Brave UX with Brendan Jarvis 🇺🇦

After 5 years and 171 episodes, Brave UX is coming to a close.

In this final monologue, Brendan Jarvis reflects on how the podcast began, what it became, and what he learned along the way. From uncertain beginnings during a global pandemic to becoming a globally recognised platform for thoughtful, human-centred conversations—this is a farewell, but not a goodbye.

✅ Why Brave UX began  
✅ What it became  
✅ How it helped Brendan grow  
✅ What’s next

⏱️ Episode Chapters:

00:12 – Brave UX Ends
00:19 – Pandemic Start
01:04 – Growth & Friendships
01:15 – Talks & Recognition
01:45 – Memorable Moments
01:59 – Thanks to Editors
02:12 – Closing Chapter
02:44 – What’s Next

🎧 Explore the full archive: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/brave-ux-podcast
💬 Connect with Brendan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendandjarvis/

Wolfgang Bremer shares a candid look at design leadership, the weight of trust, and why real impact goes far beyond pixels 🚀 — revealing how humility and humanity shape design at scale 🌍.

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Episode Chapters:

00:00 – Learning Patience Through Fatherhood
00:30 – Welcome and Introduction
02:10 – Early Design Projects and Bootleg CD Covers
05:30 – How Parenthood Changed His Communication and Leadership
10:00 – The Importance of Explaining “Why” at Home and Work
13:44 – Families, Work, and Where We Spend Our Energy
19:00 – Why Trust Should Be the Default in Teams
22:30 – Building Connection and Trust Through One-on-Ones
28:30 – Structured vs. Unstructured Approaches to One-on-Ones
36:00 – Knowing When to Lean In and When to Step Back
43:00 – Leadership as Asking Better Questions
46:20 – Leadership Compared to Doing the Dishes
53:00 – Designing the Environment for Teams to Thrive
58:00 – Overcoming Misconceptions About Design’s Role
1:01:22 – Lessons From a Career in Global Design Leadership
1:06:21 – Closing Reflections and Where to Find Wolfgang

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Who is Wolfgang Bremer?

Wolfgang Bremer is a seasoned design leader whose career spans mobile, enterprise, and automotive design 🚗. He was recently the Vice President of Design at Elli, a Volkswagen Group brand focused on electric mobility, where he grew a cross-functional team and embedded design into business strategy.

He has:  
✅ Led global design teams at Volkswagen, SAP, and HERE Technologies  
✅ Designed early mobile experiences at Nokia  
✅ Spoken at conferences across Europe, North America, and Asia  
✅ Advocated for people-first design and building trust at scale  
✅ Believes leadership is sometimes… like doing the dishes

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Find Wolfgang Bremer here:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/wolfgangbremer/ 
Website → https://bremer.co/ 

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Subscribe to Brave UX

Like what you heard?  
🎙️ Subscribe to Brave UX for more conversations with world-class voices in UX, design, and product leadership. Your support helps others discover the show!

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/brave-ux-with-brendan-jarvis/id1552607805  
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7j2ocni6A00fzgHkj6TtCK  
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSpaceInBetween
Podbean: https://braveux.podbean.com/

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Follow Brave UX for more great content!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/  
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brave_ux  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/

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Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:

Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/  
The Space InBetween Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/

Aryn Korpalski reminds us that research is as much about human connection 🤝 as it is about data—and why hospitality, curiosity, and thoughtful service are the real secrets to impactful insights 🎯.

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Episode Chapters:

00:00 – Why In-Person Magic Can’t Be Replicated Virtually
00:30 – Welcome and Introduction
02:00 – Meet Aryn Korpalski
03:06 – Musical Theatre, Sports, and Finding Confidence in Rugby
10:00 – Growing Up in Denver and Becoming a Chicagoan
14:42 – Curiosity, Hospitality, and the Work of Fieldwork
18:20 – Complex Briefs and Protecting Participant Trust
22:55 – Global Research and Partnering with Competitors
27:30 – Preparing for the Next Thing: AI and Data Quality
35:11 – Baking Accessibility Into Every Project
40:30 – Making Research Emotionally Accessible
44:01 – Beyond Insights: Community and Connection
47:23 – The Power of Observation Rooms
51:30 – Gathering Intentionally and Leadership Energy
56:00 – Why Making “Yes” Matter Builds Trust
1:09:05 – Closing Reflections and Where to Find Aryn

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Who is Aryn Korpalski?

Aryn is the Senior Vice President of Corporate Services at Fieldwork, a company trusted worldwide for in-person research facilities, digital capabilities, and global recruitment services.

She has: 
✅ Led Fieldwork’s corporate operations and strategic client partnerships 
✅ Managed research projects across diverse industries and cultures 
✅ Advocated for participant-first experiences and inclusive research practices 
✅ Embraced hospitality as a guiding principle in research operations

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Find Aryn Korpalski here:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/arynkorpalski/
Fieldwork → https://www.fieldwork.com/

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Subscribe to Brave UX

Like what you heard?  
🎙️ Subscribe to Brave UX for more conversations with world-class voices in UX, design, and product leadership. Your support helps others discover the show!

