Learnings from Participating on a DEI Committee, Part I
Let’s start with a backstory. Almost two years ago I signed up for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee within a worldwide CX organisation, CXPA. This is two years ago...
21 Aug 2022
Springboard UX/UI Course as a Seasoned Design Professional
It took a year to complete the Springboard’s UX/UI bootcamp while working full-time for most of the course. It was exactly what I was looking for - a comprehensive curriculum...
17 Oct 2021
How Creative Mentoring Preps for Leading Teams
After over ten years of working within design and strategy I did not feel ready to mentor others. It was only after a strategy community was looking for more female...
25 Jun 2021
The After Effects of a Creative Sabbatical, 1 Year Beyond
In February and March 2020, I took a creative sabbatical for two months. It was a crossroad of circumstances as my husband had a work opportunity in Australia, and my...
14 Apr 2021
From CX Professional to UX/UI Bootcamp
In October 2020, I signed up for a UX/UI bootcamp with Springboard. This was something I wanted to do for a while, but could never find the time or right...
07 Feb 2021
The Benefits of Working in a Regional or Remote Office
Early in my career I moved to the Netherlands to establish a regional product creation team. Working in a regional or remote office was one of the most valuable experiences...
06 May 2020
How to Transition from a Designer to a Strategist
Over three years ago, I transitioned from a designer to a strategist. Working within the more executional area of design still informs my thought process today. I know which concepts...
11 Apr 2020
Structuring Humor for Presentations
You’re back and hopefully with your initial homework done. Now that we are familiar with our humor types and can identify the patterns, it’s time to create small humor doses....
02 Aug 2019
Getting Started with Presentation Humor
Humor is a great way to grab attention and connect with your audience. But it is also a great way to get you fired or disliked. Humor takes both the...
26 Jul 2019
Taking a Stand-Up Class for Better Presentation Skills
In the past I took professional presentation classes that were dry, generic and uninspiring. Searching for a challenge and novel approach, I took a stand-up class through a local improv...
29 Dec 2018
Should You Try to Create Your Next Job Position?
Numerous times bosses said to me, ‘This is a place where you determine your next job’ or ‘You can create your next job’. After attempting to create my next position...
11 Aug 2018
Journaling to Ease Job Transitions
Changing jobs is challenging for everyone. Whatever the situation, your expectations and perceptions of work and life shift. Yes, the element of ‘change’ can range from moving countries to joining...
18 Jul 2018
Working Abroad Changed My Entire Perspective
When discussing my time working abroad, many mention similar ambition. But as we all know, it’s easier said than done. This is because it includes uncertainty, discomfort, lots of calls,...
07 Jun 2018
The Effect of Company Politics on Creative People
When I graduated from art school and jumped into a corporate job, the concept of company politics seems distant. My belief was that politics happened at boring companies where employees...
25 May 2018
Should I Have a Female Role Model?
Someone recently asked me about my role model. I had no good answer for such a weighty question. Go to known figures, like Elon Musk or Beyonce, you look unoriginal....
08 Apr 2018
Sailing Made Me a Better Person in the Workplace
When I learned to sail, my expectations included perfecting techniques and staying alive. Little did I know that sailing is more than playing with sails, complaining about wind and being...
21 Mar 2018
2008 Graduates - Not Your Typical Millennials
In 2008, the financial market fell hard on its face, bruising both our collective expectations and confidence in anything. That was the year I and many others graduated. People lost...
13 Feb 2018
A ‘Career Ladder’ Seem Pretty Damn Dated
Terminology to define careers falls under a metaphoric family that does not describe today’s scene. We typically relate careers to a path, trajectory or ladder that suggests predefined, linear directions...
06 Jan 2018
Your Identity Foundation Starts with Daily Principles
Each of us makes a statement in the way we live day-to-day. Many times these are absent from our Instagram posts or Facebook pages, as they are more subtle and...
11 Nov 2017
Priorities to Survive the First Months of a New Job
Your first days on the job are as confusing as ordering at Starbucks for the first time. The continual how’s, who’s and what’s trip up your concentration and confidence while...
03 Oct 2017
Your Partner Means Well, But It’s OK To Disregard Their Career Advice
I’ve been dating my boyfriend for four years - sorry all you interested internet people out there. A relationship can contribute both helpful and misleading influences. Those misleading influences are...
07 Aug 2017
Is There Life After Leaving a Large Brand?
YES. Everyone’s path differs in terms of career development. Some start off at large brands as I did, knowing early in their job lives the extent that companies go to...
17 Jul 2017
Your Leadership Training Starts Now
Since our childhood, we regularly assess leadership. Sure, now a boss determines your daily tasks instead of your mom, but both sway your concept of leading. Many of us will...
05 May 2017
Aligning Your Vision with a Brand's
The most unspoken dilemma when working for a brand is rearranging your own vision. Before joining a company, you have an existing relationship with the brand. Much like getting acquainted...
15 Apr 2017
What it Means to Work for a Brand
Pledging your time and talents to a brand influences your identity. It’s a joint undertaking as both you and the brand believe in the suitable match. The points of compatibility...
20 Mar 2017
The Never-Ending Story of Defining Success
Success is as unoriginal as other buzzwords of our time. Like passion, motivation or drive, success only carries meaning when put into context. Your context, my context, her context, his...
03 Feb 2017
Recognising and Repairing Tribalism in Companies
Company structures mimic society. Both promote greater visions, while humming along to today’s theories on leading and unifying individuals. Within companies we work in smaller teams that many of us...
16 Jan 2017
I’m here to unravel and reboot your perception of presenting. By combining some tough love with yes-you-can motivation, we’ll tame your doubts and train your nerves. Presenting is going to...
16 Nov 2016
How to Talk with Baby Boomer Parents About Success
Who else to ask about the wild, wild workforce than your parents. You’re old enough to understand the value of their advice and keen enough to filter it through your...
04 Oct 2016
Five Strategies to Conquer Your Fear of Asking
If you never ask the answer is always no. We all heard this one once, twice or hundreds of times in our adult life. But why do we still shy...
04 Mar 2016
Moved Countries? 5 Professional Reasons Learning the Language is Beneficial
On the international language scale, Dutch is about as useful as being handed a spoon to cut bread. When counting the number of native speakers, Dutch ranks below languages like...
03 Sep 2015