
Teach the Geek Podcast - public speaking for technical professionals
In STEM (science, technology, engineering, math)? Struggle with public speaking? Then you're in the right place! I'm Neil Thompson, engineer and speaker. This is the place to get tips to improve your public speaking, and also hear from others with STEM backgrounds who saw the benefit of public speaking in their careers and the steps they took to get better at it. Think you or someone you know would make a great guest? Email me at hello@teachthegeek.com.
Latest episodes

Oct 26, 2022 • 30min
EP. 226: Engineering the San Diego tech scene with Neal Bloom
Engineering the San Diego tech scene with Neal Bloom
Neal Bloom is an engineer turned marketer turned investor turned podcaster. He’s lived many lives, like a cat. He’s also a cheerleader for the San Diego tech community. We spoke about his lives as an engineer and marketer, primarily the reason for making the switch, the companies he has invested in, and his Tacos and Tech podcast.
Find Neal on Twitter at @NeilBloom.
__
TEACH THE GEEK
teachthegeek.com/tips for public speaking tips
Prefer audio? Go to podcast.teachthegeek.com
@teachthegeek (FB, Twitter
@_teachthegeek_ (IG, Tik Tok)

Oct 19, 2022 • 24min
EP. 225: Civil engineer to Entrepreneur with Sam Lytle
Civil engineer to Entrepreneur with Sam Lytle
After working for years in industry, Sam Lytle founded Beyondware to develop better 3D visualization tools for civil engineers. It’s always interesting for me to speak with those who go off and do their own thing. We chatted more about Beyondware, the work that Sam did before Beyondware to prepare him for the entrepreneurship journey, and the ways in which public speaking has benefited him along the journey.
Get in touch with Sam at sam@beyondcad.com
__
TEACH THE GEEK
Want public speaking tips? Go to teachthegeek.com/tips
Prefer video? Go to youtube.teachthegeek.com
@teachthegeek (FB, Twitter)
@_teachthegeek_ (IG, Tik Tok)

Oct 12, 2022 • 30min
EP. 224: How to make a geek speak with Dr. Karen Corbin
How to make a geek speak with Dr. Karen Corbin
Dr. Karen Corbin is a scientist and founder of Geeks that Speak, whose goal is to help those technical backgrounds translate complex scientific information in a way that is accessible to a broad range of audiences. In other words, geeks suck at talking to people, and Dr. Corbin helps them suck less. We talked about her work history, specifically what was the trigger for her to see that her work with geeks was something to pursue.
You can find Dr. Corbin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-corbin-phd-rd-75229111.
__
TEACH THE GEEK
Go to teachthegeek.com/tips for public speaking tips
Prefer audio? Go to anchor.fm/teacthegeek
@teachthegeek (FB, Twitter)
@_teachthegeek_ (IG, Tik Tok)

Oct 5, 2022 • 33min
EP. 223: Building belonging with engineer and DEI advocate Dr. Meagan Pollock
Building belonging with engineer and DEI advocate Dr. Meagan Pollock
Dr. Meagan Pollock is the founder of Engineer Inclusion, using engineering thinking, process improvement and research–based strategies to help companies reach their business goals. She started off as an engineer, though, so I was really interested to learn about her transition from engineering to consultant. She’s also a speaker. What does she speak on? I found that out, too.
To get in touch with Dr. Pollock, meaganpollock.com is the place to go!
__
TEACH THE GEEK
teachthegeek.com/tips to get useful public speaking tips
Prefer audio? Go to anchor.fm/teachthegeek
youtube.teachthegeek.com
@teachthegeek (FB, Twitter)
@_teachthegeek_ (IG, Tik Tok)

Sep 28, 2022 • 32min
EP. 222: From mathematical engineering to professional speaker with Sunjay Nath
From mathematical engineering to professional speaker with Sunjay Nath
Sunjay is a professional speaker whose main topics are leadership and performance. Would you believe that he started out with a degree in mathematical engineering? When I first saw he got a degree in mathematical engineering, I thought it was a typo (did he mean to say mechanical?). I’ve never heard of mathematical engineering, so I definitely asked him what it entails. He’s also the author of 2 books, The 10-80-10 Principle®: Unlocking Dynamic Performance, and The ABC’s of Student Leadership. We chatted about his journey to professional speaker, the motivation for writing his books, and the ways in which his background prepared him for what he does now.
Learn more about Sunjay at https://sunjaynath.com/.
__
TEACH THE GEEK
teachthegeek.com/tips for public speaking tips
anchor.fm/teachthegeek for the podcast
youtube.teachthegeek.com
@teachthegeek (FB, Twitter)
@_teachthegeek_ (IG, TikTok)

