The June edition of Athena's Lifting While Climbing podcast, hosted by Holly Smithson, President and CEO of Athena, celebrates International Women's Engineering Day with an insightful interview featuring Apparna Ramadoss, executive engineer at Intuit.

Apparna emphasizes the critical need for young, diverse minds in engineering to drive innovation and ensure product relevance. She discusses the importance of support networks for those facing challenges and highlights the collaborative nature of technological advancement.

Listen as Apparna shares her passion for the value of the mentor/mentee relationship and learn from her inspiring journey and leadership. Don't miss this engaging and motivational conversation.

For more from Apparna, Read her blog post: Five Steps to Finding a Great Mentor (https://medium.com/@apparna/power-of-great-mentors-and-how-to-seek-them-5d3ce7076d01)

Athena’s Lifting While Climbing podcast kicks off our summer with Rebecca Driscoll, CEO & Founder of Cancer Help Desk. Rebecca’s inspiring journey is a revealing showcase of what an unbreakable spirit and purpose-driven leadership looks like in 3-D.

Rebecca shares the genesis of Cancer Help Desk- a nonprofit dedicated to patient navigation in the complex world of cancer care- and describes the unconventional career path that drove her to fill a widely unmet need. Her journey is one of defiance against the norms and driven by a deep-seated belief in the need for neutral, patient-centric cancer care.

Rebecca’s journey is a potent reminder that effective leadership requires action, resilience, and staying true to the mission. Her story inspires and encourages listeners to find clarity in their purpose, push through those inevitable challenges, and always keep your eye on your North Star.

Tune into this inspiring episode and experience the intricacies of purpose-driven leadership.

We're thrilled to have Kassandra Castillo, Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, joining us this month. As a highly successful corporate partner, providing counsel to life sciences and technology companies at every stage of development, Kassandra shares a unique perspective, and delivers a wealth of concrete strategies and actionable insights including:

Listen for valuable tools that will propel your career journey forward.

We're wrapping up Women's History Month with a powerful message in the Lifting While Climbing studio with Colleen Cormier, Vice President of Enterprise Sales at Commvault.

Lighting the pathway for her "big, bold career in tech," Colleen attributes her sponsors and mentors as paving the way to unleash her confidence and ambition.

When considering a new career opportunity she explained, "I thought I'd die at Dell." Colleen's career success prominently features three characteristics including curiosity, passion, and a willingness to exit her comfort zone. Hear these insights that will no doubt inspire all those resistant to the unknown market opportunities awaiting those that seek them.

Athena's honoring Black History Month In this captivating podcast with La Keisha Landrum Pierre, Co-founder and General Partner of Emmeline Ventures.

Join us as we unpack La Keisha's journey, from Harvard Business School to launching Sahara Media Company across Africa, to founding a venture capital fund. Tune in for an enriching conversation with a trailblazer who is shaping the future of entrepreneurship and social change.

La Keisha shares insights from her groundbreaking VC fund dedicated to championing emerging female founders focused on women’s health, wealth, and well-being. Discover La Keisha's unconventional approach to business challenges, blending analytical prowess with a deeply spiritual mindset to driving sustainable change as she helps reshape the landscape of venture capital.

As Athena pursues its global expansion efforts to help more STEM women rise up and realize their ambitions, RippleNami serves as a prominent channel partner by empowering women in Africa. In Athena's new Lifting While Climbing Podcast, we'll learn from Jaye Connolly-LaBelle, Chairman & CEO @ RippleNami as she showcases her 10-year journey of creating economic opportunities throughout Africa from hiring, educating, and mentoring tech women in the areas of big data and traceability.

Tune in to gain intimate access to Jaye's pioneering path as she levels-up tech women across sub-Sahara Africa. RippleNami's core values of hiring only locals enables these underrepresented populations to enter the digital economy while mitigating corruption with traceability through blockchain.

Don't miss out on this transformative case study that embodies Athena's vision of what's possible when we lift others while climbing.

Athena is GOING GLOBAL in 2024, launching new products, programs, and member benefits! We're excited to share this sneak peek at the all new Lifting While Climbing (LWC) podcast. The new format amplifies the voices and experiences of women and allies in STEM, delivering actionable strategies, tactics, and techniques to the Athena community. 

Hosted by Holly Smithson, Athena CEO, the LWC podcast serves as a beacon of inspiration for those seeking or seeking to provide mentorship, sponsorship, and allyship. 

With a blend of storytelling, expert interviews, and practical advice, this new podcast creates a virtual mentorship space where listeners gain inspiration, guidance, and a deep sense of community. Whether you're a seasoned leader, a student aspiring to enter STEM fields, or simply passionate about fostering equity and inclusivity, Athena's new Lifting While Climbing podcast is a B-12 shot for all those committed to advancing more women leading in STEM.

Athena founder Barbara Bry joins us in the B4S studio for this very special edition of B4S. 

As the STEM community prepares to gather for Athena's 25th Anniversary Gala and LWC Summit on October 26, we invite you to listen as Barbara shares the origins and genesis of Athena.

This B4S will reignite your determination and grit as we shift the question of diversity from WHY? to WHY NOT!? to rise above the headwinds and launch, unwavering, into the next 25 years!

Athena is honored to welcome Soo Nadarajah, Head of Global Data Sales and GTM @ AWS, to the Blueprint for Success studio. Soo is an authentic and engaging visionary who shares riveting anecdotes from a stellar career that includes "learning, adapting, and innovating" at some of the most pivotal times for BlackBerry and AWS.

Click to watch or listen, and be ready to take notes! Beyond her own Blueprint for Success moving from Engineer to Executive, you will be inspired by her surprising superpower, gain new perspectives into the powerful value of your STEM foundation, and learn that it's time to get comfortable with AI - no matter who you are or where you are on your career journey.