WiT Twin Cities's Podcast

As Danielle Steer of Lunar Startups reminded us: Prince knew the revolution would start here. From social justice to startups, it starts here, with us. We talk with Danielle about the importance of individual action and how new ideas about funding can improve inclusion in tech and entrepreneurship. Danielle talks about how Lunar Startups works with resilient people creating resilient companies (name checks a few you should know about!) and how those companies can lead the revolution.

Looking for a job is awful. It's a broken system and makes us feel bad. It’s no picnic on the hiring side - matching a job description to the cold data of a resume doesn’t let either side tell their story. Enter Matt Decuir and Invisible Network - what started as an experiment on Twitter became a way for a job seeker to find the right job for them and for a company to find the right person to hire. Invisible Network matches humans and what they want, rethinking how to look for that next job.

John is a farm kid from North Dakota who found his way to software development. And not long after that, he discovered the importance of being an ally and advocate. His allyship journey began when he had two interns, one was a man, the other a woman - and he could see, right in front of him, how they were treated differently. It was then that he started asking questions and encouraging others to do the same - to think about not just what they say, but the tone they use and how it can be or seem different with different people. We talk about green beans, bathrooms, getting uncomfortable, and the importance of bringing allies along on the journey. (And if you are wondering about the Batman and Robin thing, read this: https://coreytponder.medium.com/allyship-is-not-the-heros-journey-3397eb885072)

In this episode, we talk with Rosie Nestingen - Tech Transformation Director at Best Buy and one of Twin Cities Business Magazine’s “100 To Know in 2021” (https://tcbmag.com/tcb-100-people/rosie-nestingen/). From getting a high end consignment shop into the digital world through roles in digital marketing to shaping tech talent transformation on a digital and technology team, Rosie sparked her own curiosity and now is helping others to find that spark. We talk with Rosie about networking, about improving accessibility to tech and tech careers, and project managing yourself. We talk about what questions you ask yourself and the people you work with, including challenging folks to think about who is included in the conversation and how to increase connections and open more opportunities for people who might not otherwise have a path into tech. 

For our third season, we have added a third voice to our co-hosts: Paith Philemon. Paith is a transplant to the Twin Cities and we talk in this introductory episode about what brought her here, how she has found community, about Donkey Cars, about all that has happened in the last year, and how changes in technology have helped (and, in some cases, still need work) to get us through the last twelve months. Whether it’s cell phones that used to require tapping a key up to three times to get the right letter in your text message to now having the capability to record events that can change the world, a rethinking of how we interact and consume social media, or the importance of diversity on teams creating the tech - there has been a lot. We are glad that Paith has joined us and is adding her voice to the stories we share. 

The Twin Cities has a vibrant tech community and startup ecosystem. In her role as CEO of Hack the Gap, Caroline Karanja is working to ensure that community and ecosystem reflect the broader community and are more inclusive of under-represented groups. She participated in the first Hack the Gap hackathon (hackthegap.com) and was hooked on its ability to draw people in, to provide inspiration, to make our community more expansive. Like a lot of us, her path into technology was a little accidental and that informs how she encourages others’ interests and curiosity about tech.  Our conversation with her includes where she sees space for creativity and creatives in technology, the good of technology and its use in the last year, and where there are still gaps in access and opportunities to broaden its reach. A book is coming out soon that highlights some of our local tech talent and their stories - it’s an adjunct to the inspiration and sense of community built at Hack the Gap events. Follow @hackthegap on Instagram and Twitter to find out more about their events and the book!

Getting the next generation of coders and programmers inspired and encouraged is a challenge - ensuring that the next generation of folx working in the technology field is inclusive and equitable even moreso. Andrea Wilson Vazquez and the team at Code Savvy are working to do just that. Through programs like the Rebecca Coder Dojo, AI Racing League, Technovation MN, and programs for educators, Code Savvy is working to interrupt and counteract gaps in gender, race, and socioeconomic status in technology education. Andrea is quick to point out that not every kid needs to become a programmer - the Code Savvy programs are finding ways to use coding and education to get kids thinking about how technology shapes their lives and how they could, in turn, use technology to solve problems or shape their world. Code Savvy is finding ways to create equitable spaces for kids to learn not just about programming but how making mistakes or working with a team can help you learn and grow. Since we recorded this episode, COVID-19 has changed a lot of events and schedules. The May 19th event mentioned has been postponed. Technovation and its events have gone virtual - you can find out more about it here: https://codesavvy.org

We have all, I’m sure, heard about the mythical purple squirrel of hiring - that person who has the right qualities, skill sets, and compensation needs to fit your team. We all have the potential to be someone’s purple squirrel - and knowing that, we should also be looking for the purple squirrelness of the company that wants to hire us. In our conversation with Amber Goodrich of Purple Squirrel Staffing, we talk about the power of LinkedIn and interviews, how to shine a light on your purple squirrelness if you are not an extrovert who shows up well on paper, how, as a hiring manager, you can be more inclusive in your sourcing and interviewing, as well as how working with a recruiter can help whether you are the candidate or the hiring manager. Amber also gave us some great pointers for what to think about when the inevitable questions come up about salary and compensation. This episode should help get you thinking about what you offer as a purple squirrel and what a purple squirrel role looks like to you. 

Andrea Casselton describes herself as having the attention span of a squirrel. This may be true, but she is a squirrel who is interested in the human side of technology, the people using the tech, and, being a middle child, making sure that everyone gets along with each other and the technology. We talk about how martial arts taught her about feeling underestimated and how to claim space. We talk about honoring yourself, who you are, and what your strengths are, and how you use those to define for yourself what leadership and success looks like. And we talk about crying and emotions at work, because if we are going to bring our whole selves to work, sometimes that includes crying. 

This is an Anna and Jessica-only episode with two articles that talk about the origins of the “born for it” mythos of men and computing as our starting point (“Women built the tech industry. Then they were pushed out.” by Emma Goldberg, and “Born for it” by Birgitta Bockeler). We take aim at stock photography that seems to never give women leaders sensible shoes, belief in aptitude vs. learned skills, and reliance on biased data sets. We question how to push back against stereotypes, how to talk about tech as more than “just coding,” and what we are doing to change the narrative.