We interview people to dig below the surface of their achievements and challenges. Showcasing the story behind the story.
We believe that focusing on the person and humanizing their lived experiences will help us shape the future of tech.
New episodes are released casually on Mondays, usually once per month.
Rose Kaz joins the podcast to share how we can bring together creativity and tech.
A visionary leader, expert connector and advocate for Women’s Rights, Rose is passionate about creating a more equitable future for ALL by emulating that world within the brands she builds.
We discuss how we can all adopt more creativity into our lives, create the environments we need for creative flow, and her love for podcasting (and Portland!).
We are a 501c3 non-profit. Any donation helps us build a better tech industry by creating access, dismantling inequities and fueling belonging. We sincerely appreciate your contribution to help advance our purpose and vision.
On this episode of Humanizing Tech, we demystify career transitions to the Tech Industry.
In addition to being an Alchemy Code Lab grad and Software Engineer, Noah Puckett (they/them) leads the Accessibility Employee Resource Group (ERG) at New Relic.
We explore how neurodivergent perspectives can question and challenge the insularity of traditional workplaces. From making sense of nonsensical job descriptions and navigating corporate vagueness as a new hire, to applying the lens of mental health with intersectional solidarity - there’s no question that accessibility in the tech industry elevates a collective employee experience.
Tune in for some accessible tips if you’re anticipating new work environments, if you’re coping with the ongoing uncertainties that come with working in tech, and for avoiding burnout if you’re currently involved in organizational DEI work.
This episode of Humanizing Tech welcomes our new Executive Director Hazel Valdez! Listen to meet Hazel and learn about her fascinating (and delicious) background, how she’s working to unify the PDXWIT team (staff and volunteers), and the exciting plans to scale the mission of PDXWIT with full transparency.
Learn more about PDXWIT here, Professional Networking - Women In Technology | PDXWIT — PDXWIT.
On this episode, we were joined by Zhou Fang, Founder and EDI practitioner at Intersectional Group LLC.
Tune in to hear Zhou and Anusha discuss important topics like pay transparency, navigating capitalism, building a diverse community, and having confidence to advocate for yourself! You matter!
Learn more about PDXWIT here, Professional Networking - Women In Technology | PDXWIT — PDXWIT.
On this episode of Humanizing Tech, we’re joined by Bess Campbell, Solutions Engineer at Actable.
After many years in the service industry, Bess decided she was ready to pivot careers and went back to school to become a computer programmer. To her advantage, the service industry taught her all about working with people under pressure - how to be a team player, a keen attention to detail, and the ability to create elegant, efficient systems.
In her Solutions Engineer role, she helps her clients route and transform data, engage with different marketing technologies, and contribute to projects utilizing Airflow, GCP, and Python.
PDXWIT events and programming and most importantly, the Invest In Your scholarship were the springboard to her success. Listen for practical ways to pivot your career with PDXWIT.
Learn more about PDXWIT here, Professional Networking - Women In Technology | PDXWIT — PDXWIT.
We're kicking off a new series for the podcast where we spotlight stories from the PDXWIT Community.
On this episode, we're joined by Cristabel Nichols and Estephany Mitchell – our first sister pair of podcast guests and powerhouse PDXWIT Community Members.
Cristabel currently heads up Web Operations Program Management at Provider Solutions & Development and Estephany supports our Operations here at PDXWIT. Together, they share the powerful impact PDXWIT had on their lives and careers: from free coding education, life changing mentorship, and access to leadership.
Learn about the power of PDXWIT’s events, resources, programming that bridge community and collective success.
PDXWIT volunteer, mentor, and member of the speakers bureau, Deana Solis, is the inaugural FinOps Leader at Smarsh. She attended the first FinOpsX Conference and won the award of first FinOps Evangelist.
As the youngest of four, Deana became known as the most fearful of her family and had to learn how to conquer her fears at a very young age.
Throughout her career, she became fueled by her fears and found them to be a source of inspiration for her professional development, learning new skills, and heightened emotional intelligence. She believes we must acknowledge our fears and to know we have agency in our own outcome.
Tune in to hear how her fears helped Deana choose meaningful goals in life and how they’ve impacted her journey as both a mother and mentor.
