Intro

Mahnaz has lived with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity in ways most product teams never will. In this episode, we talk about what happens when VUCA isn’t theoretical, how to avoid becoming an order taker, and how courage, empathy, and initiative can reshape your role as a designer.

What if the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity you’re facing at work feel overwhelming only because you’ve never had to live through it in your everyday life?

I throw the word VUCA around like it’s a trendy framework. Volatility. Uncertainty. Complexity. Ambiguity. But for Mahnaz Hajesmaeili, those aren’t abstract concepts; they’re lived experience.

Originally from Iran, before becoming a product designer, she built a life in China, knowing she could never fully belong there. When COVID hit, borders closed, savings ran out, and the life she had carefully constructed disappeared almost overnight. She returned to Iran, started over, taught herself UX, and eventually rebuilt her career in the United States.

That’s not “roadmap volatility.” That’s real volatility.

This week, I chat with Mahnaz to explore how living through that level of instability reshaped her approach to work. Why rejected designs don’t shake her. Why unclear strategy doesn’t rattle her and why she doesn’t default to being an order taker.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by shifting priorities or frustrated by leaders who “don’t know what they want,” this episode offers perspective—and practical lessons.

Give it a listen. It might change how you define uncertainty.

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Mahnaz on LinkedIn

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