Claim OwnershipDiverse: a SWE podcast
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Welcome to Diverse, a podcast by the Society of Women Engineers. SWE gives women engineers a unique place and voice within the engineering community. On Diverse, we highlight incredible thought leaders and personalities in the STEM community and discover who they are at home, at work and in between.
373 Episodes
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As part of SWE’s “Un Cafecito With a Woman in STEM” series, spotlighting Latina voices across the globe, this special episode of Diverse is presented in Spanish.
Claudia Guerrero, SWE global ambassador and service program leader at GE Aerospace, sits down with host Doris Moreno Maldonado, process engineer at Kellogg’s and lead of the SWE Latinos Affinity Group, for a conversation on antifragility, authenticity, and creating community wherever you are.
Recorded live at WE25 in New Orleans, Claudia shares her journey as one of the first women in her family to study engineering in Mexico, her role in growing the SWE affiliate in Querétaro, and surviving a life-altering medical crisis.
Hear how to move beyond resilience toward antifragility, build your personal board of directors, and lean into your unique authentic strengths.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
Carolina Caro, WE Local Portland keynote and CEO of Conscious Leadership Partners, breaks down communication blind spots for engineers and explores how your communication style shapes your leadership impact in this episode.
As a scientist by training, Carolina reflects on why technical expertise isn’t enough and speaks to the platinum rule, where you meet people where they are and communicate in the way they can best receive.
In conversation with FY26 SWE President Inaas Darrat, hear how to strengthen your communication without compromising your authenticity and why communication style is an often-overlooked dimension of diversity.
Carolina will expand on these insights as the opening keynote at WE Local Portland, taking place Feb. 27-28. WE Local conferences bring together engineers and technologists for networking opportunities, professional development, and inspirational speakers.
Register at welocal.swe.org to join SWE at an upcoming WE Local near you!
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
Julie Daugherty, engineering associate and process project leader at Corning Incorporated, joins us live at WE25 to discuss how introverts can embrace their strengths and turn them into career superpowers.
In conversation with Larry Guthrie, director of content strategy at SWE, hear how planning ahead builds confidence, how to survive “mandatory fun” networking events, and why finding extroverted champions can be key to career growth in STEM.
You’ll also learn how managers can support introverted engineers, what it means to be an ambivert, and why personality diversity leads to stronger teams and better problem-solving.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
Building a STEM career looks different around the world, but the benefits of mentorship, sponsorship, and community are universal.
In this episode, Abosede Adewole, principal electrical engineer with Nigeria’s Federal Housing Authority, and Stella Uzochukwu, country director of the Odyssey Educational Foundation, discuss the differences between mentorship and sponsorship, as well as their personal journeys navigating gender bias in Nigeria’s engineering and technology sectors.
Interviewed at WE25 by Laurie Shuster, editor-in-chief of SWE Magazine, hear why sponsorship often happens behind closed doors, tips to make yourself visible and “sponsorship-ready,” and how Abosede and Stella are supporting the next generation through STEM outreach initiatives.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
Zoe, SWENext Influencer and FIRST Robotics leader, and Charlee, a member of the 2025 STEM Next Flight Crew youth ambassador program, join us live from the WE25 Diverse Podcast Studio in New Orleans to share their experiences as young STEM leaders.
In conversation with Larry Guthrie, director of content strategy at SWE, they reflect on how Invent It. Build It. sparked powerful connections, what leadership looks like as a precollege student, and how they navigate bias, responsibility, and pressure as “the first” in their communities.
Hear their experiences starting STEM clubs and expanding access in rural areas, plus why a strong community is critical to shaping a more inclusive future in engineering.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
This episode is sponsored by BD.
Showing up as your authentic self in engineering isn’t always easy. In this conversation, Christine Kearney Hawkins, senior staff R&D engineer in BD’s Peripheral Intervention business and SWE life member, shares her 20+ year journey navigating authenticity, leadership, and innovation in STEM.
From being told that she couldn’t be both an engineer and a mom, to learning that her bubbly enthusiasm is a strength and not a liability, Christine reflects on how embracing who she is shaped her career and impact.
In conversation with host Sam East, hear how authentic leadership fuels better innovation outcomes, what to do when workplace feedback conflicts with your core values, and practical advice to create cultures where people feel safe bringing their whole selves to work.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
Stepping into STEM leadership doesn’t require a senior title or having everything figured out.
In this episode, Katie Ashley, volunteer coordinator of the SWE Early Career Professionals Affinity Group (SWE ECP AG), is joined by Zoe Husted, ECP AG conferences and awards co-chair and president of the SWE Golden Gate Section, and Kathryn Wittek, ECP AG design coordinator and president of the SWE Baltimore-Washington Section, to explore what leadership can look like in the beginning years of an engineering career.
