META Woman

Just checking in! We will be switching our show format to every two weeks. Fear not, we'll be back in your ears with great content after the holiday break and what is hopefully a short recovery from surgery. Until next time!

Today's episode features Claire Graves, President of The Webby Awards. Each year, The Webbys highlight excellence in digital art, media, design, content, and more. Also each year, you hear your favorite major podcast hosts begging you to vote for their show to win a Webby Award. Claire and I talk about the history of The Webbys, internet trends, and why adding gaming and metaverse content was especially critical to the Webbys.

Today's fantastic guest is Rebecca Longawa is the Founder and President of Happy Warrior (which helps brands with strategy and partnerships) and the CEO of Women’s Carball, the second largest esports league for women in the world, and features women who play Rocket League. Naturally, we had a lot to talk about, from avoiding activations that are just a logo slap to creating equitable spaces for girls and women to game. Rebecca is a right light in this industry, and remains dedicated to making it a better place.

Joining the podcast today is Jacqui Cooper, Bitcoin enthusiast, author, traveler, and more. We talk about why a will is important, how podcasting has the ability to influence people, Jacqui's book, Bitcoin Cinderella, and way more. Jacqui tells me about her journey into the crypto rabbit hole and how she's embracing a lifetime of learning.Episodes:https://cryptomom2.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-Cinderella-Blockchain-Adventures-Fairytale/dp/B09WW5S1K2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1A99H4XND4HTL&keywords=bitcoin+cinderella&qid=1663701267&sprefix=bitcoin+cinderlla%2Caps%2C308&sr=8-1

Today's episode is incredibly important. Valeriia Voronova, the Media Director of Maincast, joins the show. Maincast is an esports organization based out of Ukraine, where they operate Live Broadcasts, Tournaments, and create original content through their talents and influencers. The war in Ukraine has heavily impacted Valeriia's life, business, and the esports scene, and we discuss the impacts of that. Valeriia explains what the esports scene is like in Eastern Europe, how more women can be involved in the industry, and more. Episode Resourceshttps://www.maincast.com/ https://www.gamereactor.eu/esl-and-maincast-has-extended-their-media-deal-for-four-more-years/ 

Metaverse Designer Gemma Bowen, aka KawaiFoxiita joins the show today! Gemma is a Sims builder and designer, recreating sets, building original sets, and putting her own creative spin on game design sets IN the Sims. With a background in interior design, a passion for creating online worlds, and the talent to build from scratch, Gemma is like if the Property Brothers were one incredibly talented and tech oriented person. Listen as we discuss designing in the Metaverse, building communities, and working with a chronic illness.

Joining the show today is Ashley Washington, the Game Changers EMEA Product Manager at Riot, where she works on building spaces for folks in marginalized genders to play, compete, and have fun. We talk about Game Changers, and how it creates a safe space for women who are interested in competitive play and removing some of the negative factors that often keep them from progressing and finding further opportunities. Plus, we both get to flex a little about our foreign language skills (Ashley is the far more talented one in that department).Episode Resources:https://www.theloadout.com/valorant/game-changers-ashley-washington-interview 

Today's episode features Maya McClendon, the Founder of Timeout. Timeout is an app designed to specifically aid athletes and other high pressure performers with tools to aid in bettering mental health. While Timeout is focusing first on athletes, Maya believes expansion into all kinds of competitive areas is going to be critical to Timeout's success. We talk about how to build a business, what it's like to get funding, and the intersection between tech and mental health. Maya teaches me about problem curation: figuring out what the issues actually are is the way to actually solve problems.

This week's episode features Sandy Carter, the VP of Unstoppable Domains. Sandy has had an illustrious career in tech (so much so that she has her own Wikipedia page, definitely check it out), and is right in the middle of the Web3 revolution. We talk about the transition from Web2 to Web3, the opportunities that are out there, and why the Metaverse is exciting. Sandy's musings show why it's important to keep up with the youths, and help me understand how Web3 can democratize the internet.Episode Resources:https://decrypt.co/106009/unstoppable-domains-reaches-unicorn-valuation-with-65m-series-a-round https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdAfucJNC88&ab_channel=SiliconANGLEtheCUBE https://www.businessinsider.com/why-i-quit-amazon-for-web3-sandy-carter-crypto-nft-2022-6 

Nadja Bester, Co-founder of Engage of Earn investment platform AdLunam, Inc., joins the show today! Nadja has a career in tech, journalism, and travel all rolled into one. We talk about building a platform, why crypto and Web3 projects are important, and what tools founders can use to set themselves up for success.Episode Resources: https://adlunam.cc/https://hackernoon.com/engaging-to-earn-with-adlunam-co-founder-nadja-besterhttps://www.benzinga.com/fintech/22/05/27186631/women-leading-in-the-journey-toward-web3https://metaverseinsider.tech/2022/04/28/an-interview-with-nadja-bester-the-ceo-of-adlunam-a-transformational-ido-launchpad/

Today on the show is Ashley Olmested, Associate Experience Design Director at Ripple Studios where she works on Battlefield 2042 and Battlefield Portal. Ashley FINALLY teaches me what the difference between UX and UI (which is actually critical and really interesting), and what life is like as a developer. One especially prominent note: failure (and subsequent feedback from the community) is actually a starting point for making things better. In short: Ashley teaches me not to be afraid of criticism, which is easier said than done!

