Podcasts about females in tech

CEO and mother of two, Kellie shares what it means to show up as her best self and lead from a female POV while wearing many hats in Tech. This is an episode you will want to pull out a pen and paper because it's just that good!  Get to Know KellieKellie Clark is the CEO of Appthink, an idea accelerator and community of builders that helps new founders turn audacious ideas into audacious execution and determine if their ideas for a tech or tech-enabled venture are worth the pursuit. Aspiring founders learn how to build things quickly, and inexpensively, and how to turn a good idea into a great product.Kellie most recently served as Director of Programs for Innovation Depot, an incubator and equity-based accelerator. During her tenure, she created and curated programming for early-stage founders, and supported pre-seed/seed investments in companies reshaping industries in the southeast.She has previous experience leading program management, organizational change, and sustainable fund development. Her "wins" include everything from launching a pre-accelerator during her time with Innovation Depot to driving a 200% increase in recruitment and enrollment in her previous role with Innovate Birmingham's software development Bootcamp. In addition, Kellie served as the lead Project Manager for Birmingham's 2018 Innovation Week, a week-long celebration of events that showcased Birmingham's tech – ecosystem and engaged tech talent in the city.Kellie is a two-time graduate of Auburn University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Masters of Public Administration, with a concentration in Economic Development. As an AmeriCorps alumna, she has an affinity for community service and currently gives her time and talent to various non-profit organizations in the southeast. Kellie spends her free time engaging in outdoor sports and serving as the Southeast Regional leader for Outdoor Afro, a national organization with the expressed mission to "celebrate and inspire African-American connections and leadership in nature." She serves as board chair for Urban Community Montessori, serves on the boards of Ruffner Mountain, Cahaba River Society, and as an advisory member for Birmingham Black Techies.When she's not encouraging first-time founders to validate and build, you can find her leading kayak adventures on the Coosa River, being an audiophile at Seasick Records, or road-tripping with her husband, and their two small children. HostSK VaughnResourcesBook Referenced by Kellie: The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance

Immigram CEO Anastasia Mirolyubova opens up for the first time about Slush's controversial decision to award - then revoke - a €1m startup prize to her talent relocation company, following the outcry over Mirolyubova and her co-founder's Russian roots.   Mirolyubova co-founded Immigram in 2020 to assist IT and tech professionals with relocation across the world. The company is headquartered in London, where Mirolyubova has lived since 2016. In November 2022, Immigram scooped the top prize at the Slush 100 Pitching Competition. However, Slush faced fierce backlash for awarding the prize to a company founded by two Russian passport holders amid the country's brutal invasion of Ukraine. Mirolyubova talks about the physical and emotional toll the situation had on her, which resulted in her receiving death threats, losing 7kg in weight, and avoiding social media. Away from Slush, Mirolyubova reveals which tech roles are in-demand, the staggering gender divide in visa applications, and Immigram's plans for 2023. 

In this episode, I talk about the two types of networking - transactional and strategic.  I then offer you a 5 step approach to kickstart your strategic networking if you've been doing transactional networking up until now.  I also give you a framework for reaching out to your connections.

In this episode, I introduce you to the mechanism responsible for accomplishing goals, including career goals.  And I show you what so many psychologists, behavior change experts and best-selling authors agree is the KEY to not falling off the bandwagon but being successful in achieving your goals, even the most stretchy ones.   This podcast episode is accompanied by a guided visualization (the prior podcast track) that will support you in using this powerful change strategy.  Books / Resources mentioned in the episode:* The Alter Ego by Todd Herman* Psycho Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz* Indistractable by Nir Eyal

I couldn't think of a more uplifting story and episode to share with you before this Thanksgiving Holiday (and at an economically challenging time for many when it's easy to feel down) than this conversation with Sabrina Ruelle.  I met Sabrina on a LinkedIn text message thread where she struck me with her thoughtful, well-articulated and insightful answers to my simple question: "What is the biggest challenge facing you in your career now?".  She sounded way wiser than her years and I knew I wanted to talk to her.  It turns out Sabrina's story is a unique one.  She was placed in foster care at 12 years old when her mom had to battle addiction and she spent the next few years defying the expectation that she would underperform in the system.  After high school, the only college that would accept her was a community college but she didn't let that deter her either. She ended up getting her master's degree at Boston University, and today, at 32 years old, is a Senior Director of Program Marketing and Management with a healthcare device startup.  She's one of the best storytellers I've met and shows you what's possible when you choose career paths that follow your passion - healthcare for Sabrina, because of her mom's struggles.  Tune in to hear Sabrina's inspirational story and to see what's possible when you are determined to put down roots, bloom and count your blessings in any environment.  

Dalia Ramos Guerra is the Head of Build and Test for the BWT Alpine Formula 1 team, one of the most successful teams in Formula 1.  She's also one of only 11% of females in the space and one of even fewer women in a management position.  In her role, she is responsible for the last part of the process before the championship cars are delivered to the track every weekend race. Dalia radiates a high degree of professionalism, combined with a refreshing curiosity and seeming fearlessness. She thrives on solving thorny problems. That's her job and it takes nerves of steel to do that at the round-the-clock pace that the role demands.In my conversation with Dalia, we explore:1) The drive to mastery and the secret ingredients behind her success,2) The importance of childhood conditioning,3) How she cultivates a trait that is shared among all top CEOs (and how you can too),4) How to not believe people who may doubt you,5) Finding the right culture that will support you and why that matters,and much more!You can connect with Dalia at https://www.linkedin.com/in/daliacarolinaramos/

Our CareerClimb community has had phenomenal success, as expressed in:40%+ raises in compensationAccelerated promotionsSenior roles negotiatedVP roles landedIndustry and Function switches,and more.   How did these mid-career women in tech achieve all this in less than 18 months? I reveal the keys to their success in this episode.  A quick preview: It starts with the vision crafted during the Product VP Challenge.  The next Challenge is coming up in mid-May 2022 - register for free at www.productvpchallenge.com.

