Tech, Burnout, and Beyond: The Journey That Birthed a Podcast
yet another podcast announcement
Hello fellow cultivator,
I did a thing. While it is not particularly related to this Substack, it definitely falls under the umbrella of things I can attribute to my ADHD brain; hence, ADHD made me do it!
This little project has been in the works for about a year now. But if I am being truly honest with myself, this is a culmination of the last 2.5 years.
Let me back up a little. In 2022, a career coach (
, looking at you!) questioned my definition of success right as I attempted to climb the next step on this metaphorical corporate ladder. I was extremely burnt out and demotivated because no matter what I did, the next step felt unreachable. On top of that, I felt jaded after giving 10 years to tech (a story for another day).My silly (and very full of itself) brain thought I could move the needle and change the culture, at least around me, by pushing against the norms (another story for another newsletter). By climbing the corporate ladder, I could prove that people who looked and thought like me could exist as equals in this (cis)male-dominated industry.
While therapy and coaching helped deal with the burnout, my conversations with the women around me helped the most! Not only did they help me find a way out of a not-so-great situation, but they also made me feel seen, heard, and validated. And then I wanted to share these conversations with everyone, especially every cis/trans woman and non-binary person in tech!
I remember a late-night chat with Daniel earlier this year where I finally voiced my idea of "interviewing" women in tech. (Of course, I thought my idea was dumb, and no one wanted to hear what I had to say or do. Classic!). It was nice to get his vote of confidence (although I totally ignored the part where he said that the medium to share those conversations needed work).
In classic ADHD-impulsiveness fashion, I had signed up with a podcast production company before I knew it. Listen, I am not known to be patient, okay! However, the fear of actually putting this out into the world, especially one with a bajillion podcasts, led to months and months of procrastination.
Anyhow, while I have more to say about the journey and the process of working on this project, the podcast is here now, and this is me sharing it with you all!
It feels weird and self-aggrandizing, but I am reminding myself that my goal with this little podcast project is to make other cis/trans women and non-binary people in the tech industry feel seen, heard, and validated. I hope that listening to these unique human beings and their stories makes at least one person feel less lonely.
TLDR: I've launched a podcast; check it out if it's your jam.
Alright, going to paint some houseplants to calm down my nervous system because, holy fuck! WHAT HAVE I DONE!!!
I am so SO happy for you, Asmita. My little podcast brought me so much joy (I miss it all the time...one day, she'll be back). It's hard, so hard, with so much work, and so much fun, and it takes a helluva lot of courage to do. It's a great way to connect with people, and connect people to a larger view. Congratulations, my friend! Enjoy it. And be proud of yourself for being so brave and bold! xo