AI Fundamentals

Apply AI in your role

Career Development

Career development

Craft

Product

Engineering

Design

Marketing

Leadership fundamentals

Leadership

Founders

By Role

More

A 2-hour workshop on building influence as a seasoned, hands-on designer

Staff Product Designer with 15+ YOE

Asana

Etsy

SoundCloud

Nasdaq

Catt Small

Staff Product Designer with 15+ YOE at Etsy, Asana, SoundCloud, & more.

Cohort 1

Getting past senior is about much more than craft. Execution quality continues to matter, but communication becomes critical in unexpected ways. The designers who ascend to staff and beyond have figured out how to make an impact through others, all without direct authority.Influence is the key, and the frustrating thing is that nobody teaches it. You either stumble into it through trial and error, or you stay stuck wondering why the right answer keeps losing to a worse one.In this workshop, we'll make it concrete. You'll learn how influence actually works, how to map the people around you so you know where to invest your energy, and how to communicate in ways that actually move people. You'll leave with a 30-day plan built around your specific situation, including actions you can take next week.This workshop is for designers who are tired of being correct yet overlooked. If that's you, come ready to do some real thinking. The seat at the table is there. Let's take it!

Designers who have been at the same level for years and feel like they should've been promoted by now.

Designers who just got the staff title and are now realizing the job is fundamentally different from what they did before.

First or founding designers who often get overruled or ignored by engineering, product, or the company's founder(s).

Leave with polished portfolio pieces, a tailored resume, and interview insights so you can stop settling and pivot into a UX writing career!

Sr. UX Writer & Consultant in Tech

Thrivent Financial

Cedars-Sinai

UCLA

Megan Jensen

Sr UX Writer & Consultant | Successful students | Ex-Etsy | F500 hiring panelist

Winter Cohort

Spring Cohort

You’re good with words and love using language to solve problems, but breaking into UX writing still feels impossible, or at least far-fetched. Maybe you’ve sent out resumes with no response or are stuck at the “dream” stage. I’ve been there.I started as a journalist and worked across fundraising, marketing, and e-commerce. Then, by reframing my transferable skills, upskilling where needed, and polishing my presentation, I stood out and landed a contract at Etsy, Inc. The rest is history.I've created a repeatable process for breaking into UX writing, and things can shift fast once you learn it too. (Read the student story in the next section.)During this six-week course, you'll be: • Shifting your mindset and confidently highlighting your transferable skills • Learning tools, terminology, and cross-functional partner knowledge you need • Developing UX writing skills grounded in best practices and industry standards • Building a portfolio, resume, LinkedIn, and interview strategy that stands out All with 1:1 support and lifetime access to content! Keep the weekly cadence and attend optional office hours or take it at your own pace based on your schedule.

Break into UX writing with a repeatable process I've seen work again and again.

Everything changes when you know the process, just ask my students

Spend just 6 weeks figuring it out together VS. 6+ months alone

Prepare your resume, interview skills, and online presence for success

Write real microcopy for portfolio-ready pieces that stand out

Nail your mindset for your luckiest break yet, armed with networking skills

Join an intentionally smaller cohort for 1:1 instructor time no bootcamp offers

You don’t need tech experience or a specific degree (other than a Bachelor of Arts). Just strong writing skills and commitment to learning.

Calling all creatives, even if it's not your job title

I provide resources and practice, but you'll need to master Figma. I also HIGHLY recommend the Google UX Design Professional Certificate.

Commit to mastering the foundational skills beyond 6 weeks

Professionals from adjacent fields (e.g., education, design, marketing, journalism, technical writing, or communications).

Career pivoters seeking a UX writing role who are ready to stand out with all they need to apply confidently in six weeks.

Creatives curious about UX writing who want to hear from someone who has done it and try for themselves to see if it’s also a fit for them.

Build a robust toolkit of techniques to level up your influence, scale your impact, & show value as a design leader without direct authority

Cohort 6 - Jan 2026

Cohort 7 - July 2026

Identify and navigate roadblocks that keep most senior designers from leveling up — with guidance from an expert.I'm a Staff Product Designer with years of hands-on, high-impact leadership at both small and large companies. Over the past 15+ years, I've surpassed these challenges:🙃 Struggling to understand why I was stuck at senior🙃 Fighting for strategic influence, but still being left out🙃 Role ambiguity as a Staff Designer🙃 Being overwhelmed by busywork, not having visioning time🙃 Enjoying the leadership and mentorship parts of management, but not the HR part After finding clarity for myself, I decided to create this course to help others. Through digital lessons and live conversations, you'll discover tactics to become a more impactful, influential, and strategic individual contributor and leader.This course was designed for you to get the most value from our live time. You'll connect with designers from across the industry and build a shared understanding of the role of a Staff+ designer.I've given over 250 designers the tools to navigate their own challenges and reap the career rewards. Let's work together to chart your path forward. Join the next cohort today!

