The Women in Tech Show: A Technical Podcast

Michele Titolo is a Lead Software Developer at Capital One. Michele has built microservices at Capital One which is a Bank in the United States. We talked about the increasing popularity of microservices, what they are, and the value that they add to an organization. Michele also gave an insight on her experience developing microservices and good practices. We also talked about mobile app development and how it has been evolving.

Katharine Holdsworth has been a Program Manager at Microsoft for 13 years and she is currently part of the Windows Insiders team. We talked about her experiences at Microsoft, the Windows Insiders program and about Program Management. Katharine also gave her advice on career growth and getting involved in speaking at technical conferences. We also talked about the "Meet our Leaders" speakers series that she started at Microsoft along with other women, and how this is helping the community at Microsoft.

Rosario is a Director at The Anita Borg Institute. Our conversation explored the experiences that led her to get involved in communities that improve the careers of Women in Technology. We also talked about how she works closely with businesses to make sure they have inclusive environments to retain women in tech, and the role of men in helping with this effort. Rosario also explained the benefits of being a part of communities from The Anita Borg Institute as well as volunteering opportunities and The Grace Hopper Conference.

Maria Naggaga is on a mission to make a better world through code. She is actively involved in projects to help the community, and this is one of the reasons of why she is in technology. We talked about the diverse projects she has worked on, and also about her work as a Technical Evangelist at Microsoft. Maria enjoys building projects, using ASP.NET, contributing to open source, expressing herself artistically and is currently a Program Manager at Microsoft.

Rebekah Bastian talks about the current state of mobile and developing for mobile web vs native apps. Rebekah is a VP at Zillow and has been successfully driving the execution of products. She got an early start on mobile and also saw the potential for building effective experiences in this platform. We also talked about measuring engagement in mobile, her hobbies, volunteering opportunities, and about her blog post titled “Why I’m not a Woman in Tech”.

Kaitlyn Hova is a professional violinist since she was a teenager, a Software Developer, UX Designer, and has been experimenting with 3D printing. She and her husband successfully 3D printed a violin called The Hovalin. We had an interesting conversation about 3D printing instruments and the future of 3D printing. We also talked about Design and Neuroscience.

Tabitha Yong is a Senior Product Designer at Khan Academy. Tabitha studied graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design, and we talked about what graphic design is, and how it is affecting technology. Tabitha also gave an insight on how products are developed at Apple and Khan Academy, the technologies she uses, and her workflow as a designer. I really enjoyed this conversation and hope that you will too.

Blithe Rocher graduated from a PhD in Physical Chemistry and went from being a Scientist to a Software Developer. In this episode we talk about this career switch and the steps she took to get immersed in the field. I liked this conversation a lot because I think these aspects also apply to people that are already working in the tech industry and they are looking at working in a different area of technology. We also talked about her work on APIs for the Hilary Clinton campaign website among other interesting projects.

Vidya Srinivasan is a classical singer since she was 3 years old and has been translating ideas into action at Microsoft as a Technical Program Manager. She is a tech-for-good hacker and has won several awards hacking including the Microsoft global hackathon for the past two years. We had some interesting conversations about hackathon projects, diversity in tech, program management, career strategy and Grace Hopper.

Today’s episode is a bit more on the career development and mentorship side. I had the opportunity to speak with Marrissa Hellesen and we talked about the time when she went from being in a gifted program to taking several jobs through her teenage years while not being enrolled in a high school. As she struggled to get her life back on track for a better future, she emphasized on the importance of mentors in her life. Marrissa has been a volunteer, educator, and mentor and she’s currently a Software Engineer at Microsoft. I hope you like this episode.