Her Way Podcast

In this episode, we delve into the journey of Mauria Finley, Vice President of Google Store and Google Fi Wireless, Founder and CEO of multi million companies Allume and Citrus Lane, and adjunct lecturer at Stanford University. Finley shares her experiences of overcoming educational disparities, the impact of her work on major tech products like Netscape and Gmail, and her transition from startups to big tech. Finley also discusses her role at Google, blending technical and managerial skills, and offers valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and those looking to enter male-dominated fields. She emphasizes the importance of empathy in leadership and gives insights into her teaching approach at Stanford. Concluding with advice for high school students, she reminds listeners to lead with radical empathy in the workplace.

00:00 Introduction and Early Life

00:35 Discovering Computer Science at Stanford

02:09 Career Highlights in Tech

03:42 Role as VP at Google

05:31 Startups vs. Big Companies

07:20 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

13:58 Teaching at Stanford

17:09 Human-Centered Computer Science

19:38 Future of Computer Science

22:06 Advice for Women in Tech

23:19 Advice for High School Students

In this episode, we welcome Christine Luong, the sustainability manager of Palo Alto. She shares her transition from pre-med to environmental policy, sparked by volunteering at an environmental justice organization. Christine discusses the development of Palo Alto's Climate Action Plan and the increasing governmental effort she has led to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2030. She discusses leading diverse initiatives, developing Palo Alto's Climate Action Plan, and the crucial role of local government in sustainable development. For aspiring climate advocates, Christine highlights the impact of voting and actionable climate-friendly practices.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:15 Christine's Journey to Sustainability

02:37 Education and Career Insights

04:23 Leading Successful Initiatives

06:22 Developing Climate Action Plans

08:42 Government and Community Collaboration

15:40 Leadership and Motivation

19:29 Advice for Aspiring Climate Advocates

25:53 Final Thoughts and Farewell

In the next episode of the series Her Way AAPI, Her Way spotlights Wendy Nguyen, co-founder of Stand with Asian Americans and Asian Americans Rise, two movements dedicated to amplifying Asian American political voices. As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Nguyen reflects on how being a beneficiary of the American system fueled her commitment to advocacy and equity. In the wake of the Atlanta spa shootings, she co-authored a pivotal open letter in the WSJ. She then established two nonprofits focused on the legal and civic responses to anti-AAPI hate. Nguyen also discusses her current initiative to mobilize over 300,000 young AAPI voters through a “moneyball” approach that maximizes impact and cost by targeting specific demographics. She asks “What is the cost per vote or registration?” Nguyen reminds us to pursue the path that is also congruent with our values. 

In today’s interview, we are joined by Rachel Quon, Head of Operations at Just Women’s Sports and a pivotal member of their startup team. Just Women’s Sports is a media company founded during the pandemic dedicated entirely to women’s sports.  Rachel herself is a former soccer player for the Canadian national team and the NWSL's Chicago Red Stars. During her time as a student-athlete at Stanford, she experienced firsthand the highly competitive culture of college soccer, which was the pinnacle for many players at the time.  Throughout her professional career though, Rachel witnessed the minimal investment in women's sports, often traveling by train and staying with host families. She was drawn to Just Women’s Sport’s vision and product, crediting the early founders for building it from the ground up by grinding out small wins to gain credibility. Rachel still embraces the role of "wearing many hats," covering business strategy, finance, HR, and marketing.  She also emphasizes the fierce competitiveness of female athletes—highlighting rivalries like that of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese that are drawing the largest audiences and expanding the sport globally. Looking ahead, she is focused on building a robust ecosystem for women’s sports and sees immense growth potential in the industry’s future. 

We're kicking off the school year, and our new series HER WAY CLIMATE with an interview with Deborah Sivas, an Environmental Lawyer and Director of the Environmental Law Clinic at Stanford Law School. Professor Sivas shares her experience working in the nuanced intersection of climate policy and environmental law. Sivas predicts that due to a conservative Supreme Court, there will be less and less judicial environmental protection as court decisions continue to water down protective litigation, as seen in cases regarding the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act. Moreover, Professor Sivas urges updates to environmental legislation that was “adopted in a different era,” in order to adapt to our current climate crisis. Sivas emphasizes that addressing climate change requires the work of not only environmental litigators, but policy makers, independent institutions, and ordinary citizens: it truly “takes a village.”

