Women of Silicon Valley: The Podcast

About this podcast

Modeled after "Humans of New York," Women of Silicon Valley publishes photos and interviews with accomplished women and genderqueer entrepreneurs and technologists. Thanks to our features, we've grown to over 70K cross-platform followers and received coverage in publications including CNN, ABC, Buzzfeed, Mic, and Huffington Post. This podcast highlights the stories of these techies in new ways through weekly interviews and rapid-fire Q&A's.

Women of Silicon Valley: The Podcast

Episodes

Season 2
Alex Levich: Leading with Courage
Today, we're joined by Alex Levich. Alex is a Product Management Executive with nearly 20 years of experience building innovative products and teams at scale. Currently, Alex is a Product Lead at Google, focused on Maps & Local Verticals, and has previously worked at Facebook. Alex is a public speaker on digital media, product management, technology, innovation and women in tech. She was featured in Inc. magazine column on innovation, has filmed a YouTube show to showcase women leaders in tech, and has spoken at the prestigious Grace Hopper Conference, the largest conference of women in tech, about the future of Emerging Technologies and Internet Of Things. Related Sites: Women Techmakers: Product Management Series with Alex Levich: Episode 1 Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
December 16, 2020
33 min
Danielle Forward: Natives Rising
Today, we're joined by Danielle Forward. Danielle is a Product Designer for Social Impact at Facebook. She was born and raised in Santa Rosa, California, and moved to San Francisco to attend college. After ten years of paying her way through college part-time, she graduated as valedictorian with her BFA in Interaction Design from California College of the Arts. During college, she had two internships at Facebook, both on separate teams for Internet.org. Danielle is also the founder of Natives Rising, an organization that highlights Native American role models in tech and provides mentorship, community, and networking opportunities for Natives in tech and Native students. Related Sites: Danielle Forward's Q&A: https://medium.com/women-of-silicon-valley/10-questions-with-danielle-forward-33a399ffbcfc Natives Rising: http://www.joinnativesrising.com/ Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
December 9, 2020
41 min
Diana Kris Navarro: From Girls Who Code to Tumblr
Today, we're joined by Diana Kris Navarro. Diana is currently a software engineer at Tumblr. She was in the founding class of Girls Who Code in 2012, a hackNY fellow in 2017, and was featured in GWC’s Sisterh>>d campaign for Day of the Girl. She has previously interned at Adobe, Qualcomm and Gilt Groupe. Related Sites: Diana Kris Navarro's Q&A: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/interviews/diana-kris-navarro Diana Kris Navarro's Website: https://dianakris.com/ Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
December 2, 2020
40 min
Hidai Olivas-Holguin: First-Gen at MIT
Today, we're joined by Hidai Olivas-Holguin. Hidai is a former Google intern and first-generation student in her senior year at MIT. Related Sites: Hidai Olivas-Holguin's Q&A: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/interviews/hidai-olivas-holguin Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
November 25, 2020
28 min
Ti Chang: Co-Founder of Crave
Today, we're joined by Ti Chang. Ti is an industrial designer passionate about designing products for women. As the co-founder and VP of Design at Crave, she is the leading voice in bringing modern sex toys to the mainstream. Her award-winning designs have helped pioneer the category of sex jewelry, de-stigmatizing pleasure products for women through aesthetic design and leading Crave to outlets such as the MoMa Design store, Standard Hotel, Goop, and Saint Laurent. Ti holds an M.A. in Design Products from the Royal College of Art in London and a B.S. in Industrial Design from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Related Sites: Ti Chang's Q&A: https://medium.com/@WomenOfSiliconValley/9-questions-with-ti-chang-e1491c1bde54 Crave's Website: https://www.lovecrave.com/ Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
November 18, 2020
39 min
Lesley-Ann Noel: Taking a Leap into Uncertainty
Today, we're joined by Lesley-Ann Noel. Lesley-Ann is an Afro-Caribbean design educator and huge leader in the Design Thinking and Social Impact space. Lesley-Ann is the Associate Director of Design Thinking for Social Impact at the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking at Tulane University. Lesley-Ann was a 2018–2019 Ocean Design Teaching Fellows at the d.school at Stanford University, where she co-taught a class in which students applied a design lens to address global ocean threats and propose sustainable solutions. She completed her PhD in Design at North Carolina State University. Her research focused on design thinking at a rural primary school in Trinidad and Tobago. Related Sites: Lesley-Ann Noel's Q&A: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/interviews/lesley-ann-noel A Designer's Critical Alphabet - Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/725094845/a-designers-critical-alphabet?ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1&crt=1 Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
November 11, 2020
46 min
Ruth-Ann Hazel Armstrong: Stanford Trailblazer