Sep 21, 2022 • 27min
EP. 221: What's LEED, Eric Oliver?
What's LEED, Eric Oliver?
Eric Oliver is a professional engineer and LEED expert. What’s LEED? I definitely wanted to find out. He founded his company, Earthwide LLC, to provide energy and sustainability consulting services. He’s also president-elect of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE). We chatted about his role with AEE, his journey to entrepreneurship, and the ways in which public speaking has benefited him.
Interested to learn more about what Eric does? Contact him at earthwidellc.com.
__
TEACH THE GEEK
teachthegeek.com
anchor.fm/teachthegeek
youtube.teachthegeek.com
@teachthegeek (FB, Twitter)
@_teachthegeek_ (IG, Tik Tok)

Sep 14, 2022 • 29min
EP. 220: Cybersecurity engineer and speaker Comfort Uduebholo - public speaking for engineers
Cybersecurity engineer and speaker Comfort Uduebholo - public speaking for engineers
Comfort Uduebholo is a security engineer, a mentor, a speaker, whatever she wants to be. She’s an active member of the Women in Cybersecurity, and she speaks on technical and non-technical topics. We chatted about her journey to become a security engineer, her volunteerism, and her speaking topics.
To reach Contact, connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/comfort-uduebholo/.
__
TEACH THE GEEK
teachthegeek.com/tips for public speaking tips
anchor.fm/teachthegeek
youtube.teachthegeek.com
@teachthegeek (FB, Twitter)
@_teachthegeek_ (IG, Tik Tok)

Sep 7, 2022 • 23min
EP. 219: From art school to engineering with Michelle Brenner
Michelle Brenner went to art school. She eventually traded in art for code, becoming a self-taught engineer. In addition, Michelle is a speaker, presenting at multiple conferences on both technical topics and career growth. How does somebody go from an artist to an engineer? Tune in to find out!
__
TEACH THE GEEK
In STEM and struggle with public speaking? Get some tips at teachthegeek.com/tips
@teachthegeek (FB, Twitter)
@_teachthegeek_ (IG, Tik Tok)

Aug 31, 2022 • 29min
EP. 218: Chiropractor, author, and speaker Dr. Danielle Peebles
Chiropractor, author, and speaker Dr. Danielle Peebles
Dr. Danielle Peebles is a chiropractor, owner of Pro Health Family Chiropractic. She’s also an author, with a book called Sex Sent me to the Chiropractor. I definitely asked her about that! Dr. Peebles is also a speaker. We chatted about her speaking topics, the motivation for writing her book, and her choice to become a chiropractor.
To get in touch with Dr. Peebles, email her at drdannip@yahoo.com.
__
TEACH THE GEEK
Get public speaking tips at teachthegeek.com/tips
Prefer audio? Visit anchor.fm/teachthegeek
@teachthegeek (FB, Twitter)
@_teachthegeek_ (IG, TikTok)

Aug 24, 2022 • 30min
EP. 217: Building the career you want with Andrea Martin
Building the career you want with Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin founded Andrea Martin Consulting to help people advance in their careers. She’s also host of the Career Confessions Podcast. I follow her on LinkedIn, and after commenting on one of her posts, she said that it’d be cool for us to have a conversation on a podcast. I understand that to mean, “Neil, invite me to be a guest on your podcast.” I took the hint, invited her. and she accepted.
To get in touch with Andrea, her Instagram handle is @mrs.andrea.martin.
__
TEACH THE GEEK
Get public speaking tips at teachthegeek.com/tips
Prefer audio only? Listen to the podcast at anchor.fm/teachthegeek
@teachthegeek (FB, Twitter)
@_teachthegeek_ (IG, Tik Tok)
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.