Lost in Tech

Does being a great software engineer mean you can solve world hunger? Lola and Mamuna dive into the "hubris" of the tech world and why your engineering skills might not translate to solving complex human problems as easily as you think.

💡 We cover:

• The Tech Hubris Trap: Why building successful software doesn't automatically make you an expert in politics, hardware, or government budgets.

  
  

• Wicked Problems Explained: Understanding deeply intertwined issues where solving one part can unintentionally make another part worse.

  
  

• The Sunk Cost Fallacy in Tech: Why companies keep pushing into industries they don't understand just because they’ve "gone too far" to turn back.

  
  

• Know Your Limits: The importance of talking to experts who actually understand the "people side" of a problem before trying to disrupt it.

Watch the full episode on YouTube.🔔 Like, share & subscribe for more honest tech talk.🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.💌 Email us at [email protected]💬 Follow on X/Twitter: @lostintechpodShow Notes: • Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters - https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters/p/coming-soon?

Is your team actually underperforming, or are they just fighting a broken system? Mamuna and Lola dive into the "detective work" required to identify if you have a personnel problem or a systemic failure before you make the mistake of swapping out the wrong people.

💡 We cover:

• The "Output Trap": Why missing deadlines is often just a symptom of a much deeper, hidden issue.

• Systemic vs. Personnel: How to distinguish between a team that can't work and a team that won't work.

• The Root Cause Strategy: Why moving people to new teams rarely fixes the problem if the underlying environment is toxic or inefficient.

• The Six-Month Test: How to spot recurring patterns that prove your team isn't the problem—your process is.

Watch the full episode on YouTube.🔔 Like, share & subscribe for more honest tech talk.🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.💌 Email us at [email protected]💬 Follow on X/Twitter: @lostintechpodShow Notes: • Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters - https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters/p/coming-soon?

Mastering the "Executive Layer" is a career game-changer, but most people get it wrong by leading with too much fluff. Mamuna and Lola break down the exact strategies you need to command a room of senior leaders, handle the "deepdives," and maintain your confidence when you don't have all the answers.

💡 We cover:

·       Cutting the Fluff: Why you must lead with the "So What?" and skip the long preamble.

·       Managing the Deep Dive: How to handlesenior leaders who want to get into the weeds without losing control of the room.

·       The "Document" Hack: Why your supporting documents are your best friend during high-stakes Q&A.

·       Grace Under Pressure: How to professionally admit you don't have an answer while maintaining your authority.

🎙️ 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?

Kick off 2026 with Lola and Mamuna as they ditch the "resolution" trap in favor of strategic roadmapping and sustainable habit-building. From Mamuna's upcoming product launch to Lola's journey toward closing a massive sleep deficit, this episode explores how to navigate high-stakes tech careers while prioritizing personal growth and physical health.

💡 We cover:

·       The "Resolution" Fallacy: Why standard New Year's resolutions often fail and how to replace them with milestone-based roadmapping.

·       Discipline vs. Dopamine: The science ofwhy habits outperform short-term motivation and how to avoid the "hedonic adaptation" trap.

·       Building in Public: Mamuna shares the discomfort and growth of moving from executive to founder and aiming for a January Alpha launch.

·       The High Cost of Burnout: Lola’s deep dive into the physical toll of a sleep deficit and her commitment to prioritizing rest over productivity.

·       Wisdom from the Road: Lessons from an Egyptian Uber driver on never letting yourself get too far from your goals.

🎙️ 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?

It is officially the "Women Who Do Too Much" season, but at what cost to your body and mind? Lola Oyelayo-Pearson and Mamuna Oladipo dive deep into the dopamine addiction of high-stress work contexts and why our egos often trick us into creating the very busyness we complain about.

💡 In this episode, we cover:

• The Physical Toll of Stress: How cortisol manifests as real physical pain, from your neck to your glutes.

• The Ego and Busyness: Why we often use "being busy" as a shield or a way to feel valued in the workplace.

• Master Lists vs. Daily Lists: Shifting your productivity system to stop the cycle of carrying over a never-ending to-do list.

• Entrepreneurial Boundaries: Navigating the "free-for-all" schedule and learning how to prioritize self-care when the traditional structure is gone.

• The Power of "No": Understanding that it is okay to have a brilliant idea and choose not to act on it for the sake of your peace.

🎙️ 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?

It is December, which means performance review season is officially here. Lola and Mamuna share how to handle end of year wrap ups whether you are looking for a promotion or managing a growing team.

💡 We cover:

• How to manage expectations for pay rises and promos.

• The importance of owning your story and narrative.

• The difference between competencies and behavioral feedback.

• Why managers must avoid generic AI performance write ups.

• Bridging the gap to reach the next career level.

🎙️ 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?

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?