About UX Mentor Diaries
The newsletter that teaches designers how power actually works inside organizations.
Not how it should work. How it does. And what you can actually do about it.
Hi, I’m Marina Krutchinsky, the voice behind UX Mentor Diaries newsletter. I spent 25+ years in UX and 20 of them in leadership. Most recently, I was VP of UX at JPMorgan Chase. Before that, American Express. In between, I’ve built and led a large international design team at a Swiss tech startup. I have worked inside agencies, consulting environments, product teams, enterprise organizations, and startups. Now, I’m sharing what I’ve learned along the way on how power actually works and what you can do about it.
From principles of building “political capital”, to actionable advice on translating your design work into business impact, to making invisible strategic work visible to leadership, UX Mentor Diaries is your guide to corporate influence, strategic visibility, and career growth without losing your soul.
“Your content is GOLD” - multi-year paid subscriber
2x/week, 8,800+ subscribers and counting
Each week, I publish two connected issues:
A free issue that exposes one career pattern, hidden rule, or mistake holding experienced UXers back.
A paid companion that gives you the exact playbook: scripts, frameworks, examples, templates, and tactics drawn from real coaching situations.
The essential reading list
If you only read one thing 👉 330+ scripts, guides, and playbooks, sorted by where you’re stuck → the full map of the archive, organized by career stage, challenge, and the exact moment you’re in.
How power actually moves
The “political” UX skills that change by environment — why the same move wins at a startup and backfires at an enterprise, and how to win decisions before the meeting starts.
Why your input keeps getting ignored (and the 2-minute fix) — spotting the influence window before it closes.
Why your internal credibility comes from outside the building — the fastest way to change how you’re perceived at work.
Getting seen (visibility and authority)
The hidden work that gets you promoted — a framework for making strategic UX skills visible.
You’re introducing yourself wrong (and it’s costing you authority) — why polite nods mean you positioned yourself too small, and what to say instead.
Why some people are always introduced first — and how to become one of them.
Getting leadership to actually hear you
You sound like you’re selling cupcakes, not solving business problems — why “user-centered” makes executives stop listening.
You’re still asking for feedback. And that’s why you’re not “in the room.” — how to sound like leadership before you have the title.
Why your best presentation still lost the room — the one slide the VP actually wants to see.
Promotion and leveling
How to move from “high-performing” to “promotion-ready” — three frameworks to start now for a promotion in the next 6–12 months.
The year I worked harder than ever… but my level stayed the same — and the framework I built so it never happened again.
Why “Director” isn’t a promotion — are you preparing for a promotion, or for a job you don’t actually want?
The AI shift
What I’m seeing in UX leadership right now — the shift that’s real, and what it means for your next move.
Most UXers are preparing for 2026 wrong — the career move smart designers are making while everyone else chases AI certifications.
Get scripts, templates, and more resources
When I work with with my 1:1 coaching clients, we build the actual materials they need for the situation in front of them: the stakeholder script, promotion case, influence map, executive narrative, interview story, or plan for the first 90 days.
And that’s what paid subscribers get access to as well.
Paid subscribers receive:
Inside the Session, where I share real, anonymized coaching situations from start to outcome.
330+ issues organized around the career moment or challenge you’re facing.
Practical scripts, diagnostics, frameworks, templates, and step-by-step playbooks.
Learning Tracks covering Political Intelligence, Strategic Judgment, Executive Communication, Building Authority, Strategic Visibility, and Influence Networks.
Full access to the paid archive and premium Tool Library.
Complimentary access to exclusive products and resources through paid-member discount codes.
Companies with multiple designers subscribed to UX Mentor Diaries
A taste of what’s inside
The BLUF Framework (from Issue #147)
Most designers lose executive credibility in one place: their emails.
They write “operationally.” Explaining the work, summarizing meetings, listing progress.
Senior leaders skim right past it.
They’re not reading to understand your effort.
They’re scanning for SIGNAL.
BLUF = Bottom Line Up Front.
Every email to leadership should answer 3 things fast:
Bottom line: What’s the main point?
Business relevance: Why should this matter to leadership, product, or revenue?
Next move: What decision or action are you recommending?
That’s it. No defensive context. No proof-of-work dump.
Long emails show effort.
BLUF shows judgment.
This is one of 40+ frameworks inside the paid archive.
⚡️ For those ready to move faster
The newsletter gives you the DIY playbook. 1:1 coaching gives you a personalized shortcut.
I work with a small number of senior designers and directors who are done being overlooked. And ready to be positioned as the obvious choice.
This is for you if:
You’ve been passed over for roles you were qualified for
You’re a director at a startup struggling to be taken seriously at larger companies
You know you’re ready for the next level but can’t make it visible
I’ve helped designers go from “not ready yet” to promoted, hired, and finally seen as the senior leader they already were.
Ex-JPMorgan VP teaching designers how power actually works.
