
Beyond Coding
Beyond Coding is a weekly podcast with conversations that go "beyond coding" in a fireside chat format.
Common topics are tech, entrepreneurship, and career journeys.
Authentic, informative and inspiring. That's the aim for each episode.
New episodes every Wednesday 🎙
Latest episodes

Jan 4, 2023 • 52min
SexTech Startup with Emilie Wiersma
Tailoring to a user group which hasn't traditionally been tailored much to, Emilie aims to create the biggest sex-positive marketplace in the world with Konfettie!
Like any other founder, she's had to overcome challenges, but not everyone deals with being slandered and banned from social media. The way she picks back up in the face of adversity is admirable and I'm really happy she's sharing her learnings along the way.
Enjoy! 🎙
Connect with Emilie Wiersma:
https://nl.linkedin.com/in/emiliewiersma
https://twitter.com/sextechsavvy
Full episode on YouTube ▶️
https://youtu.be/Pz3xe4Y10cA
New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!
Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible!
OUTLINE:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:28 - Emilie has 3 mentors
00:03:47 - Emilie's first business
00:05:24 - Not working for a boss
00:06:37 - Creating fantasies for people
00:09:37 - Sex toys are unregulated
00:11:14 - Etsy and censorship
00:14:10 - Cheap materials
00:15:07 - Onboarding sellers on Konfettie
00:16:23 - Issues with products
00:17:46 - How to set up a marketplace
00:18:48 - Failing to deliver
00:19:57 - Everything custom
00:21:17 - People don't know what they want
00:24:15 - Emilie was doing everything
00:26:02 - Getting kicked off of social media
00:28:37 - Sex toy collectors
00:30:41 - Marketing that doesn't scale
00:33:04 - Airbnb was funded with cereal boxes
00:34:07 - Smut Slam
00:36:18 - Finding a co-founder
00:39:14 - Investment rounds
00:42:22 - Different dynamics with a team
00:44:18 - It's just a company
00:45:54 - Listening to customer feedback
00:50:34 - What is the end goal?

Dec 28, 2022 • 57min
Dedicated Teams, Autonomy and Effectiveness with Serge Beaumont
“What people want the most is to be useful, be effective and have an impact on the world. The specific responsibilities that come with it, tend not to be as important as that.“
Serge Beaumont shares how to achieve dedicated teams, the importance of autonomy and how to be effective together.
A great listen for those that love effective teams!
Enjoy! 🎙
Connect with Serge Beaumont:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sergebeaumont
https://mobile.twitter.com/sbeaumont
Full episode on YouTube ▶️
https://youtu.be/bfEA96mGe1A
New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!
Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible!
OUTLINE:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:26 - 20 projects
00:01:18 - Unclear priorities
00:04:50 - Teams and common goals
00:06:18 - Sociocracy 3.0 Delegation Canvas
00:07:52 - Delegating power
00:11:21 - Who are we as a team?
00:13:04 - Clarity and responsibilities
00:15:11 - Sanitisation canvas
00:18:54 - Role and Soul
00:23:09 - Responsibility and accountability
00:25:01 - Why does scrum only have 3 roles?
00:29:04 - Shared mental model
00:31:42 - Teams that are big
00:34:44 - Autonomy
00:36:17 - Partitioning a team
00:39:17 - Technical autonomy gone wrong
00:41:27 - Loose coupling
00:43:17 - Falling back to old behaviour
00:45:17 - Agile transformation at bol.com
00:48:30 - Leadership vision
00:50:33 - Keepers of the culture
00:52:22 - Lack of mandate
00:53:53 - Psychological safety
00:54:50 - Fear is the great killer
00:56:29 - How interesting

Dec 21, 2022 • 55min
Open Core, Pricing and AI product development with Dat Tran
Dat Tran shares how he co-founded Priceloop, what problem it solves and how he's choosing to open source the core product.
I've seen more and more organisations choose this open core strategy. It removes lots of the hurdles for customer and developer adoption. On top of that, you join forces / create a community to make the product better.
Enjoy! 🎙
Connect with Dat Tran:
https://dat-tran.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dat-tran-a1602320
https://twitter.com/datitran
Full episode on YouTube ▶️
https://youtu.be/5DbJhv7ikIk
New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!
Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible!
OUTLINE:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:23 - Playing around with ChatGPT
00:02:11 - ChatGPT is a building block
00:03:38 - AI Product Development
00:08:05 - What problems does Priceloop solve
00:14:49 - Different visualisations than spreadsheets
00:20:02 - Building the right thing
00:24:31 - Open sourcing the code
00:31:26 - What parts are still closed source?
00:34:14 - Managing services
00:36:04 - Sticking to your core
00:37:15 - The open core model
00:40:37 - How much time is spent on coding as CTO
00:44:26 - Hiring the first person
00:47:46 - How did Dat grow his network
00:53:47 - Dat wants more tech founders from Europe

