Catt's Corner: design leadership conversations with senior, staff, and principal designers

Protect Your Energy at Scale, with Theresa Slate

July 14, 2026·47 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Catt reconnects with Theresa Slate, a fellow Staff Designer. Theresa has spent the last two years fighting her way out of playing double duty as both staff designer and de facto design manager. She's finally built an operating model that actually protects her time, and has gotten to a place she describes as one of the proudest moments in her career. This episode is for designers who join every single team meeting and wonder why they can't find time for the strategic work they were hired to do. ─── ୨୧ ─── • ℹ️ In this episodeHow Theresa cut 40% of her meetingsWhy "quick wins in a trench coat" is not a design strategyHow to be a good collaborator without being a doormatWhat it took to get public cross-functional praise for the design team ─── ୨୧ ─── • 📖 Resources mentionedThe Staff Designer book (Rosenfeld Media): https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/the-staff-designer The Staff Designer course on Maven: https://maven.com/catt-small/staff-designer ─── ୨୧ ─── • 🌐 Find Theresa on the internet LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresaslate

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