Strong Feelings

### We made it to Episode 10, y’all! That’s a wrap on Season 1!

Who better to close out our first season than an engineer, entrepreneur, and general superstar we’ve loved for, like, a full decade? Yep, our guest today is Leah Culver, the co-founder and CTO of [Breaker](https://www.breaker.audio/), a social podcast app that we’ve all just started using (if you have an iPhone, check it out. Android is coming soon).

> I can only do the things I can do. I can keep trying to get better, but I can’t beat myself up about not being like someone else. I just have to sort of be myself and work with what I have and take it to that—that next step.

> —Leah Culver, CTO, [Breaker](https://www.breaker.audio/)

But Breaker’s not the first startup Leah’s co-founded—in fact, Jenn fell hard for her very first company, [Pownce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pownce), a microblogging platform that launched way back in 2007. We talk about that journey, plus:

- The future of podcasting—like [Chompers](https://www.gimletmedia.com/chompers), a podcast on Alexa kids can brush their teeth to.

- Women in tech, women in podcasting, and the fact that more women than ever are _listening_ to podcasts, according to the [2017 podcast consumer report](http://www.edisonresearch.com/the-podcast-consumer-2017/) from Edison Research.

- Financing a new laptop as a young programmer by [selling laser-etched advertising on it](http://leahculver.com/laser-etched-laptop/) back in 2006.

- Getting into [Y Combinator](http://www.ycombinator.com/), an accelerator program for early-stage startups.

- What Leah’s listening to right now (it’s [Modern Love](http://www.wbur.org/modernlove), which you can get on Breaker, of course).

- Interviewing for 30 jobs, what a company’s snacks say about its culture, and why Leah wants you to stop judging her love for Diet Coke.

Also on the agenda: letting people carry things for you (literally and figuratively), peeing with your therapist (no, really), and all the “tiny revelations” we’ve had this season.

Thanks so much for joining us for Season 1! We’re taking a couple weeks off, but we’ll be back strong with Season 2 starting April 17. In the meantime, make sure to sign up for the new [NYG Newsletter](http://www.noyougoshow.com/newsletter/), coming April 20.

## Sponsors

This episode of NYG is brought to you by:


_[Shopify](https://www.shopify.com/careers), a leading global commerce platform that’s building a diverse, intelligent, and motivated team—and **they**  want to apply to **you**. Visit [shopify.com/careers](https://www.shopify.com/careers) to see what they’re talking about._


### In Episode 9, we talk inclusion riders, the importance of pronouns, and how all of us can better support folks from marginalized communities.

If there’s one thing we’re sure of, it’s that we’ve got to stick together—and that means supporting and centering the voices of folks with less opportunity and privilege than us. In this episode, we talk with designer and educator Stevie Thuy Anh Nguyen about how listening, and finding community, can help us do just that. They also share how parenting shaped their career path, what it was like to come out at work, and why they see allyship as something we practice, not something we have. Listen up.

> If I show up at work as myself, then I’m in a state of being in my greatest power. And I think if you can find a workplace where they want you to be there in your greatest power, then like, yeah, show up. This is how you do it.

>

> _—Stevie Thuy Anh Nguyen, designer and educator_

Here’s what we get into—and of course, there’s a full transcript, too.

## Show notes

If you didn’t catch the Oscars, don’t worry—we start the show by filling you in on our favorite parts. Of note:

- (_Ahem_) [Janelle Monáe’s pantsuit](http://www.stylebistro.com/lookbook/Janelle+Monae/Pantsuit) [(photo)](https://www.dropbox.com/s/snpttam7d2nipp9/Screenshot%202018-03-11%2018.08.21.png?dl=0)

- Jordan Peele’s win for _Get Out_ and the amazing [fan art he posts on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/jordanpeele/)

- [Frances McDormand’s acceptance speech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-86vgvZGMs4) mentioning inclusion riders (hell yeah)…

…which we go on to explore:

- Did you know Justin Bieber requires that his dressing room be filled with carnations? Riders can be _wild_.

