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Engineer Your Career episodes
- Curious Technologist: Path to Fractional CTO with Boomie Odumade
Boomie Odumade is a fractional CTO, a career coach, and an instructor. She’s a senior engineering leader with more than 20 years of experience across startups, nonprofits, and large enterprises, including Accenture, NPR, and Capital One. Boomie is also a board member for two nonprofits focused on advancing women and girls in STEM and is an experienced speaker.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why she decided to pivot from full-time to fractional roles
The best questions to ask in an interview to assess company culture
The advice she’d give her younger self
Networking tips for introverts
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Boomie’s AdaMarie post on self-advocacy: https://weareadamarie.com/blog/self-advocacy-starter-guide-for-early-career-professionals
Where to find Boomie Odumade:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/odumade/
TechBees: https://techbees.me/
Brought to you by WEST: https://www.joinwest.org
Where to find Heidi Williams:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiwilliams1
Where to find Karen Ko:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenko26
32 min - Startup Journeys with Ei-Nyung Choi
Ei-Nyung Choi is an engineering leader, fractional CTO, technical advisor, and speaker. A full-stack engineer with more than 20 years of experience spanning mobile, web, and gaming, Ei-Nyung is passionate about mentoring founders and women in tech.
In this episode, we discuss:
The importance of being willing to learn and make mistakes
Slowing down to help those behind you vs running at full speed
The advice Ei-Nyung gives every startup founder
What to consider when raising a seed round
Where to find Ei-Nyung Choi:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/einyungchoi/
Brought to you by WEST: https://www.joinwest.org
Where to find Heidi Williams:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiwilliams1
Where to find Karen Ko:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenko26
1 hr - Taking Leaps of Faith with Lauren Stoller
Lauren Stoller, VP of Data and Analytics at Brigit, is an experienced Data Product Manager known for full product lifecycle success, from ideation to iteration. A big-picture thinker, she uses analytics for competitive advantage and empowers teams to solve problems creatively. She has broad industry experience across retail, e-commerce, finance, semiconductors, and early-stage start-ups. Lauren holds an MBA in Strategic Management from The Wharton School. Earlier in her career, she worked in both law and finance before discovering her passion and skill for data and analytics.
In this episode, we discuss:
How Lauren went from law to finance to tech
The best way to leverage networking and career interviews
Her unconventional leadership style
The advice she’d give her younger self
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Radical Candor by Kim Scott: https://www.radicalcandor.com/
Where to find Lauren Stoller:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenstoller/
Brought to you by WEST: https://www.joinwest.org
Where to find Heidi Williams:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiwilliams1
Where to find Karen Ko:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenko26
30 min - Leading with Authenticity and Pivoting with Purpose with Jumoke K. Dada
Jumoke Dada is a dynamic, visionary and technology leader whose sweet spot lies at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship, security, and education. With over 15 years of experience in corporate IT, and as the owner of Signature Red, she provides technology consulting services and has created platforms for women in tech.
Two of her creations include the Tech Women Network, an online community and career development platform for diverse technical women, and the HUE Tech Summit for Women of Color Technologists. Additionally, she's an international speaker and former tech contributor to Forbes. Jumoke holds a Master's in Cybersecurity from Georgia Tech.
In this episode, we discuss:
Authenticity and overcoming cultural norms
The importance and joy of building community
Pivotal moments that pushed her out of her comfort zone
Her decision to pursue a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity
Setting boundaries and self-care
Becoming an international public speaker
Where to find Jumoke Dada:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jumokedada/
Brought to you by WEST: https://www.joinwest.org
Where to find Heidi Williams:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiwilliams1
Where to find Karen Ko:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenko26
44 min - Mindful Engineering with Po Linn Chia
Po Linn (Fo) Chia is a Principal Software Engineer at Mindbody/Classpass, working primarily in the intersection of backend and DevOps. She graduated university with a degree in Japanese history, but pivoted to doing a coding bootcamp and the rest is history.
In this episode we discuss:
Fo’s journey from Humanities major to Staff Engineer
The importance of mentorship and having a good manager
Handling stress and mental health in the workplace
The best way to build new skills
Advice she’d give her younger self
Where to find Po Linn (Fo) Chia:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiapl/
Brought to you by WEST: https://www.joinwest.org
Where to find Heidi Williams:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiwilliams1
Where to find Karen Ko:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenko26
50 min - Tech for Good with Josie Daw
Josie Daw is a British full-stack developer and app developer actively contributing to South Korea's tech scene. She leverages technology to build impactful projects and especially loves to work on projects, whether as a developer or organizer, to create social impact.
