Cassie McDaniel

Hi there! I've been in design for ~20 years, in design leadership for half that. Most recently I supported Platform teams as a Product Design Director at Lattice, a $3b B2B startup in the HR space. I was also at Webflow, Glitch, Mozilla, in healthcare, and at one point ran my own design studio with my partner. I helped found the interview series Women&&Tech in Toronto many years ago, ran an event series called Paris Lectures, and am currently on sabbatical to write a novel and continue my journey as a Master Gardener. My career spans three countries (UK, Canada & US) and having often been the only woman in the room at both IC and leadership levels, I am attuned to how to advocate for yourself as an underrepresented person in tech.

One of the most rewarding parts of being in leadership roles has been helping to unwind complicated problems and help get folks back on track. I lean into and highlight people's natural strengths with a focus on the structure and habits you need to succeed.

I am eager to give back some of the gifts I've been given throughout my career. I love meeting new or established designers, and I'm excited for the commitment of this community to engage in the self-work that can only result in meaningful career change. That said, I’m limiting my roster to just a few mentees so that I can be fully immersed in your worlds.

My aim is to shed light behind the curtain of leadership. During our sessions we can talk about anything under the sun!

I can help you with:
* Promotion & review processes
* Portfolio, résumé/CV, cover letters
* Hiring: interviews & offer negotiation
* Cross-functional collaboration
* Stakeholder management
* Navigating conflict & interpersonal challenges
* Strategy & operations
* Boundaries & return to work after life changes
* Career growth & goal setting

I also LOVE giving UI feedback so let’s get into the weeds of your work if that's helpful. Reach out to see if working with me would be a good fit. I’m excited to meet you!