👋 Hello, and welcome! I’m Jalyn, and I’m really happy you’re here.
After 15 years of designing products for others, I realized I’d neglected the most important product: my own life.
I called this newsletter By Design as a promise to myself: to take the intentionality I brought to my design career, and apply it to my most important project yet — crafting a life beyond the default path.
Right now, I'm on a sabbatical from the corporate world.
I’ve put on many hats in my career so far, straddling across the different domains of product and design (UX, CX, service, research, visual, interaction, service, strategy… the list does go on), and being part of a next-generation leadership team that gave me a front row seat to how a big business operates.
Yet, at the end of 2024, I decided to pull away from what I know best — being a cog in the corporate machine — to ask some Big questions:
What happens when I apply my product design skills inward, treating life itself as my most important project?
Can I decouple my sense of value and impact from productivity at work?
Is “sabbatical” the right word for this phase: a reset, not just a pause?
How can I derive meaning in the pursuit of contentment and joy?
What does it mean to truly live a full stack life?
…Full stack?
I’ve always thought about systems and layers. With the Full Stack framework, I’m aiming to bring the same intentionality to life.
Strength: Building and maintaining the foundations of my physical, mental, and financial health
Thinking: Working with my brain, not against it; through deeper understanding of mental models and game theory
Alignment: Living true to my values and purpose, even when no one’s looking
Connection: Finding my people and thriving in relationships
Knowledge: My ongoing commitment to learning, building habits, and managing my resources
(Yes, they spell out “stack”.
Yes, I spent a while trying to make it work.
And no, I will not apologize for loving acronyms in frameworks 🫡)
This time, my life is my product — from the inside out.
I hope you follow along this full stack journey. If what I write resonates, please drop me a comment, or connect with me via Instagram! I’d love to hear the questions you’re pondering, and the path you’re designing away from the default.