In this episode we discuss:
Josie’s unconventional path to becoming a full-stack developer
How she gives back to the community through coding workshops and hackathons
Her passion for encouraging more people to feel comfortable with coding
Her current open-source project and how you can get involved
Advice she’d give her younger self
Resources mentioned:
Josie’s open-source project on GitHub:https://github.com/JosDaw
Where to find Josie Daw:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josiedaw/
Brought to you by WEST: https://www.joinwest.org
Where to find Heidi Williams:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiwilliams1
Where to find Karen Ko:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenko26
34 min - Navigating the Current Tech Job Market with Remy Schor
Remy Schor is the talent recruiter at Voxel51. With two decades of talent acquisition experience, both in agencies and as an internal recruiter, Remy brings extensive knowledge of what recruiters are looking for and what job seekers should expect from a good recruiter.
In this episode we discuss:
Practical advice on how to stand out among thousands of other applicants
Remy’s journey to her current role
How to optimize your resume
How to handle salary negotiations
Remy’s take on interviewing “for practice” when you’re not looking for a new job
Resources mentioned:
Remy’s 2022 talk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNjHP-6gtCw
Where to find Remy Schor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/remyschor/
Brought to you by WEST: https://www.joinwest.org
Where to find Heidi Williams:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiwilliams1
Where to find Karen Ko:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenko26
1 hr 8 min - The Art of Architectural Leadership with Tina Wright
Tina Wright is an Area Tech Lead at Grammarly, and has worked as a software engineer at Coursera, TRI, and Google.
In this episode we discuss:
What is an area tech lead?
Technical leadership as a generalist, rather than a specialist
How to get the best from your team through a service leadership style
The advice she would give her younger self
Resources mentioned:
Staff Engineer: Leadership Beyond the Management Track by Will Larson https://staffeng.com/book
The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor https://www.shawnachor.com/books/happiness-advantage/
In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell https://www.amazon.com/Praise-Idleness-Routledge-Classics-46/dp/0415325064
The QCon 2024 "The Path to Staff+ and Beyond" track Tina mentioned has passed, but you can purchase a Video Pass on the conference website to view the recordings. https://qconsf.com/track/nov2024/path-staff-and-beyond
Where to find Tina Wright:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinaewright/
Brought to you by WEST: https://www.joinwest.org
Where to find Heidi Williams:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiwilliams1
Where to find Karen Ko:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenko26
48 min - Coaching for Growth with Diana Stepner
Diana Stepner is a Product and Leadership Coach. With over 15 years of international product leadership experience, Diana has led numerous teams at companies such as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Kayak, Pearson, and more.
In this episode we discuss:
How she went from aspiring fish-store owner with a Marine Biology degree to Product Manager in tech
How the industry has evolved over the past two decades
How ensuring all stakeholders feel heard can make a project run a bit smoother
The advice she gives to clients who are facing burnout
The role of AI in product management
Resources mentioned:
Continuous Discovery Habits: Discover Products that Create Customer Value and Business Value by Teresa Torres https://www.amazon.com/Continuous-Discovery-Habits-Discover-Products/dp/1736633309
Where to find Diana Stepner:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianas/
Brought to you by WEST: https://www.joinwest.org
Where to find Heidi Williams:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiwilliams1
Where to find Karen Ko:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenko26
40 min - Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset with Shama (Keskar) Butala
Shama Keskar is a CTO, Founder, and mentor with experience leading engineering teams at Amazon, Google, and LinkedIn. Her background in nuclear physics and education gives her a unique perspective and a keen interest in exploring the power and potential of big data and analytics.
In this episode we discuss:
Shama's principles of leadership
How to turn a "work/life balance" break into a benefit for your career
Lessons learned during her journey as a cofounder
Determining which side hustles are worth pursuing
Learning from a failed startup experience
Strategies for scaling
Additional Resources:
Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI - McKinsey & Company
Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs - John Doerr
The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change - Camille Fournier
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future - Peter Thiel
Oneday - EIR program
Where to find Shama Keskar:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamakeskar
Brought to you by WEST: https://www.joinwest.org
Where to find Heidi Williams:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiwilliams1
Where to find Karen Ko:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenko26
27 min
About Engineer Your Career
From the publisher's feed
A podcast aimed at helping women technologists navigate and succeed in their careers. Brought to you by WEST, a learning community that empowers women technologists through mentorship. Through this…
podcast, we’ll explore the different paths leaders have taken to grow their tech leadership, develop their influence, and gain insights from top women leaders in the field. Hosted by Karen Ko and Heidi Williams.