When Shit Hits the Fan

In this very human and often hilarious episode of When Shit Hits the Fan, Johan and Jeffrey welcome Eric Lajoie, AI specialist at SUSE, to unpack a career shaped by curiosity, failure, and a global perspective. From name mispronunciations to technical missteps, this conversation spans tech, identity, and the unexpected stuff that breaks — including intros, connections, and sometimes, a water pipe.

Eric reflects on his journey from the US to Germany, how his multicultural background shapes the way he works, and why making mistakes in public can be one of the best ways to grow.

🔗 Links & Mentions:

• SUSE AI

• Eric Lajoie on LinkedIn

• Red Hat OpenShift AI

• NVIDIA AI Enterprise

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In this episode of When Shit Hits the Fan, we sit down with long-time ITQ technologist Sander Harrewijnen to talk about building better software, making bad assumptions, and breaking things that needed fixing anyway.

We cover everything from Sander’s accidental roast of a client’s legacy app (in front of the people funding it 😬) to his thoughts on vibecoding (letting AI write your code), and his approach to solving tech and people problems in complex environments.

Along the way, we discover his unusual hidden talent (spoiler: he’s your guy for photo wallpaper), his Maker side with lightsabers and Mandalorian helmets, and how his developer career evolved from .NET to cloud-native advocacy

Links & Mentions:

• Sander’s blog: https://harre.dev

• Find Sander on LinkedIn

In this episode of the When Shit Hits the Fan podcast, Johan interviews Aaron Black, the director of product for Omnissa Workspace ONE Security.

Aaron shares his career journey, insights on product management, and the importance of security in technology. He recounts memorable moments from his career, including challenges faced and lessons learned, particularly in the context of IT and software development.

The conversation also touches on personal anecdotes and life lessons, providing a well-rounded view of Aaron's experiences in the tech industry.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Aaron Black and the Podcast

04:09 Rapid Fire Questions and Insights

08:03 Career Highlights and Experiences

14:03 The Importance of Security in Technology

15:09 When Shit Hits the Fan Moments

21:29 Life Lessons and Personal Anecdotes

In this episode of 'When Shit Hits the Fan', Spencer Pitts, Partner CTO at Omnisa, shares his career journey, insights on technology, and personal life lessons.

He discusses his experiences in the IT industry, the importance of preparation, and the value of being open to opportunities. He shares why he uses visuals of bridges in his presentations, how to break PXE boot sequences, and his love for a particular game.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Spencer Pitts

10:29 Career Highlights and Journey

22:43 When Shit Hits the Fan Moment

27:01 Life Lessons and Reflections

In this episode of 'When Shit Hits the Fan', Johan and Jeffrey welcome Frank Denneman, a distinguished engineer for AI at VMware/Broadcom.

The conversation covers Frank's experiences, interests, and career journey, including his insights on technology, movies, and the importance of effective communication in engineering.

The episode features rapid-fire questions, discussions about favorite films, and a deep dive into Frank's professional background. The conversation explores his journey from building Microsoft Exchange across multiple countries to his experiences with virtualization, working at VMware, and the challenges of startup life. It highlights his time at PernixData and the lessons learned from mistakes made throughout his career, including the importance of sharing knowledge and overcoming fears in public speaking.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

02:40 Frank's Background and Interests

06:41 Binaries and Quickfire Questions

11:01 Frank's Career Journey and Early Experiences

13:15 Building Microsoft Exchange Across Borders

16:45 The Virtualization Journey Begins

17:35 Transitioning to VMware and the Startup Experience

20:00 The Challenges of Startup Life

23:25 Innovations at Pernix Data

25:59 Lessons Learned from Mistakes

30:04 First Time on Stage: Overcoming Fear

31:27 The Thrill of Live Performance

34:17 Key Takeaways for First-Time Speakers

39:43 Lessons from Experience and Listening

41:54 The Importance of Preparation

42:53 Learning from Presentation Skills and Shark Tank

Links:

Frank Simrig account on instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/roadtoimmersion/

In this episode of 'When Shit Hits the Fan', Johan and Jeffrey welcome Duncan Epping, Chief Technologist at Broadcom/VMware (and former co-host of this podcast).

The conversation explores Duncan's journey from a consultant to a Chief Technologist, his passion for running, and his involvement in the tech community.

They discuss Duncan's career highlights, including the development of EvoRail/VxRail and the organization of the VMworld Fun Run, showcasing his dedication to both technology and fitness.

In this episode, Duncan shares his experiences in organizing community events, the challenges faced during his career in technology, and the valuable life lessons learned along the way.

