There’s more than one way to push back — and not all of them look like confrontation.

In this episode, Joe talks about different styles of influence, why “going along to get along” quietly erodes confidence and how asking better questions can shift power. He builds on the idea that influence doesn’t require force.

You’ll hear how pulling people forward — instead of pushing back — can lower resistance, surface fear, and change the dynamic in the room without escalating conflict. Without triggering defensiveness.

This is about finding your way of asserting yourself — and trusting that it’s valid, even if it doesn’t look like anyone else’s.

It's about asserting yourself without becoming someone you’re not — and learning how to move situations forward in a way that feels honest and sustainable. And once you stop trying to do things the “right” way, something interesting happens:

You start doing them a LOT more effectively.

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Special thanks to the incomparable Lisa Baskett for her amazing late-night-DJ-smoother-than-silk voiceover ;-)

If this episode resonated, consider subscribing to Making UX Work.

Each episode explores the human side of UX and product careers — confidence, power, impostor syndrome, boundaries and the challenges that never show up in books or conference talks.

No hype. No platitudes. Just honest perspective, earned the hard way.

You can’t reason people out of fear.

In this episode, Joe explains why resistance at work is rarely about logic or data — and almost always about anxiety, identity, and self-protection.

You’ll learn how to recognize fear when it shows up as pushback, how to respond without escalating conflict and why emotional intelligence is just as important as technical skill if you want your work to survive.

This is about understanding what’s really happening in the room — and protecting yourself in the process.

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Special thanks to the incomparable Lisa Baskett for her amazing late-night-DJ-smoother-than-silk voiceover ;-)

If this episode resonated, consider subscribing to Making UX Work.

Each episode explores the human side of UX and product careers — confidence, power, impostor syndrome, boundaries and the challenges that never show up in books or conference talks.

No hype. No platitudes. Just honest perspective, earned the hard way.

What if nothing going wrong… is actually possible?

In this episode, Joe explores how fear shows up as rigidity — over-planning, clinging to certainty, and resisting anything that disrupts the script.

Through stories from consulting, music, and real-world UX work, he makes the case for flexibility, presence and embracing uncertainty as a strength — not a failure.

This episode is about letting go of control and learning to work with reality, instead of against it.

...........................................................

Special thanks to the incomparable Lisa Baskett for her amazing late-night-DJ-smoother-than-silk voiceover ;-)

If this episode resonated, consider subscribing to Making UX Work.

Each episode explores the human side of UX and product careers — confidence, power, impostor syndrome, boundaries and the challenges that never show up in books or conference talks.

No hype. No platitudes. Just honest perspective, earned the hard way.