Behind the Screens is Evolving
I'm leaving Substack and here is why and where to find me
Just like every beginning of the year, I’ve been thinking a lot about my business, my content, and where I’m heading next. And in this reflection, I realized what needs to change.
One of those changes is how I’ve been writing — and how I share what I’m building, learning, and testing behind the screens.
When I first launched this publication on Substack (initially called Designing Balance, then Behind the Screens), it was meant to be an honest, slightly messy space to reflect on my work, my journey, and the experiments I was running as I built my solo practice. And it’s been just that. Writing here helped me reconnect with my voice — and connect with many of you.
But over time, the purpose of what I’m doing became clearer: I want to help you make better product design decisions.
Not through theory or “inspiration,” but through practical clarity — the kind that comes from design strategy and facilitating alignment in the real, messy middle of product building.
And not only that — I also came to accept that I need to change how I’m doing that.
You see, I do like writing long-form text, and I’ve had a lot of fun on Substack. I’ve made a lot of new friends too.
But this is also something that takes a lot from me. As a parent with limited time and energy, I need to be very mindful about where I put my effort.
I’m streamlining a lot of my systems, and that means changing how I share content as well — to make sure it works for me, so I can deliver the best material for you too.
And with that realization, I concluded I needed a new home. One where I could build a space that was more flexible, more intentional, and more aligned with what I want this to become.
So… I’m moving.
This will be my last post here on Behind the Screens.
I’m leaving Substack to write in my own space.
I’ll still share weekly notes — but more focused and tailored, with practical insights for better product building.
As for the long stories and cases? Those will live on my website, and I’ll share them in my new newsletter too.
So, as of now, I’m writing over at Notes by Carol.
It’s a short, weekly(ish) newsletter focused on:
Design strategy that supports product-market fit
UX insights focused on growth and great user experiences
Facilitation and alignment tools that actually lead to decisions
Resources and templates to help you with all of that
It’s written for early-stage founders and product leads — but if you’re a designer or builder stepping into product strategy or leadership, you’ll feel at home too.
It’s still my voice. Still workshop-driven. Still full of frameworks and the occasional hard truth.
100+ people are already there. You won’t get duplicate emails — just subscribe with the same address and you’re all set.
What writing here taught me
Writing Behind the Screens helped me see my work more clearly.
When I started, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was building. I knew I wanted to help teams, but I didn’t have the language for how yet.
Writing here week after week — sharing the workshops, the frameworks, the moments that worked and the ones that didn’t — that’s what clarified everything.
I realized that my work as a design strategist brings teams into an inflection point. One that doesn’t create all the answers, but shared understanding and confidence to make decisions, move forward, build, learn, and iterate faster.
I learned that strategy doesn’t happen in decks or async docs. It needs space, time, and shared thinking.
And I learned that the work I love most is helping teams slow down just enough to see where the real problem is — before jumping into solutions.
Writing here helped me name what I do: I help early-stage teams build with clarity.
And many of you helped me get there. Through your replies, your questions, the frameworks you tried and came back to tell me about. Some of you hired me. Some of you just kept reading and thinking alongside me.
Thank you for that. Truly.
This space gave me room to experiment out loud, and you gave me the signal that I was onto something worth building.
Why I’m moving
Mostly? Because I wanted more flexibility and a format that feels sustainable in the long run.
I’ve been building a lot of resources and toolkits to support founders and teams — and I needed a place where I could do more than just publish posts.
The new setup allows me to:
Share free tools and templates without friction
Guide new subscribers through key ideas in the right order
Build a more complete ecosystem of resources — not just notes in a feed
Remove the pressure of a social platform (because let’s face it, Substack is one)
It feels less like “posting” and more like leading something. That’s what I’ve been craving.
What’s next for Behind the Screens
It’s not going away entirely — the archive will remain here, of course.
But the brand itself is shifting into a different format.
More structured. More conversational. More collaborative.
I’ll share more when I’m ready — but for now, Notes by Carol is where I’ll be writing every week.
If you’ve found these posts helpful, I’d love to keep you with me.
No pressure. No guilt. But if you’ve ever read one of my frameworks or stories and thought, “yes, that’s what I needed today” — that’s exactly what I’m continuing over there.
Thanks for reading, for replying, and for letting me experiment out loud.
See you on the other side.
And as a thank you for coming with me, I’m giving you access to my new Signal Prioritisation Jam Miro Template — a 90-minute workshop template I use with SaaS teams to cut through competing priorities and figure out what actually matters right now.
Here is how it looks like:
What is the new platform called?
It’s inspiring to see you take your experience and focus it into a space that’s both sustainable for you and even more valuable for your readers