When the pandemic hit, I was managing a team of ten. We went from weekly, in-person one-on-ones to Zoom. Now remote work feels normal, but back then we all felt boxed in.

One of my team members asked if we could go for a walk during our 1:1, shifting our Zoom call to audio-only. Within a few weeks I was doing this with the whole team. I've never spent so much time walking in nature!

There are additional benefits beyond just getting outside:

  • Audio-only calls allow people to reduce distraction and anxiety

  • Walking in nature can be restorative, with research showing those coached using Walk & Talk methods show reduced burnout symptoms

  • Movement often helps people think differently about stuck situations

Click here to sign up for a Walk & Talk coaching session.

Walk & Talk coaching

Sometimes you see exactly what needs to change in your organization - better problem identification, clearer decision-making, more strategic focus - but you can't get the budget or buy-in for comprehensive organizational work. Individual coaching helps you:

  • Navigate hybrid roles that require both craft expertise and people leadership

  • Stay grounded in exceptionally dynamic workplaces

  • Manage up to leadership who don't understand your practice’s value

  • Step back from day-to-day firefighting to gain new perspective

  • Build skills for identifying real problems versus symptoms in your own sphere of influence

A little bit about me.

I'm passionate about partnering with current and emerging leaders who want to build thoughtful careers that balance collaboration with others in harmony with their own aspirations. I've navigated my own career journey from academia to corporate leadership to solopreneurship, spending 20+ years managing teams in dynamic environments.

I bring the same investigative mindset to individual coaching that I bring to organizational work, helping you assess what's really happening before jumping to solutions. I've been called a manager whisperer, thought partner, coach, and mentor. Depending on your situation, I'll take the approach that creates the most momentum for change.

Insights from my time as a research leader, published.

What my clients are saying

  • “Janelle is one of a kind mentor who has the rare ability to listen deeply and see things from both tactical and strategic points of view. She is kind, understanding, and expertly breaks down complex workplace issues into actionable, bite-sized pieces that are easy to understand and tackle. 

    Janelle's expertise in UXR and experience coming from academia, is evident in her wealth of knowledge and experience, which she generously shares. I was grateful to connect with her as someone who also took a non-traditional route into UXR. What I appreciate most about Janelle is her ability to listen and ask good questions; it's like she's a researcher herself! :)  She made me feel heard and understood, and her insightful questions helped me think more deeply about the topic at hand. 

    Janelle's mentorship has been invaluable to me in identifying how I want to grow in my current position. Through our conversations, she helped me develop a clear understanding of my goals and provided me with the necessary resources and coaching to achieve them. Thanks to her guidance, I feel more confident and capable in my work, and the fog of uncertainty regarding how I want to grow has lifted. 

    I would highly recommend Janelle to anyone looking to work through tough issues and grow their professional capabilities. Her expertise, guidance, and support are truly invaluable, and I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from her.”

    Lindsey, Senior User Experience Researcher at a US-based ed-tech company

  • "It was a light in a dark tunnel to be able to chat with Janelle and get her guidance. It was pretty changing. With our conversations I’ve been able to reframe things and remind myself that this experience is a small part of a bigger career.

    It’s been really nice to bounce ideas around with someone who’s had similar experiences and who understands and is dedicated to the craft. It feels like there’s been progress, even though before I thought there couldn’t be…having these chats sparked something, and also made me realize this is an experience I can learn from, and it contributes to the bigger picture.

    I was pleasantly surprised. Sometimes I see these coaching programs and they’re a bit fluffy or lightweight - management training I’ve done in the past left me wondering, why did I spend that time? With Janelle, this time has been more collaborative."

    Deanna Sim, User Research Manager at an Amsterdam-based fin-tech company

  • “Janelle creates a bespoke coaching programme that unearths a mine of thought provoking nuggets; some to extract now, others to keep checking in on over time. All invaluable, and all tailored and relevant to the topics and situations we initially set out to explore together. Highly recommend working with Janelle for anybody who wants to take the UXR practices they look after to the next level.”

    Head of Research at a UK-based media company

What my past team members are saying.

  • "Janelle has a deep understanding of the craft of research but what makes her shine is her competence as a research lead and manager. She has been successful in growing a team of highly talented and assertive researchers by encouraging a culture of learning, curiosity and healthy debate. She's proactive, a clear communicator, and is structured yet flexible. Best of all, Janelle recognises the human aspect of being a good manager: she's down-to-earth, thoughtful and approachable."

    Mansha Manohar, Principal UX Researcher

  • "Janelle introduced the field of UX research in our company and managed to get people enthusiastic by both evangelizing it and showing valuable results. She built her team from scratch and the people in the team love her as a manager because of the vision she sets, the structure she provides, and her deep understanding of the research field. In addition, I really value that she pushed me to be on a panel in a Women-in-Tech conference as one of the things to help drive diversity within our team and in the broader industry."

    Johan den Haan, former CTO

  • "Janelle is a terrific manager, a strategic thinker and an empathetic person. She is one of the reasons I joined the team. Under her strong leadership, the team gained a strategic role in the organisation in addition to growing in size. Whenever one approaches Janelle, she understands the situation by asking the right questions which makes her an awesome mentor and an experienced coach."

    Bindu Upadhuay, Lead Service Designer

  • "I met Janelle in 2016 when I applied for a PhD position under her supervision to research Chinese gay men's dating app use. In the years since, she has shared her strategic knowledge, in terms of her expertise in user-centered research and in determining appropriate methods to answer my research question. She has been a great source of encouragement and helped build up my confidence in becoming a researcher. As a manager and advocate, Janelle has my highest recommendation."

    Shangwei Wu, Assistant Professor

  • "Janelle has turned the success of the UX Research team into a team sport and she has managed to create a team culture where sharing, learning, laughing and listening are core values. Janelle’s human-centered skills also show as a manager on a 1:1 level, as she is very good at coaching, listening and talking to her team members: making sure that everyone succeeds in their role. One of Janelle’s core strengths is her ability to build all sorts of bridges: whether it is bringing people, projects or perspectives together."

    Mirjam Tiemensma, UX Researcher, current PhD candidate