He emphasizes the importance of communication, the unpredictability of outcomes in both work and personal endeavors, and the significance of enjoying the journey rather than solely focusing on the end goals.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest

02:19 Duncan's Background and Interests

09:10 Duncan's Career Journey at VMware/Broadcom

13:18 Rapid Fire Questions with Duncan

15:37 Duncan's Passion for Running and Blogging

19:14 Career Highlights and Achievements

24:45 Organizing the VMworld Fun Run

29:11 When Shit Hits the Fan: Personal Experiences

41:46 Life Lessons and the Importance of Communication

In this episode of 'When Shit Hits the Fan', hosts Johan and Jeffrey welcome Dashaun Carter, a Spring Advocate at VMware. The conversation covers Dashaun's journey from professional cheerleading to tech, the importance of upgrading software, and insights into the Spring framework.

They also discuss Raspberry Pi projects, lessons learned from mistakes, and the significance of automation in software development.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Setup

02:57 Guest Introduction: Deshawn Carter

06:08 Rapid Fire Questions

08:59 Deshawn's Career Journey

12:06 The Importance of Upgrading Software

15:08 Understanding Spring Framework

18:08 Raspberry Pi Projects and Efficiency

21:09 Lessons from Mistakes and Automation

24:00 Final Thoughts and Advice

In this episode of 'When Shit Hits the Fan', hosts Johan and Jeffrey interview Coté, a developer advocate at Broadcom. The conversation explores Coté's background, his insights on DevOps and platform engineering, the challenges of changing corporate culture, and the importance of building relationships in a remote work environment.

Coté shares his career journey, highlighting key transitions and the lessons learned along the way.

In this episode, Coté shares insights on his unique name, lessons learned from mistakes in tech, the importance of work-life balance, and how to maintain objectivity as an analyst.

He reflects on his career transitions and the challenges of pushing oneself to grow while managing personal well-being.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Coté and the Podcast

05:04 Rapid Fire Questions and Insights

11:00 Coté's Career Journey

17:00 Navigating Corporate Transitions

20:10 Building Relationships in Remote Work

20:51 The Origin of Coté's Name

22:46 Learning from Mistakes in Tech

27:55 Work-Life Balance and Personal Reflections

30:22 Lessons from Career Transitions

35:38 Maintaining Objectivity as an Analyst

In this episode, Johan and Jeffrey sit down with industry legend and long-time community contributor Chris Wahl to explore a career journey that spans from VI admin to independent content creator and platform engineer. Chris shares his unique take on working symbiotically with developers, learning from failures (including a UCS upgrade gone nuclear), and the importance of showing what good looks like rather than just telling.

⏱️ Highlights:

• 00:37 – Meet Chris Wahl: Blogger, technologist, gamer, legend

• 03:00 – The IKEA Wheel and unwinding with brutal dungeon games

• 05:00 – Rapid fire: Terraform, PowerShell, Kubernetes vs vSphere

• 08:30 – Career evolution: From vSphere to Kubernetes and AWS

• 12:30 – Drinking from the firehose: Adapting to cloud-native

• 18:00 – Developers vs IT: Building a real Dev+Platform culture

• 22:00 – When Shit Hit the Fan: How a UCS upgrade took down a 5,000-person org

• 30:00 – Chris’s Life Lesson: “Don’t tell people what good looks like—show them.”

👤 Guest:

Chris Wahl

🌐 https://wahlnetwork.com

🔗 LinkedIn

🎮 Bonus: Discover which brutal RPG Chris uses to unwind—and why his kid might be better at Mario Kart than Johan.

📩 Feedback?

Email us at: [email protected]

In this episode of 'When Shit Hits the Fan', hosts Johan and Jeffrey welcome Katarina Brookfield, a staff technical marketing architect at Broadcom/VMware.

Katarina shares her journey in IT, overcoming gender biases, and her transition from VDI to Kubernetes. She discusses her passion for public speaking and community engagement, as well as her love for cooking and fine dining. The conversation highlights her daring experiences and insights into effective presentations.

In this conversation, Katarina Brookfield shares her experiences in IT, focusing on the importance of engaging presentations, learning from mistakes, and fostering a supportive team culture. She emphasizes the need for transparency when errors occur and the value of continuous learning in both personal and professional development.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest

03:00 Getting to Know Katharina Brookfield

05:58 The Journey into IT and Overcoming Challenges

09:12 Career Highlights and Daring Experiences

11:59 Transitioning from VDI to Kubernetes

14:56 Public Speaking and Community Engagement

18:01 Secrets to Effective Presentations

21:11 The Art of Engaging Presentations

23:56 Learning from Mistakes in IT

32:49 Embracing Failure as a Learning Opportunity

38:03 The Importance of Team Culture in Handling Mistakes

41:13 The Lifelong Journey of Learning and Improvement