154: How This Senior UX Designer Got Hired After Losing Her Mojo And Confidence

In this episode, Sarah talks with Allie, a Senior UX Designer with over a decade of experience, about what it really looks like to lose your confidence mid-career, and how to rebuild it without rushing, panicking, or burning yourself out.

After navigating years of instability, repeated layoffs around her, and slowly losing her sense of confidence at work, Allie joined Career Strategy Lab feeling disconnected from her own value. Through foundational work like career inventory, 360° feedback, and the Compass Statement, she rebuilt clarity around her strengths, rediscovered her story, and landed a new role at PepsiCo with confidence restored.

This episode is a powerful reminder that confidence isn’t something you “should already have.” It’s something you rebuild through clarity, structure, and self-trust.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ What it actually feels like to “lose your mojo” after years in UX

✔️ Why giving yourself grace is a strategic career move—not a weakness

✔️ How taking inventory of your work restores confidence fast

✔️ The role of external feedback in uncovering hidden strengths

✔️ Why trying to rush ahead in your job search often backfires

✔️ How watching others’ critiques can improve your own portfolio and storytelling

✔️ Why treating your job search like a real project changes everything

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Sarah Doody and Career Strategy Lab

00:38 Episode Overview and Open House Context

02:29 Meet Allie: A UX Journey

03:59 Confidence and Career Strategy Lab

08:19 Mindset Shifts and Lessons Learned

11:18 Impactful Feedback and Storytelling

13:40 Final Thoughts and Advice

16:58 Conclusion and Podcast Outro

17:38 Special Message for Job Seekers

🎬 Watch Sarah's free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in today's UX job market

👉 Learn more about Sarah Doody's UX job search accelerator, Career Strategy Lab.

👋 Say hi and follow me, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.