Swatee Surve, Founder and CEO of Litesprite, joins the show this week. Litesprite is a new way for employers and employees to experience mental health benefits through an interactive environment that teaches people how to master their own zen. Swatee and I discuss mental health, what it's like working in the healthcare space, fundraising, revenue models, and plenty of stories about life and learning.Episode Resources:https://venturebeat.com/2022/05/14/how-game-leaders-can-change-systems-to-improve-employee-mental-health/https://venturebeat.com/2022/03/19/swatee-surve-interview-showing-gratitude-to-your-friends-in-a-game/https://venturebeat.com/2019/11/10/litesprites-game-for-treating-depression-gets-an-endorsement-from-bayers-startup-accelerator/

Are you interested in putting fun back into esports? This is the episode for you! Paige Cameron, VP of Miscellanea and general wizard from Beastcoast, joins me to talk about building an international esports organization, what opportunities are out there, and what it's like to constantly adapt and switch roles. Digressions include digital goods, fan engagement strategies, how old neopets are, the queer community in South America, and managing more than one Twitter page at a time.Episode Resources:https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/state-lgbtq-rights-latin-america-0https://beastcoast.gg/

Joining me this week is Holly Gray, the Human Resources Manager at Generation Esports. In addition to talking about esports and the importance of HR, Holly and I have a bit of a heart to heart about how to keep going when life is difficult, and also talk all about what Generation Esports is doing for students, veterans, and amateur players. Holly teaches me about the positivity of having kids play games in schools: higher engagement in school, better attendance, better grades because kids are getting to do things that make them happy! Hopefully that means the acceptance and normalization of it is coming.Episode Resources:https://generationesports.com/https://edgeup.asus.com/2022/asus-gives-esports-programs-a-head-start//

Today's episode features Jen Hall, Head of Strategic Partnerships in Southeast Asia and India for Ampverse. Ampverse is an esports company that focuses on team development, influencer relationships, and key strategic partnerships in Southeast Asia and India. Our discussion was centered on gaming culture in Asia, taking a different approach to monetization and fan engagement, and what Web3/blockchain gaming have to offer. Plus, we talk about how Nescafe gave fans the chance to play with their esports heroes.Episode Resourceshttps://ampverse.com/jenny-hall/https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/28/singapore-based-esports-startup-ampverse-lands-12m/

Katya Dolgova, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Redhill Games, a game developer based in Helsinki, Finland is on the podcast this week! In a fun nod to Dolly Parton (intentional or unintentional), Katya's team just put out their first game, an FPS called Nine to Five. We talk about the startup environment vs. larger publishers, what is missing in the digital economy, and why it's fun to build a shooter game.Episode Resources:https://www.redhillgames.com/https://www.ninetofive.game/https://www.theesa.com/resource/2021-essential-facts-about-the-video-game-industry/

Joining me this week is Julievette Jefferson, who started a non-profit called Kick the Day to provide kids with a space to play, learn, and move through gaming and other activities. Julievette's experience in the education world combined with a drive to keep kids sane and happy during the pandemic lead to Kick the Day, which now services her community in and around Philadelphia. We talk about community organizations, the importance of after school activities, and more.Julievette's orgaization is currently doing a fundraiser for this year's programming. If you would like to support the mission, please visit: https://icaniwillktd.com/donateEpisode Resources:https://icaniwillktd.com/

This week's episode features the first-ever enterprise level conversation. Join Lindsay as she discusses marketing, tech, and breaking barriers with Catherine Valiquette, Go-to-Market Manager and Marketing Strategy and Daniella Guio, AMS Marketing Manager, for PageWide Web Presses for a little known company, HP. Catherine and Daniella share their passions for using tech in marketing, building a more equitable world, and how advertising fits into the whole puzzle.Episode Resources:https://www.hp.com/us-en/industrial-printers/indigo-digital-presses.html - HP Indigohttps://www.hp.com/us-en/commercial-industrial-printing/pagewide-web-press.html?jumpid=ps_9ce7964152&gclid=CjwKCAjw_tWRBhAwEiwALxFPobaErB9UQBixcNqMqpGseO97W6Hsin3zjVfVoelHDnebvcPwPx4KfRoC-mgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds – HP PageWidehttps://h20195.www2.hp.com/V2/GetPDF.aspx/4AA6-4597EEW.pdf- Personalization and Brand Experiences

*Major Episode Alert* This week features two incredible leaders in the gaming industry: Dr. Mitu Khandaker (CEO) and Latoya Peterson (CXO) join me from Glow Up Games. In its own words, “Glow Up Games is a game studio centering innovative storytelling about black and brown joy.” Mitu and Latoya walk me through what it was like developing a mobile game based on the hit HBO series Insecure (by amazing creator Issa Rae). Join us for a conversation on race, fundraising, company building, and what it's like to meet your heroes. Episode Resources:http://glowup.games/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kemberliespivey/2021/11/29/hbo-and-glow-up-games-launches-a-insecure-mobile-game-called-the-come-up/?sh=659eee11515c https://igda-website.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/18113901/IGDA-DSS-2021_SummaryReport_2021.pdf https://www.forbes.com/sites/kemberliespivey/2021/11/29/hbo-and-glow-up-games-launches-a-insecure-mobile-game-called-the-come-up/?sh=659eee11515c https://www.dbltap.com/posts/latoya-peterson-diversity-in-games-01f4wcm7jexg https://www.publicbooks.org/ai-rap-synthesis-tools-black-hip-hop/

For this special bonus episode, I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Jacquelyn Thomas, Founder and CEO, Kids In Technology, Curriculum Developer- Beauty of STEM Series (BOSS), and the Founder of Girls Pursuing Science. Dr. Jacquelyn's career and outlook lead us to having an important discussion on the different standards for men and women, how race fits in, and why it's important to get more diverse voices into science and tech. Listen for a timely and relevant conversation on the gaming industry, tech, and how we can get more women and people of color into the industry. Episode Resourceshttps://girlspursuingscience.com/https://thestoryexchange.org/jacquelyn-thomas/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/02/forget-law-school-these-kids-want-to-be-a-youtube-star.html