Today, we're joined by Ruth-Ann Hazel Armstrong. She is a senior at Stanford University from Spanish Town, Jamaica, majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Economics. Outside of classes, she is involved in the Stanford Black Society of Engineers, The Stanford Daily, the Caribbean Students Association, and Stanford Women in Engineering. Related Sites: Ruth-Ann's Q&A: https://medium.com/caribbeantechies/4-questions-with-ruth-ann-hazel-armstrong-8ea77daa207f Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
October 28, 2020
23 min
Nita Singh Kaushal: Miss CEO
Today, we're joined by Nita Singh Kaushal. Nita is a first-gen Indian-American engineer and founder of Miss CEO, one of the first programs of its kind to teach girls negotiation and other critical life skills. Since its founding in 2011, Miss CEO has trained over twenty thousand children, young women, and professionals all over the world. Nita is currently a Lecturer in the School of Engineering at Stanford University and an Instructor at Stanford Continuing Studies. Related Sites: Miss CEO Website: https://www.missceo.org/ Nita's Website: https://www.nitakaushal.com/ Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
October 21, 2020
32 min
Shana Simmons: Feeding Your Soul
Today, we're joined by Shana Simmons. Shana is General Counsel at Everlaw, a cloud based e-discovery software company, where she leads the company’s global legal and regulatory affairs. In addition to her corporate role, Shana actively mentors early-in-career professionals and aspiring lawyers. Before Everlaw, Shana served as Head of Cloud Go-to-Market Legal at Google LLC, where she was responsible for managing a team supporting Google’s growing global Cloud business. Her ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace secured her as one of Google’s inaugural fellows for The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Shana was born and raised poor in the Bronx, New York, so she is very active in finding ways to help disenfranchised folks. Related Sites: Shana's Q&A: https://medium.com/women-of-silicon-valley/shana-simmons-aa43934d12d Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
October 14, 2020
35 min
Krystal Maughan: Engineering Renaissance Woman
Today, we're joined by Krystal Maughan. She is a Caribbean immigrant and engineering Renaissance woman in film, tech, and AI. She has done a workshop at Jet Propulsion Lab, interned at Apple, and is currently a PhD student at the University of Vermont. Related Sites: Krystal's Q&A: https://medium.com/caribbeantechies/4-questions-with-krystal-a-maughan-2fa2ed9ab9fe Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
October 7, 2020
53 min
Karina Canales: YouTuber Peruana
Today, we're joined by Karina Canales. Karina leads the Scaled Comms & Platforms team for Creators at YouTube. She is a Peruvian immigrant who had an amazing path to get to the US. She is the founder of an extremely successful YouTube channel, which has recently surpassed 10k subscribers. Through this channel and her social media, she motivates not only women but also groups that don't usually have role models, including students from a low socio-economic background. Related Sites: Karina's Q&A: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/interviews/karina-canales Karina's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarinaCanales Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
September 30, 2020
44 min
Eva Greene Wilson: SoCaMom
Today, we're joined by Eva Greene Wilson. Eva is a first-generation American. She followed a courageous and nonlinear path from administration to a JD and engineering, going on to become the founder of SocaMom.com, a community for families of Caribbean descent, and the Founder of the SocaMom® Summit, the first conference of its kind to address the concerns of the Caribbean diaspora. Related Sites: Eva's Q&A: https://medium.com/caribbeantechies/eva-greene-wilson-5eece74b5f7c SocaMom Site: https://socamom.com Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
September 23, 2020
46 min
Anisa Benitez: No Starving Artist
Today, we're joined by Anisa Benitez. She is an actor, brand builder, artist advocate, and creative entrepreneur. She’s built her marketing career at iconic brands, such as Google, where she has worked on hardware, and YouTube; at Time Inc. where she worked for TIME magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and Fortune magazine; and at RCA Records under Sony Music Entertainment. She is also the founder of More by Her, a storytelling platform highlighting creative womxn shaping culture; and host and producer of No Starving Artist, a podcast to support creatives in building health, wealth and marketing wisdom. Related Sites: Anisa's Q&A: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/interviews/anisa-benitez-hodelin Anisa's Site: https://www.anisabenitez.com/ Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
September 16, 2020
41 min
Season 1
Elizabeth Smith: Demystifying Mindfulness
Today, we're joined by the Europe Lead for Women of Silicon Valley, Elizabeth Smith. Elizabeth is an MBA candidate at the University of Oxford. Born and raised in Washington, she moved to California in 2014 to attend Santa Clara University and intern as a software engineer in the Silicon Valley tech scene. She holds both a BS and MS in Computer Science from Santa Clara and Oxford, respectively, and specializes in cybersecurity. We discuss her decision to pursue an MBA, in addition to mindfulness and meditation. Referenced WoSV Pieces: Elizabeth's Q&A: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/interviews/elizabeth-smith 12(++) Women of Crypto: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/interviews?category=12%20Women%20of%20Crypto Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
