What happens when immigrant parents want stability, but you want to create? Tim Salazar, a first generation Filipino American, joins Life Between Titles to talk about growing up between Northern California, Eastern Washington, and Seattle, chasing film and writing dreams in Los Angeles, and doing whatever it took to stay afloat. We get into his pivot into UX through library school at Pratt, what early UX looked like in the era of massive waterfall specs, and the lessons we both took from Amazon, including what you gain, what you lose, and what happens when you never talk to users. Tim also shares what layoffs have taught him, how fatherhood reshapes your relationship to grit and privilege, and why the future of design may belong to people who can build, tell stories, and make decisions with taste.

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In this episode of Life Between Titles, I sit down with my friend Vance, a Philadelphia based healthcare leader with 15 years of experience, plus a PhD in corporate leadership.

We talk about why Philly shapes leaders differently, how environment influences who you become, and what it looks like to be intentional about the people you surround yourself with. Vance also breaks down the difference between your job and your work, why self assessment is the starting point for real growth, and how repetition, routines, and small habit changes create lasting leadership development.

We also get into leadership under pressure through the lens of Jalen Hurts, plus Vance’s take on vision, service, and what he wants listeners to sit with after the conversation.

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What happens when the path you were taught to follow no longer fits the life you are living?

In this episode, Savan sits down with Andrew Merchant for a deeply honest conversation about identity, depression, fatherhood, and choosing family over prestige. Andrew shares what it was like growing up in rural Alabama, building a marriage that started young, navigating undiagnosed depression, and stepping into the role of a stay at home dad in a household shaped by neurodivergence and intentional care.

Together, they explore how productivity becomes tangled with self worth, how redefining strength requires letting go of external validation, and how parenting has a way of holding up a mirror to the parts of ourselves we have avoided. This conversation is about the quiet decisions no one applauds, the courage to change direction, and what it really means to build a good life from the inside out.

If you are between titles, questioning success, or trying to align your life with your values, this episode will meet you where you are.

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🍎 Apple Podcasts

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-between-titles/id1844748787

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