

Ladybug Podcast
Emma Bostian, Kelly Vaughn
Back after a two-year hiatus, engineering leaders Emma Bostian and Kelly Vaughn return for Season 7 of the Ladybug Podcast, giving you a deep dive into all things engineering leadership.
With nearly 1 million total listens, Ladybug Podcast covers tech, career, and code, bringing unique viewpoints from a variety of guests and co-hosts.
Check out our website!
With nearly 1 million total listens, Ladybug Podcast covers tech, career, and code, bringing unique viewpoints from a variety of guests and co-hosts.
Check out our website!
Episodes
Mentioned books

30 snips
Sep 15, 2025 • 45min
Your First 90 Days As An Engineering Manager
Jump into the essential first 90 days of being an engineering manager! Discover the importance of building trust and understanding team dynamics before making changes. Explore emotional challenges, the balance between empathy and authority, and strategies to navigate early obstacles. Learn about the significance of influence and relationships in leadership. With personal stories and practical insights, this guide aims to support new managers in making a strong start.

14 snips
Sep 8, 2025 • 48min
The Transition From Engineer To Engineering Manager
Transitioning from an individual contributor to an engineering manager is both thrilling and daunting. The discussion covers vital responsibilities that shift, emphasizing the art of delegation and its role in team success. Listeners learn the importance of mastering conflict resolution and effective communication. Tips for navigating busy meeting schedules, balancing personal well-being, and fostering a supportive team environment are also highlighted. The journey is filled with personal anecdotes, making it relatable for anyone in the tech field considering this shift.

15 snips
Sep 1, 2025 • 41min
A Brief Introduction To Engineering Management
Explore the fascinating world of engineering management, where the roles of an engineering manager and a tech lead are distinctly defined. Delve into essential skills for effective leadership and the challenges of balancing team autonomy with technical proficiency. Discover the art of navigating feature demands while managing technical debt. The hosts also reflect on their personal journeys in the field, sharing valuable insights from management literature that can enhance communication and conflict resolution.

Oct 4, 2021 • 1h 2min
A Day in the Life of a Software Engineer
What is a typical day in the life like for a software engineer? To close out Season 6, we thought it’d be a great idea to give you some insight into our workdays, as we all have very different roles and are in different stages of our careers.
Show Notes
[02:54] Morning routines
[16:09] Beginning of the workday
[28:15] The rest of the workday
[49:03] Evenings and weekends
[53:57] Top 3 tools for productivity
Resources
Any.do
Fantastical
Canva
Things
Superhuman
Trello
Apple Watch
Markdown Notes
Asana
Resilient Management
Animedoro
Can Do writing
The Little Memory
Ali’s Trello Setup
Transcript
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4 snips
Sep 27, 2021 • 47min
What is an API and How do You Use One?
APIs are part of our daily roles as software developers, but what are they? What different types are there? And how can you design a good one?
Show Notes
[01:53] What is an API?
[03:37] Types of APIS
[15:02] GraphQL
[19:49] REST
[28:25] API Design
[44:35] Shoutouts
Resources
The Happiness Project
Shopify developer community
BrainF**k
OneGraph
Scott Moss's YouTube
Transcript
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Sep 20, 2021 • 0sec
All About Agile
The definition of Agile is the ability to create and respond to change. Ultimately dealing with and succeeding in an uncertain or turbulent environment. I think we can all say with confidence that in the world of software development, being agile and agreeable to change helps you learn faster, connect with others better, and makes coding more fun.
Today we are talking about the agile framework of software developers, its significance in the workplace and the familiar steps an agile process takes to go from a project’s concept, to the physical minimum viable product.
Show Notes
[03:00] What is Agile?
[04:43] Agile Software Development
[15:44] Agile Manifesto For Agile Software Development
[16:00] 4 values
[19:33] 12 Principles
[34:07] Benefits
[35:45] Drawbacks
[38:34] What is Scrum?
[44:05] Careers in scrum
[53:56] Shout-Outs
Resources
The agile Manifesto
The Agile Subway Map
Sprints
Scrum Alliance Certifications
SAFe Certifications
Transcript
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Sep 13, 2021 • 0sec
Getting Started with Java
Java is a high-level, class-based, object-oriented programming language. It’s a general-purpose programming language designed to let app developers: write once, run anywhere. Today we’re diving into the world of Java.
Show Notes
[01:30] Our experiences working with Java
[04:34] History of Java
[07:45] Five goals of Java
[13:06] Object oriented
[14:00] Threaded language
[15:35] Interpreted language
[17:39] Terminology
[22:04] Basic Syntax
[23:33] Inheritance
[26:51] Interfaces
[28:00] Classes
[29:56] Modifiers
[31:30] Constructors
[33:11] Enums
[34:39] Basic Data Types
[35:56] Overriding
[42:51] Shoutouts
Resources
Learning Java
Interpreter vs. Compiler
Access Variables Oracle
Angie Jones course on Test Automation U
Angie Jones
Jocelyn Harper
Git Cute Podcast
Transcript
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Sep 6, 2021 • 60min
How to Start a Company
Whether you’re looking to start your own side business or create a lifelong career, the process of starting a new business can be overwhelming. This week on the podcast we’re discussing how to start your own business. We’ll dig deep into setting you up for success from the beginning and then answer the most common questions I receive about building and scaling your business.
Show Notes
[02:00] What is our experience with running a business?
[05:47] Business plan
[13:58] Who are your customers?
[18:03] Market opportunities
[35:50] Boostrapping vs. raising capital
[39:41] Do you need to incorporate?
[40:54] Banking and Taxes
[51:52] Health insurance (USA)
[53:30] Understanding the bookkeeping process
[55:32] Shownotes
Resources
Quantic
CORe
Clerky
Stripe Atlas
Inc. Article
Polywork
Freelancing episode
Indie Hackers episode
Mercury
Transcript
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Aug 30, 2021 • 0sec
Diving Deep on Databases
If you have data for your application, you’ve probably used a database to store it. There are so many types of databases, NoSQL, SQL, graph, etc. Let's learn about their benefits and how to use them!
Shownotes
[02:08] What types of databases have we used?
[03:43] SQL vs. NoSQL
[15:52] How to model data
[19:20] ORM, SDK, Queries
[24:02] Horizontal vs. Vertical Scaling
[27:21] How to choose
[30:22] indexes
[37:16] Sharding
[46:44] Shoutouts
Resources
The DynamoDB Book
Little Bobby Tables
Ladybug Algorithms episode
Ladybug System Design episode
Hidden Valley Road
Peloton app
Your friend’s guide to entrepreneurship
Transcript
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Aug 23, 2021 • 0sec
How to Create Great Documentation
It’s easy to overlook documentation when building an application, but documentation can make or break a consumer’s experience. Today we’re diving into the world of documentation to discuss what it takes to write good documentation, the ethics of documentation, and some popular tools you can use to get started.
Show Notes
[01:58] Why does a company or app need good documentation?
[04:09] Who do we write documentation for?
[06:01] What makes good documentation?
[11:05] Ethics of documentation
[32:47] The structure of your documentation
[34:35] What types of documentation should I write?
[40:22] Documentation tools
[44:51] Shoutouts
Resources
Alex.js
Carolyn’s talk
Self Defined
Hemingway
Bookstack
Storybook
Writing Technical Documentation video
Notion
Nuclino
Docusaurus
Next.js
Nuxt.js
Gatsby
Jekyll
Transcript
Here is this week's transcript.