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Retaining WITEpisode 21: Season 2 Wrap Up - AI, Personal Life Updates, and the Tech IndustryIn the last episode of this season of the Retaining WIT podcast, Jossie and Jordanna discuss some of their recent topics and podcast guests, before digging in on exploring current events, technologies, and their own journeys. Thank you for joining us!
We dive into:
Personal tech life updates
Big events in the industry
Artificial intelligence
Resources:
You can connect with Jordanna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordannakwok/ and on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jordeewok
You can connect with Jossie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jossiemann/ and on Twitter: https://tw...2023-06-2737 minRetaining WITEpisode 20: The Confidence Gap with Farzona PulatovaOn today’s episode of the Retaining WIT podcast, we are joined by Farzona Pulatova, an Engineering Leader in Silicon Valley! Our interview with Farzona focuses on exploring the confidence gap and its impact on women in the tech industry. What is the confidence gap? How can this struggle be navigated? Our guest shares her insights on why women often struggle with confidence, and how this can hold them back in their careers. We discuss practical strategies for building confidence, including tips for overcoming imposter syndrome and cultivating a growth mindset.
Farzona is an engineering leader wi...2023-06-0619 minRetaining WITEpisode 19: Managing Performance in Uncertain Times with Teresa MartynyOn today’s episode of the Retaining WIT podcast, we are joined by Teresa Martyny who is now Sr Engineering Manager at dbtLabs. The main topic of our conversation today is managing performance and making an impact in uncertain times. We discuss how to strategically build out team resilience and response, from care and curious communication to contextualizing company stressors in a way that is actionable on an individual and team basis.
Teresa Martyny started her career in tech in 1997 at North East Regional Data Center at the University of Florida. She spent time le...2023-05-1032 minRetaining WITEpisode 18: Effective Networking with Samantha ZeitlinIn this episode of the Retaining WIT podcast, we are joined by Samantha Zeitlin, Former Senior Manager of Security Machine Learning at Elastic. The main topic of our conversation today is effectively building and managing a professional network. Networking is crucial for career success, especially as we go up the career ladder. Yet, women in tech often hesitate to leverage this crucial skill due to a misconception it will take a lot of time, or feeling discomfort about reaching out to strangers.
Sam was a cancer researcher for twenty years before switching to software, learning Python for d...2023-04-2620 minRetaining WITEpisode 17: Bouncing Back from Layoffs with Yuliya FalkovichOn today’s episode of the Retaining WIT podcast, we are joined by Yuliya Falkovich, Head of Engineering for Chassis Capability @ ION Analytics (a division of ION Group). The main topic of our conversation today is bouncing back from layoffs, which is a crucial topic in our current tech landscape. We also follow Yuliya’s journey and discuss visibility, perseverance, and resilience in technical fields.
We dive into:
The importance of seeking visibility and finding sponsors
Building perseverance through a realization that careers are so often non-linear
Building resilience by being prepared for layof...2023-04-1125 minRetaining WITEpisode 16: Being Heard and Respected for Our Technical Abilities - Interview with Bhavna Bhatnagar On today’s episode of the Retaining WIT podcast, we are joined by Bhavna Bhatnagar, Engineering Leader at Rivian, in the Identity Access Management space. Today's main topic of conversation is how to be heard and respected as a technical leader. So often, women are assumed to be non-technical. Jossie’s example drives this home, “When I managed at Apple, people constantly assumed I was the project manager, and I even got an apology letter from someone who made that assumption. I think this is a crucial topic to ensure we retain women in tech.”
In our conversati...2023-03-2830 minRetaining WITEpisode 15: Interview with Dr. Bushra Anjum on Building Inclusive & Diverse Tech TeamsOn today's episode of the Retaining WIT podcast, we are joined by Dr. Bushra Anjum, Director of Data Science and Analytics at Doximity. We highlight her journey from academia to industry and from an individual contributor to senior management. Our conversation then focuses on her recent work to improve the hiring practices and diversity numbers for the Doximity data department. Dr. Anjum is also the inaugural board member of the women@Doximity ERG. We discuss her leadership philosophy, the effectiveness of DEI activities, and the company’s policy to offer compensation for leading ERG efforts. From hiring to promotion an...2023-03-1424 minRetaining WITEpisode 14: Welcome Back to Our Second Season!In this episode, Jossie Haines and Jordanna Kwok return to share updates on their own lives, discuss changes in the industry, reiterate goals for supporting Women in Tech, and unveil their plans for the podcast!
On the podcast, we will be addressing two main focus areas to help women thrive in technical fields:
- “How can we retain women in tech via resilience, allies, policies, and initiatives?”
