In this episode, Lola delivers a strong hot take, challenging the notion that technical success automatically qualifies one to solve all the world's most complex problems. She and Mamuna dive deep into the dangerous hubris of assuming software expertise translates to solving issues like world hunger, politics, or even hardware production.

💡 We cover:

• Why the "tech is eating the world" mindset creates overconfidence.

• Why the people side is the most underestimated variable in problem-solving.

• The concept of Wicked Problems: solving one area can worsen another.

• Why hardware is 15 to 25 times harder than software due to fulfillment.

• Why you must plan for "foreseeable consequences" instead of shipping first.

🎙️ Hosts:Mamuna Oladipo & Lola Oyelayo-Pearson

📩 Email us your letters: [email protected]

💬 Follow us on X/Twitter: @LostInTechPod

❤️ Like, share, and subscribe for more honest conversations about life and leadership in tech.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters - https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters/p/coming-soon?

• Wicked Problems: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/wicked-problem/about/What-is-a-wicked-problem

You've heard her navigating big tech, but now Mamuna is building her own AI startup! She takes us through the deeply personal journey of leaving her corporate role to become a founder and shares the highly technical, unique strategy she is using to build a sophisticated consumer health companion product completely by herself.

💡 We cover:

• Transitioning from corporate structure to unstructured time.

• The AI Health Companion vision: using tech to track health patterns.

• The founder's AI tool stack: Pitting GPT, Claude, and Cursor against each other.

• The strategy: Get users first to validate the product and business model.

• The founder's uncomfortable truth: Being a full-time salesperson.

🎙️ Hosts:Mamuna Oladipo & Lola Oyelayo-Pearson📩 Email us your letters: [email protected]💬 Follow us on X/Twitter: @LostInTechPod❤️ Like, share, and subscribe for more honest conversations about life and leadership in tech.Show Notes: • Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters - https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters/p/coming-soon?

Who really makes decisions in your company? Mamuna and Lola expose the silent power dynamics of the tech workplace, from the weaponization of personality tests (like Enneagram) to the strategic use of skip one-on-ones. Learn how to navigate the politics, avoid the "Yes Man" trap, and use your influence to spark necessary (but difficult) conversations without burning bridges.

💡 We cover:

• The true nature of power dynamics: who has the ear of the leader vs. who has decision-making sway.

• Why facts don't always matter when opinion is stated loudly and confidently.

• The dangers of weaponizing personality tests (like Enneagram/Myers-Briggs) to categorize and constrain colleagues.

• Founder/CEO Advice: Why coaching is better than testing and how to detect empire builders and toxic delegators.

• The Skip 1:1 Power Play: How to use skip-level meetings strategically and the risks of sharing sensitive feedback.

🎙️ Hosts: Mamuna Oladipo & Lola Oyelayo-Pearson

📩 Email us your letters: [email protected]💬 Follow us on X/Twitter: @LostInTechPod

❤️ Like, share, and subscribe for more honest conversations about life and leadership in tech.

Show Notes: • Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters - https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters/p/coming-soon?

If you're stuck in a cycle of constant organizational reshuffling, you are not alone. Mamuna and Lola dive deep into why modern tech reorgs often fail, exposing the leaderswho promote their "yes men" over competent staff, leading to employee dissonance and accelerated burnout. This is essential listening if you're feeling unsettled at work.

💡 We cover:

·  Why frequent reorgs ignore the human cost and the change curve.

·  The "Yes Man" Trap in leadership promotions that sabotages teams.

·  Recognizing when constant restructuring signals major financial or strategic red flags.

·  Prioritizing self-preservation: Your loyalty must be to yourself and your exit plan.

· The power of honest leadership: naming gaps instead of selling unrealistic scenarios.

🎙️ Hosts:Mamuna Oladipo & Lola Oyelayo-Pearson📩 Email us your letters: [email protected]💬 Follow us on X/Twitter: @LostInTechPod❤️ Like, share, and subscribe for more honest conversations about life and leadership in tech.Show Notes: • Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters - https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters/p/coming-soon?

You’ve earned the title but what happens next? Mamuna Oladipo shares the exhilarating, terrifying, and necessary decision she made to leave her VP level role in techwithout a job lined up. This episode explores the mental hurdle of breaking free from career expectations to make space for genuine growth and renewed energy.

💡 We cover:

·    The societal pressure to always be "doing" and the definition of self worth by work.

·     Why the feeling of discomfort is a signal for growth (like throwing a muscle).

·     The privilege of strategic off boarding and negotiating terms at a senior level.