Dec 14, 2022 • 48min
A Career as Tech Lead or Engineering Manager with Patrick Kua
Engineers can get promoted to leadership positions without knowing what is expected of them. It's less of the same and more of a sidestep.
Pat Kua and I discuss the tech lead and engineering manager roles and what makes a person effective being in that role. On top of that we give perspective for people interested in those positions.
Enjoy! 🎙
Connect with Pat Kua:
https://www.patkua.com
https://twitter.com/patkua
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patkua
Pat's newsletter:
https://levelup.patkua.com
Full episode on YouTube ▶️
https://youtu.be/QMS4anI_oJo
New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!
Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible!
OUTLINE:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:42 - Different problems in coaching CTOs
00:02:08 - Problems when it comes to team structure
00:03:47 - Coaching aspects
00:06:14 - The tech lead and engineering manager paths are sidesteps
00:08:21 - Mismatch in expectations
00:10:05 - Skills a tech lead requires
00:12:54 - Dealing with people
00:16:44 - Communication challenges
00:18:13 - When is the right time to step into a leadership position?
00:20:51 - Leadership positions are not for everyone
00:23:42 - Learning from others
00:26:21 - Relationship between tech lead and engineering manager
00:31:58 - Pitfall of splitting tech lead and engineering manager
00:34:27 - Conversations about roles and responsibilities
00:36:51 - Leadership teams
00:37:43 - Who is responsible for team effectiveness?
00:40:23 - Pat's favourite role in the past
00:43:47 - Figuring out what you like and dislike doing
00:44:46 - What do you want to do?
00:46:54 - Growth mindset

Dec 7, 2022 • 45min
Diversity, Inclusion and Work Culture in Asia with Priska Burkard
A diverse work culture is what companies are striving for to gain an edge in innovation and to stand out as workplace environment. However, this is easier said than done.
Priska and I explore the diversity and inclusion she's seen in the Asian work culture in comparison to the European work culture. On top of that, she shares her advice to organisations in hiring and accommodating for a diverse work environment.
Enjoy 🎙
Connect with Priska Burkard:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/priskaburkard
https://techface.ch
https://twitter.com/pm_burkard
Full episode on YouTube ▶️
https://youtu.be/bTQ7ZWOZz8w
New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!
Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible!
OUTLINE:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:28 - Priska's experience in Asia
00:02:21 - Differences in the Asian work culture
00:06:04 - Education in Asia
00:06:37 - Diversity differences with Asia
00:11:20 - How organisations can grow to be more diverse
00:14:22 - Offering flexibility for your employees
00:17:47 - Transparent and honest work culture
00:18:35 - Diversity starts in hiring
00:23:25 - Opportunities for women vs. men
00:27:04 - Changing company culture
00:29:09 - Inclusion vs. deadlines
00:31:26 - Diversity from an outside perspective
00:37:01 - Organisations need to distinguish themselves
00:38:19 - How to grow your network
00:44:15 - Final thoughts

Nov 30, 2022 • 58min
Mental Health Problems and Conference Talks with Stacy Cashmore
Mental health is often overlooked until it's too late. When that happens, it's a long way back to recovery.
Stacy Cashmore shares her story involving mental health problems and how trusting people and asking for help will lead you to a better state mentally.
Finding out what works for you and accommodating for yourself should not make you feel bad. It's completely healthy to look after and take care of your mental health.
My favourite quote:
"Everybody has mental health. Some people have mental health problems, but EVERYBODY has mental health and if you don't look after your mental health then you're going to get mental health problems"
Enjoy! 🎙
Connect with Stacy Cashmore:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacycash
https://twitter.com/Stacy_Cash
https://www.twitch.tv/stacyclouds
New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!
Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible!
Full episode on YouTube ▶️
https://youtu.be/Yrd3RGEMb-Y
OUTLINE:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:42 - Relistening to yourself
00:03:01 - Not recognising yourself on screen
00:05:24 - Speaking in front of a big audience
00:07:28 - Anxious before going on stage
00:09:27 - Struggling at work and at home
00:11:23 - Attending Techorama lead to Stacy's first conference talk
00:19:44 - Committing to do something
00:21:49 - Metal health issues from a young age
00:24:30 - Mentally and physically running out of steam
00:25:28 - Reaching out for help
00:28:38 - Taking care of your mental health
00:33:10 - How people want to be interacted with
00:36:02 - Acommodating for your mental health
00:37:53 - Taking care of yourself and saying no
00:41:25 - Stacy's therapist gave her an order
00:44:37 - The people that guard us from doing too much
00:46:41 - Not overstepping boundaries
00:48:41 - How to ask for help for your mental health
00:52:39 - Find what works for you
00:56:12 - Someone that can give you support