Learn more about FinOps and the FinOps Foundation here, What is FinOps? - FinOps Foundation.
Amanda Lopez, “Keener” and Senior Talent Acquisition Partner in the Outdoor Apparel Industry, joins us on the podcast.
A true Oregon Native, Amanda tells the story of her family opening the first Mexican Restaurant in Hood River as first generation immigrants and the community they built in Hood River.
A community builder herself, Amanda has been involved with PDXWIT since 2015. She launched Women of Color in Tech, serves on the board, and helps with PDXWIT’s Scholarship Program. Additionally, she plans to get involved with Latinos Outdoors and Partners in Diversity’s Community Resource Groups.
Tune in to hear about Amanda’s inspiring journey, how she’s approached her own community building work, and her involvement in the movement for creating a more inclusive and accessible Outdoor Industry.
Data & Communications Manager Isabel J. Rodriguez joins us on the podcast to introduce PDXWIT’s 2022 State of the Community survey.
Tune in to learn about the history of the survey and this year’s goals, how taking the survey can impact real change, and the principles PDXWIT uses to inform the questions we ask. Visit PDXWIT.org to take the survey, and get your responses in by August 11, 2022. Sharing it with your organizations and networks will help to amplify our impact.
On this episode of Humanizing Tech, Padmashree Koneti (she/her) joins us to discuss her experience with identity assimilation as a first-generation immigrant. As the VP of Product Management of Tableau and vocal advocate of DEI, Padmashree brings a wealth of skills and knowledge to the tech industry.
She defines the model minority myth in her own words, how it shapes the obstacles she overcame, and her hopefulness for future generations entering their careers today. Tune in for some career path inspiration like tips for tackling imposter syndrome, how to turn it into a strength, and why asking “why?” got her where she is today.
On this episode of Humanizing Tech, we’re joined by Tia Hopkins, CTO and Chief Cyber Risk Strategist with eSentire. Tia has 20+ years of experience in Cybersecurity and is committed to nurturing a diverse and inclusive generation of cybersecurity professionals.
We discuss how to build confidence, competence, and influence within any organization. A powerhouse footballer AND philosopher, Tia drops golden nuggets all throughout the episode relatable to young job seekers and seasoned pros, alike. As Tia says, in order to be great at something you’ve first got to “learn the game, play the game, and then change the game”.
Connect with Tia on LinkedIn or at www.tiahopkins.com.
On this episode of Humanizing Tech, we’re joined by Paloma Medina for a discussion on how her love of all things systems and her own personal upbringing has shaped her resiliency throughout her career and in Tech. By way of anarchism, her work in healthcare the tech community, Paloma proves the road you choose may not always be a straight path, but the journey will shape you. Tune in to learn about the 6 core needs we all have and go to www.palomamedina.com/biceps.
In this episode, we discuss why being adaptable can literally save lives. Founder and CEO of Milkrun, Julia Niiro, is bridging the gap between small farms and local communities with tech.
Growing up, Julia moved around a lot. We discuss how this informed her outlook on life and business, a tolerance for discomfort, a love of change, and how to let go of old ideas when they're not working.
A writer by passion, Julia’s career path blossomed alongside the emergence of E-commerce; when social media was picking up as a platform and when businesses began truly listening to their consumers. In 2013, she pivoted into the food industry, where she became immersed in our local food systems. Her relationships with small farms and local chefs unearthed the need for a local distribution service that would both support farmers and keep workers safe and healthy through covid.
Learn more about Julia's innovative food technology, ways to engage with Milkrun. Let’s get passionate about our food systems! And use the code WIT30 for 30% off your first two orders!
On this episode of Humanizing Tech, we’re joined by CEO and Founder at Edify, Kristen Buchanan (she/her). A longtime fan of PDXWIT, Kristen noticed many of the people she was meeting had to “manage up” during their onboarding experience. She kept hearing stories about how difficult that is, especially for people with marginalized identities. Kristen believes the new hires aren’t responsible for shaping an onboarding experience; that it’s the people managers who need to own this part of the process in a systematic way -- beyond gut feelings. This led to her building a solution that offers a functional, holistic onboarding experience tailored for teams to attract, keep, and grow great employees. We learn all about Kristen’s philosophy toward equitable onboarding, team building, and her entrepreneurial journey -- specifically the importance of your mentors challenging you, how she took that leap of faith into business ownership, and her best advice both for others seeking the motivation to get their own business ideas out there and for those interviewing for new employment opportunities.
