Alicia Zhong

Overcoming Portfolio & Interview Struggles

Capital One

Autodesk

Prudential

Wsib

UX Career Mentor • Principal UX Researcher ex. Capital One, AutoDesk

Learn how to structure case studies that highlight your strengths, while telling the story that gets you noticed.

Struggle to build portfolios that stand out?

Practical storytelling frameworks for building case study slides and scripts.

Difficulty in acing case study interviews?

Learn how to position yourself confidently in front of recruiters.

High competition leading to being overlooked?

Move beyond execution and stand out for how you think, communicate, and shape decisions

Design Leader, ex-Slack, Pinterest

Goodnotes

Pinterest

Slack

The New York Times

Squarespace

Cheryl Chepusova

Staff-level designer with 15+ years leading product teams across 3 continents

June 2026

September 2026

AI is accelerating how quickly teams can produce work. As execution becomes easier, what differentiates senior designers isn’t output alone, it’s judgment.The designers who grow aren’t necessarily doing more work. They’re helping others understand the decisions behind the work, influencing direction, and making their impact visible in the moments that matter.This course is for senior product designers who consistently deliver great work but struggle to articulate their value. You may be known as reliable, collaborative, and highly capable, yet still find it difficult to communicate your thinking in stakeholder conversations, growth discussions, promotion cycles, or other career-defining moments.Together, we’ll focus on the skills that become increasingly important as your career grows: communicating decisions, building influence, navigating ambiguity, and making strong judgment visible to the business.This course includes: 👉 Weekly live group coaching sessions 👉 Async support on artifacts, communication, stakeholder situations, and other moments where you want feedback applying what you’re learning in practice 👉 Bonus 30-minute 1:1 coaching session

Grow from doing the work to owning your impact

Communicate Decisions More Effectively

Build Trust Through Visibility

Influence Across Different Stakeholders

Tell a Stronger Story About Your Impact

Senior product designers who ship consistently but are still seen as executors when promotions, reviews, and visibility matter

Designers on distributed teams who struggle to communicate judgment clearly across async updates, reviews, and reorgs.

Designers growing into strategic partners who want influence through strong thinking, not self-promotion.

Transform your narrative into a powerful professional brand with tools, strategies and confidence to stand out from the noise & competition.

This is an asynchronous, self-guided course with online support from your instructor.

Cohort 1 - Self-Guided Course

Helping Leaders & Companies Thrive

Microsoft

NBCUniversal

Warner Bros. Discovery

Nike

Unilever

Shawn Johnson - SocioPunk

Founder of SocioPunk: 25 yrs building global brands, products & successful teams

In today’s competitive market, your story and presence create your opportunities. This self-paced, asynchronous workshop gives professionals, emerging leaders, and founders the clarity and confidence to stand out in an AI driven market.Throughout the course materials, you’ll learn how to communicate your value with authority, shape a narrative that reflects your strengths, and build a strong presence that opens doors.This is not just theory; it’s a practical and proven framework designed to elevate how you show up in conversations, online and in your career.You’ll walk away with a clear plan, roadmap, foundational system, and tactical plan you can execute immediately.Drawing from 25+ years building &amp; leading high-performing teams at Microsoft, NBC, and Warner Bros. Discovery, this course will help you craft a professional identity that captures attention and positions you for what’s next.Key Takeaways: • Clear, memorable narrative that is differentiated • Foundational brand system to guide your voice + visibility • 30-day plan to consistently grow your presenceBecause this is a self-paced course, feedback will be via the Maven portal, and include a 1:1 meeting to review together.

Build the Brand, Visibility & Executive Presence to Stay Relevant

Clarify Your Professional Story

Build Your Core Brand Pillars

Design a Messaging Framework That Resonates

Create Your 30-Day Visibility & Networking Plan

Strengthen Your Executive & Leadership Presence

Professionals in TransitionProfessionals looking to reposition themselves in a constantly shifting market.

Emerging LeadersProfessionals aiming for promotion, build executive presence, sharpen communication, and elevate visibility.

