Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 31/07/2026Had my 4th and final lipedema surgery yesterday. The road ahead is now just recovery. 4 surgeries in 7 months was a lot, but I’m a pro now. 3340
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 26/07/20263 days until my final lipedema surgery. I guess I’ll figure out what to meal prep now. 0100
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 28/06/2026In other news, I'm starting another master's program in August, which will be my fourth degree from UGA. Go dawgs. 2110
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 28/06/2026I’m disappointed to share that journaling is once again working in my favor. Past me knew this. Future me will probably forget this again. afterburnout.co/p/finding-a-...afterburnout.coFinding a way to truly end the workweekBreaking: woman discovers journaling again 1140
Reposted by Kelly Vaughnblaw @blaw.bsky.social · 01/06/2026This week marks the 13th year of Canine CellMates/Beyond the Bars, an Atlanta-based nonprofit and program focused on rehabilitating felony offenders using shelter dogs. Our goal is to raise $13,000 this week and we have a donor willing to match each dollar. If you can, please donate! mtyc.co/jclptfmtyc.coSupport Canine CellMates 13th Anniversary Fundraiser! on Mightycause13 Years of Hope … and Second Chances 610761
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 26/05/2026I wrote about the Forward Deployed Engineer role and how it's becoming more popular, but it's not quite clear that companies agree on what this role really is www.modernleader.is/p/the-rise-o...modernleader.isThe rise of the Forward Deployed EngineerIt's not a new role, but it's making a big splash 1112
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 20/05/2026Work update: I’m stepping in as Engineering Zone Lead over the Workflow Zone at Zapier! In a little over a year, I’ve come to learn just how much this team cares about what they build and how they build it, and I’m excited to build upon the strong foundation set in the zone 🧡 0180
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 14/05/20264 months and 30 phone calls later, I finally got Aetna to overturn their decision on insurance coverage for my lipedema surgeries and all 3 surgeries are now covered 100% in network 🎉 6370
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 08/05/2026I could send newsletters at a normal time, but sometimes I write something at 9pm on a Thursday and just decide to send it out. New on After Burnout: afterburnout.co/p/your-smart... 0111
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 25/04/2026After somewhere around 6 years, @emmabostian.bsky.social and I are finally back together and vacationing in Italy! 🇮🇹 4420
Reposted by Kelly VaughnGuy Segal @guysegal.com · 23/04/2026Here's my latest article for @zeroheight.com, inspired by @kvlly.com, diving deep into the hidden costs of a design system team saying "yes".zeroheight.comThe cost of yes: Design systems and the work nobody sees - zeroheightGuy Segal explores the work around the work in design systems: the hidden cost of saying yes and how thoughtful nos can protect the system over time. 0143
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 24/04/2026Life update: I made it back to Pilates after 4 months off for 3 surgeries 🥹 1270
Reposted by Kelly VaughnKelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 16/04/2026Exciting news: I'm back on Maven with a 1-day workshop! It's time to stop putting off that tough conversation you need to have. This is a hands-on workshop where you'll come with a tough situation and leave with the tools you need to have any difficult conversation. maven.com/kellyvaughn/...maven.comNavigate Tough Conversations at Work by Kelly Vaughn on MavenKnow what to say, how to say it, and how to handle the response 1102
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 19/04/2026I’m leaving for a proper vacation on Friday. After nearly 4 months spent recovering from 3 surgeries, this time off is so needed. Still can’t fully straighten my arms, but that’s fine. 4310
Reposted by Kelly VaughnLindaKat ✨ @lindakat.com · 15/04/2026This was such a good read today, and exactly the space I've been in too. Love everything about how Kelly worded this. 141
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 16/04/2026Exciting news: I'm back on Maven with a 1-day workshop! It's time to stop putting off that tough conversation you need to have. This is a hands-on workshop where you'll come with a tough situation and leave with the tools you need to have any difficult conversation. maven.com/kellyvaughn/...maven.comNavigate Tough Conversations at Work by Kelly Vaughn on MavenKnow what to say, how to say it, and how to handle the response 1102
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 15/04/2026Been a while since I wrote for After Burnout, but I'm back with a good one: afterburnout.co/p/breaking-o...afterburnout.coBreaking out of the "brain fry" spiral of AIIf you're going to use AI, you can avoid letting it fry your brain 171
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 11/04/2026Please enjoy this relic of Past Kelly I forgot I was using as my bookmark 1160
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 26/03/2026In other important news, my Neopets account turned 25 today 41351
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 26/03/2026Update: 30ish hours post op and made it to a coffee shop. Grateful for an easier recovery this time 💙 1451
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 25/03/2026Proof of life - lipedema surgery number 3 done. Another 3.8 liters of diseased tissue removed from my arms. That brings my total to a little over 17L, or ~35lb of tissue I couldn’t burn through diet and exercise. Now we begin the healing phase of this journey. 2470
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 23/03/2026Third surgery is on Wednesday. I ran out of Doordash gift card $$ that I used during my second surgery so I'm going to be meal prepping this time. This next surgery is on my arms, so I'll be limited to eating food that doesn't require chopping/using a knife. One-handed meals only. Wish me luck 🙏 2160
