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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

After 18 months of job searching with no results, Mariah was out of steam and questioning everything—until she joined Career Strategy Lab.

In this Open House conversation, Sarah talks with Mariah, a UX researcher and experience strategist with a background in customer support and consulting. Mariah came to CSL after burning out from a year and a half of job searching while trying to relocate to Copenhagen. In this honest episode, she shares what finally helped her stop spinning, reconnect with herself, and gain the clarity, confidence, and support she’d been missing.

Whether you’re new to UX or deep in burnout, Mariah’s story will remind you that it’s not too late—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ What job searching for 18+ months taught Mariah about burnout and boundaries

✔️ Why trying to “game the system” kept her stuck and exhausted

✔️ How the Compass Sprint reconnected her to her voice, identity, and strengths

✔️ Why the mindset calls inside CSL helped her finally feel like herself again

✔️ How to balance personal and professional identity in your job search

✔️ Her advice for perfectionists and overthinkers: take action, even when it’s messy

Timestamps:

02:27 Mariah's Background and Career Journey

04:21 Joining Career Strategy Lab: Initial Experiences

08:09 Impact of Mindset Calls

11:50 Tangible Actions and Career Roadmap

18:43 Final Advice and Closing Remarks

21:22 Podcast Outro and Additional Resources

22:03 Special Message for Job Seekers

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