Expert Consultation: 3 sessions, 1 hour each with John

I reached out to John when I felt stuck in my role and lacked the confidence and structure to take the next step in my career. His continuous motivation, structured approach to building case studies, and detailed guidance helped me grow in my current role, create a strong portfolio, feel confident in interviews, and land my next role with ease. Working with John was a true investment in my professional growth, and I 100% recommend him to anyone looking for an excellent mentor and an honest, supportive relationship.

Working with John has been a game-changer for my career and personal growth. His expertise, dedication, and mentee-first approach make him an exceptional guide for anyone looking to advance in design. Thanks to his guidance, I built a compelling portfolio and presentation decks that truly showcased my skills. His detailed and focused preparation for interviews—including CV and LinkedIn, tackling whiteboard exercises, and app critique —set me up for success. With his support, I earned a promotion at my previous role, which boosted my confidence and later helped me get a job at the company I’ve always aspired to work for. John is not just a mentor—he’s your biggest supporter and cheerleader, with a genuine passion for helping his mentees succeed. His professionalism, wealth of experience, and ability to inspire made every session valuable and empowering. I wholeheartedly recommend John to anyone looking for mentorship. His expertise and dedication make him an exceptional guide for anyone aiming to achieve their goals and thrive in their career.

My mentorship with John has been transformative for my transition from graphic design to UX design. Initially overwhelmed by portfolio development, client management, and professional workflows, John's guidance proved instrumental to my growth. John's portfolio feedback was exceptional, providing detailed, actionable critiques on my case studies. His meticulous review of my Figma files significantly improved my projects, from UI interactions and component states to screen transitions, animations, icons, accessibility considerations, and layout strategies for the nurse dashboard and intake dialogs. Beyond design deliverables, John guided me through essential UX processes. He reviewed my usability testing plans, refining participant emails and interview scripts to ensure proper concept validation. He shared resources on developer handoff, anticipated project next steps, and encouraged exploration of alternative solutions. What sets John apart is his genuine commitment to mentee success. He connected me with a startup project and guided me behind the scenes, an invaluable real-world opportunity for a newcomer. He offered to connect me with another startup opportunity and shared resources for job hunting and interviews when our mentorship ended. Throughout our collaboration, John remained supportive, encouraging ("Amazing progress!!!"), and insightful. He adapted our mentorship plan as needed while delivering constructive feedback promptly. Working with John significantly strengthened my portfolio, deepened my understanding of UX processes, and boosted my confidence tremendously. I wholeheartedly recommend John to anyone serious about advancing in UX design. For deep, practical guidance that pushes you to excel while genuinely investing in your success.

I can't thank John enough for his incredible mentorship over the past 8 months. His guidance and insights have been instrumental in advancing my UX design skills, helping me grow both creatively and strategically. John's personalized advice, actionable feedback, and support made a huge difference in my development as a designer. Thanks to his mentorship, I was able to land my first UX design role at an amazing company—a milestone I couldn’t have imagined without his help. If you're looking for a mentor who is genuinely invested in your success and growth, I highly recommend John!

I collaborated with John S. for over a year. Even at our first meeting, I could tell he had a lot of experience - he was super well-prepared and responded quickly. But what really made him stand out was his resourcefulness and positive attitude. It felt like a much-needed breath of fresh air during those tough times when things were challenging at work and in my personal life. He provided invaluable support and showed empathy and understanding that reignited my motivation. It reminded me in a deep way why I was on this path in the first place. And his resume revisions were praised by a recruiter for being authentic and "innovative". Under John's guidance, I restructured my case studies. But it was an educational process where I learned how to really craft those narratives myself, moving away from the overused "bootcamp" model. Although structured, his mentorship is not rigid; he adapts to your evolving needs. When I was curious to explore more about Design Ops, he quickly provided resources explaining what that transition would lead to, my future career opportunities and if that would be a good choice for me. At first, I didn't even bother with cover letters. But John showed me how to "sell" my work, which had felt impossible before. Looking at those cover letters and my final resume, I thought I'd done a lot of interesting work, the opposite of how I previously failed to see value in my own efforts. John helped me recognize my value and potential. When it came to the final stage, the job interview requiring past references, John quickly stepped in because one of my former managers was slow in responding. It did lend a certain impressive quality, having a reference come from someone of John's considerable professional experience. I'll smile remembering his cheery "Hello, hello!" greeting our sessions. John left an impression by providing clarity during an ambiguous time.