If authority figures still trigger old emotional responses for you, you’re not alone.

In this episode, Joe explores why feedback from bosses can feel so personal — and how early conditioning often shapes the way we react to power, criticism, and expectations at work.

You’ll hear why being challenged doesn’t mean you’re failing, how to separate your worth from other people’s reactions and what it really means to set boundaries with confidence — without becoming defensive or combative.

This is about reclaiming your absolute right to exist, speak up and take up space.

If this episode resonated, consider subscribing to Making UX Work.

Each episode explores the human side of UX and product careers — confidence, power, impostor syndrome, boundaries and the challenges that never show up in books or conference talks.

No hype. No platitudes. Just honest perspective, earned the hard way.