A friend asked me recently to explain the difference between the newsletter, my domain, LinkedIn, Instagram, the money systems coaching I’m doing, what “Full Stack Life” was supposed to be, and whether it’s the same as the full stack framework?
I pulled out my notebook and started drawing boxes. Content architecture here, audience there, how this feeds into that. He nodded along, looking progressively less confused, and said, yeah, now that you’ve explained it, I understand.
Walking home, though, it hit me: I’d built something way too complicated to solve a problem that didn’t exist.
When I started this Substack last year, I was about to quit my job. I called it By Design because it felt clever — my design career turning into deliberate living, get it? Double meaning!
Except here’s the thing: most of my life these days happens by trying stuff, not designing it.
By Design sounds like I have a methodology. Like I’m following some master plan, when really, I’m just someone who likes systems, documenting what it feels like to not have one.
And I kept introducing myself with my old credentials anyway. Former Head of Design at... As if I needed permission from my 15 years in corporate to be curious about life and write about it.
Then there were the taglines. (So many taglines.)
“Life by design, not by default.”
“Field notes from a life intentionally lived.”
“Personal product management for ambitious people.”
I should be on LinkedIn! And optimize for Threads! And cross-post to Instagram with visualizations! (Which I started doing a year ago, paused for a bit, then brought it back with some of these essays, before I finally stopped because it felt forced without writing to go with it.)
Each platform needed its own strategy. Each piece of content needed to fit the brand architecture.
And folks, I’m tired (and not just retired).
So… I’m letting go of By Design.
No, not this Substack — I still want to write (and I still want to write beyond this Substack, too!). And not because the name is bad, objectively speaking. And definitely not because I suddenly hate frameworks (I still love them).
I’m dropping the name because it became a cage. One that made me flatten myself into someone who “has life figured out” when really I’m just... trying things and seeing what happens.
This newsletter is now just my name. Nothing changes for you — same irregular posting schedule, same topics that interest me enough to write about them, same me figuring stuff out as I go.
And, if you didn’t even know this was called By Design… well. That kind of proves my point.
So, turns out life doesn’t have a design system.
If it did, mine would have components all built but I’m still designing stuff with detached elements.
(How’s that for an esoteric Figma reference? 😅)
Loving this post because we have seen too many posts about “I’m launching this!!”. But instead, you’re making a declaration about why something doesn’t work for you anymore.
It takes guts. While I have always been curious about your full stack life theory, I’m excited for it to make way for more resonant things!!