Lift Up Connections: Reimagining Life, Growth, and Reinvention Together

Career Reinvention: When Your Body Knows Before Your Mind Does with Roberta Dombrowski

What happens when your body starts telling you the truth before your career does?
In this deeply honest and grounding conversation, Christine Perfetti sits down with Roberta Dombrowski, a coach, meditation teacher, and former VP of UX Research, to talk about reinvention, intuition, motherhood, and the courage it takes to leave behind a version of success that no longer fits.
Roberta shares her own journey from senior leadership in tech to coaching women through identity shifts, including the painful, nonlinear middle: layoffs, self-doubt, postpartum depression, and the temptation to return to what once felt safe.
Christine and Roberta explore:
Why so many high-achieving women hit a wake-up call in mid-career
How listening to your nervous system can change everything
The myth of “blowing up your career” to reinvent
Why motherhood and caregiving complicate (but also clarify) career transitions
How to move away from “shoulds” and toward what’s actually aligned
What to do when fear, uncertainty, and grief show up along the way
This episode is for women who look capable on the outside but feel misaligned on the inside and are ready to slow down, tune in, and take the next right step.Episode Notes: Listen to Roberta's podcast, In Her WordsRoberta's company, Learn Mindfully

Starting Before You Are Ready: Amanda Stockwell on Leaps, Meaning, and the Changing Shape of Success

Six months ago, UX leader and educator Amanda Stockwell said yes to a cup of coffee, never imagining that one conversation would lead her into founding a nonprofit, joining a social enterprise accelerator, and reshaping her entire career path.
In this inspiring episode, Amanda returns to The Reimagining Lab to share what she’s learned in the messy middle of building The Seed List, a nonprofit designed to create equitable internship pathways for students entering the tech and startup world.
We explore:
What the messy middle really feels like
Why her UX research career uniquely prepared her for nonprofit leadership
The power of a little naïveté when starting something new
Redefining success when the external markers don’t match the impact
How community, connection, and authentic networks open unexpected doors
Why taking the smallest step, showing up, saying yes, often becomes the big turning point
Amanda’s story is a reminder that reinvention doesn’t require certainty. It requires alignment, courage, curiosity, and a willingness to walk through the “yellow door” when life shows you a path you never expected.

The Art of the Beautiful Mess: How Creativity Helps Us Reimagine Our Lives with Angela Craven

Artist and UX strategist Angela Craven joins Christine to explore how creativity can help us navigate grief, reinvention, and the unpredictable seasons of midlife. From painting in New York to leading UX strategy to rediscovering her art after personal loss, Angela shares how she learned to live with harmony instead of chasing balance.
Christine and Angela discuss:
How art becomes a healing force in times of change
Why “balance” is a myth and “harmony” is the real goal
The power of making a talisman to anchor your next chapter
How embracing the beautiful mess of life opens us to meaning and connection
This conversation is an invitation to slow down, listen to your creative voice, and reimagine your life as an evolving work of art.Resources & Links
Angela Craven Art: angelacravenart.com
The Art of Being Workshop: artofbeingexperience.com
Follow Angela on Instagram: @angelacravenart

Living Outside the Box: Kristin Florin on Redefining Herself After a 20-Year Career

After 20 years at Custom Ink, Kristin Florin never imagined she’d be laid off. The company wasn't just a workplace. It was the place where she grew up professionally and had helped define her identity and community.
In this powerful conversation, Kristin shares what it’s really like to lose the only professional home you have ever known and how she found her way back to confidence and purpose.
She opens up about the grief of the layoff, the uncomfortable quiet that followed, and the mindset shifts that helped her reimagine what’s possible and find her new leadership position at BreakingT.
You’ll hear Kristin’s reflections on:
Why your career isn’t a box you have to stay in
The difference between loyalty and identity
How pausing after a loss can open unexpected doors
And what it means to bet on yourself when everything feels uncertain
Her story is a reminder that sometimes leaving the box isn’t the end of your story. It’s the start of a truer one.