- “What should women do if they are thinking of quitting tech fields?”
This season will include a number of great podcast guests focusing on these crucial topics! ...2023-03-0132 minRetaining WITEpisode 13: “Best Of” Darlene Rouleaux on Momming in TechJordanna and I are taking a break between seasons and wanted to share with you some of our best of episodes from when we first launched. We'll be back in March with new episodes and interviews!
In this interview from 2019, Jossie and Jordanna speak with Darlene Rouleaux, UI/UX software engineer at Schneider Electric, as well as a mom of two young kids. Darlene shares the challenges of being a mom in tech, as well as her transition from individual contributor to manager and back.
Other topics include:
How different the real world is from college
Transitioning back from parental le...2023-02-1419 minRetaining WITEpisode 12: "Best Of" Karen Catlin on Being Better AlliesJordanna and I are taking a break between seasons and wanted to share with you some of our best of episodes from when we first launched. We'll be back in March with new episodes and interviews!
In this inaugural podcast episode, Jossie and Jordanna speak with Karen Catlin, leadership coach and diversity advocate, about her start in the tech industry, the challenges of staying in the tech, and how to be better allies to women and other underrepresented groups.
Other topics include:
Issues around diversity in hiring
The struggles of being the only woman in...2023-02-0332 minRetaining WITEpisode 11: Leadership, Resilience & Self-Confidence with Monica BajajIn our last episode of the season, we speak with Monica Bajaj who tells of her experiences growing up in India, and of moving and working in the United States. It is a testimony of dealing with bias and overcoming doubts, weathering racism and immigrant status, and challenging culturally traditional roles. Join us as we discuss these topics and consider how we can impact the lives of others through leadership, resilience, and self-confidence.
Key Insights:
● “To be a champion, compete; to be a great champion, compete with the best; but to be the greatest champion, compe...2022-12-1522 minRetaining WITEpisode 10: Kathryn Vandiver on Gender Bias and Segregation in TechToday on Retaining WIT we are thrilled to have Kathryn Vandiver, who is currently VP of Engineering at BlueOwl and has over three decades of technical experience in Silicon Valley, which included roles at VMWare, HP, and NetApp.
We discuss issues around how gender bias plays a part in filling roles within tech companies, what to watch for, and how to avoid being diverted or stuck in roles that pay less or are outside of desired positions and duties. It is important to fight for and to stay true to ourselves and our passions. We also share...2022-11-2221 minRetaining WITEpisode 9: Sue Nallapeta: From Engineer to VPEOn today’s episode of the Retaining WIT podcast, we are joined by Sue Nallapeta, VP of Engineering at Apartment List. We are excited to chat with her about her journey from being an engineer to getting to an executive leadership role, the challenges of being a mom as an engineering leader, and finally dive into the topic that women are “downgraded” when being offered a role in tech. Sue, thank you for joining us today!
Key Insights:
Resilience is key to thriving and weathering adversity in hard-won goals. Focusing on individual tasks and having an inclu...2022-11-0824 min
Retaining WITEpisode 8: Ruthann Weeks on the Inclusion of Neurodiversity in WorkplaceJossie and Jordanna return to chat with Ruthann Weeks, founder of Harmony in the Workplace. Ruthann is a tireless forward-thinking crusader whose efforts have helped to bring the importance of an abuse-free work environment to the forefront of public awareness. Research shows 15-20% of the population is neurodiverse; we cover what neurodiversity is, how it has gained more visibility, and practices for including these individuals. Join us and listen to our discussions of interviewing and hiring, managing in both workplace and work-from-home situations, and the benefits of hiring neurodiverse employees!
WIT Tip of the week:
R...2022-10-2527 min
Retaining WITEpisode 7: Are Women Compensated Fairly in Tech?In this episode of the Retaining WIT podcast, Jossie and Jordanna dive into the inequities of compensation in tech. Men are often offered higher salaries or positions than women, however, this discrepancy can be fought with planning, data, and support:
Planning: Don’t take the first offer, instead focusing time and energy on creating leverage with counter offers and expressing confidence in the ability to provide value. This begins in the home; working out domestic equity first will help combat the social disadvantages women face with non-work obligations.
Data: Statistics give transparency to bias, and as a...2022-10-1425 minRetaining WITEpisode 6: Maria Kazandjieva on Being a Co-Founder in TechIn this episode of the ‘Retaining WIT’ Podcast Jossie Haines and Jordanna Kwok chat with Maria Kazandijeva, co-Founder at Graft, a new company that strives to make AI more accessible for small companies without large teams. Maria shares her insights on becoming a co-founder and building a company from scratch, the differences between early startup life and corporate life, and building a culture and team that is inclusive from day one.