In this episode, I share with you my take-aways from spending a weekend with a small group of our clients in one of their beach homes.  Here's the twist - I didn't organize it, I was invited to come as a guest.  And when did, I was blessed to discover just how tight and close this group of women is and just how passionate they are about our community and about us growing this community more.I share with you my impressions from this amazing weekend, so you too can unlock the power of community for your career and your life.  My hope is that whether you join our intimate and thriving community by joining our next Executive Accelerator cohort, or you find your community elsewhere, you will do something to connect with powerful and inspiring peers who can help you feel more confident and less alone.

Join me and the Head of GlobalRecruiting for HubSpot, Becky McCullough, to discuss how to build your career as an executive in tech while having a family and a full life. We discuss:Breaking the myth that you can't have "it all" - a career as an executive and a familyWhat makes it possible to build your career in tech while having a family or other prioritiesHow to vet prospective employers for a supportive cultureThe emergence of "returners" programs for people who have had a career breakThe importance of sponsorship vs. mentorship, and how to find it,and much more!Resources mentioned in the episode:Opportunities at Hubspot: www.hubspot.com/careers

Nir Eyal is the author of two bestselling books, “Hooked: How to build Habit-forming Products” and “Indistractable: How to Control Your attention and Choose your life”. Nir and I met in 2014 and I was a guest contributor to his blog www.nirandfar.com, writing about addictive online auctions: [Auction Addiction: This Online Industry's Dirty Secrets](https://www.nirandfar.com/online-auctions/). In our conversation with Nir, we explore:* Why humans did not evolve to be happy all the time* What is more important than happiness in making your life productive and fulfilling, and how to cultivate that quality* The dangers of “overtraining” when embarking on new goals and what to do instead to not fall off the bandwagon* Why external motivators don't work in sticking to your goals as well as evolving your identity and how to do thatCheck out these resources mentioned by Nir:“Indistractable” book: http://geni.us/Indistractable“Indistractable” bonus content is here: http://nirandfar.com/indistractable“Indistractable” summary article: https://www.nirandfar.com/skill-of-the-future/Distraction guide here: https://www.nirandfar.com/distractions/Habits vs routines article here: https://www.nirandfar.com/habits/Why schedules are better than to-do lists: https://www.nirandfar.com/todo-vs-schedule-builder/Time boxing article: https://www.nirandfar.com/timeboxingValues article: https://www.nirandfar.com/common-values/Habit tracker - https://www.nirandfar.com/habit-tracker/Also, the schedule maker tool Nir mentioned is here: https://nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/

In this episode, I walk you through the importance of writing your own playbook, as a Product Manager and as a team leader, even if you're just starting out and think you don't have anything important to share.  One of the biggest mistakes professional women do in their careers is fail to write down and understand the mechanics behind the failures and successes, not only in the projects they drive personally, but in the companies and products around them.I learned the critical importance of writing a playbook in my first product role at Zynga where we turned every experiment into a recipe that could be replicated predictably. The playbook you write and document as you're learning from your experiences will provide you with the tools that you need to demonstrate as you interview for your next position.  Tune in to learn:- How to use any work experience to write your playbook- How to start writing your management playbook as a new manager- How to use failures or even experiences you weren't responsible for directly in your playbook

The Social Innovation Podcast had an inspiring conversation with Neha Mehta, the Founder of FemTech Partners. Neha is a Lawyer and Fintech professional, specializing in Digital Financial Services, financial inclusion, payment systems, anti-money laundering, and terrorist financing (AML/CFT). She has worked with financial regulators across key Asian markets and assisted in developing effective policies to support diversity and inclusion. Some of the topics we covered were: Neha's work for VSO and financial inclusion for female farmers in Bangladesh bKash and the financial inclusion it represents The impact of COVID on women and how it is necessarily different from a man's experience The use of FinTech as a force of good United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - Poverty Elevation and Gender Equality How SuperApps can potentially help with financial literacy and financial inclusion The book Neha is writing on SuperApps

In this episode, I address something I've observed recently in our CareerClimb community - women who haven't worked with a coach before are sometimes intimidated and at a loss of "how to use" their executive coach.   That's normal, we've all been there with our first coach.  It's like we're gingerly driving a powerful car but we're afraid to go out of the parking lot and drive it on the street. My very first executive coach is a coach on our platform today and I still joke with her that I put her on a pedestal and was very deferential to her when we first started working together.  This podcast episode is an attempt to provide a "user manual" of sorts to your executive coach if you're so lucky to have one.  Learn:1) How to uplevel yourself faster with the help of your elite coach2) What to ask and what not to ask of your coach3) What to prepare for your coaching sessionSo that by the end of the episode, you're empowered to pick up some speed in that Ferrari of yours!

Today I speak with Nalina Murthy, a technical Product Manager and a member of our CareerClimb Community, who has shown great resilience and perseverance in building her tech career in the US.  She has managed to gain over a decade of experience in retail, banking, data centers and social media platforms, despite facing immigration-related challenges, taking a break to have her child and experiencing a set of conscious and unconscious biases from her colleagues. Tune in to learn:How Nalina refused to cover up her 4 year gap on her resume.How her experience as a South Asian female in tech had additional layers of challenge when working with South Asian male colleagues and homogeneous teams.How Nalina refused to give up even after a drawn-out immigration process that took her out of work. Connect with Nalina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nalina-murthy/

The market for talent is "hot" in tech.  Just how "hot"?  Tune into this week's episode to find out.Andrew Abramson of Riviera Partners provides a timely update for anyone looking to land senior product roles in tech today (or just getting constantly stalked by recruiters) and answers your burning questions.Find out:How hot is the market and what does it mean for you? What can you ask for and what can you negotiate if you know how to play the game,How to be noticed and considered for senior roles today,The one hot emerging sector that is friendly for industry switchers right now and how to take advantage of that opportunity, and much more!Interested in accelerating your career further?  Join us for the next free Product VP Challenge experience to jump-start your climb to VP (even if you're still just a Senior IC). Sign up at www.productvpchallenge.comRiviera Partners is the premier recruiting firm for senior-level product and engineering roles in tech, having placed some of the top executives at companies like Airbnb, Grubhub and Uber.  Follow Riviera here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/riviera-partners/

In the midst of the "great resignation" and with the New Year just around the corner, many of you may be wondering if you should leave your current job in tech.  In this episode, I explore a question I get often from successful driven mid-career members of our community who're feeling stuck and unappreciated at their tech work: “Should I stay or should I look for something else?”I lay out a few key considerations for you, so you end up in a stronger position instead of shooting yourself in the foot, including:The reasons you may be feeling frustrated, The three traps that women in tech fall into that cause them to want to leave, How to avoid or extricate yourself from these pesky traps once you're in them,When is the right time to leave,and more!Looking to get clarity and inspiration for your career? Consider joining our next free Product VP Challenge (New Year's Edition) at www.productvpchallenge.com.  For mid-career female professionals in product and related fields.

