Theresa Neil is reshaping the future of healthcare 🚀, challenging outdated systems 🧠, and championing women’s health innovation when it’s needed most 🌍 — reminding us that the stakes in design have never been higher ❤️.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

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

======

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/

======

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/

Josephine Wong challenges us to design with intention, build cultures that care, and recognise the quiet power of everyday interactions to create truly meaningful work.

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Episode chapters

00:00 – Welcome and Introduction 04:42 – Jo’s Unexpected Start in Advertising 09:26 – A Multicultural Upbringing in Hong Kong 14:18 – From Melbourne to Apogee: Founding a UX Consultancy 21:35 – Building a Life and Business Partnership with Dan Szuc 26:04 – Understanding Systems: Politics, Economics, and Research 33:50 – The Problem with Feature-Centric Thinking 40:44 – Opening Stakeholder Minds Without Judgement 49:16 – What Deng Xiaoping Taught Jo About Leadership 58:33 – East Meets West: Bridging Philosophical Differences 1:06:18 – Make Meaningful Work and the Power of Micro-Interactions 1:13:57 – Bringing Human Skills to Kids Through Sparkle Studio 1:22:42 – The Contribution We Owe the World

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Who is Josephine Wong?

Josephine Wong is a co-founder and principal at Apogee, a pioneering user experience consultancy founded in 1998 with a vision to bring human-centred design to Hong Kong and the wider region. Over the past 25 years, Apogee has played a significant role in advancing UX across Asia.

She’s also the co-founder of Make Meaningful Work, a studio and learning platform helping people unlock their potential by focusing on meaningful work in environments where they can learn, improve, and thrive together.

If that wasn’t enough, Jo is also the co-founder of UX Hong Kong, an annual learning event that brings together passionate practitioners from across product and service design to explore and celebrate exceptional experience creation.

A committed and influential contributor to our field, Jo has shared her expertise on global platforms including Beat Camp, We Can Do Better, the Reorient podcast, and UXpod.

Her work is deeply informed by her multicultural upbringing and global perspective, allowing her to bridge cultural nuance and inspire designers and researchers around the world.

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Find Josephine here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephine-wong-6801922/ X: https://x.com/igiwong Apogee: https://www.apogeehk.com/ Make Meaningful Work: https://www.makemeaningfulwork.com/ UX Hong Kong: https://uxhongkong.com/

======

Subscribe to Brave UX

Liked what you heard and want to hear more? Subscribe and support the show by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen).

• Apple Podcast
• Spotify
• YouTube
• Podbean

Follow us on our other social channels for more great Brave UX content!

• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• Instagram

Brendan Jarvis hosts the Show, and you can find him here:

• Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn
• The Space InBetween Website

Roberta Dombrowski invites us to rethink success, tune into our intuition, and lead with intention —sharing how mindfulness, healing, and self-compassion can transform the way we work and live.

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Episode chapters

00:00 – Welcome and Introduction 04:25 – Being a Transracial Adoptee and Finding Voice 14:11 – The Restless Career Journey and Job-Hopping 22:54 – Lessons from Anxiety, Burnout, and Slowing Down 32:25 – Mindfulness, Somatic Work, and Coaching Practice 42:46 – The Challenges Facing UX Researchers Today 50:42 – Systemic vs Individual Burnout 58:10 – How to Navigate Red Flags in Hiring 1:06:01 – The Role of Intuition and Inner Wisdom 1:15:51 – Rediscovering Fun and Joy at Work

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Who is Roberta Dombrowski?

Roberta Dombrowski is a certified leadership coach and experience strategist, dedicated to transforming the way people live, learn, and work.

She is the founder of Learn Mindfully, a coaching and training company she launched in 2022. Since then, Roberta has supported hundreds of leaders from companies such as Adobe, Instacart, ServiceNow, Zapier, and Zoom.

Previously, Roberta was a Research Partner at Maze, where she helped clients maximize the platform’s potential. Before that, she was VP of User Research at User Interviews, where she built and scaled the research function while tackling the meta-challenge of researching researchers.

Roberta is also the author of Consciously Crafting Your Career Path, a self-reflection and career planning workbook designed to help people shape fulfilling and intentional careers. Her insights have been featured on podcasts like Lead the People and BLOC, and at events such as Rosenfeld Media’s Advancing Research conference.

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Find Roberta here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertadombrowski/ Company website: https://learnmindfully.co/ Personal website: https://robertalearns.com/

======

Subscribe to Brave UX

Liked what you heard and want to hear more? Subscribe and support the show by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen).

• Apple Podcast
• Spotify
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Follow us on our other social channels for more great Brave UX content!

• LinkedIn
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Brendan Jarvis hosts the Show, and you can find him here:

• Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn
• The Space InBetween Website

Gloria Osardu urges researchers to slow down, understand the business, and partner with intention—sharing why empathy, alignment, and asking the right questions are the foundation for research that matters.