·      How taking unstructured time allows you to tinker, be creative, and find new passion.

·     Breaking generational burdens and giving yourself permission for unstructured time at your career peak.

🎙️ Hosts:Mamuna Oladipo & Lola Oyelayo-Pearson📩 Email us your letters: [email protected]💬 Follow us on X/Twitter: @LostInTechPod❤️ Like, share, and subscribe for more honest conversations about life and leadership in tech.Show Notes: • Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters - https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters/p/coming-soon?

You've heard the buzzword, but "work-life balance" is a fantasy, it's about setting boundaries and managing expectations to protect your time and prevent burnout. Mamuna and Lola, recording IRL for the first time, unpack the mindset shift needed to prioritize output over presenteeism in the demanding world of tech.

💡 We cover:

·   Why asking about holiday policies in interviews is a power move, not a mistake.

·    Exposing the toxic "996" hustle culture and why it's unsustainable ego-swinging.

·    The difference between work-life balance and work-life management.

·    How to use your calendar defensively to block out non-negotiable personal time (like family pickups and appointments).

·    Focusing on measurable outputs instead of succumbing to presenteeism.

🎙️ Hosts:Mamuna Oladipo & Lola Oyelayo-Pearson📩 Email us your letters: [email protected]💬 Follow us on X/Twitter: @LostInTechPod❤️ Like, share, and subscribe for more honest conversations about life and leadership in tech.Show Notes: • Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters - https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters/p/coming-soon?

Mamuna and Lola tackle the core misconception in engineering culture: the belief that the superior technologyalways wins the market. They break down why product packaging, user experience, and distribution often beat out technical perfection.

💡 We Cover:

• The fatal flaw: Being technicallysuperior does not mean being commercially successful.
• Why engineers default to asking for the "APILink" or "SDK" when analyzing competitors.
• Case Studies: How Apple (iPod, iPhone)and OpenAI (ChatGPT) won by centering the human and democratizing access, notby inventing the underlying tech.
• Product vs. Ego: You must solve acustomer pain or deliver a clear gain to motivate people to pay.

 🎙️ Hosts:Mamuna Oladipo & Lola Oyelayo-Pearson📩 Email us your letters: [email protected]💬 Follow us on X/Twitter: @LostInTechPod❤️ Like, share, and subscribe for more honest conversations about life and leadership in tech.Show Notes: • Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters - https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters/p/coming-soon?

You insist on being the face of every project, shielding your team from visibility in the name of "protection." Mamuna and Lola ask the hard question: Are you protecting your team, or secretly glory hunting and sabotaging their careers?

💡 We Cover:

• Why the "I'll handle this one" mentality is a control and ego issue, not care.

• The difference between the Ego Self and the True Self in leadership.

• Signs of glory hunting: Poor delegation, rewriting your team's documents, and gatekeeping meetings 🚪

.• The critical shift: Move from Hero Mode to Coaching Mode to ensure your team, and your legacy, thrives.🎙️

🎙️Hosts:

Mamuna Oladipo & Lola Oyelayo-Pearson

📩 Email us your letters: [email protected]

💬 Follow us on X/Twitter: @LostInTechPod

❤️ Like, share, and subscribe for more honest conversations about life and leadership in tech.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters - https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters/p/coming-soon?

After a layoff, the instinct is to panic and immediately apply for new roles, but this is a critical mistake. Mamuna and Lola discuss why the "post layoff pause" is non-negotiable for success and how to stop carrying old stress into your next interview.

💡 We cover:

• The UrgencyTrap and why panic sabotages your job search.
• How unprocessed grief makes you fail job interviews.
• Overcoming the emotional struggle of feeling "unworthy."
• Why processing feelings is a process, not a timeline.

 🎙️ Hosts: Mamuna Oladipo & Lola Oyelayo-Pearson📩 Email us your letters: [email protected]💬 Follow us on X/Twitter: @LostInTechPod❤️ Like, share, and subscribe for more honest conversations about life and leadership in tech.Show Notes: • Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters - https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters/p/coming-soon?

We've all embraced AI for productivity, but what is it doing to us as humans? Mamuna and Lola dive into the critical work of Brené Brown to explore how AI is eroding our relational abilities and threatening the core skills needed for successful leadership.

💡 We cover:

• Brené Brown's warning: Why AI as your "BFF" erodes human connection.

• The augmentation vs. replacement trap and how AI is killing foundational career skills (like writing a PRD).

• How AI and echo chambers are fueling polarization and preventing essential conflict resolution.