Key Insights:
Maria makes a refreshing point that in spite of degrees and titles she is another approachable human being figuring out what’s next. S...2022-09-2737 minRetaining WITEpisode 5: Making Performance Reviews more Effective & Inclusive in TechSummary:
In this episode of the ‘Retaining WIT’ Podcast Jossie Haines and Jordanna Kwok deep-dive into performance reviews and how they aren’t always effective, especially for women and underrepresented minorities. Only “14% of employees say that performance reviews are encouraging them”, so it is important to discuss how performance reviews and 360 feedback can be leveraged to fight this statistic.
Key Insights:
Career ladders can allow for more directed growth-related feedback and more explicit conversation with direct reports on how they may grow their careers.
Leverage impact-based job descriptions where you create your clear 30, 60, and 90-day goals. In...2022-09-2015 minRetaining WITEpisode 4: Interview w/ Nidhi Gupta – How Divhersity addresses that only 9% of CTOs are womenIn today’s episode of the Retaining WIT podcast, hosts Jossie and Jordanna speak with Nidhi Gupta, CEO, and co-founder of Divhersity. Divhersity’s mission is to change the statistic that less than 9% of engineering executive roles are held by women and to finally close the class/gender gap in tech. Her mission is to accelerate Divhersity members’ careers and to create a network of support to inspire and elevate generations to come.
Key Points:
1. Fundamentally, all women and allies need to fight for rights at all levels: at home, work, and within the greater society. We can no...2022-09-2022 minRetaining WITEpisode 3: Welcome Back to the Retaining WIT Podcast!In this episode of the ‘Retaining WIT’ podcast, hosts Jossie Haines and Jordanna Kwok catch up and share their stories of what has changed in their lives since their last podcast episode. Jossie moved into a new home, became the VP of Engineering at Tile, went through an acquisition, and has recently started her own company as an executive coach for engineering leaders. Jordanna has adopted a COVID puppy, was an active Clubhouse speaker and was promoted to Director of Engineering at Netflix.
You can connect with Jordanna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordannakwok/ and on Tw...2022-09-2031 min
Technology Leadership Podcast ReviewMulti-vitamins and Two-way DoorsKaren Catlin on Retaining WIT, Jonathan Cutrell on Maintainable, Dr. Aneika L. Simmons on Hanselminutes, Sarah Wells on Engineering Culture by InfoQ, and Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt on Tech Done Right by Table XI. I’d love for you to email me with any comments about the show or any suggestions for podcasts I might want to feature. Email podcast@thekguy.com. And, if you haven’t done it already, don’t forget to hit the subscribe button, and if you like the show, please tell a friend or co-worker who might be interested. This e...2019-09-1621 min
Retaining WITEpisode 2: Darlene Rouleaux on Momming in TechJossie and Jordanna speak with Darlene Rouleaux, UI/UX software engineer at Schneider Electric, as well as a mom of two young kids. Darlene shares the challenges of being a mom in tech, as well as her transition from individual contributor to manager and back.
Other topics include:
How different the real world is from college
Transitioning back from parental leave
Promoting diversity at work
Being brave
Check out the episode webpage for the full show transcript.
Here are some additional resources Darlene mentions in the episode:
https://twitter.com/mommingintech
https...2019-08-1518 min
Retaining WITEpisode 1: Karen Catlin on Being Better AlliesIn this inaugural podcast episode, Jossie and Jordanna speak with Karen Catlin, leadership coach and diversity advocate, about her start in the tech industry, the challenges of staying in the tech, and how to be better allies to women and other underrepresented groups.
Other topics include:
Issues around diversity in hiring
The struggles of being the only woman in the room
Bias in the tech industry
Check out the episode webpage for the full show transcript.
Here are some additional resources Karen mentions in the episode:
karencatlin.com
betterallies.com
"Better Allies"...2019-06-0531 min
Retaining WITIntroducing the Retaining WIT PodcastResearch shows that 56% of women leave after 10 to 20 years in the tech industry. It’s been terrific to see the momentum around getting girls and women into tech, but how do we ensure that they find long-term success in the industry? Join Jossie Haines and Jordanna Kwok as we share our stories and teach each other the skills to stay and thrive in the industry. On each episode, we invite a guest to talk to us about their unique experiences and discuss solutions for creating an environment where women can be successful. Retaining WIT is coming soon!2019-01-0301 min