14-Day Leadership Interview Prep Challenge

Never get blindsided by an interviewer again.

Interviewers ask hundreds of questions, but they actually listen for a handful of things.

Skip the memorizing. In 14 days, 15 minutes a day, you develop an ear for what the interviewer is actually asking, and a shape for answering it on the spot, with your own strongest stories.

Join the waitlist →Doors open to the waitlist first.
The panel asks 1 of 3 ways
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a stakeholder.
What they’re testingCan you disagree and keep the relationship?
The panel asks 2 of 3 ways
How do you handle pushback on your design?
What they’re testingCan you disagree and keep the relationship?
The panel asks 3 of 3 ways
Describe a conflict with a product partner.
What they’re testingCan you disagree and keep the relationship?
The panel asks 1 of 3 ways
Tell me about a hard decision you made.
What they’re testingCan you make a call when the answer isn’t clear?
The panel asks 2 of 3 ways
Walk me through your process.
What they’re testingCan you make a call when the answer isn’t clear?
The panel asks 3 of 3 ways
Tell me about a time you had incomplete information.
What they’re testingCan you make a call when the answer isn’t clear?
The panel asks 1 of 3 ways
What’s your biggest weakness?
What they’re testingDo you see where you fall short, and act on it?
The panel asks 2 of 3 ways
Tell me about a time you failed.
What they’re testingDo you see where you fall short, and act on it?
The panel asks 3 of 3 ways
What feedback has stuck with you?
What they’re testingDo you see where you fall short, and act on it?
What are they actually testing?
Ex-VP of UXJPMorgan Chase
20+ yrsin design leadership
2,400+designers coached
Top 25Substack in Design
Why strong candidates lose leadership interviews

One shaky answer, and the whole interview follows it.

A solid candidate gets a question they should have nailed. They start well, then wonder whether they're answering what was asked, and start adding detail. The next answer comes out long and generic, the one after that purely chronological, or too tactical for the role.

It almost never comes down to experience. Nobody showed them what the panel is listening for.

Answer 1

Strong start, then a doubt

Answer 2

Extra detail, just in case

Answer 3

Purely chronological

Answer 4

Too tactical for the role

Not ready for this level
Is this you?

Who it's for.

For you if

  • you have a leadership interview coming up, or want to be ready before one does
  • you know your work is strong, and your answers don't show it yet
  • you've had a “not ready for this level” and want to know why
  • you'll say your answers out loud, even when the first ones feel awkward

Not for you if

  • you want scripts to memorize
  • you're looking for portfolio or resume reviews
  • you won't practice out loud
Hear the difference

Hear yourself change.

On day 1 you record your answer to “tell me about yourself” the way you’d give it today. Then come all the reps in between, one question a day. On day 14 you answer that first question again, and play the two back to back.

Day 1
Tell me about yourself.
Your first take, before any reps
Day 14
Tell me about yourself.
After 14 days of reps
Join the waitlist →
Who's asking the questions

I've sat on the hiring side of the table.

20+ years in UX leadership, most recently VP of UX at JPMorgan Chase. I've interviewed and hired designers and design leaders, and coached thousands more through their own loops. What I know is how a panel decides, which is the part candidates never get to see.

The daily workout

15 minutes a day. No boring lectures.

Just building your interview muscle memory. Every morning for 14 days, a new lesson opens on your private dashboard.

Day 6 · Tuesday
7:45interview workout
✓hear today’s question + the trap
✓what they’re secretly testing
✓the formula
✓hear a high-impact answer
my answer → record it on my phone!
15 min. Best part of my morning.
Yours to keep

Your question decoder.

One printable page: the handful of things panels test, and the common questions that test each one. So a question you've never heard still has a familiar shape.

The question → what it's testing
Tell me about yourself.→The pattern behind your history
Walk me through your process.→Whether you think like a leader or an IC
What would you do in your first 90 days?→How you learn and prioritize
Why are you leaving?→How you’ll talk about this company one day
After 14 days

What you leave with.

The goal is to kill interview anxiety and build confidence in yourself, through understanding the question patterns and repeated practice. The more reps you put in, the more natural the right shape will feel.

01

Confidence in yourself

You walk in steady, knowing what's coming, even when the wording surprises you.

02

An ear for what they're testing

You hear the question underneath, and you know what to look for in your own answer.