From Downturn to Breakthrough: Kyle Soucy on Projective Techniques, Lean Experiments and Being Brave

In this episode, Christine Perfetti talks with Kyle Soucy, founder of Usable Interface and host of The UX Consultants Lounge.
Kyle has spent more than 20 years in UX research and is now writing a book on projective techniques, methods like collaging and sentence completion that surface insights traditional interviews often miss. She shares how these techniques open the door to deeper human understanding while also requiring careful attention to ethics and participant safety.
But this conversation goes beyond research methods. Kyle opens up about navigating the downturn in tech, the fear that came with slow times, and how those messy moments became the catalyst for her biggest breakthroughs. From launching her podcast to committing to her long-dreamed-of book, Kyle shows how lean experiments, courage, and small steps forward can create powerful momentum.
Whether you’re a UX professional, a consultant, or someone reimagining your next chapter, this episode will inspire you to move past fear, try something new, and discover what’s possible when you take action.What you’ll learn:
How projective techniques uncover the unspoken: from collaging to sentence-completion, Kyle shares practical methods to surface insights that traditional interviews miss.
Why messy times can be catalysts: hear how a downturn became the spark for Kyle’s breakthroughs: launching a podcast, committing to a book, and reframing fear as fuel.
The power of lean experiments and small steps: discover how testing ideas quickly, embracing imperfection, and choosing courage over fear can create lasting momentum.
Resources:
Kyle Soucy’s company: Usable Interface 
Kyle's podcast, The UX Consultants Lounge featuring stories and lessons from independent UX consultants
Article: Tad Hirsch, Practicing Without a License: Design Research as Psychotherapy: important perspective on ethics and participant safety in research

Inflection Points, Portfolio Careers, and Bravery with Kristen Fitzpatrick of Harvard Business School

If you have ever wondered what HBS alumni learn about reinvention after graduation, Kristen Fitzpatrick has the inside view.
In this conversation, I sit down with Kristen, Senior Managing Director of Alumni Relations and Career & Professional Development at Harvard Business School, who has spent over two decades guiding students and alumni through pivotal career moments. Kristen brings brilliant wisdom on reinvention, resilience, and building lives that truly reflect our values.
In our conversation, we explore the reality of inflection points, those moments when we’re called to pause, reassess, and sometimes radically shift course. Kristen shares her own personal journey, the lessons she’s drawn from working with thousands of HBS alumni, and her perspective on how to embrace bravery, banish perfectionism, and see yourself through the eyes of someone who believes in you unconditionally.
If you are navigating uncertainty, questioning your next step, or simply craving inspiration from one of the sharpest minds in career development, this episode is for you.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Kristen’s winding journey from chemical engineer to career development leader at HBS
Why so many career pivots happen through “happy accidents” rather than careful planning
The surprising truth about Harvard alumni: even “the best of the best” wrestle with uncertainty, layoffs, and reinvention
Why portfolio careers may be the future for mid-to-senior professionals in their 50s and 60s
The four elements of career decision-making developed by HBS psychologist Dr. Tim Butler
Kristen’s biggest advice: see yourself through the eyes of someone who already believes you can do anything
Resources Mentioned
The Portfolio Life by Christina Wallace
Dr. Tim Butler’s Four Elements of Career & Life Decision-Making
Jeremy Schifeling’s “The LinkedIn Guys” Masterclass
Lovable AI for presentations

Lean Experiments for Life: Christina Wodtke on Reinvention, Risk, and Thriving in Tech

