"Yes, you can tech!" The Women in Tech Podcast by David Kaselow

In this episode, David talks with Kateryna about how she went from her beginnings as the "Girl from the Internet" with printed paper mockups to becoming a serial tech founder and university lecturer. Kateryna shares her key lessons on monetizing technical ideas, explains why you don't need to be a math genius for an IT career, and reveals her proven method for effectively overcoming Impostor Syndrome. She also speaks openly about starting over after the war broke out in Ukraine and the transformative power of mentoring.

She started her career in the IT and digital sector around 20 years ago, long before digital careers became mainstream. Today, she combines her experience in technology, digital marketing, education, and entrepreneurship to help organisations and professionals develop innovative digital products, business models, and growth strategies.

👤 Guest Profile

Name: Kateryna (Kate) Ilchenko

Role: Business Strategist, University Lecturer for Digital Marketing & Sales at Arden University in Berlin, 5x Founder, and Executive MBA Candidate in AI.

• Introduction & Guest Intro: Who is Kateryna, and how does her brain automatically spot business models in every conversation?
• Starting Out in 2007: The birth of the "Girl from the Internet" with printed paper designs and her first ad subscriptions in Ukraine.
• The €100,000 Lesson: Why poor task delegation to developers gets expensive and how to stay sustainably profitable as a bootstrapper.
• Outbreak of War & New Beginnings: The abrupt end of her businesses in Ukraine, gratitude for her reception in Germany, and social commitment.
• Mentoring & Seeking Advice: Why successful people gladly give 30 minutes of their time when you actively ask for it.
• Breaking Stereotypes: Why top performance in mathematics isn't a strict prerequisite for financial success in tech.
• Impostor Syndrome & the Hypothesis Method: How to stop hesitating using time-bound goals and clear KPIs.
• Soft Skills & Passion: Why self-presentation, content creation, and genuine enthusiasm are irreplaceable in the AI age.

"Everything might be ruined in one day, but continue building."

"No one is ready enough. You become ready while you are doing."

"You can be the smartest person in the world, but if you cannot sell yourself, you will earn nothing."

"Everything might be ruined in one day, but continue building."

"Once you will be with a full plate, you have to continue spreading kindness in the world."

• SMART Criteria & Hypothesis Method: Applying specific, measurable, and time-bound goals to career testing phases.
• Forbes Magazine: Feature on Kateryna as a successful bootstrapper.
• Interface Skills in IT: Product management, agile project leadership, and sales as keys to software monetization.
• Kateryna on YouTube: YouTube: Monetisation Educator ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@monetisation-educator⁠
• Kateryna's Website: www.monetisation.org
• Kateryna on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kats-ilchenko/
• David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kaselow/

__________________________________________________

Welcome to the new “Yes, you can tech!” podcast by David Kaselow.

You can look forward to real talk and inspiration from amazing women in IT and tech!

They’ll share their career journeys, role models, and everything they want to pass on to girls and young women.

So that even more girls and women choose STEM careers. Tune in and subscribe to the channel!

Your host: David Kaselow is "The German IT explainer", an IT consultant and project manager, who "translates" between business and IT people for his corporate clients.

On social media and in his book "IT for beginners", he explains computer science topics in a very clear and accessible way for EVERYONE!

_________________________________________

For any collab inquiries just write me at:

[email protected]

In this inspiring episode of yes, you can tech!, Joana shares her journey into business informatics, her work leading AI requirement engineering initiatives at Pro Alpha, and her passion for integrating mindfulness and yoga into a fast-paced tech career. From watching her older brother code to living in Thailand and observing global diversity in STEM, Joana offers actionable advice for women considering a career in technology.

Name: Joana Dau-Schmidt

Role: Senior AI and IT Consultant

• Introduction to the Podcast: Host David Kaselow introduces the mission of empowering women in STEM and celebrating tech leaders.
• Guest Introduction & ERP Systems: Joana shares her role as an IT Consultant at Pro Alpha, customizing enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and writing custom code.
• Leading AI Initiatives: How Joana leads an AI initiative that automatically reviews complex requirement specifications before software implementation begins.
• Early Sparks & Role Models: Starting web development at 13 and being inspired by her older brother sitting at his desk coding.
• Math, Logic, and Creative Expression: How a love for structured math evolved into creating content, sharing intuition, and embracing creativity.
• Mindfulness, Yoga, and Breathwork in Tech: Managing stress in IT through breathwork, yoga, and short active breaks to achieve mental clarity and solve complex bugs faster.
• Career Advice for Women in STEM: Taking personal initiative, utilizing self-learning resources (like YouTube and AI assistants), and gaining hands-on internship experience.
• Gender Dynamics & Team Culture: Experiencing a female-majority consulting team with a female leader, and supporting each other as women in IT.
• Mentoring & Global Perspectives: The power of mentorship, having a female mentor, and insights on women working in IT in Thailand.