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/brave-ux-with-brendan-jarvis/id1552607805  
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7j2ocni6A00fzgHkj6TtCK  
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSpaceInBetween
Podbean: https://braveux.podbean.com/

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Follow Brave UX for more great content!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/  
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brave_ux  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/

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Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:

Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/  
The Space InBetween Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/

Changying (Z) Zheng brings calm thinking to DesignOps — showing how clarity, storytelling, and ruthless prioritisation help design teams thrive .
 
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Episode Chapters:
 
00:00 – Why Design Needs to Prove Its Value
00:30 – Welcome and Introduction
02:30 – From Graphic Design to Design Ops Leadership
05:40 – Running a Dairy-Free Dessert Business and Learning Calm Leadership
10:00 – Leading Without Drama and Seeing Multiple Perspectives
13:00 – Design Ops as Service Design for Design Teams
16:00 – Storytelling, Outcomes, and Speaking the Language of Business
18:45 – Earning and Keeping a Seat at the Table
21:00 – Moving from Ticket Taking to Strategic Design Work
26:00 – Saying No Kindly and Introducing Office Hours
32:00 – People, Process, and Platform as Core Pillars
36:00 – Becoming the Connective Tissue Across Orgs
42:00 – Growing Into Product Ops at Cloudflare
55:00 – Communication as the Connective Tissue of Ops
1:10:00 – A Two-by-Two Framework for Career Development  
 
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Who is Changying (Z) Zheng?
 
Changying (Z) Zheng is a Director of Product Operations at Cloudflare, where she’s scaled the operational backbone of one of the internet’s most recognisable infrastructure companies .
 
She has:  
Started as a team of one and built thriving design and research operations  
Worked in agencies, higher education, and at companies like Akamai, VMware, and Nasdaq  
Founded and ran her own retail business  
Delivered talks at The DevOps Conference and DesignOps Summit, shaping how people understand DesignOps in technical environments
 
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Find Changying (Z) Zheng here:
 
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/changyingz/
Website → https://www.changyingart.com/
 

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Subscribe to Brave UX

Like what you heard?  
🎙️ Subscribe to Brave UX for more conversations with world-class voices in UX, design, and product leadership. Your support helps others discover the show!

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/brave-ux-with-brendan-jarvis/id1552607805  
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7j2ocni6A00fzgHkj6TtCK  
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSpaceInBetween
Podbean: https://braveux.podbean.com/

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Follow Brave UX for more great content!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/  
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brave_ux  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/

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Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:

Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/  
The Space InBetween Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/

Jake Burghardt explores why so much research goes unused , why timing matters more than tools , and how to transform insights into real impact for teams and strategy .
 
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Episode Chapters:
 
00:00 – Why Careers Shouldn’t Hinge on One Team
00:30 – Welcome and Introduction
01:27 – Jake’s Work at Amazon and the Intersection of Ops
03:00 – Early Days: Patents, Psychology, and Consulting Work
05:46 – Becoming a Generalist Across Disciplines
08:05 – The Rise of Research, Design, and Product Ops
10:12 – Writing Stop Wasting Research and the Story Behind the Title
13:45 – Timing Research to Influence Planning Cycles
16:52 – Who Can Reduce Research Waste in Large Orgs?
21:14 – Root Causes of Research Waste: Preparation, Motivation, Integration
27:09 – The Challenge of Prioritising Insights
31:30 – What Competitors Would Pay to Know You Forgot
36:32 – Tools, Repositories, and Making Insights Stick
42:00 – Practical Ways to Promote Overlooked Insights
1:03:00 – Closing Reflections and Where to Find Jake
 
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Who is Jake Burghardt?
 
Jake Burghardt is a veteran of the research, product, and design worlds, helping organisations close the gap between what they know and what they act on. His upcoming book, *Stop Wasting Research*, offers a new framework for turning insights into action.
 
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Find Jake Burghardt here:
 
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeburghardt/
Blog → https://medium.com/integrating-research 
Newsletter → https://www.integratingresearch.com/newsletter
Book: Stop Wasting Research → https://www.integratingresearch.com/#book
 
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Subscribe to Brave UX

Like what you heard?  
🎙️ Subscribe to Brave UX for more conversations with world-class voices in UX, design, and product leadership. Your support helps others discover the show!

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/brave-ux-with-brendan-jarvis/id1552607805  
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7j2ocni6A00fzgHkj6TtCK  
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSpaceInBetween
Podbean: https://braveux.podbean.com/

======

Follow Brave UX for more great content!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/  
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brave_ux  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/

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Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:

Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/  
The Space InBetween Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/