Lauren Wilson was one of my very first friends in tech. She took me under her wing, showed me the ropes, and now she's doing something I think is genuinely rare: she spent eight years at one of the biggest companies in the world, left it all behind, and went to teach and coach the next generation at the University of Alabama. On top of having an MBA in business analytics, Lauren is also a certified career coach, and one of the most grounded people I know.

This is the kind of career conversation I wish I'd had at 22.

This is the patch:

• how to actually break into tech when your degree has nothing to do with STEM
• imposter syndrome: why it never fully goes away and how to stop letting it run the show
• your personal board of directors and why the people on it need to know they're on it
• being comfortable with being uncomfortable, and why embarrassment is just the price of entry

We close with the lifestyle segment where Lauren talks about the non-negotiables that make her feel like herself: the coffee ritual, the morning walks, the music that carries her through every mood. We take a little country music detour (Nashville will do that to you), and she gives a very heartfelt shoutout to her brother's artist, Logan Mize.

All views expressed are my own.