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In this episode of The Reboot Era, I sit down with Nellie Hughes — a design director with 20 years in the gaming industry, most recently at Xbox Publishing. Nellie shares her journey from creating open-world experiences to navigating a layoff at one of the biggest names in tech. We cover everything from building creative teams and advocating for accessibility, to spotting layoffs before they happen, to the reality of ageism in tech. Nellie also shares how networking — done with kindness and curiosity — has fueled her career, and why she’s optimistic about what’s next. If you’re in gaming, tech, or just navigating a career pivot, this one’s packed with real talk and takeaways.

Links Mentioned:

• Connect with Nellie on LinkedIn

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Everything shared on this podcast is based on personal experience and opinion. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, no content should be considered professional, legal, or career advice. Any mention of companies, products, or individuals is done in a personal capacity and does not represent the views or endorsements of those organizations or people. If a sponsorship or paid partnership is ever included, it will be clearly disclosed during the episode.