Katie Yandell

I didn’t start with a blueprint. In fact, my earliest memories are anything but structured. My parents divorced when I was eight, and from that point forward, life often felt unpredictable—chaotic, even. Stability wasn’t something I could rely on, and growing up in poverty meant that survival often took precedence over dreaming.

There was no clear roadmap, no one outlining the steps to a “successful” future. I didn’t have a college degree waiting at the finish line or a traditional path to follow. What I did have—though I didn’t fully name it at the time—was resilience, adaptability, and a quiet rebel mindset.

That rebel mindset didn’t look like defiance for the sake of it. It looked like refusing to accept that my circumstances defined me. It looked like choosing growth when it would have been easier to stay stuck. It looked like standing tall, even in uncertainty, and finding the strength in my soul to fight another day.

My career began in customer service, where I developed a strong understanding of people. I learned how to listen, how to anticipate needs, and how to solve problems quickly and effectively. I learned how to meet people where they are—skills that would later become the foundation of my work.

But I didn’t see retail as the destination. I saw it as a stepping stone.

Without a bachelor’s degree, I built my way into tech by leaning into curiosity and action. I taught myself, sought out opportunities, and stayed consistent. I didn’t wait for permission to grow into something new—I decided to.

That decision led me to UX design—a field centered on empathy, strategy, and creating meaningful experiences. It felt aligned with everything I had already been doing, just at a different scale. My background didn’t set me back—it set me apart.

Recently, I had the opportunity to work with the nonprofit Kindness Is Magic. By redesigning and improving their website experience, I helped them save $9,000—funds that can now go directly toward supporting their mission. That moment reinforced something I’ve come to believe deeply: when you combine lived experience with intentional skill-building, you can create real, measurable impact.

My journey has never been about fitting into a predefined mold. It’s been about building something that reflects who I am and what I value.

To anyone who feels like they don’t come from the “right” background or didn’t follow the expected path, I want to offer this:

You don’t have to follow someone else’s blueprint to be successful. You can build your own.

You can be the one who breaks patterns—the one who chooses differently, the one who stands tall in the face of uncertainty and keeps going—not because it’s easy, but because something inside you refuses to quit.

Your experiences—no matter how unconventional—are not barriers. They are assets. They shape how you think, how you solve problems, and how you connect with others.

I’m still evolving, still learning, still pushing forward. But one thing is clear: I didn’t wait to belong—I built a path that made belonging inevitable.

Because influence isn’t about where you start—it’s about what you choose to build from it.