Coaching

Through 1:1 coaching, I partner with UX researchers who want to lead with integrity.

Leadership ≠ people management. It’s important for all UX Researchers to harness their unique style of leadership - that is, to influence, motivate, and enable others to make decisions that lead to successful outcomes. Ideally, these outcomes help organizations meet their goals and provide people a meaningful experience. UX Researchers serve as leaders whether they are a solo-researcher, a member of a larger team, or a manager of a team.

Learning how to lead with integrity takes perseverance - it can feel like an ambiguous and lonely journey.

As a practitioner: You may have landed a job within a company with a new UX Research function. You want to bring a human-centered approach to product development, inform decisions among product leaders, and demonstrate the value of research. However, you may be the first and only researcher at your company and may not have another researcher (i.e., manager, mentor) who you can lean on for support.

As a new people manager: You may be a stellar researcher who has recently transitioned into managing a team. You want to grow your team, support/retain your team members, and position yourself as a product leader among your peers. However, you realize that people management requires an entirely new skillset and, frankly, you're "building the plane as you're flying it."

How I can help

Through a coaching relationship, I offer an equal partnership. I don't claim to know how to fix your problems or answer all of your questions. Instead, I believe that you are resourceful and creative enough to find the strategies and solutions that work best for you. I support you by providing a safe space to explore your ideas, perspectives, and emotions - and the accountability for taking action toward your goals.

I balance this intentional exploration with practical advice. Sharing insights from my lived experience as a UX Researcher may help unlock new ideas/perspectives and connect your experiences to the bigger picture within your organization.

As your coach, I will:

  • Care about you, first and foremost.

  • Be your thought partners and champion

  • Hold you accountable for your goals - and help you hold yourself accountable as well.

  • Challenge your beliefs and point out your blind spots.

  • Help you shift perspectives that don't serve you.

  • Balance intentional exploration with practice advice.

  • Show up as my positive, open, and playful self because professional growth does not need to be so serious. 😜

What coaching looks like

A coaching relationship consists of a series of customized 1:1 sessions where we explore topics at the intersection of UX Research and leadership. At the beginning of our engagement, we will define specific goals and outcomes that are connected to your work. During each session, we will deepen your skills and self-awareness on topics related to your goals - and translate your learning into action. Homework and resources are assigned between sessions. Throughout our relationship, I balance traditional coaching with practical advice from my experience and experts in the field.

Our coaching relationship will have both a beginning and an end. I intend to develop and support your independence - not create a dependency on me. However, we may have multiple engagements based on the new challenges you face throughout your career.

Topics that you may want to explore:

  • Articulating what fulfillment means to you in your career by exploring your values and purpose; moving closer to it.

  • Building your brand as a researcher; articulating what you stand for, what you do, how you approach your work, and what experience you provide.

  • Improving your research skills - specifically pertaining to crafting research questions, selecting research methods, planning research projects, collecting data, analyzing your data, and developing your research insights.

  • Improving your ability to be a collaborator, communicator, and product thinker in your role as a UX Researcher.

  • Using research to influence decisions within your organization.

  • Defining your philosophy as a leader and developing strategies to show up as that leader.

Who I work with

I work with other UX Researchers who:

  • Value personal growth and are willing to make changes in your life.

  • Are empathetic, kind, thoughtful, self-aware, and open to new ideas.

  • Motivated to set goals and are willing to put the work into accomplishing them.

  • Feel compelled to make a positive impact in your organization.