Hi, I’m Mary

I write about finding wonder in life's messy middle and pivoting towards what truly matters.

During my 9-to-5, I'm a strategic product designer with 10+ years of experience in tech, navigating the industry and modern capitalism with neurodivergence, depression, and anxiety as my constant companions.

During my 5-to-9, I'm on a journey to become what I call a "full stack builder"—someone who can work across product, design, and engineering to take an idea to MVP independently. Join me as I share my stumbling blocks, insights, tools and experiments in product design, AI, system design, and more—with no map and no clear destination, just a commitment to the journey of learning and building.

There's more to my story than work, though. In summer 2021, I lost my mom to cancer. The loss was messy, our relationship complicated, and healing remains a winding road. This grief triggered a midlife crisis, which I've come to appreciate as a valuable opportunity to reassess everything. Through the dull darkness of loss, I've gained sharp clarity about where my life lacks alignment with my core values. Now I'm pivoting toward actions that honour both who I am and who I want to become, sharing field notes that might help you navigate your own midlife pivot.

I’m constantly building and rebuilding tools that helps me navigate a world not designed for minds like mine. On this Substack, I share tools, reflections, and strategies as they come to me.

Sometimes I also just write about random things in life.

Subscribe if you're finding your way through your own messy middle—whether it's grief, neurodivergence, career transitions, or the creative process of building something new while rebuilding parts of yourself.

Or simply subscribe because you like me.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​