Your journey towards being more human-centered starts here.

Our self-paced Humanity-Centered Masterclass® is a dynamic, one-of-a-kind course designed to help you build the life-changing foundation necessary to be more human-centered — for you and the people your work impacts.

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OUR PURPOSE
We help professionals who are disillusioned with the status quo in the UX and Tech Industry feel more capable and supported by providing the tools and language to better advocate for people within profit-driven systems.
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The Humanity-Centered Masterclass®

Join the self-paced Humanity-Centered Masterclass® and learn the foundational skills needed to lead a more equitable, trauma-informed, and truly human-centered life in a community that gets you.
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Come For The Course

We offer a dynamic course that helps professionals in UX & Tech deepen their awareness and practices in navigating deeper human-centered topics with humility, openness and courage so that we can understand how to craft equitable, inclusive experiences, know how to navigate topics that don’t have easy or obvious answers and transform the status quo of what it means to be human-centered in our professional & personal lives.

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Stay For The Community

You'll have the option to join the HmntyCntrd Community at the completion of your course materials! This would provide you access to a growing online community (on a private, ad-free platform) of growth-oriented professionals, monthly discussion themes, curated resources, new & innovative voices, guest speakers, thought-provoking conversations, professional networking and more!

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We’ve Worked with Professionals at These Companies (And More!)
MEET THE FOUNDER OF HMNTYCNTRD®

Hello,
I'm Vivianne Castillo!

I bring 10+ years of psychology and research experience spanning multiple contexts, cultures, and industries, and my work and opinions in this space have been written about in Slate, Fortune, ELLE Magazine, Fast Company, and the Huffington Post.

I’ve always struggled with the jargon and cliches of our industry around being human-centered. Coming from a counseling and human services background, where I tackled issues like shame, empathy, vulnerability and compassion, I recognize that while we can’t control what is happening around us, we can control what’s happening within us and how we proactively work and address deeply human problems to improve the world around us for the better.

By joining HmntyCntrd, you become a member of a community that is the future of our field, a community that will create new conversations, opportunities, and practices that will deepen and revolutionize the way human-centered experiences are defined.

My hope for this experience is to bring together UX and Tech professionals who want to move beyond the jargon and cliches of our industry so that we can create an equitable, inclusive and more humanity-centered future. 

Here's to choosing courage over comfort.
A LITTLE ABOUT OUR FACILITATORS

Our Approach To UX Is Holistic

The self-paced Humanity-Centered Masterclass® is made possible by a small team of amazing people dedicated to challenging the status quo within UX and Tech through intentional, practical & thoughtful support to its members.

Our facilitators leverage their multidisciplinary expertise across counseling, sociology, UX, and innovation consulting to create unique tools and training that support all aspects of your personal and professional development.

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MEET THE facilitators
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Vivianne Castillo
FOUNDER, FACILITATOR
Vivianne Castillo
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FOUNDER, FACILITATOR

Vivianne Castillo is the Founder of HmntyCntrd and brings 8+ years of psychology and research experience spanning multiple contexts, cultures, and industries and her work and opinions have been written about in Slate, Fortune, Huffington Post, Fast Company, ELLE Magazine. She has a strong track record influencing executives, educating others on trauma-informed care, & empowering others to challenge the status quo at Fortune 500 companies. She credits her previous experience as a human services professional, her multi-cultural upbringing, and her love for cognitive behavioral psychology as major influences on her approach to entrepreneurship, organizational design, and innovation.

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Alba Villamil
PARTNER, FACILITATOR
Alba Villamil
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PARTNER, FACILITATOR

Alba is one of our Facilitators and spearheads research initiatives that help us better serve the community. She is an independent User Experience Researcher who specializes in designing for the social sector. Her projects focus on underserved populations such as refugees, low-income parents, and formerly incarcerated youth. In addition to working with community organizations, she has also worked on projects with the Harvard Kennedy School and Rochester City School District.

