Ximena Vengoechea

I write books about living and working well. I bring a fresh and unique human-centered lens to my work, informed by my experience as a user researcher. Using principles of design thinking, playful illustrations, and relatable stories, I gently guide readers to self-reflection, self-awareness, and self-knowledge, and from insights to action. I am represented by Leila Campoli at Calligraph Literary agency. My books include: The Life Audit Journal (2025, Chronicle Books) The Life Audit: A Step-By-Step Guide to Discovering Your Goals and Building the Life You Want (2024, Chronicle Books) Rest Easy: Discover Calm and Abundance through the Radical Power of Rest (2023, Chronicle Books) Listen Like You Mean It: Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection (2021, Portfolio, a Penguin Random House imprint) My work has been featured in CNBC, The Los Angeles Times, Harvard Business Review, Good Housekeeping, and more. For more, see: https://www.ximenavengoechea.com/press I am an experienced speaker with a love of sharing stories and insights with others. Whether I’m speaking about listening and communication, design and user research, or the power of rest, my goal is to teach, inspire, and empower audiences to take action. I offer keynote speeches, workshops, Q&As, and lectures on topics such as rest and recovery practices, preventing burnout, listening and communication, user research, and difficult conversations. I've spoken to corporate tech workers (Instagram, Amazon, Asana, etc.), special interest groups (Canadian Women in Medicine, Texas Women's Conference), academics (Columbia Business School, University of Washington Seattle), among others. To book me for an event and contact my speaking agent, please see: https://www.ximenavengoechea.com/speaking In addition to speaking and writing, I advise select startups on building out their user research function as well as craft, and select executives on improving their listening and communication skills.

Advisor to Director of UX Research and CEO on research strategy, craft, and operations for UXR function at Bicycle Health.

I manage a mixed-methods team of researchers (market, UX - qual + quant, operations) across multiple orgs (Monetization, Growth, Consumer). In addition to my research responsibilities, I Co-Chair our Women@ ERG, responsible for company programming in career development, community, and allyship for men and women at Pinterest. I am also a member of Pinterest's Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce, and a mentor for new managers through our L&D manager training program, Leading a Team.

Lead Qualitative Researcher for business & content (Video, Tried it, Food) products at Pinterest. In addition to my research responsibilities, I designed and led our first company-wide mentorship program for women at Pinterest.

User researcher for TweetDeck, Twitter's pro tool for publishers, and Fabric, Twitter's mobile development platform (acquired by Google). I also lead our mentorship program for women in UX at Twitter.

Working with research and CX teams to ask and understand why people read industry news, and how we can help them succeed in their professional lives.

I analyze qualitative member data and develop recommendations for how to make LinkedIn's suite of mobile products more user-friendly. It's a cross-functional role that involves working closely with product and content teams to identify and close usability gaps throughout the product development cycle: from design, implementation, to member education. I focus on LinkedIn's flagship mobile app (across platforms), our mobile Help Centers, and our mobile relationships products, including the Connected App.

UX design & research consulting and GTM planning for early stage NYC-based startups: • Sharitive.org: wireframes, usability testing with a focus on improving the onboarding experience • Clipless.net: user acquisition planning, GTM strategy • Kleen.io: brand exploration, content strategy, web design And other side projects: https://medium.com/freelancers-life/a07e211240b2

Sonar is a mobile application that uncovers the hidden connections you share with people nearby. • Concept testing & usability testing for product discovery, design & messaging validation • User research, competitive landscaping & feature analysis, wireframes and initial product design • Developer researcher for mobile marketing & analytics platform, developer SDK • Product discovery & customer development for new feature set following product pivot • Developed analytics framework to measure and report on the health of Sonar's ecosystem • Responsible for marketing initiatives related to growth & engagement, user acquisition & distribution, including international

Brand discovery and social media strategy for author RJ Palacio’s launch of Wonder, now a #1 NY Times best selling novel.

Art dealer & Curator. • Grew and managed high net accounts with collectors in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. • Curated and managed exhibitions at art fairs in New York, Paris, Basel, and Mexico City. • Exceeded art sales goals y/y • Built partnerships with French, Spanish, and English-speaking galleries for Showoff Art Fair, the FIAC's primary offshoot contemporary art fair in Paris • Translator for fair catalogues for Showoff Art Fair, Chic Art Fair, & Chic Dessin, 2009-2012 Previously: Assistant Director, Digital Marketing Lead. • Launched social media presence and managed content marketing across platforms • Developed online programming • Editor for all gallery materials online and in printed catalogs

• Focus on French 19th century artists & American contemporary art installations

• Focus on literary art books of 19th century France