This is one of the most important interviews I've done.  It's a conversation with two brave individuals - Natalie Egan and Joseph Schneier - who talk openly and honestly about their experiences as male and female in tech and about their experiences after their transition to the opposite gender.  It's a unique opportunity to put a lens to the effects of gender and gender identity on people's careers in technology, answering questions such as:What are the prevalent gender biases in tech and how to navigate them?Do women have to work harder at getting promoted or raising capital?How does biology influence our perception of power and decisions on who to promote / fund / listen to?Do women have to work harder and how to get ahead in an uneven playing field?How to create an inclusive environment that celebrates our uniqueness without triggering blame or fear?Natalie Egan is an openly transgender, B2B software entrepreneur and a recognized thought leader living her life at the intersection of technology and Diversity & Inclusion.  Natalie has over 20 years of experience driving digital change, developing high performing teams, building complex products, and selling enterprise solutions. Today, Natalie is the CEO & Founder of Translator, Inc., where she and her team are on a mission to scale empathy and equality through technology. Prior to founding Translator in 2016––and prior to her transition––she was CEO & Founder of PeopleLinx, a venture capital backed sales technology solution that was acquired in 2015. In addition to her entrepreneurial pursuits, Natalie has also worked in sales leadership positions at large public companies like LinkedIn, Autonomy, and Ecolab. Joseph Schneier is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded and exited two companies in the educational technology space. Following that, Jo worked with behavioral research scientists productizing their research with technology-based solutions for patient behavioral change, focusing on HIV drug adherence, health literacy, and addiction. In 2013, he co-founded Cognotion — a company solving the talent shortage of healthcare workers. In 2020, with James Firman, the former CEO of the National Council on Aging, Jo founded Bellage, a company empowering older adults in healthy choices.In 2018, Jo founded Trusty.care, an InsurTech company that modernizes and simplifies health and Medicare insurance sales and the business processes that surround it so that agents and insurance carriers can focus on what matters most: beneficiaries. It's Jo's mission to make sure no one goes through bankruptcy because of out-of-pocket healthcare costs.

Today I sit down with a true powerhouse - a woman whose drive, unapologetic courage, contagious smile and boundless generosity made her a rising star in our CareerClimb community early on in her Product Executive Accelerator cohort.  Linda Lee started the year as a stuck and frustrated Senior Director at Walmart.com and is now head of her own startup - Wonderblocks.io, which she started in the third month of our program and which aims to transform the gaming and leisure industries through blockchain innovation.You would never guess that as a child she was called the “dumb one” and that she felt she had to compete with her “perfect” brother.  When it came time to go to Cornell, her father was told that he was wasting his money sending a girl to an expensive school.  Her childhood was all about adapting to new environments - born in Taiwan, she was raised in Costa Rica before moving to the US and beginning her adventures in tech.Linda and I talk about getting unstuck in your career, recognizing when you're operating below your level (as Linda was when she joined our Product Executive Accelerator) and being able to imagine the future in order to take big leaps instead of small increments. Linda's success today is testament to grit, perseverance and courage.  Linda's message to every single girl is “just go for it”, even if nobody else believes in you but you. 

In this episode, I talk with a powerful female executive, who is also a member of our CareerClimb Community - Deepa Chand.  We talk about:The brutal culture of financial services,The dangers of isolating yourself as a female in hostile work environments,How to surround yourself with support structures,How to not only survive, but learn how to thrive and be a role model for compassionate leadership,Going for it and having kids while not putting the brakes on your career if you want to be a mom.Deepa is a Product Lead for Enterprise Product Platforms at Capital One and a member of our CareerClimb community and our Executive Development Program. She is an accomplished product leader with over 20 years of experience in financial services, focused on innovation and disruptive technologies.  Her values are Family & Relationships, closely followed by Integrity and her passion is Compassionate Leadership - the idea that the best leaders act as coaches.

Join me and CareerClimb acting and improv  coach Michael Schreiber as I vent to him my frustration about so many talented mid-career women in our community being asked by their (usually male) bosses to develop "executive presence".  I get Michael's perspective as a man and as an acting coach trained to develop "stage presence" about:* What exactly is Executive Presence and what to do when you're being asked to develop one by your boss.* How to not get trapped in an outdated stereotype about what "Executive Presence" looks and sounds like (aka white guy in a suit with a North American or a Commonwealth accent).* How can we start developing our own brand and flavor of Executive Presence that feels authentic and effective as women and minorities in tech.As a tech culture and society, we need to start being able to imagine an executive looking not only like a white guy on Wall Street but also like a South Asian (or East Asian or Eastern European) woman in a flowing dress and with an accent. Michael Schreiber is a former actor, director and coach to actors and creatives and to our community of mid-career women in tech, working on developing voice, speaking skills and presence.

In this episode, I talk about a very useful distinction that Adam Grant makes in his book "Think Again" - that between personality conflict and task conflict at work.  If you're like most of our clients, you find it hard to say no and to engage in conflict at work, which holds your career back.  That's precisely the reason why the second key to the CareerClimb™ framework is "Lead, Don't Be Liked". Tune in to see what the difference is between these types of conflict, why it's critical that you understand it as a woman in tech, and how to use task conflict to finally get ahead without feeling bad. 

In this episode, I break down  two long-term trends and one more recent trend that affect every woman's career in tech. The good news is that all of these factors increase the value of your talent in the marketplace. Tune in to hear the breakdown and more importantly, to learn HOW you can take advantage of these trends to increase your market value in tech as a mid-career female professional.