Drawing from their experiences in SWE, team sports, and technical roles, Zoe and Kathryn share when they started seeing themselves as leaders, how they navigate leading more experienced colleagues, and why learning and leading often happen at the same time.
Hear their tips to find community as an early-career engineer, plus how the skills they have developed through SWE have translated into the workplace.
The SWE ECP AG was formed to equip individuals with the support, resources, and inclusive community to excel in the first ten years of their career. Get involved and find out about upcoming ECP AG events at https://earlycareerprofessionalsag.swe.org/.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
This episode is sponsored by Fortune Brands Innovations.
In this episode, Karen Morris, vice president of environmental health, safety, and security at Fortune Brands Innovations, discusses how to build an engineering career that can shift and evolve through different seasons of your life.
Over her 30+ year career spanning more than a dozen roles, Karen reflects on the career-defining moments that came from unexpected pivots — including taking a role that looked like a step back in order to support her family.
In conversation with host Sam East, hear how to navigate career decisions alongside life changes, what she has learned by traveling to the “Clevelands of the world,” and how to create longevity in your engineering journey.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
Leadership coach, author, engineer, and executive Sabina Nawaz shares how managers and employees can build stronger working relationships in this episode of Diverse.
Recorded live at WE25 in New Orleans, Sabina draws on her 14-year career at Microsoft — including advising Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer — to break down what causes leaders to struggle and how to avoid becoming “that boss.”
Hear how leaders can unlock better ideas from their teams, tips to demystify your manager’s working style, and what it means to “never go to work hungry.”
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
Kim Burton, director of project engineering at Textron Aviation, joins SWE President-Elect Kerrie Greenfelder for a leadership conversation that’s out of this world.
Drawing on iconic moments from Star Trek: Voyager, Kim shares how Captain Kathryn Janeway shaped her path into engineering and inspires her leadership philosophy today.
Hear lessons from the show that offer real-life guidance for STEM leaders — from decision-making under pressure, to building inclusive teams, to ensuring no crew member is left behind.
Recorded live at WE25 in New Orleans, this conversation explores how emotional intelligence, communication, and diverse perspectives fuel high-performing teams — whether you’re commanding a starship or leading humans on planet Earth.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
Kristin Hagen, biomedical engineering student at the University of California, Irvine and lifelong dancer, shares practical tools from the dance world to help women in STEM take up space and present with confidence.
Live from the WE25 Diverse Podcast Studio in New Orleans, Kristin shares how choreography, muscle memory, posture, and improvisation can transform the way engineers show up during presentations with host Laurie Shuster, editor-in-chief of SWE Magazine.
Hear why confidence begins the moment you walk into the room, how techniques like the “Clinton box” can strengthen your stage presence, and how staying poised helped her recover from an on-stage slip-up during a technical talk.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
This episode is sponsored by Bechtel.
Josefina Alvarez and Kira McKay, supplier quality representatives at Bechtel, sit down with SWE President-Elect Kerrie Greenfelder to discuss how they landed their first jobs through the SWE and SHPE career fairs and also discovered a side of engineering they never knew existed.
Recorded live at the WE25 Diverse Podcast Studio in New Orleans, hear about the behind-the-scenes components of engineering — from supply chain to quality systems — and how these roles make iconic projects possible.
Kira and Josefina share candid advice for engineering students and new grads, what they’ve learned inside the Bechtel Supplier Quality and Expediting (BSQE) program, and how mentorship, curiosity, and saying “yes” to unfamiliar paths shaped their early careers.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
Women engineers often struggle to set boundaries or say “no” at work.
Srividhya Pallay and Tsega Tefera, solutions architects at Amazon Web Services, joined us live in the WE25 Diverse Podcast Studio to share real-world lessons around overcoming imposter syndrome, finding the confidence to speak up in meetings, and unapologetically protecting their time and energy in their STEM careers.
In conversation with Laurie Shuster, editor-in-chief of SWE Magazine, hear how to handle disagreements with professionalism and grace, calendar-blocking techniques to maintain balance, and go-to phrases to communicate boundaries effectively.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
The common advice for career growth is to “move up” into management — but what if your true passion lies in staying close to the technology itself?
In this episode, host Sam East speaks with Deb Whitis, Ph.D., and Amrita Maguire, both of the SWE Technical Career Path Affinity Group, about what it means to grow, lead, and make an impact as engineers while staying on the technical career path.
