52: Navigating challenges as a female engineer with Sharon Costanzo

Sharon Costanzo is super smart, and also really good at relationships. It was such a joy to have her on the show! Sharon, who is both an engineer and relationship coach, discusses effective communication in the STEM workplace. She emphasizes the importance of openness, curiosity, and collaboration in problem-solving. Sharon shares her experiences as a female engineer and the challenges she faced in a male-dominated industry. She also highlights the significance of building strong relationships and valuing the whole person in the workplace. In her coaching business, Sharon helps individuals and couples improve communication and navigate conflict. She encourages a shift from the need to be right to focusing on competence and relational skills. Sharon's advice is to prioritize understanding and finding common ground rather than winning arguments. Takeaways Openness and curiosity are essential in effective communication and problem-solving. Building strong relationships and valuing the whole person in the workplace leads to greater engagement and productivity. Shifting from the need to be right to focusing on competence and relational skills improves communication and relationships. Understanding and finding common ground are more important than winning arguments. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:21 Transitioning to Coaching and Instructional Design 04:18 Challenges in Communication for Engineers 07:11 The Importance of Letting Go of the Need to Be Right 10:17 Gender Dynamics in Engineering and Tutoring 14:00 Navigating Gender Bias and Discrimination 15:47 boys and girls in math and science 22:26 Progress in Gender Equality 24:12 Sharon's Coaching Business and Podcast 26:32 Repairing Relationships in the Engineering World 30:43 Conclusion and Communication Advice Keywords communication, STEM workplace, engineer, relationship coach, problem-solving, collaboration, female engineer, male-dominated industry, building relationships, valuing the whole person, coaching business, understanding, common ground