Welcome to the second season of the UX Fika podcast.

Four years ago, I sat down with some of the most thoughtful voices in design, product and tech. Part of our conversations then were about resilience and shaped by the transition to remote work and what it means to shape meaningful careers and companies in uncertain times. A lot has changed since then.

So this season, I'm reconnecting with those same guests to find out what's happened since. How have their views shifted? What have they learned and what still holds true? And what's happening in their careers and their lives as of now? And of course, what do they make of the future of design in a world where AI is making its mark? These are not just updates. They're conversations about how we adapt, grow, and keep on moving forward. And this time, there's a video too, so you can watch as well as listen.

New episodes will be released as usual each Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of the UX Fika Podcast, I sit down with Be Kaler Pilgrim, a pioneer in digital recruitment, co-founder of Futureheads Recruitment – one of the most trusted names in design and tech recruitment – and more recently the founder of the executive search firm Smithfield Search.

As someone who’s spent over 30 years at the intersection of technology and talent Be has helped shape countless careers, including mine. When we recorded this conversation in 2021, Be was still at the helm of Futureheads, navigating the uncertainty of the pandemic while helping companies and candidates adapt to a rapidly changing world.

We talk about how she accidentally fell into recruitment, studying Ayurvedic medicine in Sri Lanka in her 20ies, setting up Futureheads in the teeth of the recession, and how recruitment and hiring has changed over the years.

Be also shares what it was like growing up as the youngest of 10 siblings in a traditional Punjabi household, how her father’s belief in education made such a difference, and what it was like becoming a mum later in life. We also talk about why honesty and empathy – real, practiced empathy – is at the heart of how she builds teams, relationships, and careers.

It’s a warm, reflective conversation about building a career by helping others find theirs, leading through change, and holding space for growth in all its forms.

Plus:

☕️ Why black oolong tea from New Aurelia in Sri Lanka and a samosa is her go to fika

🌟 Why you should talk about stuff, reach out to people, and have that inner dialogue with yourself

What we cover:

00:00 Intro & Navigating the Pandemic: Personal and Professional Challenges

02:23 Opening a New Office As The Pandemic Hit

05:26 Career Journey: From Studying To Become a Ayurvedic Doctor To Entrepreneurship

06:46 The Evolution of Recruitment in the Digital Age

08:59 Setting Up A Recruitment Business In The Teeth of Recession

09:49 Adapting to Change: The Impact of COVID-19 on Hiring Practices

14:04 Changes In How Companies Recruit

16:45 The Shift From Agencies To Client Side

18:34 Community Engagement and Purpose-Driven Initiatives

22:43 On Mental Health and Not Knowing What's Cooking In Somebody Else's Pot

29:14 Looking Ahead: Events and Conferences Post-Pandemic

32:27 Navigating Post-Lockdown Life

36:07 Reflections on Motherhood and Aging

37:05 The Evolving Landscape of Parenting

39:58 Support Systems in Parenting

41:29 Plans for Family Reunions and Staycations

45:02 Learning To Drive

45:40 Immigrant Stories, Family Legacy, and Big Families

49:56 Life Lessons and Personal Growth

51:45 Cultural Connections and Future Aspirations

Where you’ll find Be:

• ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Smithfield Search Website⁠⁠
• Futureheads Website

Where you’ll find Anna & UX Fika:

• ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

• 
  

If you liked this episode, help us reach more people by following, leaving a rating and a review.

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#recruitment #futureheads #uxdesign #agencies #business #technology #careeradvice #productdesign #tech #scaleups #empathy #uxfika #uxfikapodcast #bekalerpilgrim #smithfieldsearch

In this episode of the UX Fika Podcast, I chat with Jeff Gothelf – author of five books including Lean UX, Sense & Respond, Forever Employable and Who Does What By How Much – about how we can bring the same intentionality we apply to product design into shaping our own careers.

Jeff’s work has helped organisations around the world build better, more customer-centric products, and executives build the culture that is needed to build better products. But what happens when you apply those same principles – iteration, clarity of outcomes, experimentation – to your own career? That’s exactly what we talk about in this conversation, recorded back in 2021.

We cover the story behind his book Forever Employable and how turning 35 made Jeff question everything and pushed him to “plant his flag” as a thought leader. We also dive into the evolution of Lean UX through three editions, the value of outcomes over outputs, and why getting paid what you’re worth matters.

We also talk about what spending six months working in a circus and how working as a musician and performing live helped shape his skills as a speaker and trainer, and what those unexpected experiences taught him about adaptability, feedback, and finding your place on stage.

