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 Instag

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-

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. 

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

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 companie

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.