In this episode of The Imperfect Designer, I’m joined by Vlada Zdorovenko, a Design Manager at Tesco Technology working across design, data science, and technical product teams.
Vlada’s path into design was not a straightforward one. Before moving into UX, she built a successful career in the automotive industry across sales, education, marketing, and digital products. Changing direction meant studying, trying different creative paths, and eventually stepping away from the security of an established career to start something new.
We talk about moving countries and rebuilding a career and community from scratch, the difference between appearing confident and actually feeling it, and the periods of burnout that followed some of Vlada’s personal achievements.
This is a conversation about career change, curiosity, finding your people, and what happens when you keep moving forward even when you are scared, tired, or unsure of what comes next.
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What this episode covers
- How Vlada changed careers without leaving her previous experience behind
- Moving countries and rebuilding a career and community from scratch
- Why confidence often comes after taking action
- Vlada’s experience of burnout during major periods of change
- Using small steps to keep moving when your energy is low
- Finding mentors, allies, and people who understand your experience
- Bringing human-centred design into technical and data science teams
- Redefining success around happiness, curiosity, and meaningful challenges
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Connect with Vlada:
LinkedIn
Website
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit imperfectdesigner.substack.com
