Leading Through the Mess: Finding Clarity in Chaotic Times

Hosted by Christine Perfetti, Tamara Adlin, Malini Rao, and Alla Weinberg

What you'll learn

Why everything feels so messy right now

From layoffs to AI disruption and blurred roles, the panel will explore why UX and Product leaders have no playbook.

How to lead when the ground keeps moving

Hear how four experienced leaders are navigating uncertainty, keeping teams aligned, and staying grounded.

What influence looks like when you don’t have authority

The conversation will surface real stories and lessons on rallying teams, earning trust, and staying resilient.

Why this topic matters

The messy middle isn’t a phase, It’s the new normal. As AI accelerates change and traditional hierarchies dissolve, leadership is no longer about titles or control. It’s about influence, adaptability, and connection. We bring together four powerhouse leaders to unpack what it really looks like to lead through the mess and how to find clarity, calm, and confidence when the path is uncertain.

You'll learn from

Christine Perfetti

CEO, Lift Up Connections

Christine Perfetti is CEO of Lift Up Connections, a product and UX strategy consultancy bringing together a collective of powerhouse leaders in tech. Christine built the product discovery programs at GoFundMe, Carbonite, Acquia, and TuneIn, and has led collaborative product visioning workshops for Harvard Business School, WeSpire, HubSpot, Curriculum Associates, and Penn Medicine, among others.

Tamara Adlin

Founder, Adlin Inc. and co-author of the Persona Lifecycle books

Tamara Adlin has 20+ years of experience in product strategy, executive alignment, and user-centered design (including early Amazon). She is co-author of the groundbreaking Persona Lifecycle books. Tamara specializes in untangling complex challenges, aligning leadership around shared vision, and guiding teams to execute with clarity and purpose. Whether you're navigating a major transformation, redesigning customer experience at scale, or aligning leadership on strategic direction, she bring a structured-yet-human approach that results in traction and transformation.

Malini Rao

UX Executive (Ex- Red Hat, Oracle, UKG, Acquia)

Malini Rao is a results-oriented UX Executive with a proven track record of scaling UX functions, driving innovation, and delivering exceptional user experiences for enterprise B2B applications. She's been a UX leader and led teams at UKG, Acquia, Oracle, and Red Hat. Malini's passionate about aligning design strategy with both business objectives and customer outcomes, while defining and tracking concrete experience metrics to measure success.

Alla Weinberg

CEO, Four Percent and author of the book, A Culture of Safety

Alla Weinberg is a psychological safety consultant and coach who has incorporated 20 years of product, service, and experience design with the principles of neuroscience, positive psychology, and relationship research to help establish safe workplaces. In her book, of 𝘈 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺: 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘌𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬, 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦, Alla delves into the tools, practices, and rituals that help leaders create physical, emotional, and psychological safety.