Helping Product and Marketing teams 10x the value of their research—with the tools and team they already have | Used by Twitter, Indeed, Twilio, Aflac + more

Ignoring evidence is costly.

Early in my career—as a metropolitan police officer—I ignored evidence that was right in front of me. That decision almost cost me my life. I learned, firsthand, what happens when people don’t recognize signals, don’t integrate information, or don’t act on what they know.

Organizations face this same risk every day.

Not because they lack data or insight—but because they lack systems that help people learn, interpret, and act on evidence during change.

That insight has shaped my career.

Today, I design learning, enablement, and change systems that help organizations adopt new behaviors, tools, and operating models—without relying on heroics or one‑off efforts.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗙𝗢𝗖𝗨𝗦 𝗢𝗡:

My work sits at the intersection of:

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, & 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

• Designing learning architectures that support adoption, not just awareness
• Building role‑based capability systems for frontline, leadership, and specialist roles
• Supporting organizational change during growth, transformation, and integration
• Translating strategy into practical learning pathways, standards, and performance support

𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗨𝗫 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, & 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵

• Applying qualitative and quantitative research to reduce decision risk
• Building insight systems that scale beyond centralized teams
• Helping organizations move from “research outputs” to embedded decision support

𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗜 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞:

I believe insight only creates value when it changes behavior.

That’s why I focus on:

• Making complex information usable
• Creating repeatable frameworks instead of one‑off deliverables
• Designing learning that is applied, reinforced, and embedded into daily work
• Treating change as a learning problem—not a communication problem

I often describe my approach as helping organizations think like investigators—not because everyone should be a detective, but because evidence must be collected, interrogated, communicated, and acted on systematically.

𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗦:

🎓 I hold a doctorate in cognitive psychology, focused on how people learn and perform under difficult conditions.

🌎 I’ve built and led enterprise insight and enablement functions at organizations like Twilio, Twitter, Panasonic, Indeed, and others.

🚓 My early career as a police officer and detective shaped how I approach evidence, risk, and real‑world decision‑making.

Dr. Ari Zelmanow

Just because someone puts on a good face, doesn't mean they aren't going through sh*t.

I got laid off 9 months ago. 

And to be perfectly transparent, I've been so angry I can barely sleep. Like, genuinely consumed by it. 

I'm angry at all the people I helped—and who are now absent when I needed a hand.

I'm angry at how unfair the system is, including my layoff—and how I'm expected to just smile and take it.

I'm angry that I have to pretend I'm fine—and that admitting I'm struggling makes me look weak in everyone's eyes.

But mostly, I'm just exhausted. 

And I just realized—I'm making the ONE mistake nobody warns you about.

Here's what happened: I let my anger stop being a 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 and started letting it become my 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺.

And look—your anger is valid. Mine is too. When life screws you over, you should allow yourself the grace to feel that rage. 

You should let yourself be pissed off. Don't let anyone shame you for that. But here's the trap I fell into:

I stopped 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 angry and started 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 anger.

Every decision I made came from that place. Every thought was filtered through it. I wasn't a person experiencing anger anymore—I 𝘸𝘢𝘴 the anger. And that's when it stops serving you. 

That's when it starts destroying you.

So yeah. I'm still mad. 

I'm probably gonna be mad for a while. But I'm learning to let it move 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 me instead of letting it 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 me.

You can honor your anger without letting it own your future.

I'm still figuring that out. But I think that's the difference between feeling something and letting it consume you.

Like country singer Terri Clark says, "I just wanna be mad for awhile."

Wanna help a Laid Off Dad out?

Buy a bag (or three) of my corn. 50% discount for National Popcorn Day. Link in the comments below.

---

👋 Hey, I’m Ari from Laid Off Dad Kettle Corn.

I got laid off and decided to build my kettle corn business in public—one bag at a time.

From my family to yours.

🌽 Made by hand, small batches 
📦 Custom and special orders
🛒 Limited online drops

🍿 Bags sold for the 2026 challenge: 254 / 100,000

CX, UX & Market Research Leadership | Learning & Change Systems Design | Change Management, Org Development & Training | EdD, Cognitive Psychology

A year ago, I didn’t plan on starting a popcorn business.
 
Like a lot of people, I got laid off.  

❌ No warning
❌ No roadmap 
❓ Just a lot of questions
 
What I 𝘥𝘪𝘥 have was a family, a community, and a kettle that could turn simple ingredients into something joyful.
 
So I started making small-batch kettle corn.
 
Not because popcorn fixes everything—but because in uncertain times, small good things matter. 

A warm bag shared at a game. Kids laughing. Neighbors talking. A moment that feels normal again.
 
Laid‑Off Dad Kettle Corn isn’t about hustle culture or “reinventing yourself.”  It’s about doing something honest, with your hands, and sharing it with the people around you.
 
If you’re navigating uncertainty right now—whether it’s a layoff, a transition, or just a season that feels heavy—you’re not alone.
 
Sometimes progress looks like taking the next small step.  Sometimes it smells like fresh popcorn.
 
Thanks to everyone who’s supported a small family business and reminded us that community still shows up.
 
Onward. 🍿

---

👋 I’m Ari — the laid‑off dad behind Laid Off Dad Kettle Corn.
 
I’m building this business in public, one small batch at a time.  Grateful for the support, the conversations, and the community.
 
From my family to yours. 🍿
 
🌽 Hand‑made • Small batches  🍿 2026 goal: 266 / 100,000 bags

You know what's worse than making zero sales? 

Making enough to know your idea works, but not enough to sleep at night.

So yesterday I made a couple hundred dollars. Today (so far)? Zero.

And nobody talks about THIS part of being an entrepreneur.

