Episodes
Tuesday Aug 17, 2021
Imposter syndrome is a crowd pleaser
Tuesday Aug 17, 2021
Tuesday Aug 17, 2021
Taylor starts her new job and Monica has a weird interaction at her gym. They also try to figure out how to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the workday and finish the episode with some really important deep dives into reality TV.
Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
Standing out in a sea of startups
Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
This week we are joined by the co-founders of Talentdrop, Maddy Nguyen (CEO) and Janelle Tiulentino (CTO). We talk about their decision to work together on ideas that are their own and how they are growing their startup in this summer’s Y Combinator batch (which, by the way, has a 1.5% acceptance rate!). We also discuss how imposter syndrome has actually caused them to be more prepared and organized in the early stages of building their company and has contributed to fostering a safer, more inclusive company culture. Most importantly, we bond over having bougie cats.
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
The queen of growth and retention
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
Reformed “Type A+“, Keya Patel, joins us on the pod this week! We talk to Headspace’s former Director of Product Growth about her strategies for building relationships and incepting ideas with executives. We discuss how age can play a role in imposter syndrome, how you can have imposter syndrome for an entire year, and her strategies for getting out of a cycle of doubt and a situation that doesn't serve you. She also explains her weekly reflection practice and how she tweaks it to make it work for her in the moment.
Thursday Jul 15, 2021
Taylor has news!
Thursday Jul 15, 2021
Thursday Jul 15, 2021
Is there anything better than seeing the words "Next Steps" in a recruiter email?
After a month of interviewing (and refreshing my email anticipating said emails), Taylor has accepted an offer.
Wednesday Jun 30, 2021
Who should be leading DE&I efforts?
Wednesday Jun 30, 2021
Wednesday Jun 30, 2021
This week we are joined by Cornell Verdeja-Woodson, Headspace’s first ever Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion! Cornell got his start educating others by clapping back with facts on ignorant Facebook posts and decided to make a career out of it. We learn about how his Teach for America experience shaped his understanding of how higher education can better support all students. Cornell also shares his approach to giving individuals the tools to create a culture of belonging for everyone.
Separately, we reflect on the Juneteenth national holiday.
Wednesday Jun 23, 2021
Our software superhero!
Wednesday Jun 23, 2021
Wednesday Jun 23, 2021
This week, Shawn Bullock, Monica's former instructor at Hack Reactor, joins us! Shawn is a self-taught programmer who started hacking away on Apple 2s before the internet even existed. He worked as a senior architect at FreeCreditScore.com/Experian and then began teaching software engineering after falling in love with the bootcamp model at Hack Reactor. He now spends his free time thinking up solutions for how to unblock people trying to find success in software engineering and trying to understand and find solutions to imposter syndrome. What an absolute gem!
Tuesday Jun 15, 2021
Spilling the interview tea with Ellie
Tuesday Jun 15, 2021
Tuesday Jun 15, 2021
This week, returning champion and friend of the pod, Ellie Demis, subs in for Taylor to treat Monica to a rundown of her latest interview conquests! Listen to hear about her process, how she anticipates what she'll be asked, and how she studies smarter, not harder. As a four-time technical interview veteran, she's got advice you won't want to miss!
Friday Jun 11, 2021
Engineering for the greater good
Friday Jun 11, 2021
Friday Jun 11, 2021
This week we are graced with the presence of Dion Fulwood, our former engineering colleague at Headspace. We dive into his birth chart, DE&I efforts, and discuss his philosophy on leaving the space better for "the next Dion". We also discuss the importance of being connected to your work and identifying strongly with a mission. Also, happy Pride!
Find information on giving to 9 Dots here.
Dion began his tech journey at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. Upon receiving his Computer Science degree, he moved to The Bay Area to continue his education at an advanced software engineering immersive program and taught programming fundamentals to students just beginning their own journey. After completing the immersive program, he moved to Los Angeles to contribute his skills within the mindfulness and legal space!
Wednesday Jun 02, 2021
Finding your leadership style
Wednesday Jun 02, 2021
Wednesday Jun 02, 2021
This week we are joined by Monica's college roomie, Stephanie Shaw! Stephanie has been a product leader for 10 years at both early and late stage companies and across verticals such as gaming, ad tech, AI analytics, and design tooling. Stephanie discusses her leadership style and whether or not we should have to mold to others'. She also shares how the heck she started her own business and how she stays organized (girl loves her spreadsheets!).
Be sure to listen to the end as Taylor shares some *rare* wisdom on how to return things from Amazon.
Tuesday May 25, 2021
Becoming LinkedInfluencers and making amends
Tuesday May 25, 2021
Tuesday May 25, 2021
Taylor chats with “the guy who didn’t look her in the eye in the interview” (he reached out!) and Monica and Taylor do a dramatic reading of a troll-y thread.