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Dr. Danielle Hodge
GUEST FACILITATOR
Dr. Danielle Hodge
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GUEST FACILITATOR

Dr. Danielle Hodge (she/her/hers) is a Facilitator at HmntyCntrd and an Assistant Professor of Communication with specialization in African American Studies, critical race theory, and critical hip hop studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Dr. Hodge has always been concerned with how racism and its intersecting oppressions are embedded in our everyday talk, communicative practices, institutions, and overall society and interrogates how white supremacy informs and shapes our identities, beliefs, and attitudes. Her research and teaching employ a critical race theoretical approach to identity, culture, and language, and examines how systems of oppression impact marginalized groups and are discursively reproduced, maintained, and resisted.

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Behzod Sirjani
GUEST FACILITATOR
Behzod Sirjani
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GUEST FACILITATOR

Behzod is one of our Facilitators and is an independent researcher and consultant who helps people bring rigor to their curiosity. He currently runs Yet Another Studio, where he works with organizations to develop intentional, responsible, and sustainable practices of learning.

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What's Inside The Course

CHECK FOR ANY GOOSEBUMPS, FIST PUMPS, OR OH YEAHS AS YOU READ!
LET’S DO IT
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Module 1
Community Core Principles

Our core principles lie in creating a better future for ourselves and our industry.

Before we begin the work of transforming the status quo of what it means for UX professionals to be human-centered in our work, our industry, and our personal lives, we must first cover skills and practices that will help us engage in deeper conversations, new opportunities, and new growth.

FACILITATOR
Vivianne
Module 2
The Barriers & Resistances to Cultural Humility & Competencies

Cultural humility is rooted in a deep awareness and respect toward individuals of other cultures. But to do this, we face the challenges of our own cultural biases and prejudices, as well as the fact that we cannot possibly know everything about other cultures.

What we can do, though, is approach learning about the experiences as a lifelong goal and process that helps us grow personally and professionally. We’ll cover topics like emotional resistance (e.g. anxiety, defensiveness, anger, guilt, remorse, etc), how to handle emotional responses to self-revelations and accountability, the impact shame and guilt has on our growth journeys, and more.

FACILITATOR
Vivianne
Module 3
Ain’t I A Human?!: A Racial Reckoning with Anti-Black Racism

Though the study, analysis, and discourse on anti-Black racism has pervaded Black academic, intellectual, and activist spaces, it wasn’t until the summer of 2020 that the public commenced to take notice and learn about what we understand as not only a theoretical framework, but also a distinct, unique, and particular kind of dehumanization and brutalization that Black folk experience. In this module, Dr. Danielle Hodge asks and attends to the following questions: (1) What is anti-Black racism and why is it crucial to our understanding of white supremacy? (2) How does anti-Black racism inform our everyday practices and manifest in our interpersonal and institutional interactions? (3) How does anti-Black racism allow for conversations about intersecting oppressions and other forms of domination? (4) How does our attention to anti-Black racism begin to challenge the underlying premise of white supremacy? And (5) How does valuing Blackness challenge anti-Black racism and white supremacy?

FACILITATOR
Dr. Danielle Hodge
Module 4
The New Challenges of Ethical Research & Design

As the design industry has evolved, so have our ethical challenges. How do we ensure that our tools and processes don’t expose users to more harm than good? How do we balance stakeholder needs with our desire to produce more inclusive, equitable designs? How do we hold ourselves accountable for past and current work? We’ll explore resources you can use to develop your own professional ethical stance with context and systems in mind.

FACILITATOR
Alba
Module 5
The Pervasiveness of Fear & the Scarcity Mindset in UX

UX professionals commonly engage with the topic of "enough,” whether it’s self-oriented as in “Am I having good enough?” or project-oriented as in “Will this have enough impact?” These questions can be worth engaging in because we should be reflective and critical of ourselves and our practice. However they can be problematic when they are driven by fear and a scarcity mindset. In this module, we acknowledge the impact that fear and a scarcity mindset can have on us and our practices and identify ways that we can overcome these feelings to adopt an abundance mindset. We will discuss ways that an abundance mindset enables you, your team,and your organization to be more human-centered, and share strategies for cultivating this mindset in your own practice.

