In today’s episode, I speak with Gabe Valdivia. Gabe is a Cuban-American designer based in New York City. He’s been practicing design for more than fifteen years, leading teams in large organizations and designing for startups. He's currently leading Consumer Experience Design at Patreon, connecting artists with a passionate audience to help them make a living doing what they love. Before that, he led design and research teams at CNN Digital, Google Jigsaw, and Facebook.

We dive into the importance of practicing authenticity as a designer, how it can lead you to greater career empowerment, how your intrinsic motivations can guide you through career changes and challenges,  how to differentiate your identity from your work, and ultimately how this work can bring you towards a more meaningful and fulfilled design career.