What does it take to reinvent your career again and again without losing yourself in the process?In this conversation, Stanford University lecturer, bestselling author, and product leader Christina Wodtke opens up about her nonlinear path from art school to Silicon Valley startups, to teaching at Stanford.
We talk about:
The challenges (and joys) of being a woman in tech past 50 and how to reclaim power, voice, and agency when faced with ageism and sexism
How lean experiments are a powerful tool for navigating career and life pivots
The realities of shifting identities from artist, designer, PM, founder, author, and teacher
The role of risk tolerance in opening doors and what “worst-case scenario” thinking really means
Christina’s criteria for ranking the top AI companies from least evil to most evil
Teaching the next generation of product managers in the age of generative AI and what’s at stake if we skip synthesis and product sense
Christina’s story is one of reinvention, resilience, and refusing to be defined by a single label.Episode Notes:
Find Christina on LinkedIn
Christina's article, I Love Generative AI And Hate The Companies Building It
Christina's article, What You Want Isn't Always What You Want

From Tech Pioneer to Photographer: Nicole Yankelovich's Journey of Happy Accidents and Finding Opportunities

In this episode, Christine sits down with Nicole Yankelovich, a technologist, startup founder, photographer, and teacher whose career has been shaped by a series of “happy accidents.”
Nicole shares her journey from cofounding a research institute at Brown, to leading research at Sun Microsystems, to creating her own startup, and ultimately finding a new calling in photography and instruction. Along the way, she reflects on the lessons of raising your hand, seizing opportunities, and the role mentors play in shaping our paths.
Nicole’s story will inspire you to take action, trust your instincts, and find joy in the unexpected twists and turns.

Red Doors, Yellow Doors: Choosing Openness in Your Career Journey

In this episode, Christine explores the powerful framework of the “achieving brain” and the “awakened brain,” inspired by Dr. Lisa Miller’s groundbreaking research in her book, The Awakened Brain.
Christine shares a reflection exercise on “red doors” and “yellow doors” moments when we strive and push for something that just won’t open, and the surprising shifts that happen when we pause, look around, and notice the open doors waiting for us.
Through her own story of launching the Reimagine Your Career cohort, Christine highlights how resilience, openness, and “trail angels” can change the direction of our journeys in unexpected ways.
Are you still banging on a red door or is there a yellow door already open for you?The Awakened Brain by Dr. Lisa Miller

Breaking Through Mid-Career Plateaus: Why 'Work Harder' Doesn't Work with Bosky Mukherjee

This week, I sit down with Bosky Mukherjee, CEO and founder of SheTrailblazes to get real about what actually moves careers forward in this market.
Bosky shares why “saying yes to more work” and “just speaking up” are outdated scripts, and replaces them with narrative authority (communicating impact in C-suite language), commercial fluency (knowing how money moves in your company), and a practical path to achieving sponsorship, not just collecting mentors.
We also chat about how to think on your feet without over-explaining, ways to role play your way to confidence with stakeholders, and make smart choices if you are in you 50s or 60s and facing ageism. whether that means optimizing for joy, for financial freedom, or building something of your own.
Expect tough love, smart tactics, and immediate next steps you can use this week.
About Bosky Mukherjee
Bosky Mukherjee started her career at the bottom as a tech support associate. Overqualified, underpaid, and underestimated, she refused to stay stuck.
She rose to the C-suite as a company president, then built two profitable businesses without a dollar of VC funding.
Today, she coaches thousands of women to step into senior leadership or grow profitable businesses when corporate no longer fits. Her approach blends behavioral psychology with real C-suite experience in hiring, promotion, and power decisions.
She’s the founder of SheTrailblazes, with two flagship programs:
Leadership Edge for women who want to get promoted faster without overworking
Founders Edge for women who want to grow their business when they've outgrown corporate
Bosky’s belief is simple: Success isn’t about working more; it’s about knowing how decisions are made, and leading them with power.
Connect with Bosky:
LinkedIn: [Mention you heard her on the Lift Up podcast]
Bosky's Website: SheTrailBlazes
Programs Mentioned:
Leadership Edge Program (for career advancement)
Founder's Edge Program (for entrepreneurship)
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