On this episode of Humanizing Tech, we’re joined by Jackie Wirz. Jackie helps develop creative, confident, and curious critical thinkers by engaging them in socially conscious and equitable STEM experiences as the Executive Director of Saturday Academy. We discussed how she nurtures her mental health, how she defines making an impact, and what being an advocate means to her. Jackie was also this year’s winner for Speaker of the Year with PDXWIT! Tune in to hear about the work Jackie’s putting in toward our collective future.
On this episode of Humanizing Tech, we’re joined by Anna Madill. Anna is the Founder and CEO of Avenue, a digital marketing agency that amplifies the impact of growth-minded and purpose-driven companies through results-led digital marketing.
Anna shares how she boosts her confidence with public speaking, the challenges of running a company as a woman of color, and what goes into becoming a Certified B Corporation. We also took some time to reflect how we’re each acknowledging Asian American Heritage month.
Tune in to learn about cultivating workplace culture in the startup phases and building an environment of safety and trust. From how she balances her passion for business and for being a mom, her self-care favorites, and where she focuses her volunteering efforts, Anna is a business owner we can all learn a lot from.
Join us as we welcome Kistein Monkhouse the CEO and Founder of Patient Orater -- a platform that uses storytelling to improve patient experience and population health. Also a filmmaker, Kistein discusses her documentary “Humanizing Healthcare.”
On this episode of Humanizing Tech, we were joined by Jelani Memory, CEO and Founder of A Kids Book About. Jelani’s company publishes books to help kids and their grownups have honest conversations about things that matter. He authored the first book in the series, A Kids Book About Racism. We discussed that magic time before age 9 where kids and parents are reading together, how parents can become co-learners alongside their kids, and how reading these challenging, empowering and important books to our kids can ultimately enable them to lead better lives. Listen in to hear why our kids are more ready for these conversations than we realize. Learn more about Jelani’s work and find his books at A Kids Book About.
Joy Buolamwini is a Ghanian-American computer scientist at MIT who researches algorithmic bias in computer vision systems and is focused on identifying bias in artificial intelligence and practices for accountability. She’s also the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League. Wildly accomplished, Joy’s research on this subject has been covered in over 40 countries.
In this episode, we discuss how the tech industry has a tendency to center the potential of technology, while often overlooking existing gaps and outcomes that perpetuate harm. In Joy’s case, she identified racially biased facial recognition software that couldn’t detect her skin color due to outdated code. By re-writing the practices that perpetuate harmful bias, Joy calls herself a “poet of code.” Listen to learn about how Joy’s discoveries are evidence for why developing ethical software matters.
Our very own April Leonard (she/her) joins us on the PDXWIT podcast! April is an Engineering Manager at GitHub and also leads our Podcast Volunteer Team. With a passion for playing music, ballet, and growing people, April pivoted from the arts, to math, to eventually tech, and ultimately managing teams.
We asked April where she gets the inspiration to “stay up” even in the dark days, how she approaches management, and how she creates and facilitates joy. She regales us with what happens from networking and being a little scrappy, why moms make good managers, and why staying curious and seeking common ground with others matter. Thanks for listening! Find some joy out there.
Alexis Williams (she/her) is currently a student at NYU, majoring in integrated digital media with a concentration in computer science and web development. Today on Humanizing Tech, Anusha and Ochuko share insights around Alexis’s rising career in tech, her experiences and how they relate, and how she uses digital content to inspire other young women in computer science. Alexis is known for her action-oriented solutions and multidisciplinary perspective, which she makes accessible through social media, her podcast, and her website. In this episode, our hosts reflect about how important it is for tech environments to hold the space for young women and BIPOC coders to thrive and encourage listeners to bring your individuality to the table, no matter what your differences are.