- More important: [Nicole Sanchez](https://medium.com/@nmsanchez/inclusion-riders-in-tech-cd7dba73308e) writes about taking inclusion riders beyond Hollywood and into fields like tech—and apply them to everything from speaking gigs to job offers. Yep.

- We also touch on [Lara Hogan](http://larahogan.me/blog/theres-nothing-pink-about-interviews-at-etsy/)’s wonderful piece about applying inclusiveness to your hiring process, the [Enterprise UX Conference](https://blog.usejournal.com/diversity-inclusion-in-conference-programming-takes-intent-1b913aab1e57)’s journey through inclusive programming, how the Design & Content Conference put together a [diverse conference production team](https://content.design/2017/01/a-diverse-production-team), and [Women Talk Design](https://womentalkdesign.com/)’s mission to empower organizers to create more diverse events.

### Interview: Stevie Thuy Anh Nguyen

It’s not hyperbole to say it was an honor and a pleasure to talk with UX designer and educator [Stevie Thuy Anh Nguyen](https://twitter.com/stevienguyenyvr). Stevie tells us about the causes that drive them, establishing a career in design, navigating coming out as queer, and what it really means to practice allyship. We talk about:

- Where Stevie lives in Vancouver, which is the unceded land of the [Coast Salish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_Salish) people, particularly the Squamish, the Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

- Stevie’s work with [Out in Schools](http://outinschools.com/), a program that engages students on issues of homophobia, transphobia, and bullying.

- How having a child while establishing a career—and then making choices about your career and your future—become intertwined in a way you never expected.

- What it means to realize you’re queer at 27—and what happens next.

- How we can better support marginalized people by p

Let’s be real: writing is hard. We’ve written and rewritten this intro seven times. Taking on _any_ new challenge or project that requires deep thought, passion, and creativity, can push us outside of our comfort zones. It can make us feel anxious about succeeding—but it can also force us to grow and take on _new_ challenges.

In this episode, Erika Hall talks with us about starting a design agency, the power of empathy in everything we do, and her brand-new book.

> People are actually terrified of asking questions — and especially people who end up in positions of leadership. To say, “Oh, we don’t know this and we have to find something out, and I don’t have the answer” is really scary, and that’s nothing that we’ve been rewarded for our entire lives. And if you want to have a research mindset or just use evidence to make decisions, you have to be in a constant state of admitting that you don’t have all the answers.

>

> _—Erika Hall, Mule Design_

Here’s what we get into—and of course, there’s a full transcript, too.

## Show Notes

First, Katel shares a secret: when she started working for A Book Apart, she’d never worked on a book before. But neither had the first author she worked with! And it all worked out ok. We discuss getting used to big new challenges, and how to decide when it’s time to take the leap and write a book—and then give the middle finger to imposter syndrome.

### Interview: Erika Hall

Designer, author, and all-around smarty [Erika Hall](https://twitter.com/mulegirl) fills us in on how she spent the last year: writing a book (and getting stuck, and writing some more), teaching people how to make better design decisions, and taking on gender bias in the workplace. We talk about:

- How she started [Mule Design](https://muledesign.com/) and how the agency—and their work—has changed since 2001.

- Being outspoken online and fighting the trolls who live in our review systems.

- Why it’s critical to bring empathy into our working relationships as well as our personal ones—and how feeling comfortable being uncomfortable can be the most powerful thing you can do.

Why we won’t solve gender bias with education alone; we have to change our own habits and help others learn to do the same.

- Her new book, [_Conversational Design_](https://abookapart.com/products/conversational-design), all about how to use conversation as a model for designing interactive digital products and services that are less robotic and more real.

- The joys and horrors of writing: making it through 2017, surviving the myth that your second book will be easier than your first, overcoming a health setback—but getting through it all to launch a book.

- Finding inspiration IRL—no, really, sometimes stepping away from our screens and talking to our neighbors is the best way to rediscover the good in the world. And listening to Oprah. And Ru Paul.

### Fuck Yeah of the Week

We end the show with heartfelt appreciation and admiration for [Emma Gon](https://twitter.com/Emma4Change)

### Have a love-hate relationship with social media? So do we. In Episode 7, we explore the joys and perils of visibility, and talk with Sydette Harry, an expert in online communities.

