never heard of this place, went because of high ratings. Hit the spot for an introvert like me, eating noodles alone at the bar counter.

Reflecting on writing this newsletter for 1 year

Learnings from writing for a year...

Premium Edition: Video: How to design innovation

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?

How to speak about complex topics

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.

A word from my mentee...

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.

There should be a course for being laid off

"Cat, are our jobs safe? Google is laying people off."

The fallout of moving fast and breaking things

Breaking customer trust is easy. A company’s business and way of working dictates the limitations and boundaries in which designers manage, operate, and deliver for end customers.

Imposter syndrome for writing

Happy Tuesday. Last week's post "5 stories from two decades of design" took me two weeks to write. I wrote that 3 times, each time when I read it, I thought "what is this?" 🫣 I had imposter syndrome. I forced myself to post an

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.

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?