Find Alexis on TikTok @lelegenevieve. Listen and support her podcast, Clueless with Alexis. Take action on her website and resources, www.pb-resources.com/.
Rihana Mungin (she/her) is a Mechanical Engineering Graduate Research Assistant and the Board Treasurer for PDXWIT. She joins us on the podcast to share about her experience in academia as a Black woman and what it's like to learn through the eyes of astronauts. We discuss learning from failure, how arts and drama can build confidence in any career path, and how finding the right team bolsters a sense of belonging. Listen to find out what can happen when you find a welcoming, supportive community and some fun facts about sending weave to space and getting slimed by Nickelodeon.
Find Rihana on LinkedIn.
Technical Storyteller and Digital Anthropologist, Grace Andrews, joins us on the podcast to impart wisdom from her education, cultural and family upbringing, and passion for storytelling. In the episode, Grace shares how she brings the power of storytelling to her work as a product marketer, content creator, and speaking coach. We discuss picking your own title, the evolution of a storyteller, and authenticity in storytelling.
Find Grace on instagram @grace_ewuraesi, her website asprinklingofgrace.com, or email her at grace@asprinklingofgrace.com.
As a Chetco and Tututni member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, Erin Grace brings her love of language to learning and documenting inclusive spaces for Native Americans in tech. We learn more about her expertise as a technical writer through read the friendly manual, the questions she has to face when considering a facial tattoo, challenges to BIPOC and blood quantum.
If you want to learn more about the Dee-ni project or learn more about the tech natives affinity group at PDXWIT, don’t hesitate to reach Erin at eringrace@pdxwit.org.
Ellen Ochoa pushes the boundaries in her field as the first Hispanic female astronaut and director of NASA's Johnson Space Center. She shares her story through presentations and is a leader in STEM education and advocacy. In this episode, we discuss how Ellen’s story inspires us to reach for the stars and help the next generation grow to their fullest potential.
Kimberly Embry, program manager and entrepreneur, inspires us to apply for jobs we can grow into, recognize that every skill you gain helps shape your story, and how to get unstuck when you’re not feeling fulfilled.
Learn more about her path from nursing to tech through coding bootcamp, how her Filipino culture influenced her, and how she’s successfully found ways to weave creativity throughout her life. Then check out her amazing jewelry at https://kasa-kasama.com/!
Rachel Parrott, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at New Relic shares actionable programs any organization can take to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace. Join us in learning the difference between an ally and an accomplice, finding career growth through employee resource groups, the neuroscience of why we should treat each other well, and many other tips.
Get inspired to make a difference with Ochuko Akpovbovbo, a talented student and entrepreneur, who joins us to share her passion for tech, startups, and making capital accessible for women of color. She shows us the power of being involved in the community through her work with Girls Inc., the Portland Incubator Project (PIE), and PDXWIT.
Wonder what the current COVID-19 situation means for PDXWIT, an organization where coming together in person feels foundational? Join Kimberly and Dawn as they interview Hazel Valdez and Elizabeth Stock, PDXWIT's Operations Manager and Executive Director, to explore what changes the community can expect, both short and long term. And how we can still enjoy what we love about this community in new formats as we navigate this new normal, apart together.
Continuing our WIT(H) series (women in technology history), hosts Dawn Mott and Kimberly Embry celebrate Women's History Month. We highlight the stories of these women in technology: Everlyn Boyd Granville, who increased access to information and promoted education, Joan Ball, who revolutionized computer dating despite hardship, the innovative mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, and Donna Hammond, a Portland native and electrician who work has made trades a safe place for women and diverse workers.
Jesselle Hedman shares how her background in organizational communications theory helped her impact the workplace through an equity, inclusion, and diversity lens. From building out a diversity and inclusion program at Vacasa to recruiting for Thinkful, a forward thinking career accelerator program with an emphasis on student success.
Sometimes a new year means a new beginning, and maybe some new travel plans too. On this episode of Breaking the Glass Ceiling, we meet with Megan Bigelow, mother, wife, Director of Customer Reliability Engineering and founder of PDXWIT. Listen in as Megan shares her plans for 2020, including a shift in one of her many major roles.