One of the biggest drivers of tangible results in our CareerClimb community is the work that our clients do with our acting, speaking and improv coach Michael Schreiber.  We're talking about strong presentations, confidence in negotiations and the ability to tell powerful stories in conversations and interviews.I took the opportunity to sit down with Michael at the back of our first in-person live client workshop in Portland, which was all about Improv, telling stories and developing voice.In this episode, learn:* What is Improv and why should you care about it as a woman in tech* The tangible benefits to you and your career from adopting the Improv mindset (you don't have to become an actor or a comedian!)* How to negotiate with "difficult" people, not take conflict personally and create bigger results in your job, your teams and your life through simple Improv techniques.

The first 30/60/90 days at a new job is a critical time.  It can make or break the next stage of your career.  And it is also one of the most popular topics in our CareerClimb community.In this episode, I list the most important proven strategies for your first month, first 60 days and first 90 days at a new role in a recommended sequence. These are strategies that have worked for our members with great results, so put some headphones in and listen on as I walk you step by step your plan for the first 30, 60 and 90 days at your new role in tech. Warning: May result in glowing manager feedback early on.The next Product VP Challenge is a month away! Sign up for this free interactive live event that has created momentum and real results for dozens of mid-career women in product and related fields.  Perfect for Senior PM to Senior Director level people who identify as women or nonbinary.  Program Managers, Contract Product Managers, Designers and Business Analysts with a strong product mindset also welcome.  Register here: www.productvpchallenge.com

In this episode, find out:- The three key strategies to acing your interviews, especially as you grow in seniority- What prep work you should do and what's a waste of your time- Key frameworks for applying these strategies The next Product VP Challenge is less than 2 months away! Sign up for this free interactive live event that has created momentum and real results for dozens of mid-career women in product and related fields.  Register here: www.productvpchallenge.com

The post EP 32 – Neha Mehta – FemTech Partners – Amplify the Voice of Females In Tech appeared first on Social Innovation Podcast.

In this ‘Queens corner’ segment, Ash discusses life as a ‘techie’ with her pageant sister Shaquilla. The episode explores the challenges faced when entering the tech industry, debunking myths about coding and Shaquilla shares support platforms that have helped her with her own career development. Black Girls Code: https://www.blackgirlscode.com Follow Shaquilla on Instagram: @shaquillaevelyn

S01E03 Interview with Monica Rodriguez, Ecommerce Leader at Cooperativa de Productores de Leche, Costa Rica - UNBOSSED - Chicago Women in Tech --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/marina-malaguti/support

