Lost in Tech

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.

DEI is being rapidly rolled back across corporate America, creating a toxic, hostile environment where the competence of minority leaders is constantly questioned. Mamuna and Lola share the unfiltered truth about being confronted with the "DEI hire" insult and why you must refuse to shrink to protect your career.

💡 We cover:

• The rapid rollback of DEI and why these conversations are "radioactive."

• Why the "DEI Hire" insult is a coded attack on your competence.

• The data proving diversity drives profitability (and why it's ignored).

• The essential need to reclaim your narrative and prioritize self-loyalty.

• (Bonus) The irony of "decentralized" Web3 services failing during a cloud outage.

🎙️ 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?

The same behaviors that earned you your current success will sabotage your attempt to reach the next level. Mamuna and Lola discuss the brutal truth of the "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" phenomenon, explaining why effective executive leadership requires a complete change in perspective and approach.

💡 We cover:

• Why your old behaviors will sabotage your next-level success.
• The shift from individual "micro mindset" to strategic "macro impact."
• Learning to "show up different" to command executive authority.

OpenAI is opening its platform to verified adult users for erotic content, following its controversial "**treat adults like adults**" policy. Mamuna and Lola dive into the cold capitalist calculations driving this change and the complex safety and societal issues of bringing AI into our most intimate relationships.

💡 We cover:

• The monetization pressure forcing OpenAI's pivot toward high-yield adult content.

• The "anti-human" reality of banning sex, a core human drive

• How tech must prevent real human photo abuse for non-consensual content

.• Why relational experts are needed to design AI with boundaries and a "training simulator" function.

🎙️ 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.

Ever hit that point where you’re great at your job but… you just don’t care anymore? 😩
In this episode of Lost in Tech, Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Oyelayo-Pearson read a heartfelt listener letter from a mid-level PM who feels stuck — unsure if it’s burnout or a career mismatch — and unpack the universal experience of asking, “Is this still for me?”

💬 We cover:

• The fear of making a “step back” move

• Redefining success beyond job titles

• The courage to pivot — even when it looks risky

• Why curiosity and purpose are your real career compasses

• Practical ways to reconnect with what fuels you

✨ Whether you’re in product, design, or leadership, this episode will hit home if you’ve ever questioned your path.

🎙️ 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.