Trolls, randos, and straight-up neo-Nazis: being a woman online can be tough. This week, we’re exploring how we make choices about what and whether to share online.

Our guest this week is the inimitable writer, editor, and tech/media critic, Sydette Harry, also known as [@blackamazon](https://twitter.com/Blackamazon). She’s an editor at Mozilla and part of the Coral Project, which is working to create healthier communities and comments sections. She’s also smart as hell, exquisitely blunt, and committed to talking about what’s wrong online in the voice she grew up with.

> Yes, in a lot of ways I am more diverse than the average person who shows up to a lot of these things. We’re not going to lie about that. I am, by virtue of being black and female, even though I am a cis, able-bodied person, I am more diverse than the people you usually have in there. That being said, I’m still an Ivy League graduate. I’m still a person of a certain education… So when you say that I am “diversity,” let’s all be clear here: you ain’t doin’ that well, fam. You’re not doing that good.

>

> —[Sydette Harry](https://twitter.com/Blackamazon)

Here’s what we cover—and of course, we’ve got a full transcript, too.

## Show notes

A year ago, [Lindy West quit Twitter](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/03/ive-left-twitter-unusable-anyone-but-trolls-robots-dictators-lindy-west)—and [she’s not coming back](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/opinion/quitting-twitter-lindy-west.html). We miss her voice, but we’re also a little jealous.

Plus: Jenn moves her sports talk to Facebook, Katel closes the tab and never looks back, and we all wonder whether Klout still exists. (Sara used to be influential in burritos. Just saying.)

### Interview: Sydette Harry

Get comfortable, because you won’t want to miss a second of Sydette’s searing commentary on tech culture, Twitter, journalism, race, gender, and weight. We talk about:

- Sydette’s work with the [Coral Project](https://coralproject.net/).

- Why she’s calling out media for [telling amazing people that they don’t belong](https://source.opennews.org/articles/not-belong/).

- How Twitter’s insistence it was the “[free speech wing of the free speech party](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/mar/22/twitter-tony-wang-free-speech)” left it vulnerable to abuse.

- The [Prep for Prep](https://www.prepforprep.org/page) program, the [Bronx is Burning](http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-the-bronx-really-burned/) era, and the limitations of teaching kids from under-resourced areas how to fit into elite circles.

- Presentation voice, “home” voice, and the politics of [code-switching](https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/04/08/176064688/how-code-switching-explains-the-world)

This is No, You Go—a new podcast all about being ambitious, building a career that won’t make you miserable, and finding friends who’ll high-five you along the way. Each episode, we talk about what it’s really like out there: managing jobs and bosses, pursuing goals, and getting shit DONE—even when the world’s on fire. So take a listen. Because everyone deserves a group of badass women in their corner. Especially you.

It’s no secret that 2017 was a trash year, and 2018 hasn’t been…easy. But somehow, we’re still here, making it work—and even finding inspiration, joy, and success. We want to talk about how we’re coping during even the most trying political and cultural times. To help us, we sit down with none other than a climate scientist working in government to find out how _she’s _keeping her head up in rough times.

> I try as much as I can to talk with college kids or high school kids and most of the time my message is just, “Hi, I’m a scientist and I also happen to be a woman.” It doesn’t have to be much more complicated than that.

>

> _—Allison Crimmins, climate scientist_

Here’s what’s in store in Episode 6 (and as always, there’s a full transcript):

## Show notes

First up, we look back on last year and how we made it through. We talk about how even though we had some big successes, it was hard to feel accomplished while the world seemed to burn in turmoil. We discuss:

- How we stayed (and stay) focused amidst a never-ending news cycle

- Why asking for help is important

- Why being accountable to something or someone can serve as a bright north star

We also discover how to recognize when it’s OK to just turn off and tune out. Hint: it’s always OK when that’s the most healthy choice.

### Interview: Allison Crimmins

Our guest this week is Allison Crimmins, a badass friend who works on climate change in Washington, DC, during the day and [cancer research](https://remedyplan.com/) at night—no big. She takes us through her typical Tuesday and tells us how the hell she’s doing these days. We cover:

- Doing good work during crap times.

