Heya, I'm Zell
Welcome to my corner of the internet
I’m a web developer who builds products and thinks about how to live. I started out by teaching front-end development, helping millions of developers become better at building for the web.
Over the years, I’ve invested a large amount of time, money, and energy into learning about psychology and personal development — this has helped to change the way I see the world.
These days, I’m deep in AI — figuring out what it actually does well for developers and what it doesn’t. I also build products and coach people.
Read about my storyNow Now Now
Things I'm focusing on right now
Unorthodox Tailwind
A course that shows you how I use Tailwind and CSS to build nice websites in half the time.
Find out morePractical Astro
Production ready patterns for Astro — ready for you to plonk and build.
Find out moreLife Coaching
We all have potential but we're trapped behind our stories and blindspots. I do a small part in unlocking the potential of the people I coach.
AI Exploration
Figuring out what AI actually does well — for developers and humans. No hype, just what I've found.
Blog
Experimenting with a different way to write Disable Sounds in VSCode Giving Myself an A for 2026 Anchor Habits Eliminating MCP Token Costs in Claude I Used AI to Lose Weight (And It Worked) Skip the Import — A Simpler Way to Use Images in Astro Soul-Sucking vs Soul-Enriching Perceiving Hope in a Hopeless State Read more articlesNice words from peers, friends, and customers
Geoff Graham — Chief Editor @ CSS Tricks
Zell is the rare sort of developer who both knows his stuff and can explain even the most technical jargon in approachable — and even fun — ways!
I’ve taken his courses and always look forward to his writing because I know I’ll walk away with something that makes me a better front-ender.
Heydon Pickering — Web & Accessibility Extraordinaire
Zell is one of those rare people who commands tremendous knowledge and experience but remains humble and helpful. They want you to know what they know, not just be impressed by it.
In other words, Zell is a natural teacher. You’re lucky to have him because he feels lucky to be able to help you in your journey.
I've also been featured in the following publications
Follow My Journey
If you’re into making things and growing as a person, you’ll probably feel at home here.
I share what I’m learning in this newsletter — code, building businesses, and living well.
Sometimes I write about technical deep-dives, product updates, musings on how to live, and sometimes my struggles and how I’m breaking through.
I aim to send you at least one insightful piece every week.
“I’m always designing, aligning
Combining ideas, and always refining
I’m a real bright thinker and a genius when I tinker
With a love of problem-solving as a model canoe sinkerWe’re failing fantastically, yes, we’re a mess
And we’re messing up drastically, falling on your face is the best
If you do it wrong, then you run another test
There’s really only failing, then learning, then death