Design by Design

How do you feel in silence? Time Needed: 15m Activity Outcome: Create and hold space for other voices Hey Reader, I used to feel SO uncomfortable in any silence I would quickly fill it. With either rambling, repetition or thinking aloud. This wasn't a problem until I was leading teams, and it really became an issue leading teams of hundreds. I really had to pause and reflect on how much I was TALKING, vs how much I was creating space for others. For me, I learned this was rooted in anxiety....

You need more buffer time Time Needed: 1m Activity Outcome: More room to breathe, pivot, sustain Hey email bestie, Last week I promised to share more on the concept of Buffer time. One of the best muscles you can build if/as you step into Management is adaptability. Being at the ready to pivot each day depending on what shows up is critical, or your calendar and mind will get swept up in the daily crisis. You will always, ALWAYS have unexpected things occur in a week. Last minute...

Design by Design Leading by Design Upcoming Learning Opportunities & How We're Evolving Hey Reader, Sharing some upcoming opportunities for community, connection and learning with my fave email friends – ya'll! Also, I've got some updates to share with you too. I'm planning some dramatic improvements for how I serve folks via email to ensure I meet your needs for support at work. Let me introduce: Work by Design is the evolution of my coaching practice to be of further support to Managers and...

Design by Design Leading by Design Upcoming Chats & Learning Opportunities Hey Reader, Alongside fellow good humans in design, I'm hosting a FREE live session on Thursday at 9am CST. Session Sign Up → We are raising money for Altadena families who lost their homes in the LA Eaton fire. The Eaton Fire destroyed Altadena, California’s first middle-class Black community. Altadena gave black families the chance to acquire land, build homes, and create generational wealth.Join me on Thursday at...

Design by Design Leading by Design Pausing for an intentional moment – design your 2025 Hey Reader, As we find ourselves at the threshold of a new year, we're approaching a “temporal landmark” – a significant point in time that creates a natural pause for reflection and intention-setting. The New Year is a powerful example of a temporal landmark, as it creates a psychological "fresh start effect" that makes it an ideal moment to align actions with values. I see it as a moment when we can both...

Design by Design Leading by Design Upcoming Chats & Learning Opportunities Hey Reader, Sharing some upcoming opportunities for community, connection and learning with my fave email friends – ya'll! I'm moderating! Navigating Solopreneurship Join the Sensemaker's Club public panel event designed for anyone curious about the evolving world of solopreneurs. Register here. Create your win-win for 2025 Join Femke and myself for a FREE live lightning session on finding your win-win for career...

Design by Design Leading by Design Goodies for you as we enter the Holiday season! Hey Reader, The best part of the past year is seeing how talented leaders are using my frameworks and content to grow their careers. When I first built the Design Leader Accelerator to help rising design managers & super-senior ICs develop their leadership skills, I couldn’t have imagined that over 70 students would trust me to be their coach. I’m so honored to have achieved a 4.8/5.0 ⭐️ rating and be a...

Hey Reader, Alison here! It's been a wild and wonderful few months in my world with speaking at the ADPList BeMore Festival, launching the current Design Leadership Accelerator cohort, and working with Coaching Clients.Here are some nuggets from across my world that I hope inspire you: Do the dang thing – Do it scared, do it feeling like an imposter, do it ANYWAY. Especially if you are a woman or person of color. The world needs your voice and we want to hear it! So many things are on the...

Design by Design Leading by Design Managing Your Energy Week by Week Hey Reader, This week, I'm considering how leaders continuously show up for the teams, while also balancing the realities of their own energy tanks. There is no perfection here, you are a human too and can't always show up exactly as you planned. Get unstuck in your career, invest in your softskills or rise faster to Director+!Design Leadership Accelerator Cohort begins Sept 16th. Learn More → In the recent cohort of my...

Design by Design Leading by Design Redefining our Careers Hey Reader, Rethinking our careers, and what we truly, truly want to gain from how we spend so much valuable time and energy was the topic of a walk I gave to a local organization this week. As my fave insider group, I'm also sharing some of the key takeaways. 📢 Keep an ear out next Tuesday too on the Beyond UX Podcast to hear myself and the lovely Jeremy Miller discussing careers, the paradigm shift and how to know if management is...