It’s a thoughtful, practical, and inspiring conversation about designing your life and career with intent.

Plus:

☕️ Why dark chocolate rice cakes and coffee are his favourite fika

🌟 Why you should stop starting and start finishing

What we cover:

00:00 Intro

02:25 Adapting to Remote Work: Changes in Business Dynamics

07:38 The Evolution of Lean UX: A Journey Through Editions

10:30 Evolving As A Writer

14:35 Writing the Third Edition of Lean UX

15:44 Jeff's Different Books

19:28 Becoming Forever Employable

23:13 Planting your own flag

26:39 Treating your career as a product

30:20 Finding Your Ikigai

33:42 Career Insurance And Making Yourself Resilient

37:27 The Value of Experience

39:08 Beating Imposter Syndrome & Getting Paid What You're Worth

43:53 Evaluating Speaking Opportunities

50:19 Forever Employable Stories Podcast

52:25 Lessons From Working In the Circus & Being in A Band

54:46 Reading the Room

58:21 Engaging with Criticism

01:05:57 Future Projects

01:06:59 Life advice - Stop Starting, Start Finishing

Where you’ll find Jeff:

• ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠YouTube
• Books
• Courses

Where you’ll find Anna & UX Fika:

• ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠

• 
  

If you liked this episode, help us reach more people by following, leaving a rating and a review.

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#leanux #okr #uxdesign, #productdesign #business, #technology, #foreveremployable, #careeradvice #productdesign #uxfika #uxfikapodcast #jeffgothelf

In this episode of the UX Fika Podcast, I sit down with Andy Budd – designer, investor, coach, and founder of Clearleft and conferences such as dConstruct, UX London, and Leading Design.

Andy’s been a defining voice in the UX and design leadership community and in this episode he shares the story of why, after 15 years, he decided to hand over the reins of the company he built and step into a new, more uncertain chapter. We talk about what led to that moment, how Clearleft became an employee-owned business, and what it means to intentionally walk away from something you love in search of something new.

We also talk about how the pandemic reshaped his thinking on remote work and collaboration, and why asynchronous communication might be the most underappreciated design tool in the industry.

But this episode, which is from 2021, also takes a few wild turns, from talking about learning to fly to cave diving in Mexico and shark wrangling on the Great Barrier Reef. Andy shares what flying and diving in high-risk environments has taught him about leadership, self-awareness, and staying calm under pressure, plus one of the more challenging jobs he’s ever done.

It’s a conversation about reinvention, letting go, finding clarity through discomfort – and how boredom might actually be a creative advantage.

☕️ Why he loves going form one cafe to another, afternoon tea and something chocolatey as his favourite fika

🌟 Why you shouldn’t over index on the past or the future

What we cover:

00:00 Intro

03:00 Navigating Company Culture in a Remote Environment

08:08 Adapting Business Strategies During the Pandemic

25:46 Embracing Change: Leaving Clearleft

31:36 Making Clearleft an Employee Owned Business

37:13 Reflections on Leadership and Responsibility

38:37 Embracing Change and New Beginnings

39:45 The Importance of a Serendipity Break

41:13 Exploring Future Opportunities

46:37 The Thrill of Flying and Personal Growth

58:14 Diving into Adventure: Scuba and Cave Diving

01:09:37 Navigating Risks and Life Lessons

01:14:13 Living in the Moment: Life Advice and Philosophy

Where to find Andy:

• • LinkedIn
  • Website
  • Stacklist
• • Twitter
  • Bluesky
  • Instagram

  
  

  Where you’ll find Anna & UX Fika:

  • ⁠LinkedIn⁠
  • ⁠Website⁠
  • ⁠Instagram⁠

  • 
    

  If you liked this episode, help us reach more people by following, leaving a rating and a review.

  ~

  #uxdesign, #productdesign #business, #technology, #adventure, #serendipitybreak #productdesign #designleadership #uxfika #uxfikapodcast #andybudd #clearleft

In this episode of the UX Fika podcast, I talk to Cennydd Bowles, technology ethicist, author of Future Ethics, and recently a Fulbright Scholar. Cennydd advises companies like Google, Mozilla, and the BBC on how to build more responsible, ethical, and inclusive technologies – and in this conversation, which just like the rest of season 1 is from 2021, we unpack how and why that work is more urgent than ever.

We talk about the ethical blind spots of our industry, the challenges of inclusive design, and how speculative design and “provocatypes” can help teams meaningfully explore the futures they’re shaping, often without realising it.