Stop being a paintbrush, start being a visioner

Clarify expectations of a Staff+ Designer

Influence strategy as a non-manager

Shift from reactive to proactive

Advocate for the Staff+ Designer role

Identify and fill your own gaps

Staff and Principal Designers who need new tactics to shift from reactive to proactive, build more leadership skills, and influence strategy

Senior Designers who want to get promoted to Staff — or learn about the role before choosing between individual contributor (IC) and Manager

Design Leads, Managers, and Directors shifting back to hands-on IC work who want to know how their skills translate

Asynchronously learn what it takes to operate at the staff level, including techniques to level up your influence and scale your impact

Identify and navigate roadblocks that keep most senior designers from leveling up in this self-paced, asynchronous course.I'm a Staff Product Designer with years of hands-on, high-impact leadership at both small and large companies. Over the past 15+ years, I've surpassed these challenges:🙃 Struggling to understand why I was stuck at senior🙃 Fighting for strategic influence, but still being left out🙃 Role ambiguity as a Staff Designer🙃 Being overwhelmed by busywork, not having visioning time🙃 Enjoying the leadership and mentorship parts of management, but not the HR partAfter finding clarity for myself, I decided to create this course to help others. Through digital lessons, practical exercises, and FAQs, you'll discover tactics to become a more impactful, influential, and strategic individual contributor and leader.I've given over 250 designers the tools to navigate their own challenges and reap the career rewards. Grab your spot in this asynchronous course and begin to chart your path forward today.This course has a lengthy time window so it stays open. You can join at any time, and the content will be available to you in perpetuity.

Teach yourself to stop being a paintbrush, and start being a visioner

Advocate for the Staff+Designer role

Overcome Your Job Search Villains to Find Joy In the Job Search

Language and Mindset Coach

Jade Arthur

5+ years of language instruction, across ACT, ESL, and Career Coaching.

Cohort 2

Cohort 3

Job Search Joy is a language-first job search program for graduates and experienced professionals pivoting into the game industry.When you’re pivoting into gaming, it’s easy to question whether your experience really counts.You might find yourself thinking:“My experience sounds impressive in other industries, but not in gaming.” “I don’t know how recruiters evaluate someone like me.” “I’ve done real work—but I don’t know how to make it count here.”Limited gaming experience doesn’t mean limited value. It means unclear positioning.If you have a track record in gaming, including volunteering, projects, or adjacent industries—but struggle to translate that for gaming roles, this course is designed for you.Instead of grinding through job boards, you’ll sharpen your existing pivot by clearly articulating your value and aligning your work with studio needs.Through reflective exercises and live group calls, you’ll face the hidden “villains” that blur your message while repositioning non-gaming experience as credible industry value.By the end, you’ll be able to navigate a volatile hiring market with intention, clarity, and JOY built into the journey.

Navigate the Game Industry Job Market by Translating Your Pivot in 4 Weeks!

Turn Job Search Friction into Clear, Actionable Challenges

Translate Your Experience into a Powerful Game-Industry UVP

Stay Consistent and Focused During a Competitive Hiring Market

Build a Sustainable Job Search Without Burning Out

You should have at least a robust portfolio that shows off your best skills in your particular role.

Need a Strong Portfolio

This course is for professionals pivoting into gaming who need to translate past experience, whether educational or professional.

Actively Pivoting into the Gaming Industry

A strong command of English is required to work with nuance, positioning, and industry-specific language.

Strong English Proficiency (C1 minimum)

Job Seekers interested in Gaming Industry Roles

2D/3D Artists, Game Designers, Narrative Designers, and other creative roles

Those who are ready to treat their job search like a strategic game rather than a frustrating cycle.

Presenting Designs to get Executive Buy-In

Ryan Scott

Design leader · Airbnb, DoorDash, Salesforce · Berkeley MBA

Work that resonates gets shipped. Learn how to decide what designs to show, how to show them, and how to frame them.

