How to Listen with Ximena Vengoechea

Our guest today has had a fascinating career path. I could say that about all our guest, really. Who hasn't had a fascinating career path?   But that's some of what makes these conversations so important! It's rarely linear. It never looks the way you think it will.   But I digress.   When Ximena Vengoechea realized that the path she was on wasn't going to take her where she wanted to go, she started researching and exploring her curiosity around startups and tech. I love the process that she created for herself and where it took her.   I'll let her share that story and how you can apply a similar process to your work and any transition you may be considering.   Today Ximena is a user researcher, author, and illustrator. She's taken what she's learned about really listening and drawing out the essence of what someone is bringing into a conversation into her new book, Listen Like You Mean It — Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection.   In our conversation, we dig into her career journey, her current work, and some of the great takeaways from her new book. It's a blast. I think you'll really enjoy this one. In this episode you'll learn: What Ximena does How she got into her current work How she knew what next step to take What is her career transition was like What a User Experience Researcher does Where the idea for her book came from The advantage of learning to listen well Some practical steps to improving your listening skills How to engage in conversations that are difficult or uninteresting What is "projection" and how does it impact listening? What are the signs that you are listening well What are connecting questions and how to use them How to listen to when people see things differently from you What’s the legacy she hope that her book will leave Why is it important to be seen and understood Show notes at: https://themeaningmovement.com/ximena