From Pre-Med to Madrid: Building NUUX and Redefining a Creative Path

He hit a breaking point in the cold of Michigan, quietly dropped the MCAT plan, and chose a different life. Mark Williams joins us from Madrid, Spain, to tell the story behind NUUX Design Studios and the career pivot that took him from pre med expectations to digital marketing, then into UX design and entrepreneurship.

We talk honestly about pressure, especially when you grow up in an immigrant family where the “doctor, lawyer, engineer” path feels like the only safe option. Mark explains how he made his move without a perfect blueprint, why creative digital work finally felt like a fit, and what changed when he stopped building for one big corporation and started helping smaller businesses grow through better user experience and design.

Then we zoom out to the lifestyle shift. Mark compares American work culture in LA with Spain’s work-life balance, and how the slower pace forced him to rethink happiness, burnout, and what we call energy hygiene. If you’ve been searching for practical advice on moving abroad, becoming a digital nomad, or creating more freedom through remote work, his framework is clear: focus on skills that other people value, stack those skills, and use them to buy back your time.

We also get specific about branding: how NUUX positions itself as a high-end boutique agency that still feels warm, approachable, and collaborative. If this conversation sparks something in you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a push, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one skill you want to stack next?

Transcript

Welcome And Why Brain Health Matters

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Who's Your Mama, a podcast focusing on tomorrow's future, which are our kids, educators, teachers, parents, all-encompassing with the goal of understanding that our brain is a muscle that we can exercise to control the speed in the direction that we want. Let's go, y'all. The time is now. So, Mark Williams of New X, welcome to Who's Your Mama?

SPEAKER_00 0:25

Thank you so much. Grateful to be here.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

For those that aren't familiar, I'll I'll just uh let them know that you are currently based out of Madrid, Spain.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Yes. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

Um, but it's been a journey. And so we'd love us, you know, for the time at least we have for today. And hopefully maybe you'll come back on because you've got so much to share. And I think inspiration for people that are maybe thinking about starting a business, maybe thinking about living abroad, how that's impacted them culturally and then both their personal business life. So um tell us a little bit about where you're originally from, what got you to um where you're at now, and some things that you would like to share with others who might be inspired to do something similar.

Leaving Pre Med For Marketing

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Yeah, 100%. Yeah, so I'm originally from Michigan. Um, so it's it's a great place, really cold, uh, unfortunately. So, really what took me out of there was the cold. It was like the 2019 solstice, winter solstice that I was like, this is my breaking point. And um I was pre-med before. And so what kind of took me to the route that uh I'm on right now, it was just looking for something I was a little bit more passionate about. You know, I uh I'm the child of immigrants, uh Nigerians, and so they kind of go with the you know doctor, lawyer, engineer route. And so for me, I picked doctor, um, and it just wasn't something I was too passionate about.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

So um, I'm sorry to interrupt you. Uh what? Because I'm sure that people listening can relate to that. Uh some decide to go down a path because of pressures from family and things like that. What was your parents' reaction when you tried, when not tried, when you did take a different direction?

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Oh, yeah, they were not happy. Um, for me, what I did before was uh luckily I was able to, you know, find a good opportunity, uh, found a job uh within digital marketing. Um, and I just kind of did it under the radar, didn't tell them that I was even thinking about it. I just said, hey, by the way, um, I I quit the MCAT, sold all my stuff, and I'm moving to LA uh and I got a job. So they were not happy. They uh they were just like, okay. Um, so yeah.

From LA To UX And Madrid

SPEAKER_01 2:41

So there's that, but you followed your passion, and and obviously it's been very successful. So I think that's one of the things we talk about and who's your mama. And I, you know, as being a single mama, my daughter's now junior in high school, and I talked to her about ever since she was little, it doesn't have to be my round, but something you start, you finish. And if it's not something you're passionate about, I support you to move on. But as you get older, being consciously conscious about it, and it sounds like you very much were. So then what happened from LA? What got you to Madrid?

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Yeah, so essentially, honestly, the same thing, really just chasing that passion. It was kind of uh in my first job, I found a lot of aspects of it that I really enjoyed. And I wanted to dive a little bit deeper into that. And for me, you know, the the area that I was in before was a little bit more traditional strategy, uh, advertising, things like that. And I was looking for something a little bit more digital, a little bit more creative focus. And that's when I got into UX design. Um, and so working there at another enterprise after my first job was uh it just kind of taught me that I don't think um I love just working or contributing to one corporation. I want to see how if I can take the skills that I learned from my previous job, you know, marketing and advertising, along with UX design and apply it towards smaller businesses, medium-sized businesses. And I found an addiction of really just kind of saying, uh because of my efforts, because of my work, you are able to make this much or you were able to grow this much. Just kind of really showing design can impact your business in this way.

SPEAKER_01 4:15

So I and so why Madrid specifically?

Spain Work Culture Versus America

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Yeah, I would say Madrid specifically because as I was kind of uh moving on to helping other clients, just um helping other people and and finding that passion, I was a little, I was also looking for something um, I would say a higher quality of life and just people and a culture that I really enjoyed. So um for me, something that I found uh was I found different creators online that were talking about digital nomad lifestyle, talking a little bit more about, you know, truly the best thing in life is the freedom that you're able to buy with uh with you know some of the different passions that you have. So it's really, it was really just the freedom of I don't want to have my uh job or I don't want to have you know my time stuck to one area or to one location. How can I kind of expand on that? And so creating new X Design Studios was a product of that and exploring the world and kind of finding Madrid and going, I love everything about this city. One of my favorite best city, in my opinion, the best city in the world was just okay, I want to move here and do it.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

What would you say is the a contrast between um a mentality of working in Europe versus American work culture? Um, and how has that helped you grow personally and professionally?