Cennydd shares his journey from designer to futurist, what it’s like being a lone voice for ethics in the room, and how tech workers are beginning to organise to push companies toward more responsible innovation. He also opens up about the realities of writing (and self-publishing) Future Ethics, what it takes to produce something of lasting value, and why he’s was going back to university to study Practical Ethics at Oxford.

Plus:

☕️ Why a cup of Earl Grey and a slice of Barabrith makes for an excellent fika.

🌟 Why you should try to remember when you wanted what you have now

What we cover:

00:00 Introduction to Design and Futurism

02:08 The Role of a Futurist in Design

02:20 On Being A Futurist06:57Ethics in Technology and Design

09:14 Challenges in the Tech Industry

11:30 Direct And Indirect Implications Of What We Design

13:23 Designing with Responsibility

17:23 Expanding the Scope of Design

20:15 The Future of Data Sharing

23:35 Navigating Ethical Conversations in Tech

28:11 Advice for Junior Designers on Ethics

32:18 Pursuing Further Education in Ethics

32:41 Pursuing Knowledge: A New Academic Journey

34:04 The Self-Publishing Experience

36:34 The Challenges of Writing

40:04 The Writing Process: Structure and Creativity

43:52 Reflections on Writing and Future Projects

46:58 Ethics in Technology and Non-Human Life

48:15 Personal Interests: Chess and Sports

53:11 The Impact of Travel on Life and Work

01:00:04 Life Reflections and Future Aspirations

Where you’ll find Cennydd:

• ⁠Website⁠

Where you’ll find Anna & UX Fika:

• ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠

• 
  

If you liked this episode, help us reach more people by following, leaving a rating and a review.

~

#uxdesign, #business, #technology, #ai #ethics #innovation #productdesign #uxfika #uxfikapodcast #cennyddbowles

In this episode of the UX Fika podcast, I catch up with Jonty Sharples – product, design, and business leader, and – at the time of our 2021 conversation – CXO at Where Is My Transport. These days, Jonty’s a consulting CPO working from a wooden cube at the bottom of his garden. But back then, he was fresh off several years of travel to emerging megacities, trying to design better services for people earning under $20 a day.

We talk about his journey from Albion to founding the purpose-led design studio Hactar, and how building products for social good—and wrestling with the realities of pro bono work shaped the kind of problems he wants to solve today.

Jonty shares what it was like shifting from in-person ethnographic research to remote workshops spanning four time zones, how informal transport works in cities like Mexico City and Dar es Salaam, and why field work reveals the kind of insights no spreadsheet ever can.

It’s also a conversation about building the kind of career—and team—you actually want, knowing when to leave, and creating space (literal and emotional) to figure out what’s next.

Plus:

☕️ Why a scone, a cup of tea, and a bit of quiet might just be the perfect fika.

🌟 Why you should always hire people smarter than yourself.

What we cover:

00:00 Journey to Hacktar and Social Change

00:33 Social Media and Digital Presence

01:41 Introduction and How We Met

05:41 On Running Away From Public Speaking And Social Media

11:52 Change Of Plans

14:07 Looking Back At The Start Of The Pandemic

17:15 Cancelled Travel And Working From A Wooden Cube

18:57 Ethnographic Research in Majority World Mega Cities

25:57 Informal Transport

28:43 The Evolution of Remote Work

32:04 Downside Of Remote Work

35:23 Navigating Social Interactions Post-Pandemic

38:42 Adapting to New Learning Environments

39:28 Kids using Teams

41:35 Reflections on Career Transitions And Starting Hactar

49:00 The Impact of Purpose-Driven Work

51:36 Pro Bono Work Sucks And Everyone Is To Blame

56:42 Leaving Hactar

01:00:23 Embracing New Challenges in Leadership

01:04:12 Home Away From Home

01:08:50 Life Lessons and Future Aspirations

01:14:11 New Chapter

Where you’ll find Jonty:

• ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Where you’ll find Anna & UX Fika:

• ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• ⁠Website⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠

• 
  

If you liked this episode, help us reach more people by following, leaving a rating and a review.

~

#innovation, #business, #technology, #Hactar, #socialchange, #informaltransport #innovation #productdesign #uxfika #uxfikapodcast #jontysharples

In this trailer for season 1, I share the story behind The UX Fika Podcast and why the first season was recorded back in 2021 but not released until now.

I also share who the guests are and how I thought the chats would be a bit dated seeing they are 4 years old, but to my surprise they really aren't.