FACILITATOR
Behzod Sirjani
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Testimonials

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"OMG! I learned so many new ways of thinking about UX work. I'm focusing more on equity and inclusion in all aspects of my research and design work, making sure I'm taking the lived experiences of others into account. I’m so grateful for HmntyCntrd for giving me the opportunity to see the world in a new way.”
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Jared Spool
Co-Founder & Co-CEO | Center Centre-UIE
“I genuinely believe that the content is unmatched. HmtnyCntrd is doing and has done the best job of taking design from this thing that you can do to make things pretty, to something that you can do to make things effective, and more welcoming, and safe, and courageous.”
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Chase Morris
Product Designer
Honestly, HmntyCntrd's course was the best thing I’ve done in years... Everyone working in product and UX needs to do it.
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Candi Williams
Head of Content Design | Bumble
"One of the best things I've done [this year]. This program challenged my views about UX, empathy, and human centered experiences. It helped me check my practice and find the words to tackle difficult subjects. Plus, I've met with brilliant people. Bravo et merci!”
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Gladys Diandoki
UX Writer
"I was slightly nervous to enter the cohort with a not-so-traditional UX background as I have 8+ years of integrating DEI into talent management systems. I finally feel like I found 'my people.' These people being folx who care about integrating ethics, DEI into design principles and practices... people who challenge the status quo and who seek to build differently - to build for all. The curriculum, the facilitators, and the design of the session simply reflected that.”
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Lindsey Siegel
Manager, Talent Experience @ Salesforce
“It was enriching, enlightening, startling, and hopeful. If you're looking for ways to grow as a person and as a design/tech professional, you couldn't do better than this.”
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Lily Lapidese
Sr. Product Designer
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Frequently Asked Questions

Q
What's included in the live 5-week cohort experience?
A
You'll experience 5 In-Depth Core Modules, live Q&A with your facilitators, personalized small group sessions designed to give you a supportive experience, curated resources, books, podcasts, and articles to spark your growth & creative ambition, life-time membership to the HmntyCntrd Community and its programming / events (including monthly workshops, discussions, etc), and more!
Q
I'm not a UX or tech professional or a student; Is this still for me?
A
Sure! If extending empathy is a part of your job or you're curious about how to help others in more intentional, thoughtful ways, then feel free to join! This course and community is specifically tailored towards UX and Tech professionals, so think of it as a human-centered bootcamp.
Q
My time is limited. When are the modules presented and how much time will I need to set aside each week for the content?
A
Those who want to get the most out of the course should expect to spend ~2.5 hours a week over the course of 5 weeks.
Q
I think I'm in! But what if I join and then realize this isn't for me?
A
Don't worry, we have your back and we want you to be satisfied with your purchase! In the event that you decide your purchase was not the right decision for you, contact us at hello@hmntycntrd.com and let us know that you would like a refund. We will issue you a refund so long as it falls within our refund policy (see our Terms and Conditions page).
Q
Is the online community hosted on Facebook or Slack?
A
Neither! The community is hosted on a platform called Mighty Networks. We want our community to enjoy a noise-free, ad-free space of their own, one that is not owned by big corporations that are powered by ads and motivated to make money from our personal data. Just sayin.
Q
Will there be any pre-work or homework for this?
A
Yes, but don't fret! The pre-work and homework will both be life-giving and growth-oriented. The pre-work will usually consist of engaging with some light reading and the homework will vary with each module and will be a mix of readings, discussions, personal-reflection activities, and more.
Q
How is the content delivered? Are you flexible to different learning style?
A
Don't worry, we got you covered! We know that people have different learning styles, so we deliver the content to you in multiple ways. You can watch the course live and interact with your peers, you can download the slides from the course and review it on your own, you can engage the video/audio recording of the course modules on your own time, or you can read the transcription! There you have it, four different ways for you to enjoy the content and continue on your professional and personal growth journey.
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COME FOR THE COURSE.STAY FOR THE COMMUNITY.

Let's Choose Courage Over Comfort — Together.

Individual Plan
One-Time Payment Of:
$499
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Payment Plan
4 monthly payments Of:
$125
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We offer scholarships for students, laid off workers, anyone who doesn't have access to a professional development budget or if your currency exchange rate is at an extreme difference with the US dollar (e.g. Brazil, India, etc). You can apply for a scholarship here.

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