Week 18 of 52 — Women in Tech Series
Welcome to our Women in Tech series. Over the next 52 weeks, we’ll spotlight inspiring women shaping the technology industry — sharing their stories, achievements, and insights.
From founders and engineers to designers, researchers, and community leaders, this series celebrates the diverse voices driving innovation and building the future of tech.
How did you first get into tech/innovation?
Through my background as a Graphic Designer. My dad was one too, so I basically grew up with Adobe open on a laptop. But I fell into the actual obsession bit while running my branding agency. I wasn’t just interested in how things looked, I was constantly asking why people do what they do. Why do they drop off? What makes them stay? What makes them want to throw their phone out the window?
I wrote my dissertation on WW2 propaganda- like, how do you make people take action versus just ignore the message entirely? And I realised that’s literally what I was doing with every brand and product I touched. Understanding what makes humans tick when they interact with things (brands, apps, interfaces, AI, whatever). That fascination never left.
So I didn’t wake up one day thinking “I want to work in tech.” I just kept following the thread of why do people do things, and tech is where you can really dig deep into that question (with data to back it).
What did your career path look like before landing your current role?
Graphic Designer → Ran my own branding studio called Strange (which, yes, is because I’ve always been a bit of a weirdo) → Fractional CPO // Product & Marketing Lead at a community platform → Now fractional CPO and strategic consultant. Each jump was me realising I needed to zoom out further. Design was fun but I kept wanting to understand why the design mattered. Running Strange was brilliant but I realised I was obsessed with how things moved people, not just how they looked.
So I moved into product and marketing at a growing community platform, wearing both hats. That’s where things got messy in the best and worst way. I burned out hard. Turns out I could do 4-5 hours of really focused, really fast work and produce what most people do in a week, but by lunchtime I was a wreck. Couldn’t prioritise tasks, drowning in my own to-do list, thought I was just anxious or too sensitive.
Then I got diagnosed with ADHD at 35. Everything clicked. The burnout, the hyperfocus, the inability to organise my own chaos. It wasn’t a character flaw, it was neurodivergence. And that realisation became the entire premise for the app I’m building now, Here, Let Me.
What does your role involve day-to-day?
Honestly, it depends on the day. I’m working with early-stage founders who are scrappy and moving fast, so there’s no time for unnecessary processes. I tend to run things through four lenses: data (is your traffic actually healthy for the conversion you want?), brand (does what you say match how you look everywhere?), UX (how easy is it for someone who wants to buy to actually buy?), and comms (is anyone actually compelled to act?).
Then I do a first-pass on whatever needs doing. It could be spotting where your funnel’s broken, could be realigning your messaging with your visuals, could be just… getting everyone in the room looking at the same thing instead of each person pointing a torchlight at their own corner. The goal is always: get something scrappy but smart built fast enough to learn from it. I’d rather ship something rough that teaches us something than spend three months perfecting a hypothesis that’s probably wrong anyway.
Right now that looks like: strategy work with a few founder clients, building the beta community for Here, Let Me, and occasionally having strong opinions about unnecessary friction in people’s products (I cannot be stopped on this). I work in hyperfocus sprints: my brain is genuinely done by early afternoon, so I’m not the person for “let’s jump on a call at 6pm.” But give me a morning and a clear problem and I’ll ship you something that moves the needle.
What challenges have you faced working in tech, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest one: my brain works completely differently to most of the people I work with. I’m emotionally led, I often think in metaphors, and I work in hyperfocus bursts. My tech co-workers are analytical, they need processes, they think step-by-step. In a fast-moving startup where everything’s urgent and the team is small, that gap creates conflict. I used to think I just needed to “toughen up” or stop being so sensitive. Turns out I was just undiagnosed ADHD trying to work like a neurotypical person. Once I understood that, I could actually work with my difference instead of against it.
Also I did the therapy/coach work. Because honestly, pushing back, being heard, taking up space feels absolutely vile when you’re a woman and you’ve been trained your whole life not to. But you can’t fake confidence. You have to actually do the internal work first, or you’ll just burn out again.
The other thing I’ve learned is that I’m actually really good at reading people: body language, what they’re not saying, what they really mean. That’s an ADHD thing, so instead of fighting it, I lean into it. I use it to navigate difficult conversations and misalignments before they become actual problems.
Was there a moment or opportunity that helped you break into the industry?
My therapist said something like “you need something to listen to all the noise and just… organise it for you” and I literally went home and built that. Spent three weeks shipping a fully branded, usable MVP because hyperfocus is a SUPERPOWER when you point it at the right thing.
But actually, the bigger moment was accepting that my brain isn’t broken, it’s just different. And if I could build a product that works with that difference instead of against it, maybe it could help other people who feel the same way. That shift from “I’m broken” to “I’m going to build something that celebrates how I work” changed everything about how I position myself.
The app’s still in beta and honestly I’m just starting to tell people about it, but even that feels different. I’m not just another consultant giving product advice, I’m actually building the thing I wish existed when I was drowning. Also I’ve started actually saying no to things and being honest about my working rhythm. Turns out founders respect that more than pretending to be available 24/7.
What advice would you give to women who want to work in tech or innovation?
Do the internal work first. Seriously. We’re not trained to take up space or be unapologetic, so the moment you try to do either, it feels like you’re being a horrible cow. It’s awful. But you can’t just think your way out of that, you actually have to work with a therapist or coach to process it.
Also: your difference is your superpower. If you think differently, if you’re sensitive, if you notice things other people miss, if you have ADHD or autism or whatever, that’s not a liability in tech. It’s literally the thing that makes you good at understanding why people do things. Most tech people are so focused on the logical flow they miss the emotional layer completely.
And be honest about how you work. If you need to focus in the mornings and can’t do meetings after 3pm, say that. If you need to walk around while you think, do it. If you need a therapist, get one. The founders who are worth working with will respect that way more than you pretending to be someone you’re not.
Also: women have so much to offer this industry. We think in systems, we hold multiple truths at once, we actually care about the humans using the thing we’re building. That matters. Push back. Be heard. It’s uncomfortable but it’s worth it.
Connect with Alex!
Follow Alex’s journey and connect with her on LinkedIn here