June 17, 2020
46 min
Black Lives Matter
BuzzFeed Article: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicaprobus/resources-for-white-allies-fighting-racism Black Girls CODE: "Black Girls CODE is devoted to showing the world that black girls can code... By reaching out to the community through workshops and after school programs, Black Girls CODE introduces computer coding lessons to young girls from underrepresented communities in programming languages such as Scratch or Ruby on Rails." https://www.blackgirlscode.com/ Code2040: "Our mission is to activate, connect, and mobilize the largest racial equity community in tech to dismantle the structural barriers that prevent the full participation and leadership of Black and Latinx people in the innovation economy." http://www.code2040.org/ Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
June 3, 2020
1 min
Raquel Small: Being Resilient Through Change
Today, we're joined by the Head of Community for Women of Silicon Valley, Raquel Small. Raquel is a Paralegal at Google on the Litigation team. Originally from the NYC area, she is the child of a proud Jamaican mother and a Panamanian father, and she believes empowering women and people of color is the only way to make society better. We discuss new motherhood, her ability to pivot daily in this constantly changing world, and some of her baking adventures. Referenced WoSV Pieces: Raquel's Q&A: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/interviews/raquel-small Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
May 27, 2020
22 min
Kendrick Umstattd: Choosing Courage Over Fear
Today, we're changing things up, and Lea Coligado is interviewing our host Kendrick Umstattd. Kendrick joined the Women of Silicon Valley team, first as an intern, before joining full-time in May 2019 after graduating from Yale with an electrical engineering and computer science degree. She is now a software engineer on the Maps team at Google’s Seattle office. We discuss her upbringing, choosing to be aware over afraid, and her attempts to not adopt a French Bulldog puppy during quarantine. Referenced WoSV Pieces: Kendrick's Q&A: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/interviews/kendrick-umstattd Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
May 20, 2020
34 min
Lea Coligado: WoSV's Fearless Founder
Today, we're joined by the founder of Women of Silicon Valley, Lea Coligado. One of BBC's 100 Inspiring & Innovative Women, Lea has been featured on CNN, Bustle, BuzzFeed, and many more prominent sites. Lea is not only a Google Maps engineer working on accessibility but also the fearless founder of Women of Silicon Valley. We discuss what led her to found Women of Silicon Valley, how she got into technology, and how her heritage influences her. Referenced WoSV Pieces: Lea's Feature: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/interviews/lea-coligado Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
May 13, 2020
28 min
Jess Webb: Coming out at 30
Today, I’m joined by Jess Webb. Executive Summit Manager for Google’s Partner Plex and Women of Silicon Valley’s Event Lead, Jess has over eight years of experience in the event planning arena and coordinates logistics and content for an average of 70 events per year, focusing primarily on Spanish-speaking Latin American countries and Brazil. Born and raised in Brazil, Jess is a first-generation college student and proud member of the queer community. We discuss resilience, her experience coming out at age 30, and her favorite Instagram accounts to follow for a laugh. Referenced WoSV Pieces: Jess's Q&A: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/interviews/jess-candido-webb Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
May 6, 2020
42 min
Clarissa Bukhan: Focusing on Gratitude
Today, I’m joined by Clarissa Bukhan. Clarissa has an incredible resume, helping grow Box and Optimizely in their early days, before joining Google. Now, in addition to being Women of Silicon Valley’s Editor-in-Chief, she manages Google-wide partner strategy for the company's largest, most complex partners. We discuss what Women of Silicon Valley means to her, how to find balance between work and motherhood, gratitude and self care, and some favorite recipes and analog activities. Referenced WoSV Pieces: Clarissa's Q&A: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/interviews/clarissa-bukhan Mothers of Silicon Valley: https://medium.com/women-of-silicon-valley/mothers-of-silicon-valley-2b64d8a8dc3 Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofsiliconvalley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenofSV Website: https://www.womenofsiliconvalley.org/
April 29, 2020
27 min

Women of Silicon Valley: The Podcast

About this podcast

Categories

About this podcast

Categories

Women of Silicon Valley: The Podcast

Episodes

Alex Levich: Leading with Courage

Danielle Forward: Natives Rising

Diana Kris Navarro: From Girls Who Code to Tumblr

Hidai Olivas-Holguin: First-Gen at MIT

Ti Chang: Co-Founder of Crave

Lesley-Ann Noel: Taking a Leap into Uncertainty

Ruth-Ann Hazel Armstrong: Stanford Trailblazer

Nita Singh Kaushal: Miss CEO

Shana Simmons: Feeding Your Soul

Krystal Maughan: Engineering Renaissance Woman

Karina Canales: YouTuber Peruana

Eva Greene Wilson: SoCaMom

Anisa Benitez: No Starving Artist

Elizabeth Smith: Demystifying Mindfulness

Black Lives Matter

Raquel Small: Being Resilient Through Change

Kendrick Umstattd: Choosing Courage Over Fear

Lea Coligado: WoSV's Fearless Founder

Jess Webb: Coming out at 30

Clarissa Bukhan: Focusing on Gratitude