Theresa Neil is reshaping the future of healthcare 🚀, challenging outdated systems 🧠, and championing women’s health innovation when it’s needed most 🌍 — reminding us that the stakes in design have never been higher ❤️.

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Episode Chapters:

00:00 – Why You Can’t "Move Fast and Break Things" in Healthcare 01:15 – Welcome and Introduction 03:03 – From Sous Chef to UX Designer 04:55 – Early Lessons in Tech and Gender Bias 05:22 – Mentorship and the Start of a UX Career 08:41 – Designing Airline Kiosks (Sorry!) 10:47 – Founding Guidea and Finding Her Differentiator 14:09 – Becoming a Women-Owned and Led Company 15:43 – On Becoming a Feminist (and Why It Matters) 17:55 – Calling Out Oprah’s Menopause Awards 23:38 – Why Menopause and Women’s Health Remain Taboo 27:40 – How Sexism Shows Up in Femtech Investment 32:35 – Why VCs Might Not Save Femtech 37:33 – Lioness: Building a Smart Vibrator for Data 43:47 – Empowering Women Through "Spite Tracking" 48:53 – Fighting Medical Gaslighting with Data 51:08 – Redesigning Healthcare Experiences with Empathy 56:57 – Why Patient-Centric Design Is Still Missing 59:55 – Designing for Accessibility and Dignity 1:04:09 – Industrial Design + UX: A Match Made in Medtech 1:05:19 – Why Theresa Believes in the Power of Collective Stories 1:08:14 – Where to Find Theresa

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Who is Theresa Neil?

Theresa Neil is the Founder of Guidea, an award-winning, women-owned and led product design firm specialising in medtech and digital health innovation 🚀.

She has:

• Led UX for companies like Roche, Johnson & Johnson, and Cigna
• Designed digital health solutions impacting over a billion users worldwide
• Launched Femovate, a femtech incubator supporting 28 product launches and 14 clinical trials
• Helped startups secure over $100 million in funding
• Advocated globally for inclusive design and women's health innovation

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Find Theresa Neil here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresaneil/ Website: https://www.guidea.co/ Femovate: https://www.femovate.com/

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Subscribe to Brave UX

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/brave-ux-with-brendan-jarvis/id1552607805 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7j2ocni6A00fzgHkj6TtCK YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSpaceInBetween Podbean: https://braveux.podbean.com/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brave_ux Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/

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Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:

Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/ The Space InBetween Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/

Jennifer Speciale helps leaders rewrite the rules of career growth 🚀, redefine executive presence 🧠, and build unapologetic clarity in an uncertain market 🌍—sharing why designing your career is the ultimate act of leadership 🎯.

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Episode Chapters:

00:00 – Why You Are the Prize 01:15 – Welcome and Introduction 03:12 – Living in Italy and Training for a Marathon 06:45 – Discovering Sicilian Roots and the Aeolian Islands 13:25 – Learning from Strong Women in Italian History 16:32 – Coaching Leaders Through Career Crossroads 19:55 – Why "Open-Minded" Job Searches Fail 26:29 – Helping Leaders Find Hidden Career Options 30:11 – Rebranding LinkedIn for Strategic Career Moves 33:24 – What Recruiters Really Look for on LinkedIn 37:02 – Why Job Descriptions Are Designed to Be Vague 42:32 – The Hidden Risks of a Bad Interview 47:19 – Using Flattery Authentically in Networking 51:36 – Flipping Interviews into Conversations 56:47 – Believing You Are the Prize (Without Arrogance) 1:01:13 – How to Stop Over-Apologizing in Interviews 1:03:05 – Closing Reflections and Where to Find Jennifer

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Who is Jennifer Speciale?

Jennifer Speciale is the Founder and Executive Leadership Coach at Speciale Executive Leadership, helping ambitious leaders transition into executive roles and unlock new opportunities 🚀.

She has:

• Led executive recruiting for design at Amazon
• Built a global Experience Design team at McKinsey
• Helped leaders at Google, Amazon, and McKinsey land executive roles
• Coached over 100 leaders into executive positions, delivering over half a million dollars in salary growth in 2024 ✨

Through her proven frameworks, she’s changing the way leaders navigate executive transitions.

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Find Jennifer Speciale here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferspeciale/ Website: https://www.jenniferspeciale.com

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Subscribe to Brave UX

Like what you heard? 🎙️ Subscribe to Brave UX for more conversations with world-class voices in UX, design, and product leadership. Your support helps others discover the show!

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/brave-ux-with-brendan-jarvis/id1552607805
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7j2ocni6A00fzgHkj6TtCK
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSpaceInBetween
• Podbean: https://braveux.podbean.com/

======

Follow Brave UX for more great content!

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brave_ux
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/

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Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:

• Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/
• The Space InBetween Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/

Dave Hoffer shares why design demands empathy 🧠, courage 🛡️, and long-term thinking 🌱—and how amplifying others can transform leadership in uncertain times 🚀.

He explores design’s shifting role in business, the disruptive rise of AI, and why resilience and critique will shape the future of design.

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Episode Chapters

00:00 – Welcome and Introduction 04:42 – Dave’s Instinct to Amplify Others Over Himself 08:36 – Weathering Layoffs and the Power of Staying the Course 12:43 – From Personal Crisis to Mission-Driven Work 17:24 – Why Hope and Long-Term Thinking Matter in Design 21:24 – Courage, Critique, and Speaking Truth to Power 24:20 – Design’s Role in Policy and Sustainability 28:17 – Is UX Dead? Navigating the AI Disruption 32:35 – Spectral Thinking: Understanding the Human Spectrum 37:11 – The Hard Cost of Empathy in Design 42:05 – Why Executives Must Experience Real Empathy 48:13 – Empathy, Judgment, and Learning from Outliers 54:10 – What Research with Outliers Teaches Us 58:13 – How Physical Labor (Like Bricklaying) Changes Perspective 1:04:09 – Think Like a Gardener, Not an Architect 1:07:00 – Why Design’s Work Isn’t Done Yet 1:10:54 – Taste, Design Leadership, and Meeting Halfway 1:11:57 – Closing Reflections and Where to Find Dave

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Who is Dave Hoffer?

Dave Hoffer is a seasoned design leader and strategist whose career spans product design, digital innovation, and design transformation 🌎.

He has:

• Led design teams at Frog Design, PwC, and McKinsey & Company

• Grown McKinsey’s global design practice from a handful of designers to hundreds 📈

• Brought design strategy into the heart of business and policy change

• Advised mission-driven organisations like Safe Kids AI 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

• Advocated for amplifying others and championing empathy and critique as foundations for impactful leadership ✨

Today, Dave advises organisations as an independent consultant, helping them embed human-centered design practices into strategy and transformation initiatives.

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Find Dave Hoffer here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-hoffer/ Website: https://www.mpqd.com/

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Subscribe to Brave UX

Like what you heard? 🎙️ Subscribe to Brave UX for more conversations with world-class voices in UX, design, and product leadership. Your support helps others discover the show!

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/brave-ux-with-brendan-jarvis/id1552607805
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7j2ocni6A00fzgHkj6TtCK
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSpaceInBetween
• Podbean: https://braveux.podbean.com/

======

Follow Brave UX for more great content!

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brave_ux
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/

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Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:

• Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/
• The Space InBetween Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/