In this episode of The UX Consultants Lounge, Kyle sits down with Jen Briselli and Jesse Strawbridge, co-founders of Topology, an experience strategy consultancy built around complementary strengths, deep trust, and a shared philosophy about meaningful client work.

Jen and Jesse share the story of how their partnership grew out of their time at Mad*Pow, how they eventually decided to start Topology together, and why their working relationship is so special. Jesse focuses primarily on business development, relationships, and growth, while Jen leads the client work, strategy, and delivery.

For independent consultants who are used to wearing every hat, their setup may sound like a dream. But as Jen and Jesse explain, it works because of years of trust, mutual respect, and admiration for what the other person brings to the business.

They discuss:

• How Jen and Jesse’s shared Mad*Pow history shaped their partnership
• Why they decided to start Topology together
• The trust required when one person sells the work and the other leads delivery
• Why Topology is built around relationships, not transactional sales
• How they evaluate whether a client or project is a good fit
• Their internal checklist for deciding which opportunities to pursue
• Why RFPs are often a red flag for their type of work
• What the sales-to-delivery handoff looks like in practice
• How Jesse stays connected to clients without undermining Jen’s project leadership
• How Topology gathers client feedback after a project wraps
• What solo consultants can do if they don’t have “a Jesse”
• Why every business development person also needs “a Jen”
• How they handle the natural ebbs and flows of independent consulting
• Why knowing what gives you energy — and what drains you — matters
• How they define success for Topology today
• The importance of building a business that supports the life you want to live

Connect with us:

• Host: Kyle Soucy: LinkedIn | Usable Interface
• Guest: Jen Briselli: LinkedIn | Topology
• Guest: Jesse Strawbridge: LinkedIn | Topology

Links and Resources Mentioned:

• Topology on Medium
• Leave It Better Than You Found It by Jen Briselli
• Finding the Next Right Moves by Jen Briselli
• Kyle's interview with Amy Heyman's, Co-founder of Mad*Pow
• Win Without Pitching by Blair Enns
• Homework for Life by Matthew Dicks

Submit a question or story: Have a question or topic that you'd like us to cover in a future episode and/or want to share an anonymous consulting story? Submit your questions and stories.

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I can’t wait to have you back in the lounge for our next episode!

In this episode of The UX Consultants Lounge, Kyle sits down with Jeff Gothelf, consultant, speaker, and author of Lean UX, Sense & Respond, Lean vs. Agile vs. Design Thinking, Who Does What By How Much?, and Forever Employable.

Jeff shares the story behind his leap into consulting, including launching an agency with Josh Seiden, the acquisition by Neo Innovation and later Pivotal, and the realization that the real asset he built was not the company itself but the reputation and ideas he developed through writing, speaking, and teaching.

Kyle and Jeff discuss:

• What it takes to build a sustainable consulting practice today
• How partnerships can work without sacrificing independence
• Why building a personal brand through content marketing matters
• How generosity and knowledge sharing create long-term consulting opportunities
• Why consultants should specialize and “plant their flag”
• Jeff’s writing discipline
• Why owning your audience through email and newsletters still matters
• Jeff’s philosophy on pricing and why “people value expensive things”

Connect with Us:

• Host: Kyle Soucy | Usable Interface | LinkedIn
• Guest: Jeff Gothelf | https://jeffgothelf.com | Sense & Respond Learning | LinkedIn

Links and Resources Mentioned:

• Continuous Learning – Jeff’s Newsletter
• Forever Employable by Jeff Gothelf
• Lean UX by Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden
• Sense & Respond by Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden
• Who Does What By How Much? by Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden
• Million Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss
• Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
• Playing to Win by Roger Martin
• HBR Article: The Big Lie of Strategic
• Scaling Lean by Jeff Gothelf at Mind the Product London 2016
• IA Conference (IAC26) - Use "uxlounge" discount code for $50 off registration

Submit a question or story: Have a question or topic that you'd like us to cover in a future episode and/or want to share an anonymous consulting story? Submit your questions and stories.

Don't want to miss an episode? Be sure to sign up for the podcast newsletter.

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

I can’t wait to have you back in the lounge for our next episode!

In the final episode of 2025, Kyle sits down with someone who has been woven into her UX journey for nearly two decades: Amy Heymans — founder of Mad*Pow, founder of Beneficent, and co-founder of the Dignified Futures Conference.

Amy and Kyle first met in 2006, when Mad*Pow was just a few people in a small Portsmouth, NH office. Over the next 13 years, Amy grew the agency into a nationally respected 70+ person consultancy known for its exceptional design work and its influential events, including HXD, the Center for Health Experience Design, and the Financial Experience Design Conference.

But this conversation goes far deeper than Mad*Pow’s rise.

In 2019, Mad*Pow was acquired — the “dream scenario” for many agency founders. Amy shares openly what that experience was really like: the financial realities behind acquisitions, the emotional complexity of letting go of her company, the personal circumstances that shaped the outcome, and the surprising truth that the big exit doesn’t always look like the fantasy many consultants imagine.

After leaving Mad*Pow, Amy stepped into a prestigious role as Chief Design Officer at UnitedHealthcare, navigating an enormous 400,000-person organization. She talks candidly about why the move felt right, why it ultimately didn’t align with her values, and how she knew it was time to walk away.

Today, Amy is the founder of Beneficent, where she focuses on systems thinking, futures design, and complex problem-solving across health, finance, and the public sector. She also co-leads the Dignified Futures Conference, a gathering dedicated to reimagining systems for social impact — and she shares what inspired it and how designers, policymakers, and innovators can get involved.

This episode covers:

• How Mad*Pow really began
• The messy truth behind scaling a design agency
• The realities of selling a firm — financially, emotionally, and personally
• Why Amy returned to corporate — and why she left
• How she’s building Beneficent differently from Mad*Pow
• How ADHD shows up in her work as both a challenge and superpower
• The future of UX consulting in the age of AI and speculative foresight
• Practical advice for landing big clients and navigating uncertainty

This is one of the most candid conversations ever aired on The UX Consultants Lounge — a deep, honest look at success, identity, reinvention, and the realities of leading a UX career across decades of change.

Connect with Us:

• Host: Kyle Soucy | Usable Interface | Linkedin
• Guest: Amy Heymans | Beneficient Design | Linkedin

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Links and Resources Mentioned:

• Dignified Futures Conference: https://www.designfordignity.com/

Submit a question or story: Have a question or topic that you'd like us to cover in a future episode and/or want to share an anonymous consulting story? Submit your questions and stories.

Don't want to miss an episode? Be sure to sign up for the podcast newsletter.

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

I can’t wait to have you back in the lounge for our next episode!