In a new series of Breaking the Glass Ceiling, hosts, Dawn Mott and Kimberly Embry, learn about and reflect on the inspiring women that have paved and continue to pave the way in mathematics, science, and technology. For the month of February, this episode of WIT(H) (or Women in Tech History) starts with Black History Month. Join us as we focus on the accomplishments and experiences of Annie J Easley, Latanya Sweeney, Dr. Gladys Mae West, and Lindsey Murphy.
Our second season takes a deep dive into PDXWIT’s values. We’ll hear stories of courage, growth, and adaptation. Our guests have demonstrated how taking personal action can affect change at a larger scale. By highlighting these stories, we can make tech, and the world at large, a better place.
Dana Lawson makes coding exciting and human interactions deep and authentic. From a modest beginning on the New Mexico - Texas border, Dana Lawson has achieved the prestigious title, VP of Engineering at GitHub. But she did not get to where she is now by simply chasing a title; she put in the work and continues to study and hone her craft.
Join us as we venture with Dana from studying Fine Arts in college, through her early years programming in the Army, to working with many startups, to where she is now. Dana gets personal with the podcast team, sharing experiences of discrimination and stories of growth and shedding ego in this technology-centric episode.
Ever the team player and coach, Marcus Carter joins us to talk about self-awareness and ultimately, self-acceptance. Marcus shares personal stories of realizations through conversations with his wife and moments of growth with his two daughters. He shares the steps he’s taken to get into tech throughout his career path and into his current role as a talent partner and community advocate.
There are lessons of acceptance of self and others. Marcus Carter’s inquisitive mind and non-judgemental nature enlivened our recording studio. His willingness to open up with us was inspiring. We hope this episode motivates you to bring your full, compassionate self to the office and uplift those around you where ever you go, as he did with us.
Like many of us, Gabrielle Blackwell longed to feel included in her one-time chosen home of Portland, Oregon. But something didn’t feel right. Although organizations like PDXWIT provide us with a safe space to be ourselves and many ways to get involved, Gabrielle felt something was missing, but could that something be found inside herself?
From her first commission-based sales job in tech to her current role as a sales manager, her story is one of both hope and hardship. Back in her native Chicago, Gabrielle joins us to share some lessons on how being vulnerable allowed her to take the first steps to feeling included in the world of tech.
Episode Guide:
0:00 - 20:00: Introduction to Gabrielle Blackwell
20:00 - 35:00: Discussion about inclusion
35:00 - 50:00: Discussion about vulnerability
Natalie Ruiz shares her story of authenticity rocketing into career growth. Once a used-car salesperson, Natalie entered AnswerConnect through a temporary agency in a sales position. Through her fearless honesty and proven track record of workplace wins Natalie has achieved something she never dreamed possible, she is now CEO.
We explore what happened when she opened up at work about changes in her personal life and the community that vulnerability can foster. A fabulous mom, an efficient “work from anywhere” CEO, Natalie Ruiz shares how she gets it all done.
We start our exploration into living the PDXWIT values with Max Western and Kilaa Slaughter-Scott. At PDXWIT we believe in nurturing our community through career growth and opportunities, mentorship, and skill-building events in a way that is authentic, clear, accessible and relatable. Kilaa and Max are both co-chairs of Cambia Employee Resource Groups.
Our guests share their experiences building community where none previously existed. Max Western shares their community efforts through their time spent at the kettlebell gym and work with Smyrc. Kilaa Slaughter-Scott volunteers within her community on the board of North by North East Community Health Center as well as being an involved and enthusiastic mother. Enjoy this community focused episodes as we bring awareness to initiatives we’d like to learn more about.
On the Season Two opener of Breaking the Glass Ceiling, new hosts Kimberly Embry and Dawn Mott interview Megan Bigelow. For those who don’t know, Megan is the founder and president of PDXWIT. In this episode, she shares the evolution of PDXWIT's values.
Megan goes deep into her journey with self-awareness and how she’s leveraged some uncomfortable realizations to create a more inclusive organization. Megan also gives some real life examples of how an individual's small scale efforts can make a big difference.