- How limitations and constraints can feel frustrating but also provide opportunities to be more creative and strategic about accomplishing goals.

- Why good communication matters—and if you truly understand and believe in your work, you should know how to talk about it.

- Being seen and heard as a woman in a male-heavy field, and normalizing it so we can talk more about the actual work we’re doing.

- Cutting through the mysticism around science and STEM, and how you don’t have to be a super nerdy genius to be a scientist—you just have to be curious.

- When kids draw what they think a scientists looks like, the results will astound you! (No, they won’t, but we need to change that.)

- How bobsledding and curling might just reignite our faith in the human spirit.

### Fuck Yeah of the Week

Finally, we swoon over the unveiling of the absolutely brilliant Obama portraits. If you haven’t checked the work of [Amy Sherald](http://www.amysherald.com/), who painted Michelle Obama, and [Kehinde Wiley](http://kehindewiley.com/), who painted Barack Obama—[do it now](https://www.npr.org/2018/02/13/585299081/obama-portraits-unveiled-at-national-portrait-gallery).

## Sponsors

This episode of NYG is brought to you by:


On Episode 5, we cure our political fatigue with an interview with Elizabeth Fiedler, a progressive Democrat running for a seat in the PA House. We also chat about wage equity laws, salary negotiations, and why you—yes, you—should run for office.

If you’re anything like us, you’re tired as hell of what’s happening in politics: corruption, sexism, and misogyny are on full display. Immigrants are under attack, reproductive rights are under attack, environmental protections are under attack. The list could go on. But despite it all, we’re not about to sit and sulk. Instead, we want to talk about the legislation and candidates we’re excited about—because we could all use some hope right now.

> So many of us are held back just by that feeling that like, “Hmm, maybe there’s someone else out there who is more qualified. Maybe there’s someone else who would be better at this.” And in some cases: sure, there is. In many cases, there is not. It’s us! We’re the ones.

> _—[Elizabeth Fiedler](https://elizabethfiedler.com/), Candidate for PA House District 184_

Here’s what’s on the docket in Episode 5:

### Hey employers: pay up

First up, we talk about one of our favorite topics: getting paid—fairly. Here in Philly, we’re upset about more delays on our first [wage equity ordinance](http://www.phillymag.com/business/2017/11/17/philadelphia-wage-equity-law-ordinance-ban-salary-questions/), which would bar prospective employers from asking about your past salary (which is one of the major ways employers justify continuing to underpay workers from marginalized groups). The law was supposed to take effect in January, but the Chamber of Commerce filed suit—again. Their first lawsuit, last summer, was thrown out for lack of evidence that it would harm businesses.

But wage equity laws are coming. California’s went into effect in January, and a bunch more are cropping up all over. And when an economy the size of California makes a law, it tends to have a ripple effect. Now some [big employers are announcing](https://www.bna.com/amazon-bofa-join-n73014474845/) that they won’t ask for past pay info, either.

While we’re on the topic of compensation, we also chat about how to negotiate those challenging money conversations—and how to avoid getting backed into a corner (or in Katel’s case, a phone booth) to accept an offer that’s not up to snuff.

### Elect. More. Women.

Next on the show, we talk with Elizabeth Fiedler, a candidate in May’s primary for a seat in the PA House, representing the 184th District. That’s the heart of South Philly, where Sara and Jenn both live. Lizz took a break from knocking doors (literally—she is always out there knocking doors) to talk with us about her run. We cover:

Showing up at campaign events with an infant strapped to your body.

How much we need single-payer healthcare in Pennsylvania—and everywhere.

Wearing blue blazers and real pants. Like, without stretch.

How to know if you should run for office (hint: if you’re thinking about it, you probably should do it).

We love

HI FRANDS. We’re all BFFs now, right?…Right? In this episode, we talk about how we make new friends as busy adults, how we sustain relationships beyond grabbing lunch or drinks, and how we build the kinds of communities that give us LIFE. We’re also joined by Girls’ Night In founder Alisha Ramos, who tells us how she built a company around a simple concept: connecting and celebrating women who’d rather stay in.

