I used to be scared of my unconventional background, whatever that means.

For the first few years as a designer, I was self-conscious that I didn’t fit a single track. My degree in English felt like an anomaly, and my early career sampled many flavors of design. I conducted interviews and established brand voices, designed screens and ran workshops. Imposter syndrome crept in; I feared that my varied skill set diluted “who I was” as a designer.

Over time, I’ve learned to see versatility as a superpower. I led a global research program for one of Asia’s largest automotive manufacturers, wrote a Design Thinking manual that’s available to thousands of students worldwide, and established a Content Design practice at Daylight Design. I shaped the rider experience for the world’s first autonomous ridehail service and envisioned the future of shared autonomous transportation at Cruise. Now, I’m rebuilding advertising from the ground up, helping to entertain the world at a price that works for millions more Netflix members.

Multi-track growth provides a platform for widespread impact. I’m a designer, writer, researcher, and leader, and I plan to splinter and deepen those skills for the rest of my career.