About Mary
Nine layoffs. Fifteen years. One realization: getting fired for telling the truth means the system is broken, not you.
I'm a UX designer who survived nine layoffs across startups, government contractors, and Fortune 100 companies - including financial institutions like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Each time, I was labeled a "bad fit" for identifying problems no one wanted to hear about.
After the ninth layoff, I finally understood: Organizations hire problem-solvers, then eliminate them when systemic issues persist. They use individuals as scapegoats rather than addressing root dysfunction. Being fired wasn't a failure - it was evidence I'd maintained integrity in systems designed to reward silence.
Background
I studied photography at Harvard Extension School and the Rhode Island School of Design (1996-1999), then transitioned to tech through Adobe Photoshop skills when the web was still young. I taught as an adjunct instructor for three semesters and I'm OOUX (Object-Oriented User Experience) certified.
But the real education came from watching the same patterns repeat across wildly different organizations: the charismatic CEO who creates cult-like culture, the "Team of One" trap that isolates you before eliminating you, the NDAs that prevent workers from recognizing shared experiences of dysfunction.
What I bring to this work
I approach workplace dysfunction the way a designer approaches a broken system: map the objects, identify the relationships, find where communication breaks down. OOUX methodology isn't just how I work - it's how I think about organizational problems.
I also bring privilege that allowed me to maintain integrity when others couldn't afford to: I'm white, educated, and built investment income over twenty years that provides financial independence. This economic foundation meant I could say no when staying would have required compromising my values. That privilege is part of the story, not separate from it.
What's next
Beyond the book, I'm building HalfTank.com - a consulting practice for senior engineers and product managers who've been labeled "difficult" for identifying organizational problems. The business starts with community programming (The Bad Fit Alliance) before adding high-value consulting services.
The goal isn't just to help individuals survive dysfunction. It's to create enough pattern recognition that workers stop blaming themselves for systemic problems - and start demanding organizations actually fix what's broken instead of eliminating the people who notice.