Strategic UX Leader™ Program

Increase Influence • Create Impact • Develop Your Leadership Strengths

Now enrolling for May-June 2025

It isn’t easy. But it doesn’t have to be so hard.

After over 25 years in this field, I know that working in user-experience design & research roles has unique challenges that many of our leaders and colleagues just don’t understand. These programs are led by an industry expert (that’s me!) and filled with other UX pros, allow you to gain the support you need to thrive in your work and career.

I know first-hand the many challenges that face UX leaders and individual contributors. My Strategic UX Leader™ programs are tailor-made for today's user experience professionals.

This cohort-based program is designed to empower you to advance your work and your career, strategically and authentically. You'll build essential leadership skills like developing a leadership mindset, honing your vision and values, more effective communication, creating strategic partnerships, and more.

Custom built for your professional needs

This program has two tracks: Strategic UX Leadership and Strategic UX Management

Track 1:

Strategic UX Leadership

All levels and roles

Program Focus:

Leadership Mindset

Self-leadership

Effective Communication

Create Influence & Impact

Leadership Roadmap

Length: 5 weeks

Cost: $850

Enroll Now

Track 2:

Strategic UX Management

Team leaders & people managers

Program Focus:

Everything in Track 1, plus:

Leading Teams:

Measure for Success

Coaching for Development

Length: 7 weeks

Cost: $1,050

Enroll Now

Find your community

Through our weekly live sessions, you'll have the opportunity to connect with a cohort of peers who are facing similar challenges, allowing you to build relationships and a sense of community. You'll also have access to group coaching, giving you the support you need to succeed.

Watch the Info Session Recording

Live Group Coaching Benefits

  • Get clarity on the “Big Picture”

  • Identify impact

  • Maximize your influence

  • Become a more effective communicator

  • Build strategic relationships that amplify your work

  • Access to a large network of driven professionals in your field.

This cohort-based program is designed to empower you to advance your work and your career, strategically and authentically.

Enhance your professional impact

These programs are built on learning the fundamentals you need to succeed. Strategic leadership is focused on giving you an overview of leadership, while the management track allows you to go into each of the skills in more depth. By the end of each program, you'll have the tools and knowledge to create more influence and become a trusted leader.

Strategic Leadership Focus:

  • Leadership Mindset

  • Self-leadership

  • Effective Communication

  • Create Influence & Impact

Strategic Management Focus:

  • Measure for Success

  • Develop High-performing Teams

  • Coaching & Mentoring Others

“This course helped me identify my core principles as a leader. I honed my value proposition and goals. I reframed years of ‘recommendations’ and crystalized what I care about, which helped me land the awesome role at Twilio, back in the SaaS/Productivity world I’m passionate about.

Another key takeaway was observing how Leigh coached — asking questions and allowing participants to find their way. I’ve been modeling this, refining how I coach and mentor.”

- Ryan Gachet

Director of Design & Research, Twilio

Program Details

Spring 2025 Cohort Starts May 14

The program is offered in 2 parts.

Everyone starts with the most important leadership development in Strategic UX Leadership

Strategic UX Management, for people managers or team leads, is 2 weeks longer and includes hands-on learning for team and people managers.

  • Strategic UX Leadership (SUL): 4 modules

  • Strategic UX Management (SUM): 6 modules

  • Bonus roadmaping session (both tracks)

Structure:

  • Weekly 90-minute interactive learning sessions (live)

  • Additional weekly live 60-minute group coaching & mastermind sessions

  • Online community with your cohort for additional learning

Date & Times:

Wednesdays are 8am-9:30am PT (See this time in your own timezone), while Friday coaching sessions are 8am - 9am PT.

Below are the program modules. *Please note that there are more dates for Strategic UX Management (SUM) Track.

• Leadership Vision, Clarifying Strategic Objectives

Leader’s Mindset

Effective Communication

Strategic Relationships

Success Metrics for UX Teams (SUM 0nly)

Coaching & Mentoring skills (SUM only)

Creating Your Leadership Roadmap (both tracks)

Plus weekly live group coaching calls (both tracks)

Additional Benefits:

  • Membership in the Strategic Leader Community for enhanced learning

  • Access to a network of driven professional peers.

  • Ongoing events and alumni opportunities.

Register now for May 2025

“My primary goal when I signed up for the program was to build more confidence as a leader in my first UX Management role. This program helped me do that and more! With increased clarity on who I am as a leader (my personal strengths, values, and vision), I’ve been able to create more impact in my role and with my team!

- Lexa Wakefield

UX Manager at Brooks Running

Get reimbursed from your employer!

Investing in yourself with leadership development is a powerful way to accelerate your career, and brings many benefits to your employer, including:

  • Inspired Teamwork: Leadership training fosters better team collaboration and cooperation.

  • Problem Solving: Equipped with strategic thinking, leaders tackle challenges effectively.

  • Adaptability: Trained leaders thrive amidst change, steering the team through uncertainties.

  • Results-Driven: Trained leaders boost productivity and contribute to company success.

Want to learn more?

Here’s a half-hour Info Session where I go more in-depth on how this program will advance your leadership skills, your leadership career, and increase your network.

Recording of Strategic UX Management Info Session - Fall 23

Additional questions? Book a chat. Let’s explore how to enhance your career together.

“Being in a middle management layer can be really stressful, because you're figuring out ‘what do the people on my team need, what does my manager need from me, what do my partners need from me?’ and it can create this kind of reactive environment. This course helped to remind me to be more entrepreneurial… who can I partner with, how can I get different resources from the team working on it and focused on it?” — A., Minnesota

As a new design leader, I feel a lot more confident… I thought leadership's like a big scary thing. It's just like, No, this is just the stuff I'm already doing. And here's some better ways to go about it. So that's been a really awesome takeaway for me.”— M., Colorado

“I was able to put learnings into practice from the start. It gave me new perspective to find opportunities for myself and my team I hadn’t seen before. It’s more than strategic, it’s a real mindset shift.” — B., London

What our alumni are saying…

Scholarships Available

Don’t let the economy get in the way of your career development. Learn more here.