Today I chat with Tamara Klink. Tamara’s life purpose is to empower females working in technology to live a balanced and purposeful life. She founded FIIT Collective to create a global support network for females working in tech, or considering information technology as a career.   Along the way Tamara spent 8 years as a circus performer, graduated from Bond University with a Bachelors of Business and Accounting, then moved into recruitment, before finding her joy in technology. Tamara now works for Salesforce, one of the leading technology companies globally, as a Senior Solution Engineer.   This podcast series is hosted by Patricia Kathleen and Wilde Agency Media. This series is a platform for women, female-identified, & non-binary individuals to share their professional stories and personal narrative as it relates to their story. This podcast is designed to hold a space for all individuals to learn from their counterparts regardless of age, status, or industry.    TRANSCRIPTION *Please note, this is an automated transcription please excuse any typos or errors [00:00:00] In this episode, I speak with Tamara Johanna Klink. Tamara is the founder of the Global Support Network. F. I. I. T. Fit Collective. Key points addressed were tomorrow's professional history and current dream job with Salesforce. We also discussed her founding the Fit Collective, which stands for females in information technology and serves as a global support network for females working in tech or considering a career in tech. Stay tuned for my talk with Tamara Johanna Klink.   [00:00:37] Hi, my name is Patricia Kathleen, and this podcast series contains interviews I conduct with women. Female identified and non binary individuals regarding their professional stories and personal narrative. This podcast is designed to hold a space for all individuals to learn from their counterparts regardless of age status for industry. We aim to contribute to the evolving global dialog surrounding underrepresented figures in all industries across the USA and abroad. If you're enjoying this podcast, be sure to check out our subsequent series that dove deep into specific areas such as Vegan life, fasting and roundtable topics. They can be found via our Web site. Patricia Kathleen .com , where you can also join our newsletter. You can also subscribe to all of our series on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Pod, Bean and YouTube. Thanks for listening. Now let's start the conversation.   [00:01:35] Hi, everyone, and welcome back. I'm your host, Patricia. And today I'm excited to be sitting down with Tamara Johanna Klink. She's the founder of Fit Collective, a global support network for females working in tech, are considering a tech career. You can find out more about her and fit collective at fit collective dot com. Welcome, Tamara.   [00:01:56] Oh, thank you so much, Patricia, for having me.   [00:01:58] Absolutely. I look forward to unpacking fit collective and everything that you're doing there for everyone. Listening and perhaps new to the podcast series will follow the same trajectory, a roadmap for today's podcast and follows the same trajectories, all of those in the series with our inquiry line. First looking at unpacking tomorrow's academic background and early professional life leading leading her up to father founding of Fit Collective. Then we'll turn straight to Unpacking Fit Collective. We'll get into the logistics of who, what, when, where, why, how, funding all of those things that may pertain to it. And then we'll get into the ethos and the philosophy behind what Tamara is doing with her vision there. We'll then turn our efforts towards unpacking and looking at the goals and plans that she has in the future for both the collective and her other work endeavors. And we'll wrap everything up with advice that she may have. For those of you looking to get involved with fit, collective and or emulate some of her career success. Before I begin peppering Tamara with questions, I'll read a quick bio on hers that can garner a bit of her background prior to her describing herself. Tomorrows life purpose is to empower females working in technology to live a balanced and purposeful life. She founded Fit Collective to create a global support network for females working in tech or considering information technology as a career. Along the way, tomorrow spent eight years as a circus performer, graduated from Bond University with a Bachelors of Business and accounting, then moved into recruitment before finding her joy in technology. Tomorrow now works for Salesforce, one of the leading technology companies globally as a senior solution engineer. Since founding her business, Tamara has been awarded the top five leading ladies in tech on Instagram by women who code top blogs. Young women in technology should follow by code like a girl, a finalist for the air and women in I c t awards and a finalist in the Emerging Leader category of the Empowerment of Women Awards. So tomorrow, that's really exciting. You've had some like really quick early on success and I'm excited to kind of climb through what you're doing now and find out more about it. But before we do that, could you please, for our audience listening and watching today, kind of describe your academic background and early professional life that led you to where you are right now?   [00:04:23] Yeah, no problem. Did you want me to start back in the circus is that way?   [00:04:28] Yes. I want all of it. I do. And you can't drop a little tidbit like that without me just dying to hear more about it.   [00:04:35] Or I said so ever since I was a little girl, I was a sporty kid and I really enjoyed it and excelled in professional sport. So I went to state swimming, water polo. I was very good at dancing, gymnastics. But none of them had my heart. And it was one day when I was walking down Queen Straight and All in Brisbane and I saw these kids doing circus tricks. And I looked at my mum saying, Oh, my God. That is so cool. That's exactly what I want to do. And she's thinking, my gosh, tomorrow you are already doing a million other things. But okay, let's go to the game. So I started doing circus. At the age of 10 and by the age of fifteen, I moved out of home and was traveling all of Australia with a circus school. So I would still go to normal high school. But the teachers would come and tour with us to ensure that we did allow exam the same as every other normal kid would. At the same time. And we would schedule our tours and performances around those exam timetables. And my ultimate goal at that point was to be in display. That was that was the dream. And in my graduating year, when I was 18 years old, I had an injury and it wasn't surveyed. But it was enough for me to wake up and realize how dominant or how much my body needed to be fit and healthy for me to have a sustainable career at Circus.   [00:06:15] And everything that my parents said about moving out of home. I mean, at the time I was going to an all girls Catholic boarding school before I went to sex. So it was a big shift for them emotionally. So, yeah, everything just came rushing back of them saying that I needed a back. So I decided to listen as much as I didn't want to and put my head in the books and studied really, really hard. In my final year at school and ended up going to university in the Gold Christ, where I studied business management and accounting, and the goal was to just get my degree and then head back to circus. But that wasn't the case at all. I fell in love with university and left my circus career behind. And naturally, I excelled in accounting. So as any, I guess, university student would think. What you excel at. You should pursue. So I ended up getting a part time job in a tax accounting firm and then studying part time and then having three other casual jobs on the side to ensure that I could sustain the party life and buy all the new dresses that I wanted. And at the end of my degree, I realized how much I hated accounting and I thought it was really dull and really boring. And it wasn't for me and I could not stand to look at another tax or 10. I needed some more human interaction. So I was really, really lost at that point and I had no idea what I wanted to do. So I went to my parents for advice and I had two opportunities on the table. One was in change management at one of the top four firms here in Australia, and another was starting up a recruitment firm for an international recruitment agency in Melbourne. And I spoke to them at the time. I was like, what do you think I should do? And they said, Mary, you have two options. You can either be really small fish in a really big pond and start consulting on change management. When you have zeri industry experience and work really, really, really long hours, or you can really step outside of your comfort zone and start a recruitment firm and they you're going to learn how to sell, how to negotiate and build a really, really thick skin because not everyone likes recruiters.   [00:08:46] And so yeah, I decided to start a recruitment firm. I thought it's going to give me a really good perspective of all the industries out there and first hand knowledge of all of the different corporate coaches. And then after that, I'll know where I want to go and guide my career that way. So funnily enough, the recruitment side of the business that I was starting with s schools recruitment. And at the time I had no idea what SAS was, was I was like, what is it, CRM? I just don't understand. And so in the first week, I had to do a presentation to my managers at the time and about sousveillance and the type of candidates that we would hire by the end of the presentation. My manager said to me, When can we get sound? Supposing we need it as a CRM? And I was just so passionate about it. I would be the first one in the firm to be there in the morning researching about Marc Benioff and what technology he's just bought and the latest innovations. And I ended up spending more time learning about Salesforce than actually recruiting. And one day I decided to do what I did best. And that was take a day off and recruit. And I recruited myself into all of the different organizations that I knew had samples so specialized in samples, implementations and just said, look, I'm a junior. I don't know a lot. I've been studying sounds and really passionate about it. Would you give me a chance to work at your firm and I'll do whatever it takes? I work the long hours. I'll do whatever course. And two organizations had said yes. And I decided to go with the organization that specialized in marketing cloud, which is what I specialize in today. And I wouldn't say could not believe that they hired me. I had zero technical knowledge, zero technical skills. And within the first two weeks they put me on site with clients and building the platform. And I just fell so deeply in love with it, ended up being a developer. And then after two years, I got a job at Salesforce. So that's my career journey. I guess where I went, especially where I want to talk about, is with it. Collective came into that.   [00:11:13] Yeah, absolutely. What was the inspiration for launching a collective or was it something that germinated for a long time, or was it just something that kind of hit you one day?   [00:11:23] Well, being in recruitment and specializing in tech recruitment, it sounds folks recruitment. I started to notice how many men I was talking to, and at the time it wasn't an issue at all. I love men. I think they're great. I think they're really intellectual and very smart. And when I started my job at Kaleido, which was the partner that first hired me with serious technical skills. I very quickly realized that my team were olman, and that wasn't an issue at all. They didn't discriminate against me. They really looked after me. They gave me so many different opportunities. I wouldn't be where I am today without them. But I couldn't say what I couldn't see. And there was no senior management there at the time that were female. And I was lusting where my career path could go. So I started looking online for some tech events that I could attend and meet other women who were in tech. And I found some really, really great events with girls in tech and cried like a girl and they were just phenomenal. But the issue at the time was that I didn't have time to attend these events all the time working in tech. You do have implementation projects that require later hours at times. And I found myself signing up to these events, but not being able to go. So I looked online looking for some other career stories about women in tech. And the ones that I found I didn't feel were authentic. I felt like it highlighted all of the success, but it didn't talk about the challenges that women have to go through to get to where they are today. And they missed such a big piece of the puzzle, which was the life aspect. You know, it focused on the career. But what about the life? And what about falling pregnant and going on maternity leave and what it's like to come off maternity leave and the guilt that you have behind that? Why aren't we talking about that? Like, why is that seen as a weakness? So I started off with an Instagram account just to save. That was an audience out there. And if there were other women in tech who wanted that holistic view in that work life balance and being more purposeful in life, work and life. And my Instagram account just blew up and I thought, OK, this is an opportunity. Started a website and now it's time to into a podcast, which I absolutely love. And yeah, there's just so much that I want to do with it.   [00:13:51] So I'm curious, when your audience started to grow. Was it local? Did you. Did you make it immediately global or was it Australian?   [00:14:01] And was it largely women or female identified? Or did any of those profile elastic characteristics matter?   [00:14:09] Yes. So I thought that my audience would be predominantly in Australia. But it's actually masked mostly in the US, which is amazing. I love. I definitely want to go to the US again one day. I think it's such an incredible country. And. But I do have a lot of men as well. And that's not a problem for me at all because men are part of the picture. And that's what an equal workforce looks like. And we need them to have that do best by thinking when we need them to help us get to the levels that we deserve. So it was global. Straight away, us predominant. And then I would say Australia and then the Asian countries.   [00:14:53] OK, let's get into some of the logistics. So am I correct? It's a fit collective stands for females in information technology.   [00:15:03] OK. And so that's where you're getting the acronym. When was it founded? Did you take any funding? Do you have any co-founders and. Yeah. Let's start with those three.   [00:15:15] OK. Awesome. So the website started May 2018 and that was just made blogging about my experience as a female in tech and talking about the different areas of life. So tech well-being and balance and getting other women in tech to share their stories and their advice and how they got to where they are today and what I found in doing that. It was very time consuming and I'm not a natural writer at all. That's something that I've struggled with. Having a mother who comes from the Netherlands, I guess her English wasn't his strong suit, ADA. So it was very time consuming for me. And I thought I was doing a disservice to those women by not sharing their stories to a wider audience. So that's when my partner, Joe Norson, thought that launching a podcast would be a great idea. So the podcast launched in September 2019, and it's absolutely skyrocketed since then. And I love doing it.   [00:16:21] And then your last question was about the fandoms reality. Yeah. You and what did you found it alone. And since have you brought on other founders? If so, and did you bootstrap or get funding?   [00:16:33] So will I. So I founded it by myself initially, but my partner, Joan Auton, I would also classify him as a puppet found on whether he likes it or not. But it honestly wouldn't be where it is today without him. I wouldn't have slept through so many hoops outside of my comfort zone to launch the bug and the website. And he's very technical and helped me a lot with the Web site and is a very good writer. So you raids and edits everything that I write. So I definitely classify him as a founder, if not the same, when helping me lead the way. And in terms of funding, no, it's all self-funded by myself. So I'm very grateful that I do have a very good salary at Salesforce to help fund my business. But it is getting to the stage where, you know, I am looking for sponsorship. I'm really hoping to increase the amount of podcasts that I release and start advertising on there. But it's a fine line of adding ads to a podcast and making sure those ads are helping my audience. I don't want ads that aren't relevant or that are disrupting their listening and it's not bringing value to them. So, yeah, it's a very fine line. And if you have any advice, I'd love to know how.   [00:17:57] Well, I. The same. No, I think you're right to be very considerate.   [00:18:01] I host four different podcasts and I, I take myself seriously because of the communities that I'm speaking with. Not on the whole as a person, I don't think I take myself that seriously. However, working with women and female identified non binary individuals such as yourself and telling the professional chronicles over the past three years, it's been a struggle. I haven't done a lot of partnerships and sponsorships. We've had offers for acquisition that couldn't go through simply because I couldn't guarantee the authenticity and value staying the same to those audiences. I think it depends on the niche market. You speaking to women? I think that's getting better. I think that the actual industry is growing up before our eyes. Podcasting is was very much so still the Wild West three years ago. And now there seems to be some kind of a tenor, you know, and an appropriate following and things like that. And even though there's still variance in how people put them out, I was always like, where's the structure? Like, how do I know what I'm getting? And I think a lot of those things are carrying over into sponsorship and partnership as well. I think the people are starting to get that. You don't want to just go rogue and have some anti female ads suddenly on your, you know, female podcast. That would be daunting. So I do think that that is happening before our eyes. But I do think you are also very wise to consider those kinds