Teaching & Mentoring
Growing the designers who'll lead the field next.
Teaching is part of the work, not a side project. Adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska since 2013. A paid cohort course on design career strategy. Designers mentored around the world through ADPList. The thread across all of it: technical skill alone isn't what makes a designer a leader.
Mentoring impact
116
Designers mentored
11
Countries reached
12+
Years teaching at UNL
The Design Career Catalyst.
A 3-week cohort course built for senior designers and design leads who've mastered the craft but want to amplify their organizational impact. The curriculum covers strategic relationships, stakeholder influence, personal evaluation frameworks, and turning design decisions into business outcomes.
The soft skills and career frameworks I teach aren't in books, on YouTube, or in most design education. They're what I learned the hard way leading design teams for two decades, distilled for designers ready to lead.
What you'll learn
Master relationship building & strategic communication
Build your professional assessment framework
Transform design skills into organizational impact
Create your career acceleration roadmap
Navigate complex organizational dynamics
Develop leadership through influence
Philosophy
Three threads in everything I teach.
The skills that got you to senior won't take you to lead, and the skills that make you a lead won't make you a director. Each transition is a new practice. I help designers see the next set of skills, not just the next title.
Most senior designers know what to say but struggle with how to say it in rooms with VPs and CEOs. Voice is a craft. Confidence, brevity, specificity, the willingness to push back. These are teachable, and most design education skips them entirely.
"Direct, with kindness."
The fastest way to lose an executive room is to bring opinions instead of evidence. I teach designers how to frame their work as business cases, with tested methodology and real numbers, so the room hears the recommendation instead of arguing the taste.
Voices
From people I've led.
Direct reports and design leaders who know my leadership from the inside.
"
Mollie has a rare combination of charisma, exceptional intelligence, and leadership in one human being, and the field of design is lucky to have someone in it with such a skillset. Her leadership inspires confidence and fosters a sense of purpose.
Zeljka Hassler
Sr. Product Design Manager
"
Mollie's extensive experience across organizations and products makes her an exceptional design leader. Her authenticity, passion, and fearless approach to growth will leave you feeling empowered. For clarity and confidence in navigating your design career, Mollie's guidance is unmatched.
Mandi Saeteun
Product Design Manager
"
One of the standout qualities of Mollie is her commitment to mentorship. She invests time in developing her team's skills, encouraging them to push boundaries and explore new ideas. Her feedback is always constructive and insightful, allowing team members to grow both personally and professionally.
Dani Weidner
Senior Product Designer
"
Mollie's mentorship was transformative for my career. She consistently set clear goals, provided actionable feedback, and created opportunities for me to stretch and develop new skills. Her high standards elevated not just the quality of our work but also our capabilities as designers.
Jeff Nissen
Senior Product Designer
ADPList mentoring
From designers around the world.
116 designers across 11 countries through ADPList. A selection of what they've said:
"Mollie is awesome. You can tell she has a lot of experience and knows her stuff. She's super sharp, very friendly and extremely helpful. As a very experienced designer, it was great to chat with a fellow experienced designer like Mollie about market conditions and where the design field is going."
ADPList mentee
Senior designer
"Mollie has offered me very valuable and insightful advice. She answered all my questions and gave me a unique perspective as a hiring manager for my jobhunting process. It was so worth it waiting for our session."
Anna Skopenko
Founding Designer, Fay
"I had a great mentoring session with Mollie. She is a hands-on leader in product design with a deep passion for education and mentorship. Her insights were not only valuable, but specifically tailored to help me improve my CV and portfolio."
Vlada
Visitor Lecturer, Regent's University
University teaching
UNL.
Adjunct · 2013 to present
Twelve years teaching the next generation.
Adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln since 2013, teaching undergraduates design fundamentals, design systems, and what it actually takes to build a career in product design.
Courses taught include UX/UI Design (ADPR 358), Atomic Design (ADPR 398), Design Systems (ADPR 398), Art Direction (ADPR 433), Layout & Design (ADPR 333), Portfolio Development (ADPR 483), and Photo & Video (JOUR 160).
Teaching keeps me connected to how designers learn, what they're up against in the field, and how to translate hard-won professional lessons into something actionable.
Work with me