From developing nickel-based superalloys that power jet engines to advancing ergonomic standards and AI-enabled design, Deb and Amrita reflect on their careers and share how technical leadership can be just as influential as managing people.
They also highlight the work of SWE’s Technical Career Path Affinity Group, including a new mentorship program helping women chart their own path as innovators, inventors, and subject matter experts.
Get involved with the SWE Technical Career Path Affinity Group: https://affinitygroups.swe.org/technical-career-path/
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
In this episode, Karen Horting, CEO and executive director of the Society of Women Engineers, sits down with Olympic gold medalist and industrial engineer Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, the first Black woman to win gold in the 100-meter hurdles — a milestone she achieved at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Benita shares how she balanced the demands of engineering school with her Olympic training, the lessons she learned about time and energy management, and the unforgettable moment when she realized she had won gold.
Hear how Benita’s personal mantra, “Why not me?,” has guided her through challenges in athletics, STEM, and leadership — plus the five gold medal strategies she continues to practice.
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The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
This episode is sponsored by Nucor.
When Johanna Threm, vice president and general manager at Nucor, started her career, she envisioned designing buildings and bridges as a civil engineer.
In conversation with SWE Executive Director and CEO Karen Horting, Johanna shares how she transitioned to the steel industry, the lessons she’s learned from taking bold career risks, and the importance of “lifting as you climb” to create opportunities for others.
Recorded live at WE25, hear how Nucor offers diverse career paths in rural and urban communities, how Johanna’s family embraced a cross-country move during the pandemic, and why seeing women in every role — from crane operators to metallurgists — signals a powerful shift in the steel industry.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
In honor of National Native American Heritage Month, SWE CEO and Executive Director Karen Horting sits down with Sarah EchoHawk, president and CEO of Advancing Indigenous People in STEM (AISES), to discuss visibility, allyship, and access for Indigenous engineers.
Sarah shares her family’s deep legacy of public service, the role of tribal colleges in reclaiming education, and how Indigenous knowledge systems — from fire science to environmental stewardship — can help solve global challenges.
Plus, hear how employers, educators, and organizations like SWE can strengthen partnerships with AISES to ensure Indigenous voices are included in the future of STEM.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
This episode is sponsored by Resideo.
In this episode, two engineers share how curiosity, empathy, and innovation shape their work creating smart home technologies.
Helen Meza, systems integration lead engineer at Resideo, shares her inspiring path from Peru to the U.S. and discusses how she leads global teams with empathy and adaptability.
Kyra Neal, mechanical design engineer at Resideo, reflects on how she went from designing 3D printers to designing thermostats and dehumidifiers that make tangible differences in people’s lives — and how curiosity played a role in her STEM career.
In conversation with Larry Guthrie, director of content strategy at SWE, hear Helen’s insights on incorporating cultural awareness into leadership, Kyra’s lessons on finding growth through every challenge, and how Resideo fosters an environment where engineers can make an impact.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
What is it like to navigate STEM while living with a visible or invisible disability?
In this episode, Haylee Mota, a recent engineering graduate who is blind, shares how she found her path to aerospace through robotics, hands-on research, and self-advocacy — overcoming barriers like inaccessible course materials.
Angelie Vincent, a mid-career aerospace engineer living with autism, diabetes, and celiac disease, reflects on lessons learned from a late diagnosis, masking in the workplace, and the power of mentorship.
In conversation with Jenevieve Surkin, lead of SWE’s DisAbility Inclusion Affinity Group (DIAG), hear how universities and workplaces can do better and why requesting accommodations is about creating equal access and opportunity.
DIAG was formed to build a supportive, safe community for differently abled/disabled engineers, caregivers, and allies to network and develop themselves professionally. Get involved and find out about upcoming events at sites.swe.org/diag/.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
This episode is sponsored by Draper.
How do you know when it’s the right moment to make a career change? In this episode, Maureen Masiulis, director of space sensing, domain awareness, and control at Draper and acting vice president and general manager of Draper’s Space Systems Business Unit, shares her STEM journey from robotics in middle school to leadership roles in the aerospace and defense industries.
In conversation with host Sam East, she reflects on the pivotal moments when she had to decide whether to move on and details how her volunteer experiences within SWE shaped her leadership skills.
Hear how Maureen balances career growth with family and personal priorities and why Draper’s nonprofit model and programs like Draper Scholars make it a unique place for engineers to grow their careers.
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The Society of Women Engineers is a powerful, global force uniting 50,000 members of all genders spanning 85 countries. We are the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. To join and access all the exclusive benefits to elevate your professional journey, visit membership.swe.org.
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