• Mindfulness & Yoga Content Creator: Mady Morrison (YouTube Channel)
• Mentorship Program: CyberMentor
• Core Practices Mentioned: Breathwork, Desk-side Yoga, Standing Desks, AI Assistant Tools
• Joana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joana-dau-schmidt-75bba2236/
• David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kaselow/

__________________________________________________

Welcome to the new “Yes, you can tech!” podcast by David Kaselow.

You can look forward to real talk and inspiration from amazing women in IT and tech!

They’ll share their career journeys, role models, and everything they want to pass on to girls and young women.

So that even more girls and women choose STEM careers. Tune in and subscribe to the channel!

Your host: David Kaselow is "The German IT explainer", an IT consultant and project manager, who "translates" between business and IT people for his corporate clients.

On social media and in his book "IT for beginners", he explains computer science topics in a very clear and accessible way for EVERYONE!

_________________________________________

For any collab inquiries just write me at:

[email protected]

In this episode, we sit down with Patricia, a seasoned SAP expert, enterprise solution architect, and founder of FemPowerXChange. She takes us through her personal journey—from her childhood STEM inspirations and PhD research to navigating corporate SAP consulting and over ten years of successful freelancing. We also delve into the ethical challenges of AI bias and how innovative peer-mentoring frameworks can empower women to thrive in technology long-term.

Patricia has more than 20 years of experience in global SAP transformation projects. In addition to her expertise in IT and project management, she is deeply engaged in the field of Artificial Intelligence, particularly in Responsible AI, AI literacy, and algorithmic bias in the context of diversity and decision-making.

Patricia actively champions women’s advancement as the founder of „FemPowerXChange“, a PMI volunteer at „Women in PM“, and a mentor inspiring young girls to pursue STEM.

• Name: Dr. Patricia Domínguez Marín (PhD in Mathematics, PMP)
• Role: Freelance SAP Consultant, Solution Architect & Founder of FemPowerXChange

• Early STEM Inspiration: How a neighbor inspired Patricia's passion for math at age 7.
• Family Legacy & Public Education: Mathematical optimization in dressmaking and public education as a tool for equal opportunity.
• Joining SAP: Transitioning from a PhD in Optimization/Supply Chain Management to ABAP development and consulting.
• SAP Transformations as a "Translator": Using mathematical abstraction to bridge the gap between business processes and IT systems.
• AI & Algorithmic Bias: Why AI reproduces historical stereotypes and how mathematics can be used to mitigate bias.
• Retention & Corporate Culture: Addressing why women leave STEM careers and how workplace cultures must adapt.
• FemPowerXChange: The power of peer-mentoring triads ("pairs") driven by a custom matching algorithm.
• Mentoring the Next Generation: Key learnings from volunteering with CyberMentor (Germany) and STEM Talent Girl (Spain).

"I act as the translator between the technology and the customer's business vocabulary." – Dr. Patricia

"We are using the newest technology to impose the oldest stereotypes. That is very dangerous."

"Things can be changed if we want them to. It is our responsibility to actively shape the future."

• FemPowerXChange: Peer-mentoring platform and community designed to empower women in professional careers
• ...Web: https://www.fempowerxchange.com/
• ... LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fempowerxchange/
• ... LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/10059499
• ...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_fpxc_/

• STEM Talent Girl: Educational and mentoring project in Spain inspiring female STEM talent. https://www.globalstemwomen.org/initiative/stem-talent-girl-2
• PMI (Project Management Institute): Global project management organization where the initial peer-mentoring concept was launched.
• Inspiring Girls International: https://inspiring-girls.com/
• Patricia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-patricia-dominguez-marin-pmp/
• David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kaselow/

__________________________________________________

Welcome to the new “Yes, you can tech!” podcast by David Kaselow.

You can look forward to real talk and inspiration from amazing women in IT and tech!

They’ll share their career journeys, role models, and everything they want to pass on to girls and young women.

So that even more girls and women choose STEM careers. Tune in and subscribe to the channel!

Your host: David Kaselow is "The German IT explainer", an IT consultant and project manager, who "translates" between business and IT people for his corporate clients.

On social media and in his book "IT for beginners", he explains computer science topics in a very clear and accessible way for EVERYONE!

_________________________________________

For any collab inquiries just write me at:

[email protected]