Personal Take

On this episode of Personal Take, I sit down with Mackenzie Siren, Staff Product Manager at Aurora Solar and Co-founder of Chicago Climate Connect, the nonprofit behind the city’s largest recurring climate events. We talk about Mackenzie’s journey into climate tech via the Terra.do program and her inspiration for founding Chicago Climate Connect. Sharing a meal over Jin Thai, we also chatted about the gluten free options around the city such as the amazing carrot cake from Defloured (pro tip for my gluten free listeners: check out the find me gluten free app and my yelp collection for Chicago gluten free spots). We also touch on Chicago’s broader climate and innovation ecosystem — including Eco.Crews / Eco.Logic, mHUB, and Kadeya — as well as national and global climate communities like My Climate Journey (MCJ), Work on Climate, and Women and Climate, which support connection, learning, and action for people building careers in sustainability.🎧 Editing by Maria Paula Pinzon🎵 Music by #UppbeatLicense code: MF5JPA00C9LULEDO Credit

In this episode of Personal Take, I sit down with Melissa Maciejewski to talk about her journey from the fine dining industry (including Next, an amazing restaurant Emily got to try for her anniversary) into tech—all while enjoying Thai food from Immm Rice & Beyond.Melissa shares how she successfully gained internal buy-in to pivot into a product marketing role at her company, as well as her perspective on why diverse voices matter in the workplace.⁠Melissa and I first connected at the Product Marketing Alliance (PMA) Chicago Summit, and it’s been inspiring to follow her career ever since.Congrats to Melissa, who has since graduated from Kellogg School of Management since we recorded this episode! Editing by Oronnok PrithibiMusic from #Uppbeat

In this episode of Personal Take, I sit down with product marketing leader Jenn Goode to chat about leadership, management, mentorship, tech, and all things product marketing—over a bowl of Rick Bayless’s famous tortilla soup from Frontera.Jenn and I met through WMNTech Leaders, a program by 1871 that supports women in tech looking to grow in their careers. We also connected through the Product Marketing Alliance (PMA), where Jenn has been an inspiring voice and advocate for the PMM community.🎧 Editing by Maria Paula Pinzon🎵 Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-dayLicense code: TITDCRRLLX3GHKAK

In this exciting volley with Barbara Wei, we talk everything from meeting the US Basketball Team at the Paris Olympics to minority voices in sports to overcoming imposter syndrome as she moved up in her career owning marketing and media for the USA Table Tennis Team. Barbara and I chat over Taipei Cafe’s Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (and other delicious dishes).To learn more about the sport, follow USA Table Tennis Team on Instagram at @‌usatabletennis_ (https://www.instagram.com/usatabletennis_/?hl=en ) and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/usatabletennis/To learn more about Barbara’s work supporting homelessness research at Harvard, go to https://hsph.harvard.edu/research/health-and-homelessness/My Yelp Review for Taipei Cafe: https://www.yelp.com/biz/taipei-cafe-chicago?hrid=UeuhwYck3ZfWari6m2FW-A&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)Places we wanted to go but sadly could not:Qiaolin Hot PotChengdu ImpressionsVerzenayThank you to Matthew Kollada and Anne Jiao on the audio / content help!Audio editing by AuphonicMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-dayLicense code: F6YPSWPSJZWFDOSFIn Chicago, if someone is experiencing a mental health/homelessness crisis you can dial 311 to connect them to Mobile Crisis Response and Shelter Referral Program (MCRSRP).

In this pilot episode, Amy Kabaria and I talk about entrepreneurial endeavors, speaking up, and the power of the right people to start new things over her favorite order at Kai Sushi (https://www.yelp.com/biz/kai-sushi-lakeview-chicago-2) Check out the newly launched Women in Security and Privacy Chicago chapter (https://www.wisporg.com/local-group-chicago) that Amy discusses. My Yelp Review (with photos) of Kai Sushi: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kai-sushi-lakeview-chicago-2?hrid=t_TRVZ9GCz_Wtom8tlit_A Thank you to Matthew Kollada and Anne Jiao on the audio / content help! Thank you to Geleen Antonio for general podcasting tips! Shout out to all the friends who encouraged me to embark on this podcast project and to John Harper for the suggestion to use Auphonic for editing. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day License code: 2FJNSOCTJN80F6FY PS Tanuki is one example of sushi spot that does a good sweet potato cream cheese roll. Other food spots mentioned: Mercadito Sunda