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

Making Sense of the Mess with Abby Covert: Information Architecture, Community, and Redefining Success

What happens when the career path you’ve built no longer aligns with the life you want?
In this episode, Christine sits down with Abby Covert, information architecture expert, author, and founder of the Sense Makers Club, to explore what it means to walk away from traditional definitions of success and build something new.
After years of working in tech and teaching information architecture around the world, Abby made the decision in 2020 to leave her corporate role and create space to figure out what was next. What emerged was the Sensemakers Club, an evolving, community-driven experiment in learning, curiosity, and connection.
Christine and Abby discuss: 
Why “making sense” is an ongoing process, not a fixed outcome
How community creates confidence, not just connection
The reality of leaving (or staying in) tech in today’s market
The tension between values-driven work and financial sustainability
Why many mid-career professionals may need to build beyond a single job
What it means to redefine success on your own terms
This conversation is deeply relevant for anyone questioning their path, navigating uncertainty, or trying to design a more expansive and aligned life.

The Long View of IA with Karen McGrane: Career Reinvention, Reputation, and a Changing Industry

What does a long career in information architecture and UX teach us about navigating industry change?
In this episode, Christine Perfetti speaks with UX and content strategy leader Karen McGrane about reputation, career reinvention, and adapting to shifts in the tech industry. Karen shares lessons from decades in consulting, the impact of the recent consulting downturn, and why she recently made the unexpected move back in-house at Contentful.
They also discuss hiring in today’s market, the importance of professional networks, and why many experienced professionals are beginning to think in terms of portfolio careers.
Karen will be speaking at the Information Architecture Conference (IAC26) in Philadelphia, April 14–18, 2026. Use the code liftup for $50 off the main conference registration.
Learn more: https://www.theiaconference.com

The Vision Was Given to You: Kenyetta Hall on Mindset, Managed Risk, and Building Your Own Table

In mid-career, many of us reach a moment where the old definition of success no longer fits. but the next one isn’t fully clear yet.
In this conversation, I sit down with Kenyetta Hall, product leader, professor at UNC Chapel Hill, advisor to founders, and creator of The Katalyst Effect to talk about what it really takes to pivot with clarity and confidence.
We explore:
Why “the vision was given to you” and doesn’t require outside validation
The difference between taking reckless risks and managing risk strategically
How to meet your organization’s definition of success without overextending yourself
Kenyetta's Six M Framework (Mindset, Mission, Motivation, Movement, Money, and Management)
Why baseline financial clarity matters before you can think expansively
The power of a tactical pause to reflect, reset, and reimagine what’s next
This is not a conversation about quitting your job overnight.
It’s about building your own table thoughtfully.

The Product of You: Designing What’s Next in the Messy Middle with Sarah Doody

What if the greatest product you’ll ever work on is you?
In this candid and deeply honest conversation, Christine sits down with career strategist and UX leader Sarah Doody to talk about what it really takes to navigate mid-career uncertainty, especially in today’s volatile tech landscape.
They explore:
Why mid-career professionals (not just juniors) are struggling right now
How to distinguish between a qualifications problem and a positioning problem
The myth of “terminal uniqueness” and why your nonlinear career is not a liability
How to optimize your LinkedIn presence strategically (not generically)
Whether you really need a connection to get hired
How mindset and action work together
And what it looks like to build resilience when life and business feel like a “shit show”
Sarah also shares openly about her own recent challenges and offers a rare and refreshing glimpse behind the curtain of entrepreneurship.
This episode is for mid-career and midlife women who are:
Considering a pivot
Questioning their relevance
Navigating layoffs or stagnation
Or simply asking, “What’s next for me?”
 

Climbing Out of Burnout: Mount Kilimanjaro, Reinvention, and Choosing an Expansive Life with Mugdha Kulkarni

In this deeply honest episode, Christine Perfetti sits down with Mugdha Kulkarni to explore what happens when your body finally says enough. A former Amazon engineering leader, Mugdha shares her journey through burnout, a life-altering panic attack, the healing power of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, and the brave decision to walk away from corporate life to rebuild a life rooted in health, creativity, and meaning.
If you’re standing at the edge of change, this conversation will meet you there.You can learn more about Mugdha's new business, Thyme for Something Sweet on Instagram.

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