128: How this 30 year UX veteran went from feeling irrelevant to in control of her career
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Welcome to the Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody, a UX Designer & UX Researcher with 20 years of experience who founded the UX job search accelerator, Career Strategy Lab. She's been doing UX career coaching since 2017.
Follow Sarah on: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram
Nancy Leslie has over 30 years of UX experience—and yet, before joining Career Strategy Lab, she felt irrelevant, overlooked, and unsure of how to position herself in today’s market. In this honest and uplifting open house conversation, Nancy shares how she moved from self-doubt to spaciousness, and why she finally feels like herself again—professionally and personally.
Whether you're later in your career or just feeling disconnected from your value, Nancy’s story will remind you that it’s never too late to rewrite your narrative and re-energize your future.
What You'll Learn This Episode:
✔️ Why years of experience can make job searching harder, not easier
✔️ The emotional toll of being a runner-up again and again
✔️ How Nancy reframed “aged out” into “experienced pioneer”
✔️ The surprising career impact of mindset and community
✔️ Why CSL didn’t box her in—but actually set her free
✔️ How showing up, experimenting, and getting feedback changed everything
Timestamps:
00:58 Episode Overview and Special Format
01:42 Introducing Nancy: A UX Veteran
02:10 Nancy's Journey in UX
03:16 The Impact of Career Strategy Lab
04:47 Mindset Shifts and Career Growth
12:04 The Role of Community and Coaching
15:56 Final Thoughts and Advice
17:20 Conclusion and Podcast Outro
18:04 Special Message for Job Seekers
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🔔 Follow & Subscribe for weekly strategies and stories to help you grow in your UX career—without the burnout.
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👉 Join Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.
👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
139 episodes