Design, in confidence

Do you also get anxious about thinking about the future because of climate change?

Stefano Bellucci Sessa does.
He'll share in the future how mindfulness and therapy are helping. 

Meanwhile, I announce There&Wow, a personal newsletter on how I manage to imagine a preferable future in times of ecological and climate emergency.

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For more on Climate Anxiety, check:
https://mentalhealth-uk.org/blog/what-is-climate-anxiety-and-what-can-you-do-about-it/ 

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Track: Summer
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0

https://youtu.be/UpRPzujTa7w

After a long Covid break, I'm back for the last episode of season 1.

In confidence, even after a season of a podcast, I think I'm a bad podcaster.
In confidence, even after 10 years of experience in design and innovation, I think I'm a bad innovator.
In confidence, even after a mindfulness course, I think I'm not aware and in control of my emotions and thoughts. 

In confidence, I will share how I keep going, despite feeling I should quit and give up. 

Listen if you struggle to deal with failure and mistakes, you keep quitting, and without managing to keep the life or career change. 

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SHOWNOTES
https://medium.com/@stefano-studio/being-a-bad-at-mindfulness-and-design-fd5246bdbb9a

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Track: Summer Vibes
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0
https://youtu.be/ixCCak6cX0Y

I asked this question many times to myself.
And I've been asked by many people I mentor. 

I met people unsure whether starting a UX course is a good choice.
I met career changers who struggle to define themselves as UX designers.
I met people unsatisfied with their UX job, because it doesn't live up to the expectations.
And I was one of them too.

In this episode, I'll share my learnings on what limited and confused perception of the UX industry I had, and how I managed to navigate the human-centred-design industry beyond that.
Listen to this episode if you want to understand what skills a UX designer MUST have, and what other similar careers exist: service design, organisational design, business design and more.

So that you can make a mindful design decision on whether User Experience Design is the right career solution for you.

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SHOWNOTES
https://stefano-studio.medium.com/is-ux-design-really-for-you-e4020eebe28d

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Track: Run
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0
https://youtu.be/IAvZjuuLAIo

We are all designers, but what type of designers are you?
This episode is not about WHAT we design: services, budgets, businesses, interactions. It's about the HOW, which is what makes us uniquely different. 

Listen to understand how to better compare with others, mitigate your biases, define your unique added value, your impact and your sense of accomplishment.
And most of all, manage your mental health as a designer. 

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SHOWNOTES
https://stefano-studio.medium.com/whats-your-design-mindset-a64b977899bd 

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Track: Run
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0
https://youtu.be/IAvZjuuLAIo

"DARE":
it means "be brave" in English,
"to give" in Italian.

I love this coincidence.
It shows me how we can contribute with what makes us unexpectedly unique: having the creative confidence of going beyond the limits asked or expected.

For that, we need initiative.
It's requested in workplaces. Needed for promotions.
Makes new business start. Transformations to start.
But since it's not often discussed, I share what I've learned about it.

Have you ever had a client from hell?
Maybe with unrealistic expectations or harsh feedback?

I did, but with time I started to learn that most of the time the client wasn't the problem: I was.
Or, sometimes, we were just doing our best, trying to figure out how to collaborate together. 

If you are a freelancer or a consultant, learn more on how to mindfully build better client relationships by listening to this episode. 

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SHOWNOTES

 https://medium.com/@stefano-studio/why-is-client-management-hard-a02b37fb2a5a 

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Do you really have to be innovative and change your life, career or business?

I don't think so – there is a startup and innovation mentality of pressing business and people to change to be competitive, underestimating how not changing might be a good design decision.

Whether you are a leader, creative or not, listen to understand when it's ok to not innovate and be mindfully aware and in control of it. 

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SHOWNOTES
https://stefano-studio.medium.com/when-its-ok-to-not-innovate-4baab4ad6a09

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Track: Run
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0
https://youtu.be/IAvZjuuLAIo

Have you ever felt confused or overwhelmed after time-off from work?

It happened to me many times.
Mostly at Christmas, which brings to have a long and distracting time off from thinking about a project. 

Check this episode to listen to my productivity tips on this topic, so that you can mindfully plan project activities and mindfully design how to confidently come back to work after a break

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SHOWNOTES
https://stefano-studio.medium.com/a-productivity-present-to-future-self-before-time-off-7819c6bee14a

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Track: Into The Light

Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0 https://youtu.be/5nNVrUE4oDA

Have you ever felt like an imposter? 
Sometimes, despite the evidence, I feel my value is really little.
I fear that people will find out about it too and remove the trust they gave me.

Fortunately, I discovered imposter syndrome, realising that this feeling was common.
It is shared by innovators, creatives, designers and many many others. 
Even more when leaders and managers reinforce others' imposter syndrome by being exclusive. 

Listen to find out what I learned, and I'm learning, how mindfulness and design help me be aware and in control of imposter syndrome. 

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SHOWNOTES

https://stefano-studio.medium.com/fc3ff33ed960

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Track: Summer
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0

https://youtu.be/UpRPzujTa7w

You got a job in a startup and now... what if you are not up to this challenge?

I've been there – I was worried, overwhelmed, scared. 
There were many things that I could fail. Many things I had to learn. Many expectations I could disappoint. 

In this episode, I will share my learnings as a designer in a startup. How I managed expectations of the CEO, CTO and the rest of the team, but also untapped my potential to meet business needs, meet customer satisfaction, and improve ways of working. 

Listen to understand how to make the best of your role in a startup. 

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Show notes
https://stefano-studio.medium.com/starting-a-job-in-a-startup-cce08bb00226

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Track: Run
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0
https://youtu.be/IAvZjuuLAIo