Thanks to Kyle Soucy for the conversation with me and my collaborator Justin Dauer on her podcast The UX Consultants Lounge.

The episode is embedded at the bottom of this post and is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music. Visit the episode page for a transcript.

In this new episode of The UX Consultants Lounge, I talk with Steve Portigal and Justin Dauer about their recent decision to collaborate — not “partner” — while keeping their solo consulting practices alive and well.

* Why they’re so values-aligned, from healthy culture to business beliefs

* How the “chocolate and peanut butter” analogy became part of their collaboration story

* Why they intentionally avoid the word partnership and what “collaboration” allows them to do instead

* How their complementary skills create a broader, more impactful offering for clients

Hearing them describe how they’ve found a way to work together without giving up their independence is inspiring, and a great reminder that there’s no one “right” way to structure a consulting career.

One of the most powerful moments in my conversation with Steve and Justin came when I asked them to fill in the blank: “One of the hardest things about consulting is…”

Steve’s answer? Comparison.
The kind that creeps in when you see others posting about wins on social media or casually mentioning how many proposals they’ve sent out. He spoke openly about the negative self-talk that can follow, and how grounding it can be to remember that this challenging market is impacting everyone.

Justin’s answer was different, but equally relatable. He reflected on the privilege and responsibility of being your own boss, how “the buck stops with us” as consultants. Yes, the work is hard, and there are days of doubt, but being able to control your own destiny is something to be valued and cherished.