Last week, I crossed 37,000 followers on LinkedIn.

But this email list?

There are just 3,600+ of you here.

That’s about 10% of my total audience — and the people I share my real, unfiltered thoughts with.

If you’re reading this, I want to say thank you.

To celebrate, I thought I’d do something I’ve never done before…

Share 37 things you may not know about me.

Some are personal.

Some are professional.

Some are just random.

Here we go:

37 Things You May Not Know About Me

Personal Life & Quirks

1. I’m a dad to a 3-year-old boy named Helio — and my second son is due in December 2025.

2. I’m married to the love of my life — my first and only girlfriend — who I met on Tinder (she was my super like!)

3. I am a proud son to both of my parents who are wheelchair users and differently abled since young.

4. I’ve been to 20+ countries, from the US, UK, and Japan to South Africa, Paris, Rome, Milan, Australia, China, Taiwan, Cambodia, and more.

5. I have flat feet — finding comfortable wide-fit shoes is a life mission.

6. I cut my own hair… and my wife’s… and my son’s.

7. My MBTI is INFP.

8. My Human Design is Projector with Splenic Authority, 1/3 Profile, Right Angle Cross of Consciousness.

9. I’m a minimalist with physical possessions, but a maximalist with ideas.

10. I love quiet mornings more than late nights.

Career Journey

11. I started in industrial design - designing furniture, exhibition, packaging, consumer electronics, mobility devices and a ton more.

12. I’ve transitioned careers 5–6 times — across industrial design, retail product design, running my own design studio, teaching, transformation design in banking, experience design in insurance, and UX/product design in B2B SaaS.

13. I led design and a team of 9 as Head of Product Design at ContactOut.

14. I’ve taught design to non-designers at Nanyang Technological University.

15. In 2012, I ran my own design studio — but had to close it after losing over five figures as a first-time business owner. I over-trusted people, had partners walk away, and dealt with clients who never paid. I survived on milk and ramen for months.

16. I’ve built a career without relying on recruiters — focusing on relationships instead (other than my first dream job I got it through a recruiter. Thanks Lisa!)

17. I’ve reviewed thousands of portfolios, resumes, and job applications over my career as a hiring manager, mentor and career coach.

18. I’ve hired, coached, and mentored designers across industries from B2B SaaS to e-commerce to goverment to tech to startups.

19. I’ve built coaching programs that help UX professionals get jobs without applying online.

20. In 2025, I rebranded from UX Careerpreneurs to Career Creators to reflect my mission: helping people stop chasing and start creating opportunities.

Philosophy & Approach

21. I believe clarity is the ultimate career advantage.

22. I teach job seekers to position themselves as high-value assets, not just candidates.

23. I believe networking works best when it’s relationship-first, not ask-first.

24. I see portfolios as “proof of thinking,” not just “proof of work.”

25. I blend UX principles with career strategy — everything is designed with intention.

26. I think the job search system is broken — and I’m here to fix it.

27. I view myself as a partner to my clients, not a guru above them.

28. I teach frameworks you can adapt, not scripts you have to copy.

29. I value depth over hype — I’d rather help 10 people deeply than 1,000 people shallowly.

30. Rejection is feedback, not a verdict.

Fun, Random, and Real

31. I’ve been posting daily on LinkedIn since January 2022 — starting with ~6,000 followers.

32. I’m a LinkedIn Top Voice for the last 2+ years (Still feels surreal to me!)

33. My go-to coffee order in Singapore is Kopi Si Gao Siu Dai — thick coffee with evaporated milk, less sweet.

34. My other favorite drink? Bandung — rose syrup with evaporated milk, sweet and pink.

35. I have a secret dream of being a barber — just for the satisfaction of it.

36. I’m endlessly curious — I’ll dive into topics from nuclear fusion to education reform.

37. I’m deeply grateful you’re here — reading, learning, and building alongside me.

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If you’ve just joined me recently — welcome.

If you’ve been here a while — thanks for sticking around.

This list was fun to write, but more than that, it reminded me of something:

Behind every career, every post, every “tip” you see online… there’s a human story.

Thanks for being part of mine.

– Joseph

P.S. If one of these stood out to you (or surprised you), just hit reply and tell me which one. I read every response.