hey there!

I Am a

Arizona-based entreprenuer, UX/UI strategist, and community builder. Founder of Herbtropia and host of Wellness, No Chaser

about me
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I'm Marlena.

I turn messy ideas into clear systems, brands, and experiences that help people build, belong, and become. I’m a UX/UI strategist based in Arizona—founder of Herbtropia Co., and host of Wellness, No Chaser. I hold an M.S.I. in UX/UI Research & Design(’25), along with a Bachelor's in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan.

location: Arizona, USA

work: Entrepreneur, Strategist, UX/UI

email: marlenariellee@gmail.com

freelance: available

download résumé

2+

years of experience

my skills

digital transformation strategy

digital marketing

ux/ui principles

agile methodology

business model development

HTML/CSS/Javascript

google analytics + ads

SEO + SEM

digital wireframing + prototyping

usability testing

my qualifications

june 2017 - dec 2021

The University of Michigan, School of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts

Bachelor's in Science - Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience; Focus in Sociology

aug 2023 - may 2025

The University of Michigan, School of Information

Master of Science in Information - UX/UI Research and Design; Focus in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

aug 2023 - may 2024

Student Ambassador//Adobe

Orchestrated a comprehensive marketing plan and hosted skill-development workshops that, through targeted outreach to over 250 students, 20 clubs, and 5 professors, and leveraging social media analytics.

june 2024 - aug 2024

Digital Marketing Intern//Ann Arbor SPARK

Conducted a market analysis for APT Solar Solutions, uncovering trends in smart city expansion that influenced $500K in product investments, collaborated with executives to forecast five-year development opportunities for a projected 20% market share growth, and analyzed competitors to drive a 15% increase in competitive positioning.

april 2024 - aug 2024

UX and Marketing Coordinator//HappierMe

Led UX research that drove a 40% improvement in app functionality and a 25% increase in user satisfaction, coordinated marketing strategies for new teen-focused product lines resulting in a 50% higher-than-expected adoption rate, and developed the HappierMe Student Ambassador Program, boosting brand reach by 35% and increasing customer acquisition across US colleges.

feb 2023 - mar 2023

Social Media Marketing Specialist//Avalon International Breads

I managed and executed content creation that enhanced TikTok brand visibility by 40%, and analyzed marketing metrics to improve conversion rates by 20% through data-driven insights.

jan 2020 - may 2022

Research Assistant//The University of Michigan

I assisted in the Child and Family Development Laboratory by digitally indexing over 1000 children's literature books from two sources for data analysis. I also coded each book based on family situations about a new sibling and entered the data into Excel.

my services

strategy sprint

2-week deep dive to clarify product, brand, or community—with a crisp roadmap, messaging, and KPI plan.

ux/ia audit & fixes

Tactical teardown of your site or app + prioritized fixes you can ship now.

community & content system

Formats, calendars, and partnership playbooks to kickstart growth.

venture advisory

Hands-on help standing up MVPs, decks, and GTM experiments.

Portfolio Selected Work

Product & UX

Herbtropia UI
Product, UX Research, IA

Herbtropia — Holistic Health Platform

Founder & Product Lead • intake, taxonomy, prototype • built 10-practitioner MVP & IRL education flywheel.

view case
Academic app mockup
Product, Prototyping

CampusHub — Canvas-style learning app

Product/UX • survey (n=77), IA, prototype • consolidated tools into a friendly student hub.

view case

Strategy & Consulting

HappierMe taxonomy
Strategy, LLM, Research

HappierMe — LLM feedback categorization

Strategy • prompt templates, eval metrics, QA guidelines • improved label quality & throughput.

view case
APT Solar smart city
Market Research, Roadmap

APT Solar — Smart city & grid analysis

Consultant • competitive scan & 5-yr product roadmap • exec alignment on 3 priority bets.

view case
Ecommerce dashboard
Growth, PM/Ops

E-commerce Boost — Rescue & scale

Growth sprint • funnel fixes, creative, paid social • revenue lift over 6 weeks.

view case

Community & Media

The Assembly AZ
Community, Events

The Assembly AZ — Coworking community

Founder • brand system, event formats, sponsorships • building network pre-lease.

view case
Soft Hustle show
Media, Community

Soft Hustle — Blog & Podcast

Host/Producer • Sidewalk Sessions, 60-day cadence • reels + long-form; venue partners.

see the hub

Brand, Content & Visuals

UGC thumbnails
UGC, Creative

UGC Portfolio — Large & indie brands

Creator • briefs, concepts, deliverables • with/without posting to my channels.

view reel
Graphic design collage
Visual Design

Graphic Design Studies — Selected works

Designer • identity, posters, social kits • class projects curated.

view gallery

Soft Hustle Blog & Podcast

Stories, lessons, and gentle structure for overwhelmed builders — published under marlenariellee.com.

Blog-Image
28th june, 2024
by marlenariellee
Imposter Syndrome on LinkedIn

Well, here we go... I never thought I’d experience imposter syndrome on a platform like LinkedIn, but there I was...

read more
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3rd july, 2024
by marlenariellee
From Idea to Startup: A 10 Step-by-Step Guide for Entrepreneurs Who Are Just Starting Out

Welcome, aspiring innovators and future tech leaders! 🚀 As a passionate advocate for diversity...

read more
Blog-Image
8th july, 2024
by marlenariellee
From Idea to Startup: A 10-Step Guide for BIPOC Entrepreneurs - Step 1: Refine Your Idea💡

The first step in your entrepreneurial journey is to refine your idea. This involves...

read more
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10th july, 2024
by marlenariellee
From Idea to Startup: A 10-Step Guide for BIPOC Entrepreneurs - Step 2: Develop a Business Plan📊

A well-crafted business plan is your startup's blueprint for success. It's not just a document for potential...

read more
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12th july, 2024
by admin
From Idea to Startup: A 10-Step Guide for BIPOC Entrepreneurs - Step 3: Build a Diverse and Skilled Team🤝

Your team can make or break your startup. Building a diverse and skilled team...

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Blog-Image
10th july, 2024
by marlenariellee
From Idea to Startup: A 10-Step Guide for BIPOC Entrepreneurs - Step 2: Develop a Business Plan📊

A well-crafted business plan is your startup's blueprint for success. It's not just a document for potential...

read more
see all soft hustle posts

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