03

Your stories, ready

Your own experiences, shaped for the questions leadership panels ask, in your own words.

04

A library of your own reps

Every answer you recorded, and the feedback you chose to ask for. Proof of how far you've come.

Free bonuses you get

And all of this comes included.

Five extras, so the practice sticks long after day 14.

Bonus 01

The answer formula worksheets

One for every question, filled in with your own stories.

included
Bonus 02

Your Interview Playbook

By day 14, your worksheets add up to your own stories, shaped and ready.

included
Bonus 03

Your story bank

One page to collect the stories every leadership interview draws from, so the right one is ready when you need it.

included
Bonus 04

Peer practice

Share a recording in the private community for feedback, if and when you want it.

included
The Director Interview Prep System
Bonus 05 · The big one

The Director Interview Prep System for ICs

The 30 questions panels ask director candidates, what each one is testing, and an answer formula with an example for every one of them.

includedSold separately for $37
All you get

Everything, in one place.

  • 14 daily lessons, about 15 minutes each
  • 14 answer formula worksheets
  • Your Interview Playbook
  • Your story bank
  • The private practice community
  • Your question decoder
  • The Director Interview Prep System for ICs
YourInterview Playbookyour stories, shaped and ready
Day 6 · WorksheetThe answer formula
Story bank01020304
My answer · 1:24
Join the waitlist →
Watch me answer them

The questions, answered.

A few of the questions from the bootcamp, answered on my Instagram. Tap a reel for sound.

Tap for sound

“Tell me about yourself.”

Watch on Instagram →
Tap for sound

“What’s your leadership style?”

Watch on Instagram →
Tap for sound

“What would you do in your first 90 days?”

Watch on Instagram →
Tap for sound

“Tell me about a failure.”

Watch on Instagram →
Tap for sound

“How do you design for trust in AI?”

Watch on Instagram →
Tap for sound

Introducing yourself in one sentence

Watch on Instagram →
Marina Krutchinsky
Marina Krutchinsky

Why I built this bootcamp.

For more than 20 years I sat on the hiring side, most recently as VP of UX at JPMorgan Chase. Again and again, I watched strong designers lose a leadership role in the interview, when everything they needed to win it was already in their own stories.

So I built the practice I wished they'd had: 15 minutes a day with the questions panels actually ask, until you hear what each one is testing and answer in your own words.

Today I coach experienced designers through the jump into leadership. Some of my past clients now lead teams at Amazon, Meta, Spotify and Google.

I also write UX Mentor Diaries, a Top 25 Substack in Design, about how power actually works inside organizations.

From designers & leaders I’ve coached

Marina helped me get interview-ready, coaching me on how to authentically tell my story and handle the tough ‘why the switch?’ questions.

Coaching client, Design Leader at a global investment bank

There was no generic advice. Marina gave sharp insights and frameworks I could apply right away.

Coaching client, Design Leader at a global productivity app

I have worked with several coaches and Marina is the first to really cut to the chase.

Coaching client, Lead Product Designer at a Big Tech company

Marina put so much work in, to figure me out professionally and to see things about me that I could not see in myself.

Coaching client, Lead UX Architect at a UK engineering institution

Marina’s encouragement and swift support rebuilt my confidence during challenging times and fueled my career progress.

Coaching client, Design Leader at a consumer tech company

Marina helped me get to the root of my problem and showed me the direction I needed to take.

Coaching client, UX Strategist at a startup

Nobody honest promises you an offer.

What you'll have is an ear for every question, stories that fit, and the steadiness to answer as yourself.

FAQ

Before you ask.

What exactly is it?

14 daily lessons, about 15 minutes each. Every day comes with a worksheet and a recording of your own answer.

Is any of it live?

Not yet. Join the waitlist, and you’ll be the first to know.

Do I have to share my recordings?

No. They're yours. Sharing them in the community is optional.

Is it for ICs or managers?

Both, as long as you're going for a leadership role.

When does it start?

The waitlist hears first.

Walk in as yourself.

Feeling like yourself on a good day, sure the people across the table are meeting the leader you actually are.

Join the waitlist →
p.s. if you only read one thing

The right answer to your hardest interview question already exists in your own experience. The bootcamp teaches you to find it while you're still in the room.

Marina Krutchinsky