Our first season highlighted the people working to make the tech industry a more diverse and inclusive place. On each episode, we dug below the surface of our guest's achievements and challenges, showcasing the stories behind the story. We believe that focusing on the person and humanizing their lived experiences will help us shape the future of tech.
Karvari Ellingson was having a hard time after getting her Fine Arts degree. She got tired of having to choose between eating and paying bills, so she picked up “computer programming” out of a list of “10 highest paying careers” and ran with it.
Karvari joined a coding school and couch surfed to make it work. After completing the program, she earned a coveted paid internship and after trying different programming teams she found her spot in DevOps. Along with a new job, she is a mentor at the PDXWIT mentorship program, and she helps code school recent grads with interviewing skills.
It all sounds like the tech turn-your-life-around dream, but she still has to put up with a lot of sexism, and other -isms that a career in tech seems to bring.
On this episode of BTGC, Juliana and Brit are speaking with Dayna Del Mar, who uses she/her pronouns. Dayna brings a unique combination of community building, people and culture operations, global travel and talent acquisition to her role as CEO of PackDen.
A Long Island native, Dayna has pursued adventure all over the world, from high-end yachts to villages in Ghana, from the Himalayas to the Andes. She was drawn to the West Coast in pursuit of more adventure and a thriving technology community, so it’s no surprise that she founded PackDen - an app that will help outdoor enthusiasts connect to friends, gear and guides in order to adventure outdoors.
The conclusion of Ruth Lesser’s story about her journey to acquiring US citizenship.
In the following hot second interview we talk to Amy Nelson, founder of The Riveter, who goes by she/her pronouns. She tells us about the opening of a new Riveter co-working space and why they chose Portland for it.
H1B visa immigrant, Ruth Lesser, has been living in this country for 10 years and just bought her first home in 2018. In March of this year she found out her visa extension had been denied and is in the process of petitioning a review with her current employer and their legal team. If that attempt gets denied by US Citizenship and Immigration again, she will have only 4 weeks to leave the US.
We have changed her name to allow for the comfort of anonymity during this challenging time, as this is being recorded on May 5, and the decision will be communicated to Ruth within the month.
Ruth's contact: ruthlesser38@gmail.com
Perry is a passionate champion for underrepresented minorities in tech, who uses they/he pronouns. Born in the UK, they are a passionate champion for underrepresented minorities in tech. Before joining Netlify, Perry was a student and afterwards, an instructor at Epicodus, a coding bootcamp. They’ve been an active member of several communities that support underrepresented identities in tech, including Lesbians Who Tech, Out in Tech, and PDXWIT.
In this episode, your co-hosts Juliana Kutch and Brit Syer talk with Lindsey Murphy aka Crazy Aunt Lindsey, who goes by she/her pronouns. Lindsey is the creator of the YouTube web series, The Fab Lab With Crazy Aunt Lindsey. In the show, she turns science into fabulous DIY experiments that engage kids of all ages! After experiencing career burnout on the East Coast, Lindsey moved to Portland where her creativity and entrepreneurial drive led her to many successful partnerships with local and national communities, from TEDx Portland to NASA.
Books mentioned:
"A Women's Guide to Successful Negotiating" by Jessica and Lee Miller
"The Art of the Start" by Guy Kawasaki
On episode number two, your co-hosts Juliana Kutch and Brit Syer talk with Abeer Eltanawy, who uses she/her pronouns. Abeer is from Egypt and moved to the Bay area in 2014. She then moved to Portland to be with her husband and daughter in 2016. She has completed a Master of Arts in Cancer Research and is currently working on her Master of Science in Information Technology, while creating a space and name for herself in the new field of cheminformatics. Currently Abeer faces a new challenge working out her VISA details in the midst of this current political climate.
On this very first episode co-hosts Brit Syer and Juliana Kutch interview Katrina Johnson, who uses she/her pronouns. Katrina is a Chicago born Data Science student who won the 2018 PDXWIT Scholarship award, which she will use to attend a conference on machine learning and artificial intelligence in Austin, TX. She has dual Masters degrees in English and Philosophy, and hopes to use her newfound data science superpowers to fight for social justice.
