One year into podcasting and it has been a journey. It’s been fun, enlightening, rewarding, difficult, and stress-inducing all at the same time. But overall, I’m a happier and better person for having done it.

My goal for this year was to record 12 good podcasts. I ended up creating more than that. Wether or not any of them have been “good” is for you to decide. This will however be the last blog post and podcast I’ll put out this year. I’m looking forward to spending some time reflecting and just doing nothing outside of my family life and day job for a couple of months. I plan to begin recording in the second quarter of 2022 and I can’t wait to share season 2 of the User Flows Podcast with you then.

So with that, I wanted to share the lessons I’ve learned in case you are interested in starting a podcast. Have a great 2022 everyone!

1. Podcasting is easier than you think.
2. Podcasting is a lot harder than you think.
3. Storytelling is important.
4. Hyperfocus.
5. Never stop learning.
6. Don't be afraid to share from wherever you are.
7. You don't need a crazy work set up.
8. You do need a quiet space.
9. You can make a big impact in your career.
10. Just get started.
11. Be transparent and open with your wants.
12. You don't have to comment on every post.
13. It's worth giving it a try. Even if you know it's going to fail.
14. You're going to have to dedicate way more time to this to craft something worth listening to.
15. It's a really great way to connect with people.
16. It's cool to have a side hustle, but make sure you get outside.
17. You'll need to make this about something your really interested in or passionate about or you'll never last.
18. It's okay to pivot.
19. Helping someone else achieve something is almost a good as achieving it yourself.
20. You can and should design your life.
21. It's time for a break.

Okay, so I wanted to record an episode answering all the questions I've received this year from listeners and students alike. These are all fantastic questions and by answering them, I hope you get you own questions answered. Feel free to reach out to me anytime with your questions at thomasmorrel.com

Questions answered on the show:

• What was your journey into UX?
• What does a day at work look like?
• Have you worked with people who started out in a non-design field and transitioned over to UX/product design? What do you believe made them successful/stand out?
• What are some aspects of design/UX that are often overlooked by beginners, especially when starting a portfolio?
• Do you know of any good resources for learning more about UX/UI or for getting connected with others in the field?
• How did you transition from graphic designer/art director to Product Designer/UX?
• Do you see any shifts happening in the industry right now?
• How did you manage to work as a designer abroad in London?
• What advice would you give to someone looking to start working in UX/UI/Product Design?
• What are some of the things that are a pain in the UX field but are rarely talked about?

Welcome back to the UserFlows Podcast, my name is Thomas Morrell and this is a show where we talk about UX design and careers. I interview designers about their journey into the field and break down how they've been successful in their roles so we all can learn together. Today I'm joined by Shalyn Oswald.

Shalyn is a UX Design Instructor at General Assembly. Which a lot of my previous guests were once students at GA. I'm very excited for this conversation.

1:25 - Shalyn's Background in UX Design. Game Jams, and networking.

2:20 Going from UX Design Student at General Assembly to becoming a UX Instructor at the same company.

4:30 - Making the switch from practitioner to teacher. Acquiring greater communication skills.

⭐️ 6:00 - Educating people about what I do and what I don't do. Empowering people to understand the power you have as a UX Designer. Respect it.

9:12 - (Ruined by design) Ethics in Design. Giving people the system to do their job well. Technology is here to help and not to hurt and as a UX designer, you can do good or do harm.

12:00 - Embracing Human-centered design from all angles.

12:30 - What are the General Assembly courses all about. What does a typical experience look like? The intensity of the program. Learning to ask questions. Learning to not take feedback as a negative, but as information.

15:20 - What it's like as a General Assembly instructor. Get into the weeds with your students. The personal aspect of how you learn.

⭐️ 20:10 - The biggest obstacle UX students have is getting over being able to fail in order to learn. Quieting the perfectionist mindset.

25:50 - Who's the right type of person for the General Assembly course? Hint: It's everyone, but you'll have to be okay with the fast pace and the pressure.

30:35 - Lessons learned moving from Practitioner to Teacher. Feedback is a necessary evil both giving and taking.

34:20 - What people don't quite understand about what gets taught at a boot camp. You get out of them what you put into them. You have to judge the boot camp grad and not the past performance of another grad. The same way you would judge one college grad vs another.

35:40 - There is room in design for everyone. Diversity in design is about diversity in thinking, thought, understanding, humor, and more. See the value in the person and not the course.

41:00 - Where they go for inspiration and information.

47:00 - What's next on the horizon. A short sabbatical and then something new.

49:09 - Getting in touch with Shalyn. LinkedIn and Twitter.