> Book clubs are just magical, first of all, because books are amazing. But, second of all, it creates a really interesting common ground for everyone… You’re all showing up because you read the same thing, and you are starting off with that common thing and you end up picking up little pieces of the other person’s life as she’s describing how she read the book and interpreted it, and then it kind of like takes the pressure off.

>

> —Alisha Ramos, founder of [Girls’ Night In](http://girlsnightinclub.com/)

Here’s what we covered (and as always, you can find the full transcript below).

## Show notes

Did you know that Sara and Katel first bonded over crab fries? That a full 50 percent of the city of Philadelphia knows each other through Jenn? Well, now you will. We also talk about:

- How great friends are also generous with their friends

- Why you have to get over the fear of rejection when trying to keep adult friendships alive

- Why loneliness is bad for your health

Then, we catch up with Alisha Ramos, who tells us how she [quit her job last year](https://medium.com/@girlsnightin/why-i-quit-my-job-to-build-girls-night-in-456954f44a09) to start Girls’ Night in, a newsletter for ladies who’d rather skip the party, _thanks_. Now GNI boasts more than 30,000 members.

We bond over:

- The magic of book clubs—especially when your new book BFFs also invite you to a potluck

- Celeste Ng’s excellent second novel, Little Fires Everywhere

- Relaxing, relaxing, and more relaxing—Alisha recommends watching The Crown and re-watching I, Tonya (and if you hate Tonya Harding, [read this first](https://slate.com/arts/2018/01/i-tonya-toxic-masculinity-and-the-messiness-of-victimhood.html)).

Also in this episode:

- Thanks to a reader recommendation, Katel’s back in the fiction game with [Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/11/jennifer-egan-manhattan-beach/540612/).

- Did you know that Tinder for moms is a thing? (It’s called [Peanut](https://www.peanut-app.io/).)

- It’s reboot time in Hollywood! Still! Apparently! First up: get your blazers pressed: [Murphy Brown is back](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/01/murphy-brown-reboot-cbs), baby! Let’s hope Dan Quayle doesn’t show up to shame her again. An [Overboard reboot](http://deadline.com/2017/12/overboard-trailer-anna-faris-eugenio-derbez-remake-goldie-hawn-kurt-russell-1202231480/) is also coming, which we’re not feeling great about, given that the plot centers around tricking a woman with amnesia into being your wife—as a comedy!

- What the world really needs is some of that patented

Today’s show is all about getting started: taking the steps to turn new ideas into living, breathing (and sometimes even money-making) projects. Our guest this week is the totally rad Sara Chipps—the co-founder of Girl Develop It, and now the CEO of Jewelbots, which makes smart, open-source friendship bracelets that girls can code. (We want some for all our BFFs.)

> Just start with those baby steps. It’s going to take a thousand baby steps. Everyone has a good idea, right? Everyone. Ideas are worthless unless it’s something that gets made. So you know, if it’s going to take a thousand baby steps, then if you start today, you only have 999 left. But if you don’t, then it’s never going to happen.

>

> —Sara Chipps, CEO of [Jewelbots](https://jewelbots.com/) and co-founder of [Girl Develop It](https://www.girldevelopit.com/)

Here’s what we covered (and as always, you can find the full transcript below).

## Show notes

First up, we talk about all the URLs we’ve purchased—and how sometimes, spending $5 is just what you need to take your own idea seriously.

- Jenn shares her love for David Allen’s [_Getting Things Do_ne](https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0142000280) method (and explains how it helped us GTD for our first episode).

- Katel tells us why “Write Book” is maybe not the best item to put on your to-do list.

- Sara recounts her love for Jenn’s web series, [Cook Inside the Box](http://cookinsidethebox.com/)—where Jenn and our friend [Sequoia](https://twitter.com/sequoiam) made recipes from the sides of boxes. Sara’s favorite episode? The one about hot dogs rolled in cornflakes. Mmm hmmm.

