Ehab Bandar shares why creative freedom, curiosity, and human connection matter more than ever in design — exploring how resilience, adaptability, and gratitude shape a lasting career in UX .   ======   Episode Chapters:   00:00 – Immigrating to the US from Lebanon at Age Six   19:39 – Choosing Autonomy Over Authority in Career Paths   25:17 – The Three-Lens Framework: Content, Lifestyle, Money   53:10 – The U Curve of Design Leadership Explained   1:13:32 – The Soulless Product: Avoiding AI-Driven Blandness   1:33:55 – Advice for Aspiring Independent Consultants   ======   Who is Ehab Bandar?   Ehab Bandar is a seasoned UX design leader and independent consultant whose career spans fintech, real estate, hospitality, and beyond .   He has: Led design teams for clients like Airbnb and Charles Schwab   Founded Bigtable, a design and innovation consulting firm   Shared insights through *The Experience Architect* newsletter   Taught graduate design courses at the Academy of Art University   ======   Find Ehab Bandar here:   LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/ehabbandar/ Bigtable → https://bigtable.co/ Website → https://www.ehabbandar.com/ Substack → https://ehabbandar.substack.com/   ====== Subscribe to Brave UX Like what you heard?  🎙️ Subscribe to Brave UX for more conversations with world-class voices in UX, design, and product leadership. Your support helps others discover the show! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/brave-ux-with-brendan-jarvis/id1552607805  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7j2ocni6A00fzgHkj6TtCK  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSpaceInBetweenPodbean: https://braveux.podbean.com/ ====== Follow Brave UX for more great content! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brave_ux  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/ ====== Hosted by Brendan Jarvis: Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/  The Space InBetween Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/