Corporate Underpants
Uncomfortable truths, hidden dynamics, and the messy underbelly of corporate life—welcome to Corporate Underpants, the podcast that pulls back the curtain on the challenges holding back great teams and ideas. Whether you’re a product manager, designer, or leader, this series is your guide to navigating office politics, aligning stakeholders, and tackling the organizational hurdles that stand between you and making a real impact.
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Episodes
Episodes
Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Thursday Jan 30, 2025
In this episode of Corporate Underpants, host Tamara Adlin delves into the complex relationship between politics and product success with guest Jillian Hudson, a seasoned UX researcher and strategist. Through Jillian’s story, we learn about the unexpected challenges she faced when hired for a role that didn't match the initial promise, working under a manager who was often absent and dealing with a company in chaos prioritizing stock prices over UX maturity. Jillian shares how she built strong internal relationships by understanding the true needs of her stakeholders, organizing educational sessions, and advocating UX despite internal resistance and misalignment. Her narrative offers valuable insights for UX professionals on how to navigate organizational politics to achieve product success.
00:00 Corporate Underpants Live_ Episode 3_ A True Story of UX Democratization Go
03:40 Introducing Jillian!
05:44 What is UX Strategy?
06:16 Pisces Vesica
07:16 Diving int the story: Jillian got the job
09:02 No France for you!
11:24 And then they laid off most of the team.
12:30 Turns out, it was all about the stock price.
14:49 Jillian invited everyone to see her work - and found a fan!
18:05 How to build a UX Champion: "How can I help you?"
19:25 Discovering a whole team of "Systems Coaches" built to satisfy research cravings
21:28 "UX Democratization" in the wild
23:16 They were powerful, but they weren't trained.
26:07 If you can't beat 'em, train 'em: launching "UX Snacks" internally
28:12 Seeing results: building bridges with the system coaches
30:42 New thoughts on "UX Maturity"
33:50 Turning the UX lens on your own teams and company
36:32 Building more champions
38:43 Attract UX Champions with research bait
39:17 Networking skills are key
44:40 Lessons were learned.
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Jeff Verona recounts the chaos caused by hidden misalignments and untested assumptions that ultimately derailed an initiative to streamline loan officer workflows. Woven into Jeff's tale are seven actionable "gems" that can help you spot and fix the kind of problems that left his team reeling.
Friday Dec 20, 2024
Friday Dec 20, 2024
Are your Corporate Underpants showing? In this first episode of Corporate Underpants, we dive into the messy realities of workplace politics and uncover what it really takes to gain influence and grow as a product manager or designer.
Learn from Scott’s journey as he reflects on the cultural biases that shape UX and product teams, why rigor isn’t always the answer, and how to align with decision-makers to drive meaningful impact.
What’s Inside:
Why some UX pros feel stuck while product managers rise.
The truth about navigating workplace politics and egos.
How to turn constraints into career growth opportunities.
💡 Take Action: If you’ve ever felt frustrated by the disconnect between your vision and your organization’s reality, this series is for you.
🔔 Subscribe for raw, actionable insights on mastering the underbelly of corporate life.