Nov 23, 2022 • 40min
Q&A #1: Podcasting, Tech Layoffs and First Job as Developer & More with Patrick Akil
First of its kind on the beyond coding podcast, an episode with just me answering your questions.
Let me know if I should do more of these 💬
New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!
Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible!
Full episode on YouTube ▶️
https://youtu.be/Q6VJg98ERoU
OUTLINE:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:43 - Should I go for a master's degree in computer science?
00:02:35 - How do I get my first job in the tech market?
00:04:35 - Why don't you tweet more?
00:04:50 - How do new engineers entering the tech field cope with the recent layoffs from companies?
00:07:05 - Favorite podcast episode so far? :)
00:08:13 - Hi Patrick, would love to know what was the inspiration behind the podcast?
00:11:33 - Podcast names we didn't end up going with
00:12:19 - Back to how we created the podcast
00:17:59 - Committing to the podcast too quickly
00:19:20 - Curious to know what goes into creating a podcast episode
00:23:25 - When is person X coming on? :(
00:23:51 - What’s your favorite podcast?
00:25:24 - What’s it like being a guest on a podcast?
00:26:40 - What’s your take on hiring in tech?
00:28:53 - Do you hate your own voice?
00:29:56 - How did you get into software development?
00:40:05 - Wrapping up

Nov 16, 2022 • 1h
Product, Relationships and Teamwork with Chiedza Muguti
Product Leadership has always been a topic that I've found interesting and wanted to explore more of. Pair that together with the wonderful Chiedza Muguti and you have an amazing episode! 😊
She is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to product, leadership, teamwork and more! Had an amazing time learning from her and I finished this episode feeling energised and inspired.
Enjoy 🎙
Connect with Chiedza Muguti:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiedzamuguti
https://twitter.com/chiedzajm
New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!
Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible!
Full episode on YouTube ▶️
https://youtu.be/i5t4PlGvYmI
OUTLINE:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:29 - Product Leadership
00:04:56 - Challenges in inspiring people
00:06:51 - How to get comfortable when you're uncomfortable
00:09:45 - The effect of how you come across as leader
00:10:57 - Piling up emotions
00:13:56 - How to get effective teams
00:16:27 - Who is responsible for effective teams?
00:19:14 - How to manage deadlines and pressure
00:22:43 - When are things flashing amber?
00:26:19 - Moving from business analyst to product owner
00:32:27 - Familiarising yourself with a domain
00:36:16 - How to prioritise value as PO
00:41:16 - Challenging value and priority
00:44:22 - Not overcomplicating solutions
00:46:44 - technoloby problems are business problems
00:49:30 - Issues with big teams
00:54:39 - Investing in relationships
00:58:22 - Success is in your environment

Nov 9, 2022 • 54min
Coaching, Listening and Leadership with Sumit Gupta
This episode is all about coaching and leadership. If you want to get better at either of those, this is the episode for you. 🙌
Sumit shares the value of having a personal coach, how listening is a gift and how each coaching skill is also a leadership skill.
My favourite learning is how he breaks down communication into different conversations. Doing so allows you to focus on which conversations are most challenging for you, and get better at having them.
Enjoy 🎙
Connect with Sumit Gupta:
https://linkedin.com/in/sumit4all
https://www.deployyourself.com
https://twitter.com/sumitgupta4all
New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!
Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible!
Full episode on YouTube ▶️
https://youtu.be/iDVY07k9SNs
OUTLINE:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:25 - Why Sumit coaches people?
00:02:21 - Sumit's journey with Entrepreneurship
00:03:59 - From creating software to helping people
00:08:27 - Realising you can do anything
00:10:29 - How to inspire and motivate
00:11:58 - The value of a personal coach
00:16:07 - How do you create a safe space?
00:20:07 - Leaders being open and vulnerable
00:24:05 - 100% transparency and openness
00:30:06 - Allowing others to contribute
00:32:15 - Gradually taking on leadership responsibilities
00:35:47 - Can leadership be learned or taught?
00:39:15 - No judgements and nothing is negative
00:42:54 - How do you get better at coaching?
00:44:43 - coaching and leadership skills
00:49:13 - Asking for help
00:51:21 - Leadership is about giving

Nov 2, 2022 • 1h 7min
Tech Startups, SaaS and Funding with Denise Edwards
Denise Edwards comes on to share how to find the right team, the right product, scale correctly, get funding and much more.
If you've ever had thoughts of starting your own business like me, I'm sure you will love this episode.
Enjoy 🎙
Connect with Denise Edwards:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardsdenise
https://twitter.com/deniseedwardsco
https://saaslaunch.io
New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!
Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible!
Full episode on YouTube ▶️
https://youtu.be/-wavaCe3LDQ
OUTLINE:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:36 - Giving presentations and growing
00:04:16 - From sales to owning a business
00:11:35 - Why B2B SaaS startups?
00:14:49 - How to find co-founders
00:17:58 - Hiring and forming a team
00:24:52 - When to stop building and start selling
00:27:48 - Incorporating feedback and fixing bugs
00:30:26 - Getting your first customers
00:33:14 - Why 90% of startups fail
00:35:48 - Falling in love with your own ideas
00:42:36 - How to scale your solution
00:48:24 - Hire just before it becomes a problem
00:52:16 - How to get funding
00:56:54 - Unnecessary spending in a startup
00:59:12 - Pitching to investors and who pitches?
01:04:37 - Don't be afraid to get help