Highlights include:

05:02 – How did your parents shape your worldview and curiosity? 15:22 – Why is success as a research leader about facilitating others? 24:26 – What does “understanding the business” really mean? 30:43 – What does “skin in the game” mean for stakeholders? 45:24 – How has embracing slowness changed your approach to leadership?

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Who is Gloria Osardu?

Gloria is a Senior Director and Global Head of UX Research, Brand, and Consumer Insights at Yahoo!, where she leads initiatives to deepen Yahoo’s understanding of consumer behaviour, aligning the company’s brand, product, and marketing strategies with these insights.

Before joining Yahoo!, Gloria was Senior Director and Head of UX Research and Insights at Gusto, where she built and led Gusto’s Global Product Experience Research Team, overseeing both research and research operations professionals.

She has also held senior research roles at Amazon Web Services, where she led UX Research Operations and Programs, and at Capital One, where she headed UX Research for their Enterprise AI and ML Platforms.

With extensive commercial experience in customer insights and analytics, Gloria also brings an impressive academic background, holding a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction, a Master of Science in Applied Health Informatics, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

A committed contributor to our field, Gloria is a long-standing mentor with the Computing Research Association and has been featured in User Weekly, as well as on podcasts like Black Stories and Saving UX.

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Find Gloria here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloriaosardu/

======

Subscribe to Brave UX

Liked what you heard and want to hear more? Subscribe and support the show by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen).

• Apple Podcast
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Follow us on our other social channels for more great Brave UX content!

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Brendan Jarvis hosts the Show, and you can find him here:

• Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn
• The Space InBetween Website

Esther Ahn reflects on the twists and turns of her creative journey, shares how critique can unlock better design without breaking spirits, and reveals why embracing the oops is essential for building resilient teams and products.

Highlights include:

12:13 – How do you make sense of your career’s twists and turns? 28:52 – What does a healthy culture of critique look like? 35:24 – What works best when presenting design work to executives? 42:19 – Where is the most tension between business goals and user needs? 01:06:36 – How is the children’s book Beautiful Oops! relevant to your career?

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Who is Esther Ahn?

Esther is the Director of User Experience for YouTube TV and Primetime Channels on YouTube—a role in which she brings deep expertise in human-centered design and research to enhance the viewing experience across platforms and at scale.

Throughout her career, Esther has pioneered new participatory design methods and conducted global research across the US, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Before YouTube, she was Director of Digital Health UX at Stanford Health Care and a Creative Director at the world-renowned innovation firm Frog Design.

She’s also worked at two other giants of design—IDEO and Smart Design—where she shaped experiences through multidisciplinary practice.

Esther holds a BA in Architecture from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in Interaction Design from Carnegie Mellon University.

===

Find Esther here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherahn/

======

Subscribe to Brave UX

Liked what you heard and want to hear more? Subscribe and support the show by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen).

• Apple Podcast
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Follow us on our other social channels for more great Brave UX content!

• LinkedIn
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Brendan Jarvis hosts the Show, and you can find him here:

• Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn
• The Space InBetween Website

Meryl Evans shares why accessibility is everyone’s responsibility, how captions can create connection—not just convenience—and why progress over perfection is the mindset that drives lasting inclusion.

Highlights include:

• 11:30 – How did publishing your first video in 2018 change everything?
• 20:28 – Why progress over perfection is essential in accessibility
• 29:06 – How do you carry the responsibility of being an advocate?
• 49:34 – What does it take to build a culture of accessibility?
• 59:15 – Why equitable design matters for dignity and inclusion

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Who is Meryl Evans?

Meryl is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), a sought-after speaker, trainer, and accessibility marketing consultant who has spent over two decades championing inclusive digital experiences.

Named one of LinkedIn’s Top 12 Voices for Accessibility Advocacy, Meryl’s work has been recognised by organisations such as the North Texas Disability Chamber and featured in The Wall Street Journal, MarketingProfs, and The Dallas Morning News.

She’s the author of The Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook and co-author of Adapting to Web Standards: CSS and Ajax for Big Sites, and her speaking credits include TEDx, SXSW, and the American Marketing Association.

Beyond her consulting and speaking, Meryl is a passionate volunteer, contributing to the W3C’s Immersive Captions community group and XR Access, helping ensure emerging technologies are accessible to everyone.

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Find Meryl here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meryl/ Website: https://meryl.net/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/merylkevans/videos X: https://x.com/merylkevans

======

Subscribe to Brave UX

Liked what you heard and want to hear more? Subscribe and support the show by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen).

• Apple Podcast
• Spotify
• YouTube
• Podbean

Follow us on our other social channels for more great Brave UX content!

• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• Instagram

Brendan Jarvis hosts the Show, and you can find him here:

• Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn
• The Space InBetween Website