Mentorship For Working Designers
Structured, Ongoing Design Mentorship for Real Growth
Not random calls. No rigid curriculum. A structured system designed to help you move forward consistently with expert guidance—whether you’re growing inside a company as a designer or building your freelance practice.
Why Ongoing Mentorship
Real Growth Rarely Happens From One-Off Advice
Working designers experience unique challenges that are rarely heard and guided in the workplace. We are here to change that by building a system that provides structured guidance.
Real Growth Over Time
Guidance That Compounds
Accountability Built In
Mentorship Paths
Structured Around Your Situation—Not One-Size-Fits-All
You do not need to choose a track yet. After joining, your mentorship is organized around the track that best fits your current situation. The pricing stays the same across tracks.
For designers navigating a role, promotion, transition, or leadership growth inside a company.
Milestone: promotion confirmed
Promotion track
- Audit current role vs. target level — identify the gaps
- Build documented impact that exceeds your current level
- Prepare a complete promotion case and rehearse it
- Have the conversation and get the outcome
Milestone: offer letter signed
Job transition track
- Define target companies, role level, and compensation goal
- Update portfolio and application materials for the new narrative
- Practice presentations and whiteboard challenges
- Negotiate the offer and sign
Milestone: positive 90-day review
New job onboarding track
- Understand team dynamics, process, and political landscape
- Ship first meaningful work and build key relationships
- Move from executing to shaping work proactively
- Nail the 90-day review and establish trajectory
Milestone: leadership role confirmed
Leadership path track
- Assess craft vs. leadership skills balance honestly
- Build visible leadership proof: mentoring, facilitating, influencing
- Develop a clear design philosophy and team-building narrative
- Land the lead or manager title
For designers launching, stabilizing, or scaling an independent freelance practice.
Milestone: 2 paying clients at once
Launch Your Freelance Career
- Define your niche, ideal client, service offer, and rate
- Build outreach infrastructure and first prospect list
- Land first paid project — proposal, contract, invoice
- Reach two concurrent clients simultaneously
Milestone: 3 months no gap
Get Consistent Freelance Clients
- Audit 12 months of income and map the source of every dry spell
- Build one always-on pipeline channel that works while you're busy
- Land at least one retainer or anchor client for recurring base income
- Three consecutive months with no income gap
Milestone: target MRR for 2 months straight
Scale Your Freelance Practice
- Diagnose the root cause: positioning, pricing, pipeline, or capacity
- Address the one constraint holding revenue back
- Hit target monthly revenue consistently for 2 months
- Establish the new revenue floor as a permanent baseline
Milestone: 60 days stable in new mode
From Full-Time to Freelance
For designers transitioning from full-time employee to being a freelance designer.
- Get clear on direction and what the target state looks like concretely
- Build the bridge plan with a real timeline and no income gap
- Execute the transition — notice given or first client signed
- 60 days stable in the new arrangement
How every session works
A structured rhythm that runs every session, on every track
1
Opens every session
Commitment check-in
2
Middle of session
Live coaching
Whatever is alive for you right now — a decision, a difficult conversation, work to review. Fully personalized.
3
Closes every session
Commitment capture
4
Between sessions
Async touchpoint
A voice note, a Loom, a short message on Slack. Keeps momentum between calls if you have questions.
↻ This rhythm repeats every session. The track provides direction. The rhythm provides structure.
Signature Feature
A Growth Map to Document Your Progress
1
Your progress, made visible
2
Continuity across sessions
3
A record you can use later
4
What most mentorship miss
Why Our Mentorship Program Is Different
Designed For Real, Continuous Growth, Not Unstructured Advice
Features
Other Programs
Path Unbound
Structure
- 😥 Unstructured mentorship
- 😃 Clear mentorship framework and specific paths
Continuity
- 😥 One-off conversations
- 😃 Continuous progress with your chosen mentor
Documentation
- 😥 No record of progress
- 😃 Growth Map tracking your journey
Quality & Specialization
- 😥 General advice
- 😃 Design-specific guidance
Structure
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 Unstructured mentorship
- 😃 Clear mentorship framework
Continuity
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 One-off conversations
- 😃 Continuous progress with your chosen mentor
Documentation
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 No record of progress
- 😃 Growth Map tracking your journey
Quality & Specialization
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 General advice
- 😃 Design-specific guidance
Student Testimonials
What Students Say
Christine Mitchell
Senior Designer to Design Manager
I’d been thinking about freelancing for a year and never actually started. It just felt really overwhelming. This forced me to take action. I’m so glad I found the mentorship program. Each session gave me something concrete to do, and I actually did it.
Landed my first client in about a month and a couple more after that.
Katie Dunleavy
Corporate Designer Transitioning to Freelance
I had been at my job for a few years, but I wasn’t getting promoted year after year, and I didn’t know why. My mentor and I focused a lot on how I present my work, communicate decisions, and specifically, what my company looks for in terms of promotion.
Small changes but they made a difference. Got promoted the next cycle.
Yoni Friedman
UI/UX Designer Looking for Promotion
Your Mentors
Learn from Experienced Designers Who Know How to Guide Progress
Stephanie Sell
Product Designer
- Washington, D.C. USA



