I didn’t expect the path to show up so soon.
But when it did, I knew I had to follow it.
This wasn’t a detour — it was part of the plan.
Just arriving a little earlier than I imagined.
For years, I’ve been drawn to the healthcare space. It combines everything I care about: complex systems, deep human impact, and the chance to design with real-world consequences. I always thought I’d make the shift eventually.
But sometimes, the path calls sooner than expected.
And if you’re listening — you follow it.
🚫 From Rejection to Realignment
This chapter started with a polite rejection.
I had applied for a role at Cochlear — a company I’ve long admired for its mission and global reach. The response was gracious, but firm. Not this time.
Still, something in me said: try again.
So I reached out. First to Dora — someone I had met briefly during my time in Europe and was lucky to still be connected with on LinkedIn. I noticed she worked at Cochlear and messaged her on a hunch. She replied with generosity and encouragement, nudging me to connect with the recruiter directly. That small act of kindness gave me the confidence to try again.
Then I reached out to Adrian, the recruiter. I clarified that I was Sydney-based. I explained that I was flexible. And more than anything, I shared my belief that this role felt aligned — not just on paper, but in purpose.
They gave me a second look.
And this time, it was a yes.
✨ Choosing Intuition Over Logic
This wasn’t a calculated career move.
It was a values-aligned decision made with intuition.
At this stage in my career, I’ve led systems, platforms, teams, and transformations. I’ve done the spreadsheet math. But when it came to this move, the decision wasn’t logical — it was felt.
I followed the pull because it matched my values:
- Health — as a focus, as a mindset, as a design principle
- Adventure — stepping into the unfamiliar, the regulated, the high-stakes
- Optimism — a belief that good design can genuinely improve people’s lives
This role felt like a rare convergence of everything I care about. So I said yes.
🧬 Why This Space Feels Like Home
This isn’t a new interest.
It’s a long-awaited return.
Most people don’t know this, but in high school, I was on track to become a doctor. My parents — proud tiger parents raising a daughter in the U.S. — believed medicine was the surest path to success and purpose. And honestly? So did I.
At 17, I had already:
- Completed 2-hour hospital rotations and a medical terminology course
- Gained clinical hours toward college credit
- Was nurse aid certified and CPR instructor certified
- Led certification classes before I turned 18
- Was accepted to the University of Iowa for their medical program
- Even completed EMT training — but was 3 months too young to certify
But then something shifted.
In March of 1995, I had a conversation with my dad that changed everything. He said:
“You’re in the U.S. now — you have the freedom to choose. If you want to try art, try it. You can always delay your entry to Iowa.”
That moment — of permission and possibility — unlocked something in me.
At the same time, I was spending two hours a day in Advanced Placement Art, building a portfolio I wasn’t sure I’d ever use. I applied to the only art school that visited our high school: Savannah College of Art and Design. I found it through a college leave-behind book describing every major. When I read it, it felt like something I had always wanted — I just hadn’t felt the permission to pursue it.
Thankfully, I chose that path. And I’ve never looked back.
I continued to pursue design through an advanced degree and attended graduate school at Art Center College of Design. My thesis focused on how people connect through rituals — using industrial design, space, audio storytelling, and web platforms to foster community and meaning. That early work became the foundation of a career rooted in designing systems that serve people.
📱 Designing for Health — Then and Now
Health has remained central in my life — especially as I’ve gotten older.
I’ve seen firsthand how long-term habits shape our wellbeing. I’ve watched my dad and my mother-in-law grapple with the consequences of decades of neglecting their health. And it’s made me think deeply about prevention, awareness, and design’s role in both.
I’ve been tracking my own health for years through devices:
CGMs, Oura Ring, Lumen, Peloton, Fitbit — even back in the day with the 24-Hour Fitness Bodybug and Misfit wearable necklace.
These tools weren’t just tech. They were gateways to understanding, behavior change, and connection. That relationship between design and health has always fascinated me.
Now, nearly 30 years after that pivotal conversation with my dad, I’m stepping into healthcare again — not as a doctor, but as a designer.
🧵 My Role at Cochlear
I’ve joined Cochlear as Director of User Experience.
This isn’t just about optimizing screens or flows — it’s about building trust, clarity, and confidence in moments that matter.
Healthcare is a regulated, cautious space — and for good reason. But it’s also ready for a new kind of UX leadership. One that brings empathy, rigor, and systems thinking into the heart of every experience.
This is where I want to be.
✨ Reflections from the Shift: What This Move Has Me Thinking About
Stepping into healthcare design isn’t just a change in industry.
It’s a return to a part of myself I left behind — and maybe always meant to come back to.
Here are a few things I’ve been reflecting on as I make this shift:
🤝 On walking away from medicine at 17
Leaving the path to become a doctor was freeing — and terrifying.
I carried a lot of fear. I’d been trained in emergency care, certified in CPR, immersed in clinical settings. I’d seen surgeries. I’d watched a man pass slowly — so much more slowly than you see in movies. I had nightmares where I missed something. Where I didn’t help in time.
That kind of experience at 17 stays with you.
Working in healthcare that young changed me. It made me more grounded. I learned how to act without emotion when needed, how to triage situations quickly, and how to stick to facts. And I also learned that sometimes, all someone needs is steady, compassionate support — not solutions, just presence.
🔜 On always wanting to return to health
I’ve always been drawn to health devices and data. Oura rings, CGMs, Fitbits, Lumen, Peloton — I’ve lived inside that ecosystem long before it was mainstream. But re-entering the field professionally felt hard.
The truth is: in tech hiring, you’re only as good as your last 3–5 years.
And my last hardware-adjacent project was more than a decade ago.
It felt like a hard sell.
So when this opportunity came along, I knew I had to choose it on purpose — not just as a job, but as a calling.
🧠 On what UX leadership means in healthcare
I want to bring something into healthcare that we’ve normalized in other domains:
- That regulated doesn’t mean un-designed
- That compliance doesn’t mean cold
- That systems built for safety can still create connection, trust, and even joy
And yes, joy belongs here too.
If we could bring emotion to work management software, we can bring it to healthcare products — even those delivering difficult information. Design isn’t just about making things usable. It’s about making them human.
📝 If I could rewrite the design brief for healthcare UX, it would say:
“Create experiences that build confidence, reduce burden, and honor the emotional landscape of healthcare — while never compromising safety or clarity.”
👋🏽 Who this post is for
I hope this story finds the people who are sitting at a pivot point.
Who are standing at the edge of something unfamiliar but meaningful.
If that’s you, ask yourself:
- What motivates you?
- Would you feel proud to be part of a purpose bigger than convenience or conversion?
Don’t always run toward the shiny role, the highest offer, or the trendiest company.
Sometimes the most important work is happening in spaces that are just beginning to be reimagined.
Healthcare is one of those spaces.
And it needs us.
💬 A note to 17-year-old me
You didn’t become a doctor.
And you didn’t take your teacher’s advice to combine art and medicine through medical illustration.
You took a long, winding path through design, tech, leadership, and systems.
And now here you are — using everything you learned to help people live healthier, better lives.
Also, those flashcards you made in Year 11 for medical terminology?
They’re coming in handy again. Who knew?
🔭 What Comes Next
I’m still learning. Healthcare is a new landscape for me. But it’s one I’ve been quietly orbiting for decades. Now that I’m here, I’m committed to helping shape it — patiently, purposefully, and with the right people around me.
I didn’t take this path because it was easy.
I took it because it felt true.
And if you’ve ever felt the pull toward something unfamiliar but meaningful — I hope this gives you permission to trust it.
The path might look unlikely.
But it might be yours.