I was recently invited by Danny Hearn onto his podcast to talk about my journey in design, leadership and what it means to build authentically in today’s world. The conversation covered everything from my early days in gaming communities to my current role as Chief Design Officer, along with some very personal reflections on burnout, imposter syndrome and being diagnosed as autistic later in life.

You can watch the full episode now, but I also wanted to share some of the highlights and reflections from our chat.

I didn’t want to prepare for the podcast so asked Danny just to throw some questions at me and see where we got to, it turned out ok.

An unexpected career path

I didn’t start in design. My first steps were in the British Army as a mechanic. After leaving, I threw myself into gaming communities, running NVMAX and building one of the early hardware review networks. I managed a distributed team of reviewers and moderators before I even realised I was “leading.” It taught me how to build trust, how to create culture and how to keep things moving even when the structures were loose.

That curiosity eventually led me into design, first through agencies and startups, then into public sector roles at DWP, later Shopify and now leading design at Scrumconnect. The through-line has always been the same: I like figuring things out and helping others do the same.

Leading through change

My career has always been about navigating change. At DWP, I learned how to lead at scale in government. At Shopify, I helped shape design in a global tech company. Now, at Scrumconnect, I’m supporting teams building services that matter to millions of people.

The lesson I’ve carried is that trust and culture always beat tools and frameworks. Tools matter, yes, but trust builds momentum. Culture keeps people engaged. And both allow teams to perform even when the path is unclear.

Burnout and imposter syndrome

Both Danny and I spoke about burnout. It’s something that’s still too often hidden, especially at senior levels. I’ve hit burnout twice in my career. Both times, no one around me saw it coming because on the surface I looked like I had it together. That’s the dangerous thing about burnout, it hides behind what looks like high performance.

For three years, I gave more than 120 talks about imposter syndrome. The response showed me how powerful it is to say things out loud that most people keep to themselves. Burnout is similar. If leaders don’t talk about it, others feel they can’t either. And the silence just makes things worse.

Discovering neurodivergence

My late autism diagnosis helped me understand so much about myself and how I lead. Masking, over-preparing and second-guessing drained me. Realising this wasn’t just “me being me” but part of how my brain works has been freeing.

Now, I lead more authentically. I explain how I work. I ask for clarity instead of pretending I don’t need it. And I make space for others to be honest about how they work too. That openness has made me a better leader, not perfect, but real.

The AI frontier

In the last year, I’ve gone all in on experimenting with AI. From MidJourney to Cursor, from building indie apps to testing agent workflows, I’ve been exploring what’s possible. Some projects have worked, some haven’t, but every one has been a learning curve that’s boosted my confidence.

It reminds me of the early days of the web. That same sense of excitement, possibility and unpredictability. For younger people coming into the industry, my advice is the same as it was back then: be a sponge. Absorb everything, try things, fail at them, learn and keep going.

Closing reflection

Talking with Danny reminded me why I share my story. It’s not about having the answers. It’s about being honest, reflecting and helping others see that leadership doesn’t have to look one way.

The worlds of design and AI are colliding in fascinating ways. For me, it feels as exciting as 2007–2010 did for UX. The opportunities are huge, but they’ll only matter if we build with honesty and humanity at the core.