Infertility. We don’t like to talk about it. If you are going through it, finding someone who understands can be hard. Elyse Ash knows. And she doesn’t want you to feel alone, so along with her husband, she created Fruitful Fertility (https://www.fruitfulfertility.org/). Pairing her background in advertising and marketing with her husband’s skills as a developer allowed them to create a service they wished they had: a way to pair people who have been through the infertility journey with those who are in the middle of it, a space to have the uncomfortable, messy conversations you may not be able to have with your friends. They were not mobile-app first, that came later when they wanted a better way for their mentors and mentees to interact, and to learn from their users’ experiences. And while Elyse was a little app-averse, in deciding to move full time into the business, she learned that you’re never really ready - you just have to take a first step. Like her toddler daughter learning to put on her shoes, you have to do it to learn how - there was a time when we all had to learn to put on our shoes, and we learned without our egos getting in the way. So be like Elyse’s daughter, brush off your jeans when you fall down, and get back to the playing.

By now, if you are a regular listener, you know that we really like MinneStar events. You know we like them for the tech and for the connections. Kaleena is one of those connections - but it was her co-workers who heard us at MinneDemo and said, “Kaleena, you have to find these women - you have a story to tell and they have a platform for you to tell it.” What intrigued us before we even met in person was that her LinkedIn profile tells you that work culture and employee experience are key success measures for her. Her experience as the only woman in her class of 30 taking C++ in high school is one of the threads that she has woven together as part of her career tapestry that encompasses stepping up and telling her boss that there was work to do regarding employee inclusion, learning how to let people feel heard and not beat up when uncomfortable conversations were happening, and when to be the voice for someone else when it is needed. And that all of this inclusion and equity work isn’t just for big companies, it’s for small companies, mid-size companies, and everyday life. 

Kim and Diana are a powerhouse duo that co-chair the MinneAnalytics MinneWiADS conference (https://minneanalytics.org/minnewiads/). They come to careers in data science and analytics in Minnesota from across the globe - Kim from Cambodia, Diana from Sri Lanka. But those decidedly non-Midwestern roots are only part of the story. Along the way they each found a need for mentors, for support - each had male allies who raised up their stories and their voices (and who, eventually, introduced them to each other), and each found there were gaps in what and how they learned as their careers developed. Our conversation with them takes us through their journeys, and why they are passionate about creating communities by and for women, to support women, and to raise up their voices.

Liz Tupper is a name you may have heard around town. She has had her hand in a variety of organizations and boards and events over a career that goes back to the early days of the internet (her first experience with computers was coding on her brother’s Commodore 64 as a kid). She shares with us how dropping out of architecture school and following her curiosity and passion has led her through Corporate America, a gaming startup, a Cinderella story, a sabbatical that includes the Giant Ball of Twine, to work that she loves. Oh, and a story about a trench coat in Washington, D.C. that changed how she thinks about feeling included and creating that space for others.

We met Amber at Minnedemo and were so taken with her approach to creating her app, we knew we needed to share her story with you. In this episode we talk a bit about her journey from “SAP Land” to creating her startup, how she came to create Bella Scena, and why she is so taken with human-centered design (as she defines it, “a super fancy pants way of saying I talked to customers a lot”). Woven into our conversation are some key reasons why inclusion is not just a buzzword - it is essential to design and creating good, usable stuff. To learn more about Wonderly, visit them here: https://wonderlysoftwaresolutions.com/. If you are interested in the 99% Invisible podcast mentioned in this episode, give it a listen: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/invisible-women/. 

We kick off Season 2 with a review of the thrice-annual “tech show and tell” that is Minnedemo. This fall’s event coincided with Startup Week and included power tools, a demo that Rick Rolled the audience, and a lot of cool ideas that started with sometimes very personal problems that needed a better solution. We walk through all 7 demos: @giftbombapp, @soonastudios, @2040energy, @fruitfulfert, @beingwonderly, @colinmlee and his update to Firefox for Android, and Ghost Drive (plus one that Anna forgot was actually part of @hackthegap - oops). More information about Minnedemo can be found here: https://minnestar.org/minnedemo/

In this last episode of our inaugural season, Jess and Anna reflect on some of the themes and topics of our first ten episodes, including why we are hosting a podcast that shines a spotlight on women, diversity, and inclusion in tech. We talk about the importance of the voices and stories we all can lift up and why inclusion is more than just a “feel good” topic. Watch for more info about Season 2 coming soon!

Emma and Ashley met at a coding bootcamp. Both had four year degrees, both had worked in different roles related and not to their respective degrees (wildland firefighting! Conservation Corps! education!), and both had “aha!” moments when they were working in education-related roles that led them to coding and the bootcamp they attended. We talk about what is good about that learning environment and what can be challenging - where they feel like maybe they were a little ahead of a recent graduate of a traditional CE program, and where there might be stigma associated with coming from a bootcamp (and what they might do to overcome that stigma).

If you don’t know the Minne* (Minnestar) organization, you really should. The fine folks at Minne* are behind the annual MinneBar conference in the spring and the MinneDemo events that happen throughout the year. All of it is created and planned to showcase the tech and tech talent of the Twin Cities. Jenna Pederson (who also co-founded Hack the Gap) sits on the board of Minne* and Maria Ploessl is their Executive Director - both share their own experiences of getting involved in the local tech community and Minne* as well as why they are so excited about what they see at the events. We talk about building community here, the flywheel of inclusion, a student team that literally built a better wheelchair, and why you really should just go ahead and throw your name in to present at MinneBar.

In our conversation with Dr. Uchenna Chukwu (or “Dr. U”) she shares her journey from process engineer in Food Science to the world of machine learning in the pharmaceutical industry to finding the opportunities that lead her into working with big data, patents, and tech entrepreneurship. (She’s a Patent Agent! And we find out what that means!) We talk Christmas present moments, and when things line up and you do a happy dance (that you are glad that maybe co-workers don’t see), and why diversity is vitally important to solving problems, especially when we use machine learning and AI to tackle those problems.