Founders, Owners &amp; IndependentsFounders and professionals who want to stand out with clear distinction and an "ownable" voice.

In this course, you'll learn how to make a ten minute short film. Learning how to do this will enable you to also shoot longer films.

Cinematography professor / member G.S.C

Peter  Salapatas

Peter is a cinematography professor, GSC member and an active cinematographer.

Film class Spring 2026

Film class May 2026

Learn to create a 10-minute short film with intentional visual structure.You've made 2-3 short films. They're watchable—the story works, the performances are there. But when you watch them back, something feels off. They don't look like the films you admire.The problem isn't your camera or your budget. It's that your films lack visual structure.The result? Coverage that feels flat. Shots that record the action but don't shape how the audience experiences it.What You'll LearnHere's what most filmmakers don't realize:<ul><li>A 24mm lens doesn't just show more of the room—it changes spatial relationships and makes a character feel isolated or overwhelmed.</li><li>Camera placement isn't about finding a "good angle"—it's about perspective, power dynamics, and emotional distance.</li><li>Where you place focus doesn't just create sharpness—it directs the audience's attention and reveals priorities.</li><li>How you divide the frame—foreground vs background, negative space, leading lines—tells the audience where to look, what matters, and how characters relate to each other.</li></ul>By the end, you'll shoot a 10-minute short film that doesn't just tell a story—it looks and feels like the films you've always admired.

Cinematography: Visual Storytelling

You will CREATE  10 MIN SHORT FILM   using your camera (even with a smartphone) 

Choose LENSES based on emotional intent

Design CAMERA PLACEMENT that serves character perspective and power dynamics

Use COMPOSITIONAL ELEMENTS (lines, space, frame division) to reinforce theme

 Create justified SHOT LISTS where every choice has a story-driven reason

Shoot the same scene multiple ways 

Some basic skills of photography are required like aperture of a lens, types of cameras, depth of field.


Photography

A basic knowledge of a video camera is a plus but not necessary. You can take this course even with a smartphone.

Camera or smart phone

Anyone who wants to to create a short film. You will learn how to visually structure your films in such a way as to support your story.

Self-taught filmmakers or videographers transitioning into narrative work.

Film students who understand theory but struggle with practical application on set.

Build a clear narrative, professional brand and plan to elevate your visibility.

Helping Leaders & Companies Grow+Thrive

Warner Bros.

25 yrs building global brands, products, leaders & successful teams

The 2-hr Career Reset Workshop: Position Yourself for the AI Era - Cohort 3

2-Hour Career Reset Workshop: Position Yourself for the AI Era  - Cohort 4

In today’s competitive market, your story and presence create your opportunities. My workshop gives professionals in transition, emerging leaders, and founders the clarity and confidence to stand out in an AI driven market...quickly.In 2 hours, you’ll learn how to communicate your value with authority, shape a narrative that reflects your strengths and build a brand presence that opens doors.This is not theory; it’s a practical, high-energy sprint designed to elevate how you show up in conversations and drive your career forward.You’ll walk away with a tactical framework, clear message, and simple brand system you can execute immediately.Drawing from 25+ years building and leading high-performing global design, product and brand teams at Microsoft, NBC, and Warner Bros. Discovery, I’ll help you reset your foundations, and craft a narraative that captures attention and positions you for what’s next.Key Takeaways: • A clear, memorable narrative that is differentiated • A simple brand system to guide your voice &amp; visibility • A framework to grow your presence with consistencyThis course will help you better understand and promote yourself through your strengths, narrative and brand.

Reset your career narrative into a powerful professional brand with strategies, frameworks and the confidence to stand out from the noise.

Professionals in TransitionDesigners, Product, Tech &amp; Marketing professionals looking to reposition themselves in a shifting market.

Emerging LeadersMid-career professionals aiming for promotion, build executive presence, sharpen communication, and elevate visibility.

Founders, Owners &amp; IndependentsFounders and professionals working in tech, product &amp; design who want to stand out with clear distinction.

Overcoming Portfolio & Interview Struggles

What you'll learn

Why this topic matters

You'll learn from

Alicia Zhong