Jenni Renas
Visual Designer
- Richmond, Virginia, USA



Arnold Kotra
Brand & Visual Designer
- France



Ashley May
Senior Product Designer
- Michigan, USA



Nina Shahriaree
UI/UX & Visual Designer
- Los Angeles, CA, USA



Silvia Script
Senior UI/UX Designer
- Washington D.C. USA



Not Ready to Commit Yet?
Start with a Mentorship Clarity Session
Get expert feedback, clarity on your next steps, and a feel for how our structured mentorship works in one focused session
60-minute 1:1 session
Personalized feedback
Track + plan recommendation
Fee credited if you join
$99
One-Time Session
Pricing
Choose Your Plan
Light
$249/month
Choose billing:
$249/m — Monthly
$219/m — 3 months (Save $30/m) *
$209/m — 6 months — Best Value (Save $40/m)*
- • 2 mentorship sessions per month
- • One structured mentorship track
- • Shared Growth Map with ongoing updates
- • Async support between sessions
*Note: 3-month plans are billed every 3 months and 6-month plans are billed every 6 month.Â
Core
Best Value
$399/month
Choose billing:
$399/m — Monthly
$349/m — 3 months (Save $50/mo) *
$319/m — 6 months — Best Value (Save $80/m) *
- • 4 mentorships sessions per month
- • One structured mentorship track
- • Shared Growth Map with ongoing updates
- • Async support between sessions
*Note: 3-month plans are billed every 3 months and 6-month plans are billed every 6 month.Â
Intensive
$699/month
Choose billing:
$699/m — Monthly
$649/m — 3 months (Save $50/mo)*
$629/m — 6 months — Best Value (Save $70/m) *
- • 8 mentorship sessions per month
- • One structured mentorship track
- • Shared Growth Map with ongoing updates
- • Async support between sessions
- • More in-depth feedback and accountability
- • Best for growth sprints
*Note: 3-month plans are billed every 3 months and 6-month plans are billed every 6 month.Â
Free Download
Free resources to help you decide
Download our free, information-packed PDFs to prepare for your design career
1
Free PDF
How to Get Promoted as a Product Designer (Career Growth Guide)
A clear, level-by-level breakdown of how designers actually get promoted — from junior to senior to staff/principal. Understand what separates each level, why most designers get stuck, and how to move up with intention instead of waiting.
- Junior → Mid → Senior → Staff/Principal explained clearly
- What actually separates each level (not just years of experience)
- Why most designers plateau at mid or senior
- How to assess where you are — and what to do next
2
Free PDF
From Senior Designer to Design Manager: Is This Your Next Step?
A clear guide to becoming a design manager — what the role actually is, whether it’s right for you, and how to navigate the path. Understand what design leadership really involves and how the transition from designer to manager actually works.
- What design managers actually do day-to-day
- How the role differs from senior designer
- How to know if management is right for you
- The full leadership path from manager to Head of Design
3
Free PDF
Freelance UI/UX Designer Rates & Pricing Guide
If you’re unsure about your freelance UI UX designer rates, you’re not alone — most designers undercharge without realizing it. What to charge, how to set it, and how to confidently get paid what your work is worth. Stop guessing your rates. Learn how freelance designers actually price their work — and why most undercharge without realizing it.
- Real freelance UI/UX rate benchmarks by experience
- How to calculate your minimum viable rate
- When to charge hourly vs project vs value-based
- Scripts and strategies to confidently price your work
4
Free PDF
How to Become a Freelance Designer
A practical, step-by-step plan to launch your freelance design career the right way — without guessing or making costly early mistakes. If you’re trying to figure out how to become a freelance designer, the biggest mistake is treating it like a design problem. It’s a business problem — and most designers get this part wrong. This is not a blog post — it’s a structured roadmap you can follow to actually get started.
- Know if you’re actually ready to go freelance
- Follow the exact steps to launch (without quitting blindly)
- Learn how freelance designers actually get clients
- Avoid the mistakes that cause most freelancers to struggle
FAQs
How is this different from ADPList or MentorCruise?
Do I need to choose a track before joining?
How long should I stay in mentorship?
What happens between sessions?
Can I switch tracks later?
What if I don’t know what I need help with yet?
Can I try mentorship before committing?
Is the Clarity Session credited toward mentorship?
Can I pause or cancel?
Final Step