Everyone's either posting their "I made six figures in a month" screenshots, or they're like "I can't get a single sale, help me." 

But what about us in the middle?

I run a popcorn company. Some days are incredible. Some days are crickets. And I'm out here trying to hit a thousand dollars a day consistently—and I'm just... not there yet.

It's this weird limbo where you're making REAL money, like, enough to know this thing works... but not enough to feel secure. Not enough to stop checking your phone every twenty minutes to see if another order came through.

And the thing is? I think MOST of us are here. In this gap. Making it work but not "making it" yet.

But we don't talk about it because it doesn't fit the narrative. It's not inspiring enough. It's not desperate enough.

It's just... real.

---

👋 Hey, I’m Ari from Laid Off Dad Kettle Corn.

I got laid off and decided to build my kettle corn business in public—one bag at a time.

From my family to yours.

🌽 Made by hand, small batches 
📦 Custom and special orders
🛒 Limited online drops

🍿 Bags sold for the 2026 challenge: 174 / 100,000

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁?
 
Kettle corn.
 
A brilliant account executive reached out today and asked if I could send kettle corn to a prospect.
 
My answer was simple: 𝘆𝗲𝘀.
 
We picked the flavors.  Wrote a custom note.  Shipped it the same day.
 
Now put yourself on the receiving end of that.
 
You’re opening a real box.  From a real person.  Not another automated touchpoint.
 
I’ll say it plainly—𝗜’𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹.
 
No AI.
No automation.
No crazy tech stack.
 
Just thoughtful outreach that actually stands out.
 
𝗖𝗧𝗔:  👉 If you want prospects to remember you and take the meeting, 𝗗𝗠 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆.

---

👋 My name is Ari.

I run Laid Off Dad Kettle Corn—small‑batch kettle corn wholesale partners, custom orders, and DTC.

🌽 Made by hand, small batches 
📦 Event & brand programs 
🛒 Limited online drops

🍿 Bags sold for the 2026 challenge: 150 / 100,000

If you want to guarantee failure, I’ll tell you how.
 
Don’t try.
 
That’s it.
 
It’s not the wrong strategy. 
It’s not lack of experience. 
It’s not bad timing.  
 
The only sure way to fail is to never start.
 
There will 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 be what‑ifs.  

What if I fail? (you will)
What if it doesn’t work? (it wont)
What if I look stupid? (who cares)
 
But here’s the truth:  If you don’t try, you already decided the outcome.
 
Trying doesn’t guarantee success—but not trying guarantees you never had a chance.

So if you have something you have been putting on the back burner...

Do it.

---

👋 Hey, I’m Ari from Laid Off Dad Kettle Corn.

I got laid off and decided to build my kettle corn business in public—one bag at a time.

From my family to yours.

🌽 Made by hand, small batches 
📦 Custom and special orders
🛒 Limited online drops

🍿 Bags sold for the 2026 challenge: 266 / 100,000

Garrett Stettler

Senior Consultant - Research

Visa

•	Manage researchers in Visa's Product Design organization, leading teams working on consumer payments, data products, client experience, and design system.
•	Provide leadership and guidance to the design research community of practice.

Design Research Director

•	Launched a dedicated in-house research function for Visa Europe Design team
•	Generative and evaluative research
•	Advised and managed external research agencies

Design Research Lead

Infinity Works part of Accenture

•	User research consulting for UK clients
•	Assisted in scaling Infinity Works design and research practice

BPDTS LIMITED

•	Conducted research for Working Age benefits across all phases of the agile project lifecycle, in accordance with the GDS Service Standard
•	Assisted teams in identifying user needs and ensuring the service met those needs, using iterative evidence-based design

User Researcher

Lead UX Researcher

Served as lead on multiple projects, conducting the full spectrum of UX research for both internal and external clients, including:
- Project and people management
- Ethnographic research and contextual inquiry
- Design workshops
- Information architecture
- Interaction and UI design
- Usability testing

Helped stand up and evangelize Visa UX research lab for usability testing, focus groups, eye-tracking.

Sr. UX Researcher

The Advisory Board Company

- User research (contextual inquiry, interviews) for healthcare web and mobile applications
- Product discovery and strategy
- UX KPIs based on research and analytics
- Usability testing and heuristic evaluation
- Persona development and refinement

UX Strategist

AT&T Labs, Inc.

- UX, design/innovation, and human factors research for various AT&T and AT&T Foundry clients
- Part of a team that initiated and ran a usability benchmarking program of mobile devices
- IP and patent development

Sr. UX Researcher - Usability & Design / Human Factors

- Conducted usability testing of mobile devices and apps

Usability Engineer - Human Factors (contract)

University of Texas at Austin, School of Information

- TA for graduate-level courses: Research Methods, Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Management
- Taught discussion section of undergraduate course "Knowing: Acquiring and Sharing Information"

Teaching Assistant

Graduate Research Assistant

I guide product and service teams in developing deep understanding of people, generating insights, and evaluating prototypes.

My expertise in leading research projects includes selecting methods, managing projects, and communicating findings.

I have loved "people watching" for as long as I can remember. I considered an academic career in behavioural science, but the instant I found out about design research - studying people AND helping solve problems through design - I was hooked. My work is a rewarding opportunity to improve a world that seems, in the words of a person I interviewed, "full of broken technology that's taking over".

I believe research should be a continuous activity, and I build relationships with cross-functional teams to make that happen. I pride myself on an ability to zoom in and zoom out, moving between big picture strategy and details of specific touchpoints.

•	Launched a dedicated in-house research function for Visa Europe Design team
•	Generative and evaluative research
•	Advise and manage external research agencies

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Dr. Ari Zelmanow

Garrett Stettler

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