Identify what design work will resonate

Avoid subjective feedback and pixel-level pushback by learning to anchor your design rationale in business terms

Position yourself to get the right feedback

Learn how stakeholder maps, the stairstep approach, and the Japanese art of nemawashi will mitigate in-meeting surprises

Avoid getting derailed or surprised

Visual Storytelling with AI

Sachin Kamath

Creative Entrepreneur | Co-founder of Consistentcharacter.ai

Diana Zdybel

Gen AI Educator | Co-founder of Neolemon

Discover Best AI Tools for Visual Storytelling

Why Visual Storytelling is an Essential Skill for Leaders

How to Create Consistent Characters Designs using AI only

Structure your design presentation for shared understanding

Ben Sauer

Design leader, author, speaker: ex-Babylon Health

Use a strong thematic start that compels people to tune-in.

Get people listening

Structure the narrative to ensure the audience takes it all in.

Hold their attention

Apply a hidden logic to the structure that executives will trust.

Build a strong argument

How To Get Hired In UX: Sell Your Benefits, Not Features

Sarah Doody

UX Researcher & Product Designer and CEO of Career Strategy Lab

How to move beyond responsibilities and instead, communicate your results and impact.

Why responsibilities are boring & don't make you stand out

Leverage a proven marketing tactic used by Apple & other companies to help them stand out, & how you'll stand out too.

How UX candidates who get hired communicate their benefits

Communicate your benefits at every step not just in your resume. Leverage this for your portfolio, interviews, & beyond.

Articulate your value in the entire UX job interview process

Avoid a common pitfall when presenting ideas

Ian Wharton

Apple Design Award winner, author and tech founder. 20+ years of innovation.

Our ideas need to be fully understood. This exercise, when neglected, causes the majority of unfulfilled ideas.

The power of setting context

A simple, widely applicable and practical method to ensure your idea isn't miscommunicated or misinterpreted.

How to kill friction, detachment and poor judgement

Anytime we present an idea, we are in one world, our audience is in another. This lesson covers how to close that gap.

Bridging two worlds

Executive communication skills for UX researchers

Ruby Pryor

Founder at Rex (ex BCG, Grab)

Learn how to shift from detailed discussions to high-level, outcome-focused messaging when speaking with senior leaders.

Communication to executives vs working teams

Learn a repeatable framework to quickly plan what to say to executives.

A simple framework for executive communication

Great UX work needs executive buy-in to succeed.

Why communicating to executives is a critical UX skill

Advocating for Design in Cross-Functional Teams

Paulina Galindo

Product Design Lead @DoorDash | Ex-LinkedIn | Career coach for designers

Jacalin Ding (host)

Principal Designer & Course Creator 🤹 Coached 10,000+ designers worldwide

Learn strategies for effectively articulate design to stakeholders and influencing decision-making

Communicating Design’s Value:

How to maneuver through diverse organizational structures and overcome common challenges

Navigating Organizational Dynamics:

Aligning design objectives with broader business goals to make design a driving force in product development.

Aligning Design with Business Goals:

Confident Communication for Introverted Designers

Cheryl Chepusova

Staff Product Designer @ Goodnotes (Ex-Slack, Pinterest & Squarespace)

Learn how to frame your design decisions in a way that’s easier for cross-functional partners to understand.

A simple way to talk about your work with more clarity

Explore small shifts that help others see your impact even if you’re not someone who naturally “sells” your work.

Ways to make your work more visible without self-promotion

Reflect on how to show up with confidence in conversations, even if you tend to hang back.

AI Fundamentals

Apply AI in your role

Career Development

AI Fundamentals

Career development

Craft

AI Fundamentals

Career development

Craft

AI Fundamentals

Career development

Craft

AI Fundamentals

Craft

AI Fundamentals

Leadership fundamentals

AI Fundamentals

Leadership fundamentals

By Role

Communication

Cohort-based courses

Free Lightning Lessons

Presenting Designs to get Executive Buy-In

Visual Storytelling with AI

Structure your design presentation for shared understanding

How To Get Hired In UX: Sell Your Benefits, Not Features

Avoid a common pitfall when presenting ideas

Executive communication skills for UX researchers

Advocating for Design in Cross-Functional Teams

Confident Communication for Introverted Designers

You may be interested in