Adapting Mindset And Skill Stacking

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Yeah, um, that's a really good question. I would say uh the biggest contrast is that a lot of people say it here, especially in Spain, um, is that it's a lot more relaxed here. Um something I've noticed is that a lot of people um would they they prioritize, you know, work for life, not life for work. And I would honestly kind of say that is the main contrast where um when I was in LA, a lot of my hours, you know, I could be 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. And it's just work, you know, um, and it's just getting the projects done and then kind of getting ready for the next day. Uh whereas here it's kind of less hours, it's a lot more relaxed. Um, and you know, it's kind of taught me within my work specifically because I was still bringing that let's work at all hours, let's work at all times, even when I was here at the beginning. Um, after kind of getting involved into the culture and kind of just prioritizing more of my friends, more social life, things like that. Um, I've definitely taken a little bit more of a relaxed approach with some aspects. Yes, that does mean some sacrifice, you know, mostly voluntarily. But um, I would say in terms of happiness and overall satisfaction, like that's where I find the most benefit. And that's essentially what you're buying with that.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Yeah, we talk a lot about on Who's Your Mom and kind of our tagline is brain health is life health, and we talk about energy hygiene. Um, how long would you say it took you to adapt and how has that affected both uh physical and mental overall well-being? I know you touched on it a little bit, but how have you seen that grow and things that you you would only one would know within themselves? Um, and then what would you say advice you would give to others who um are open to taking that leap of faith within themselves?

SPEAKER_00 7:41

Yeah, honestly, I would say it took me um probably a little bit of a while, it took me a different little while for me to get used to it, I would say. Um, only because that mindset of constantly wanting to grow or hit that number is very ingrained into you, especially with the work culture that I went through and even just the media that you consume around you, the friends that you have as well. Um, and I think it's just a matter of time. I think everyone is different of kind of making that switch if that's what they're looking for. Uh, and then also things take time in you know my company as well, um, you know, as we move on and as we grow. There are processes where I do see a lot more growth than others that maybe if my mindset was, you know, in the other uh path before, I would not have had my eyes open enough to kind of see uh that this is a path we could have gone down to grow. Um, and really to just anyone who is looking to do something similar, I would say that the biggest thing that I tell everyone is really just focus more on skills that you can accomplish or skills that I would say are something that other people find valuable, uh, and just focus on skill stacking almost to provide value. Uh, and then that's what you can utilize to just buy your time, break free uh from you know someone owning your time.

Building An Approachable Boutique Brand

SPEAKER_01 9:02

Very well said. Um, I feel like I'm gonna I'm gonna need to start. I started a new job in December and I'm gonna try and reflect on what we spoke about and take some pages out of your book to I think breathe, because at the end of the day, most things in life I feel like are not emergencies, and but what we create in our mind can create those sensors and and how that affects us overall. If you, as we as we're starting to wrap up, how would you um describe your brand in one way, um your actual brand, which is new eggs, and how if you were to describe yourself as a brand, what would that be and why?

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Yeah, um, you know, this is I love that question because we actually just went through um a brand redesign um last year at the near the end of the year. Um, because something that I'm trying to go for, um, not trying to, something that we've established, is that we want people to understand that we're not um, we want to feel as though we are a high-end boutique agency that people can approach. Um we provide high-quality work, but we're not, you know, that scary, uh unapproachable feeling that you might get when you see like Gibanshi or Voltega. Um, and and it's not cheap work either. Uh you're still, you know, you feel comfortable to talk to us. So something maybe like Zara or Urban Outfitters, uh, and for example. Um, and then also just giving you that um comfortable uh feeling where everything is collaborative.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

So white gloves, service, family-oriented, it sounds like. Yeah, exactly. And what about you personally?

SPEAKER_00 10:49

Me personally, the way that I would describe myself is just honestly, I would try my best to uh inspire a lot of my friends and support a lot of them as well. So I try to do that with the my audience as well. Um, me personally, on my page, I just talk a little bit about my own journey and I really hope I can do the same uh for other people as other creators did for me. Because truly, I don't think I would have gone the route that I had uh if I didn't come across some of the creators that I look up to still to this day.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

So that's amazing. It's the full circle uh pay it forward. I'm a big person of watering the grass where you're standing, spread the fertilizer and water it beyond. That's true sense of community.

SPEAKER_00 11:30

100%, yeah. Incredible.

How To Reach Mark And Sign Off

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Uh well, I it's been an absolute pleasure to have you on here. Um, if anyone wants to get in touch with you, what would be the best way um for new uh new X?

SPEAKER_00 11:44

Yeah, uh they can either visit our website, new Xstudios.com, uh, or they can reach out to me on Instagram or our uh our business Instagram, so at new X Studios or uh at Mark S. Williams underscore.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

So okay, well, that's great. Well, it's been an absolute pleasure. Um, Mark Williams of New X Studios. Um, as we always sign off on Who's Your Mama, um, call to action is let's go, y'all, the time is now.

SPEAKER_00 12:13

Let's go, y'all, the time is now.

SPEAKER_01 12:15

Thank you for tuning into Who's Your Mama. And I look forward to collaborating from a community standpoint for the next episodes.