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Welcome to the Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody, a UX Designer & UX Researcher with 20 years of experience who founded the UX job search accelerator, Career Strategy Lab. She's been doing UX career coaching since 2017.
Follow Sarah on: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram
After 18 months of job searching with no results, Mariah was out of steam and questioning everything—until she joined Career Strategy Lab.
In this Open House conversation, Sarah talks with Mariah, a UX researcher and experience strategist with a background in customer support and consulting. Mariah came to CSL after burning out from a year and a half of job searching while trying to relocate to Copenhagen. In this honest episode, she shares what finally helped her stop spinning, reconnect with herself, and gain the clarity, confidence, and support she’d been missing.
Whether you’re new to UX or deep in burnout, Mariah’s story will remind you that it’s not too late—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ What job searching for 18+ months taught Mariah about burnout and boundaries
✔️ Why trying to “game the system” kept her stuck and exhausted
✔️ How the Compass Sprint reconnected her to her voice, identity, and strengths
✔️ Why the mindset calls inside CSL helped her finally feel like herself again
✔️ How to balance personal and professional identity in your job search
✔️ Her advice for perfectionists and overthinkers: take action, even when it’s messy
Timestamps:
02:27 Mariah's Background and Career Journey
04:21 Joining Career Strategy Lab: Initial Experiences
08:09 Impact of Mindset Calls
11:50 Tangible Actions and Career Roadmap
18:43 Final Advice and Closing Remarks
21:22 Podcast Outro and Additional Resources
22:03 Special Message for Job Seekers
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