impostHER

'Tine Zekis shares her theory of the Experience Tax, in which systemic racism and sexism form the perfect environment for your imposter syndrome to thrive. Listen as 'Tine calls upon us all to take back our seat at the table, and form Hype Squads to remind us we belong in the moments we forget. 'Tine is an educator turned software engineer, keynote speaker, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advocate. Find her writings here and visit her website at careerundaunted.com. You can also directly reach out at tine@careerundaunted.com.

Monica manifests the 4 day work week and Taylor channels the energy of a violent macaque who overthrew the patriarchy within her troop. 

Monica makes it to day 8 at her new role and Taylor grapples with being tapped as the lead for a big ass project.

In a departure from their normal content, Monica and Taylor chat with lawyer-to-be Patricia Brennan. Patty discusses her decision to enter a field that famously demands long hours, as well as the old-school gender norms certain courtrooms still uphold. We object!

Monica dreams she was hired at Square to play basketball and the gals discuss the horrendous Texas abortion law.

Monica reveals what she has been up to for the past month. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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!

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!

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!

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. 

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.

Bhavini Soneji, current VP of Engineering at Headspace, discusses putting people first and fostering a safe, inclusive company culture. We talk about the hiring funnel and all the drop-off points along the way that cause women to lose out on jobs. Taylor exposes creepy messages she's received and we talk about moments of bias that are less public.   *EDIT: We introduce Bhavini as having a decade of experience. That should've been decadeS, plural. She's a queen.

Lupe Gonzalez, VP of Member Experience at Headspace, shares how she builds relationships by having vulnerable and uncomfortable conversations. As a prime example of an empathetic and compassionate leader, she discusses how she provides a space for her team to unload emotions in order to turn them into productive action. Monica and Taylor also discuss what will happen if you tell us to “smile”.

Sabrina, a life coach who incorporates mindfulness, meditation and Reiki practices into her coaching, joins us this week. She teaches us what Reiki actually is and how her approach to coaching helps her clients feel complete and whole, paving the way for professional and personal success. She drops wisdom on concepts she uses in coaching including “naming the monster” and “borrowed love” and urges us all not to compare our first chapter to someone else’s twelfth. Also, Taylor almost goes viral on LinkedIn. Find Sabrina on Instagram @lightofmori or her website https://www.morilight.com/.

Monica and Taylor are joined by CEO and Founder of Ascend, Shivani Berry. Shivani gives incredibly valuable advice for women in leadership including getting buy-in from dominant personalities and winning respect. We also cover why introducing yourself can be so cringey and how to stop saying sorry at work. Ascend's online leadership program teaches a community of women the skills and actionable frameworks to get buy-in, overcome imposter syndrome, and lead. Find more information on the program here.