Then, we fangirl out during our interview with Sara Chipps, who not only created [Jewelbots](https://jewelbots.com/), but also co-founded [Girl Develop It](https://www.girldevelopit.com/). We talk about:

- Why Sara C. has made it her mission to get more girls and women into coding.

- The joy of friendship bracelets—no matter how old you are.

- How to bounce back (and learn something!) when a bunch of kids tell you your idea sucks.

- [Highway1](http://highway1.io/), the hardware accelerator that helped Sara prepare to launch Jewelbots.

- The importance of finding a co-founder who gets you—like [Brooke Moreland](https://twitter.com/audrabrookie), Sara C.’s cofounder at Jewelbots.

- Why you don’t actually need to be good at math to be a programmer—and how our industry has done newcomers a disservice by pretending otherwise.

- How Girl Develop It went from a single class in New York City in 2010 to a nonprofit operating in 58 cities and serving 55,000 members (and counting) nationwide.

Also in this episode:

- Woohoo! It’s now light out till, uh, 5:15pm here in Philly, and we can’t be happier about that.

- We’re already dreaming about two of Philly’s best summertime hangouts: [front stoops](http://www.phillymag.com/news/2017/05/20/philadelphia-stoops/) and [beer gardens](http://www.visitphilly.com/itineraries/philadelphia/the-best-beer-gardens-in-philadelphia/). Yes, please.

- Being, like, a totally cool adult. No, really. Ask the kids.

We made it to Episode 2—and hey, so did you! High five!

This week, we’re all about TIME: how we make it, how we use it, and how we think about it. We’re also joined by our very first guest, Eileen Webb, who straight-up _blew our minds_ with her take on making time on your own terms. Seriously, it’s . Just listen already.

> Why should my work get all of my best brain?

> —Eileen Webb, founder of [Webmeadow](http://webmeadow.com/)

Here’s what we cover. (Yep, there’s a full transcript below, too!)

## Show notes

First things first: is it time for for lunch yet? We think so (we’ve been thinking about snacks since 10:15). We start out with a segment on reclaiming lunchtime for, well, whatever you want:

- Jenn tells us how she convinced her coworkers that watching Jeopardy at work is healthy. (We’re totally sold.)

- Katel sits down for a fancy meal for one.

- Sara heads out for a midday run, meetings be damned.

Next, NYG sits down with web strategist-slash-farmer Eileen Webb for an interview that’s sure to stick with all of us for quite some time. We talk about:

- How Eileen and her partner went from burnouts in the first dot-com boom to running a bakery to finding their niche doing digital strategy from their home in northern New Hampshire.

- Why morning meetings don’t work for Eileen’s brain, and how she avoids them.

- Why Eileen trades the 9-to-5 for a sunrise hike every Tuesday—and never once feels guilty about it.

- How to stop letting your calendar (and other people’s bullshit requests) run your life.

- Also, pocket bunnies (no, not _those kind)_.

Follow Eileen on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/webmeadow), or hire her at [webmeadow.com](http://www.webmeadow.com).

Also in this episode:

- [America’s Favorite Quiz Show®](https://www.jeopardy.com/) (and don’t you dare tell Jenn otherwise)

- The [big-ass boats](https://www.instagram.com/p/BXQQhLaBCHb/) ([no seriously](https://www.instagram.com/p/Bdc75DZBTLz/) there are [so many](https://www.instagram.com/p/BFyvsb9FD4R/)) at the Philly Navy Yard

- New Year’s Liberations from [Cate Huston](https://medium.com/@catehstn/the-2018liberation-list-4e229bdbb919), [Ellen Pao](https://medium.com/@ekp/the-2018liberation-list-6997d2b10020), [Karolina Szczur](https://medium.com/@fox/my-2018liberation-list-a638d636d7c2), and [Erica Joy](https://medium.com/@ericajoy/2017-2018-9280f7689c19)

- And of course, we profess our undying love for those ’90s [Noxzema girl ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsgxxDMNWTs)

Thanks to our friends [The Diaphone](https://thediaphone.bandcamp.com/) for the use of our theme song, Maths, off the album of the same name.  

_T[](https://codepen.io/)his episode is brought to you by_