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 09/03/2026With two surgeries behind me and one more to go, this entire year has been focused on my health. It’s really put into perspective how much I’ve been pushing to do “more“ - public speaking, writing two newsletters, teaching a course, podcasting… I’m tired, and I think I’m closing this chapter. 4350
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 05/03/2026My therapist said today that if she could never touch her laptop again she’d be thrilled and honestly same 3150
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 04/03/2026The most fascinating thing recovering from surgery has done to (for?) me is reroute every part of my brain that says “we should do something productive!” towards physically healing my body. I am equally bored and unmotivated. My therapist is going to have a great day on Thursday. 2190
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 02/03/2026This stage of recovering from surgery is so hard. I can’t last longer than 10-15 minutes on my feet, I can’t stand up straight so my lower back ends up hurting, and I can’t sit up because of the surgery. So I’m just stuck, dependent on others, without enough energy to do anything interesting. 6453
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 28/02/20263 days post op today. Moving around a little better and didn’t need to take a painkiller in the middle of the night so that’s a win! The weather’s been great so I’ve been taking advantage of short outdoor walks. I’m off work for another week which I’m grateful for because sitting is a pain. 4450
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 26/02/2026Hello from the other side of surgery. 8.7L of diseased tissue removed from my upper legs. Pain is present but I’m dealing with it. Mostly just living on this air mattress until I feel comfortable enough getting in and out of bed. 5350
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 24/02/2026Surgery #2 tomorrow! Wish me luck and send me Uber Eats/Doordash gift cards 💅 1210
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 20/02/2026I wrote about the time spent spiraling over small mistakes (and how it relates to burnout) afterburnout.co/p/shortening...afterburnout.co 160
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 17/02/2026Conducting 12 performance reviews in 3 days this week. Wish me luck 🙏 6250
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 15/02/202610 days until lipedema surgery #2 of 3. Back at it again. Not excited for the recovery process, but I am excited to feel less top-heavy. Now that the swelling has gone down more in my lower legs and knees, my thighs feel out of alignment. Photo from last week really shows (to me) the unevenness. 1110
Reposted by Kelly VaughnGuy Segal @guysegal.com · 11/02/2026"We were choosing between fast yeses that scale your pain and a slower yes that scales your impact. Saying no to good ideas was how we chose the system over the request." An excellent read from @kvlly.com. I'm already exploring ideas for an article that builds on some of the opportunities here... 242
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 10/02/2026Saying no to a bad idea isn't the hard part. Saying no to a good idea is, especially when you don't want to kill someone's motivation. I wrote about this for The Modern Leader today: www.modernleader.is/p/saying-no-...modernleader.isSaying no to good ideasThe hardest no isn't to a bad idea. It's to a good one, and it's one of the most important choices you make 0120
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 01/02/2026Flying from ATL (near record cold) to LAX (near-record high) tomorrow and packing for this trip is very confusing 3360
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 31/01/2026Just wrapped up my final cohort of Engineering Leadership in the AI Era yesterday. Grateful to have taught this course 10 times (7 times through Maven). But I have new course ideas that demand my attention now! You can still take the self-paced course here: course.modernleader.is/courses/mana...course.modernleader.isManagement Fundamentals for the Modern LeaderA self-paced course to help you become a better leader in your organization no matter your job title. 081
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 28/01/2026(spends hours working on a blog post and shares on linkedin) linkedin: you get 912 views. don't ask for more. 2130
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 28/01/20263 weeks post-op tomorrow 4 weeks until the next surgery 10 weeks until I can stop washing my compression leggings every single day 0180
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 27/01/2026We’re still figuring out how to incorporate AI into our day-to-day. The risk with “AI-ifying everything” is that we strip away the parts of work people actually enjoy. The good news: this is solvable. Here’s my take on where we are in the AI adoption journey: www.modernleader.is/p/what-happe...modernleader.isWhat happens when AI replaces the parts of work people love?We’re using AI to move faster. I’m not yet convinced we’re using it to work better. 2163
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 27/01/2026Tomorrow's newsletter is a good one 👀 Sign up to receive it tomorrow morning: modernleader.is 0131
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 25/01/2026Today: mourn yet another preventable execution Tomorrow: increase shareholder value 1115
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 20/01/2026New on After Burnout: The mental math of taking time off afterburnout.co/p/medical-le...afterburnout.coThe mental math of taking time offI know I’m allowed to take the time. I just don’t always believe it 080
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 20/01/2026I think I’ll be a mummy for Halloween this year. By the time I’m done with all 3 surgeries, I’ll certainly have enough ACE wraps to cover my whole body 380
Kelly Vaughn @kvlly.com · 18/01/2026If you’re wondering what I’ve been doing while on medical leave… 4270