In the next episode of the series Her Way AAPI where we highlight Asian American female leaders, Her Way welcomes Mae Lee, department chair and professor in Asian American and Ethnic studies at De Anza College.  Raised in New York City, Professor Lee grew up in predominantly white neighborhoods and schools with few Asian peers.  She shares how her perception of herself shifted  from identifying primarily as Chinese to embracing an Asian American identity after attending Stanford University.  She describes feeling like an outsider due to cultural differences, but describes how “cultural analysis led [her] to have a deficiency mindset.”  In her courses, she focuses on providing historical context on Asian hate to help people understand the ongoing injustice, and has recently observed heightened sensitivity among her students to Asian hate crimes.  She emphasizes the importance of having this foundation and fosters active participation in addressing contemporary social issues.

In today’s episode, we are joined by Jean Kwok, award winning, New York Times and internationally bestselling Chinese American author. Kwok is the author of novels Girls in Translation, Mambo in Chinatown, Searching for Sylvie Lee, and more. Her work has been published in twenty countries and taught in universities, colleges and high schools across the world. In this episode, Kwok shares how she overcame hardship when immigrating from Hong Kong to Brooklyn at five years old. Kwok explains how her experience tolerating failure has shaped her success today, reminding listeners that your potential for success is inversely proportional to your ability to overcome setbacks. Kwok delves into the nuanced lines that immigrants straddle between their cultural origins and their new homeland, urging listeners to chase a life that is authentically your own, rather than attempting to fulfill exterior expectations. Throughout the interview, Kwok draws deep connections between how her positionality and cultural identity reflect in her writing.

In the first episode of the series Her Way AAPI where we highlight Asian American female leaders, we are joined by Margaret Abe-Koga, former mayor of Mountain View and current candidate for Santa Clara County Supervisor.  Born and raised in the Peninsula, Margaret became a translator for her Japanese parents and personally witnessed the discrimination one receives without a voice.  She then took various positions in local government and was mentored by several prominent politicians including Anna Eshoo and Norman Mineta before being elected the first Asian Pacific Islander American woman to serve as Vice Mayor and Mayor in Mountain View’s history.  With a deep passion for creating opportunity, Margaret shares how she cultivated a strong base of support and explains why it's so important to take a chance and break the glass ceiling.  As a community leader, Margaret works on raising minimum wage, assuring a guaranteed basic income program for low-income families, and creating clean energy authorities to lower carbon emissions.  Her election for County Supervisor is on March 5th!  Check out https://www.mak4supervisor.com/ to learn more. 

Her Way Climate hosts a spotlight on Lauren Weston, the Executive Director of Acterra, a Bay Area nonprofit dedicated to bringing people together to create local solutions for a healthy planet. Lauren has nearly two decades of leadership experience in fundraising, philanthropy, and advocacy from several well-regarded education nonprofits including the Breakthrough Collaborative, Hiller Aviation Museum, and the YMCA. In this spotlight, Lauren discusses the core programs of Acterra, ranging from beneficial electrification to their motto of "healthy plate, healthy planet." She also explains Acterra's Theory of Change, which is to compel the wider public to recognize the urgency of the climate crisis and to increase people's willingness to take appropriate actions. This spotlight ends with a guest Q&A.

Her Way Spotlights are online events made available for listeners to join. See our upcoming events at herwayspotlights.com.

In this episode we explore the journey of Abby Greubel, co-founder of ELETE, an online platform connecting collegiate athletes with youth athletes. Abby shares how she navigated the complex process of founding ELETE by interviewing Stanford athletes, gathering valuable insights into what they desired from ELETE and leveraging their network for feedback. Despite the challenges of running ELETE while being a full-time student athlete, Abby emphasizes the importance of staying true to one's path, setting realistic goals, and defining progress and momentum. She shares the dual-sided service ELETE offers, catering to both college athletes and youth athletes, and highlights the support she received from the student athlete community. Abby's journey is a testament to the value of pursuing one's strengths, staying resilient in the face of challenges, and creating a sense of purpose by supporting the next generation of athletes. Her story encourages listeners to be open to new opportunities and to invest time and energy in endeavors that bring value and a sense of importance.