Show Notes
“What happens when your UX career stops fitting the life you want — and you decide to rewrite the story?”
Summary In this powerful episode, Amy Santee joins me to unpack the realities of building a career in UX — beyond the glossy titles and job descriptions. With a background spanning childhood development, healthcare innovation, and UX strategy at eBay and Civic Software Foundation, Amy has spent over a decade exploring how people, systems, and products connect. Today, as a Design Researcher and Career Strategist, they coach UX professionals through burnout, career change, and the messy realities of the industry. Together, we dive into the emotional and systemic challenges of UX work, the shifting job market, and how to reclaim agency and meaning in your career. We talk about identity, community, and the courage to redefine success on your own terms.
Guest Amy Santee Website – https://thejawbreaker.beehiiv.com LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amysantee/
Host Danny Hearn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyhearn/ Website – www.dannyhearn.me Podcast – www.deeplyhumandesign.com
Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Amy's Journey 03:50 Navigating Corporate Culture as an Anthropologist 06:52 The Challenges of UX Research 09:46 The Jaded UX Professional 12:37 Identity and Job Market Uncertainty 15:33 The Rigged Job Market for Tech Workers 18:46 The Shared Struggles of Workers 21:34 The Future of UX and Worker Rights 29:59 The Fight for Workers' Rights 32:45 Acknowledging the Bleak Reality 35:09 Embracing the Unconventional Career Path 37:20 Navigating Uncertainty and Identity 40:37 Redefining Value Beyond Productivity 43:38 Diversifying Income Streams 46:09 Finding Fulfillment in Unexpected Places
More from the deeply human design podcast
“You cannot innovate if you don't have diverse thinking.” Summary In this episode, we explore the winding creative journey of Meg Porter, a designer turned product leader and founder, who shares how her artistic roots evolved into a passion for solving complex human problems. She candidly opens up about navigating corporate environments as a neurodivergent woman, facing systemic biases, and the exhaustion of trying to fit traditional workplace molds. Meg discusses her work with The Female Product Lead community, advocating for truly inclusive leadership and psychological safety across tech. She also details the creation of Unfold, her new app designed to help neurodivergent individuals manage executive dysfunction through nervous system and emotional regulation. Throughout the conversation, Meg highlights the immense value of radical self-knowledge over conventional career frameworks. Guest Meg Porter LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/megporter Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/_meg_porter/ TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@_meg_porter_ Unfold Website – https://getunfold.app Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/_unfoldapp_/ TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@_unfoldapp_ Female Product Lead Website – https://femaleproductlead.com Events – https://luma.com/femaleproductlead Host Danny Hearn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyhearn/ Website – https://www.dannyhearn.me Podcast – https://www.deeplyhumandesign.com Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 01:38 Meg's Origins in Physical Graphic Design 04:43 Navigating Subjectivity and Finding Structure in Design 08:23 Expressing Personal Empathy Through Art Projects 10:17 Transitioning into Corporate Tech and Healthcare Design 14:12 Clashing Values and Systemic Politics in Enterprise Roles 18:35 Fostering Psychological Safety and Diverse Perspectives 22:57 Empowering Underrepresented Voices with Female Product Lead 26:27 Experiencing the Glass Ceiling and Micro-Behaviors 32:25 Finding Core Purpose and Showing Up Authentically 37:14 Building Unfold for Neurodivergent Emotional Regulation 43:58 Developing the MVP and Co-Founding with Family 46:23 Tackling Executive Dysfunction and Rejection Sensitivity 51:21 Prioritising Self-Knowledge Over Skill Sets in Leadership
"People massively overestimate the amount of change that's going to happen in two years, and they underestimate the amount in five to 10 years."
"The pressure to move faster in the tech industry creates an environment where presence and mental well-being are often sacrificed for speed.”
Reclaiming the Heart in Design “There’s so much heart in some of these things that you’re putting in heart in that space and I find it very hard to detach some of those.”
“Sometimes the best thing you can do is just be the kindest person in the room.”