of aspects before you just kind of throw it all into the wind, because you do you have an onus, you have a responsibility to this community that's been sharing stories with you and listening to each other's stories and things like that. And so there's there's a reference, at least for me, that I think is required. I love your work, like your website design. I think it's very clean. There's been a lot of change. I originally came up in Silicon Valley and, you know, the newest rage and stuff like that with website design can be like the worst color of orange for a prom dress that you've ever seen. Like, it's just kind of like you can't fall too quickly for, like, the new things because they're very fad, like. And so I like that your site has like a classic timelessness to it, which I feel like any site that's supposed to be for a collective or that kind of a word has a lot of heti meaning for me. And so I like the the design and what it looks like. But I also like that you very judiciously and succinctly get into like a clear mission, you know, about what you what you're meant to do, what you what you're intending for, the collective and things like that. And I want to kind of ask you about that. I grabbed the quote you it's from your site. It says, Our vision is for 50 percent of the global information technology workforce to be female. And I think that that kind of a mission is cool. I think it's important to say those kinds of things, even though it's it's a lot, you know, it's it's a lot of people would say that and be like maybe, you know, there's a lot that goes along with that. But I like that you're stating it. You also talk about transparency and communication and all of these values that you really you uphold in the collective. And I want to kind of unpack that a little bit more and see where some of the future or current action items are in how they're meeting up with those philosophies. So can can you kind of speak two main areas of conversation that your collective is happening or are there initiatives that people are getting behind? Is it as much as petitions being signed or are there any things that people are actually doing to start putting some of these goals into actual work, real action items?   [00:21:36] Yeah,  there is a lot that's happening. And I'm so grateful that a lot of Mella allies are running these petitions and pushing for regulations to be changed. So in Australia, there's a lot happening with equal pay and southpaws. That itself has you know, I think they've balanced the pay by twelve million dollars now to ensure that all of the employees, no matter what race, gender, religion, that they're paid the equal as their colleagues. There is a lot of movement like that happening and having paternity leave. So giving men the option to be able to take that paternity leave. Scandinavia's definitely leading the way. Then they make it mandatory. So you either use it or lose it. So when an employer is looking to hire male or female, both of them could have the opportunity to take twelve months of the year. So there's no discrimination and there's no unconscious bias when hiring a male or female. So that's knocked off the park straight away. That is a lot of it's not. Some organizations are a little bit more aggressive, and that's not the approach that I would like to take. Like I mentioned before, men are out of the picture. And Fickett Collective isn't about females taking over the world. It's just about simple equality.   [00:23:03] And it's funny when you look more and more into it and say how many aspects of the organization molded to fit a man's world. So, for example, the air conditioning, that's at a level that is most comfortable to men and not women. Women like it a little bit more woma. So it's just simple things like that that organizations are becoming more aware of. And I don't think any organization is purposefully making unconscious bias or discriminate discrimination against any gender or religion or so forth. I think it's just more about being open and aware of what is equal and that we're not asking for anything more than what a man would ask for. So there is a lot happening. I wouldn't say this petition, so forth. I don't think we need to get ahead. But there are slightly changing regulations all over the Web.   [00:24:00] Do you make goals? And if so, is it a collective? How does it work when you have so many people kind of belonging to this union? And has that changed since the launch?   [00:24:12] Do you make goals as to what you would like to see it be a part of what you would like to see fit? Collective have. It's like some print on its like signature too. Or are you still kind of forming that?   [00:24:28] Yeah, it's, it's funny because I'm so passionate about it collective and I'm so passionate about Salesforce. I could not think about losing one of the other. So I'm very big goes by. But then it comes that whole lot of balancing and fame really stake in what you can and can't achieve. So I guess within the first next three years, what I would like to do is really increase the cost, because that is saying such an incredible shift. And the reviews and the direct message, things that I get on Instagram and on LinkedIn, I just mind. And I have a best selling authors contacting me, asking me to be on their podcast. And I have women messaging me, opening up to the stories that they've had that they resonated with some of the guests that I've had on the show. Like, it's just it honestly, those guys would cry because I'm so grateful to be able to have that impact on a female and make them feel like that they can have it all and that they can pursue their wildest dreams and they are worthy of receiving that. So the first one to call is increasing that tech podcast frequency. So currently it's fortnightly and so hopefully get it to weekly, then create a number of eight learning programs to really help women in tech accelerate their career. So I've got one. Got a few ideas, but I've got one that's due to be launched soon. And then I have a really ambitious idea, and that's to develop an and pay for a female centric productivity app. So I'm super excited about bots and as well as, you know, really big goals for Salesforce as well. So really big goes there. And I'm very ambitious to get them. But as long as I'm putting my mental and physical health as a priority, because that's everything that I talk about and it's really important and then not intact, then you can't possibly table the goals that you want to.   [00:26:37] That's absolutely true. And it's it's good to recognize it young.   [00:26:41] I think a lot of the women that I speak to and female identified individuals are, you know, in a place of of a little bit more pain and sacrifice after they've come to that conclusion. It's good to recognize that at a younger age. I'm curious about your podcast. And I'm I so I had the opportunity. You're in Australia. We talked about this prerecording and I had the opportunity to be in Sydney and actually do a couple of podcasts there. And I went to a meetup group based on local podcasters there and had the opportunity to speak in and kind of share the platform idea. I wasn't sure how different it would be where you're at versus my side of the globe. But I did learn that there is a lot of different networks and there's a lot of different ways, like you said, ads and things like that. There's a lot of podcasters in the states that are just, you know, cow people. They will just kind of up and bootstrap it all and just figure it out as they go. And they don't really think about those things. And I found at least a lot of my Australian counterparts to be very thoughtful and particular. At said that at that pace that they were finally out. When I am when I met up with them at the Meetup group and I'm wondering with you. Are you on? So I know your podcast is you can locate it on your website. But are you hosted on other networks? You. Australia has a very famous podcasting female network that Kelly Glover. I interviewed her and she used to work for it, but it was one of the first ones I had ever even heard of, even including in the States. But I'm wondering if you have if you host it yourself or if it's nestled in different indexes, how does that work for you guys down under.   [00:28:25] Yes. So I didn't know about that old female podcast racing. You'll have to have to look out for her up after this episode. That's really interesting. Sorry, it's just on all the regular podcast channels like Apple and Spotify and Stanzler and Chain I Heart Radio. So on my Web site. I do think that. I have had a few emails lately that it is opening up into the Scandinavian countries and I just assumed that they would be there already. I don't know if you've had the same as well. So I would assume that it's that it's available globally. But that could be naive of me to think that.   [00:29:08] Well, I wasn't sure either.   [00:29:10] I actually did podcasts about a year and a half ago out of Sweden and Ireland, and I wasn't sure when I was there. And the people that I contacted, I gave them just my natural like I tune Spotify address. And and I did get notifications. They were all able to access it. But I also got notifications that they're kind of doing their own hosting of channels and things like that. I think people again, you know, you're kind of witnessing the toddler doom of of podcasting. It's growing up before our eyes, which is kind of a ride. I mean, you how how frequently can you say that? It's like being around when the computer first launched, it would have been a riot. So that's interesting. So I'm wondering, given that you're doing this within the podcasting, as you know, this kind of beloved creature of yours, how is it based? Are you doing an all interview based? How are you running a length? Are you picking topics? Are you lousing the collective to weigh in on what is spoken about? How does all of that work when you're doing your fortnightly podcast?   [00:30:10] Yeah. So it's a combination. So when I first started, because I was a bit nervous thing behind the mike, I thought that someone would just be my partner, Joel and I, talking about some of the challenges that women in tech face and how to overcome them, as well as acknowledging some of the discrimination that men have as well. Second, for example, you know, I don't know if you have them in the States, but Father's Day Marquises is typically at seven a.m. and then Mother's Day breakfast is at 10 a.m. So there's discrimination on both ways. Assuming that the father is working and the mother is not just talking about some of those things and that it's also difficult for men to leave work early to pick up that child, it's often that thinking, well, why isn't the female doing that? So this discrimination bikeway. So I really want to have him on the show to have it ensure that we have that collective, at least from a male and female standpoint. And just in my preliminary launch, I hadn't even launched a podcast yet. It was just all marketing and showing little sound bites of the podcast. I actually had the CIO of Susan Group, which is a huge Aussie fashion brand here in Australia, contacted me saying I wanted to be on your cost and I'd love to be interviewed. And I'm looking at my Poncho's thinking what this was meant to be. Season two, I'm not ready to interview people, especially not a CIO of a major fashion company. You're kidding. And then just like, what are you doing? Forget season one. Get her on the show. You just need to learn and guide for it is sort of being ad hoc since then. I definitely get the input of my collective. I ask all the time on Instagram what are the topics that they want me to talk bad? Or I ask specific questions like what are some of the challenges that they're facing currently right now and get their input. And we do talk about a lot of those topics. And then with the interviews with the guests, I've been very fortunate. A lot of them have come to me to be on the podcast, and I initially have a 30 minute conversation with them and look at their background and had some ideas of the topics that we can talk about and then get a feel of what they're comfortable in and what they're passionate about and what is the impacts that they want to make. When the podcast is finished. How do they want to transform a female and text lives? Or how do they want to help a male ally help women in tech get to the top?   [00:32:43] So, you know, it's it's definitely very collaborative. And I am. Very proud that they guess that I've had on the show a very authentic and talk about the challenges. That's really, really important to me. And I do try my best to pull them out and be vulnerable and open because that's where people really start to relate. So, yes, it's definitely a combination of everything that you talked about.   [00:33:10] Just fantastic. I think the goal to I mean, you know, Melinda Gates was telling David Letterman on his inquiry's show that launched a couple of years ago.   [00:33:19] She just said, listen, if we have to keep women at the table, there's less women in tech right now than 10 years ago. And it's a huge concern for, you know, women who are allied to women in tech or women who are in tech. I have two daughters for that reason alone. I mean, you know, it's it's scary to think that we're losing our place at the table because we will lose our voice in the future. And the future is tech. And we want to have a seat at that table. And we need about 50 percent of those seats. Not one, you know. And so I think it's so crucial to have organizations like yours and Fit Collective like out there sharing stories, making sure we're still having these important conversations.   [00:34:02] And to be clear, you know, pay parity, sexism across all boards, across all genders, it services nobody. Men lose out, women lose out. Non binary people we all lose. There I can show everyone that paradigm very, very quickly. Any kind of bigotry actually doesn't service to society very well. And that's why ones that go about eliminating it have a happier work life balance and just a happier citizenship in general. So it's definitely for you know, I have two boys and two girls and it's for everyone. But I do think that your mission is as audacious and awesome and I love it. Olympic collective. I love everything about it. We're wrapping up and running out of time, which I wish we weren't going to. I mean, I'll go into my final question, which I am I'm known for. It's one of my favorite. Everyone's like, are you ever going to change it? I was like, No, never. And I'll be forever. So if you were at a safe social distance from someone and a gardener a park tomorrow and they walked up to you and it was a young woman or female identified not by an individual, anyone other than a straight white male for purposes of this podcast. And they said, listen, tomorrow, I'm so glad I caught you. So check it out. I know I had this incredible background in sport. And I am. I went in to uni. I got my stuff done. I thought I was gonna go back to the spa and up not doing it. And then it turned out that I was setting something at uni that I had to kind of pivot. Then people gave me two options and I chose the harder of the option. I found my niche. I found this company. This works that I'm obsessed with. And I'm getting ready to launch this this side Passion Hustle project that I'm just I'm related to do it, but I'm getting ready to do it without a whole lot of mentorship. What are the top three pieces of advice you would give that individual knowing what you know now?   [00:35:57] I would definitely say ensure that this is your purpose. The purpose is very different to following your passion. And I think a lot of people get confused between the two and your passions change, just like in my story. My passion was circus than it was accounting. But they change your purpose, doesn't it? And I was very, very grateful to find that very early in my life. And it is tough finding it. You have to dig really, really deep and open all the skeletons out of your closet to understand what that is. Because if you follow your passion, you end up just creating a job for yourself. And that's no different to what you are doing today. Whereas if you follow your purpose, you're intrinsically motivated to continue even through the most challenging times. So I'd say that would be the first piece of advice. The second is just get started. It's so easy to get caught in a trap of striving for perfection, whereas you just need to get it and they pay out that test the market. Is there an audience? I start with an instant. Family can do whatever way that works for you. And then just test it. Right. Test it. Right. And then you evolve and build a product that you're really, really proud of. And the third one, if I can only choose three to get a mentor, I wouldn't be where I am today without my mentors. So with that, my partner, John Wharton, and the mentors that I have at schools and outside of Salesforce, they are a big part of where I am today.   [00:37:29] Yeah, absolutely. And I'm not sure the end the word mentor, like there's a lot of people calling it different things, but I, I don't know of anyone who got to happiness or the top of a mountain or hill without some kind of an advisor, teacher, a mentor that they could really guide themselves by.   [00:37:47] All right. So I've got to ensure that this is your purpose. It's different from your passion. So recognize what your purposes and make sure that this endeavors that just get started and get a mentor. Absolutely. Yeah. Fantastic. Those are perfect. Three, I love this. And they really do cross like industry genre. Like you could tell that to a young artist. It's perfect. The next biochemist.   [00:38:12] Well, Tamara we're out of time, but I wish we weren't. And I thank you so much.   [00:38:16] I know you got up early for this and I know you're busy. Everyone is. But you in particular. And I really appreciate you sharing your story and your candor and all of your information with us today.   [00:38:28] Thank you so much, Patricia. I've had a lot of fun, and I wish you all the success that I'm looking forward to here in the process when it gets launched.   [00:38:35] You bet. You as well. And for everyone listening, we've been speaking with Tamara Johanna clink and you can find out more. She's the founder of Fit Collective. And you can look it up online. It's Ficke collective dot com.   [00:38:48] Thank you for giving us your time today. And until we speak again next time, remember to always bet on yourself.  Slainte!    

In this episode of Recur Now, we share Netflix passwords.