MAKING UX WORK: The Joe Natoli Podcast
Welcome to real talk about the invisible work behind a UX career — work that is by turns extremely difficult and deeply personal. This isn’t the interview show it once was. It’s just me now, talking honestly about the stuff that rarely makes it into UX conference talks — dealing with impostor syndrome, setting boundaries, navigating politics, surviving bad managers, and growing into the designer you want to be.
If you’ve ever wondered if it’s just you... it’s not.
And if you've ever wondered if things can change...here's the proof that they can.
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PLEASE NOTE: I no longer interview guests.
Agents, please do not send me requests to have someone you're representing on the show. The answer is always going to be no.
MAKING UX WORK: The Joe Natoli Podcast
You're Not a Therapist (But You'll Feel Like One).
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Outside of the one and only Vivianne Castillo, nobody tells you how much emotional labor this job involves.
In this episode, Joe talks about the invisible work designers do every day — managing fear, insecurity, resistance, and ego — and how easily and quickly that turns into burnout.
You’ll learn how to recognize emotional subtext without absorbing it, how to listen without fixing and how to protect your own energy while still doing meaningful work.
This one is about empathy — with boundaries.
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Special thanks to the incomparable Lisa Baskett for her amazing late-night-DJ-smoother-than-silk voiceover ;-)
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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.