Women Lead Data

We're kicking off season 2 of the podcast with a bang! In this episode, I’m joined by Akia Obas, Senior Director of Data, Insights, and GTM Business Systems at Netlify. We dive into her career journey—from econometrics to data leadership—and discuss how company size and reporting structure can influence your path.Akia shares her insights on how joining a startup allowed her to “own the whole cake” (from data pipelines and infrastructure to insights and influencing the business) and how self-reflection can help you choose the right focus areas. She also shares her philosophies for running a lean, high-impact data team, the importance of enablement, and how to prioritize based on influence and impact using the stakeholder engagement matrix. It’s a packed episode full of tactical advice—let’s get into it!

In this episode, I’m joined by Veronika Durgin, VP of Data at Saks, to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Veronika shares more about her career journey: how she got into data from a background in biology, spent several years working in DBA roles at well-known companies like Monster, Vistaprint, and HubSpot, and then moved into broader leadership roles in data. We talked a bit about her experience starting a family while managing full-time work and completing a master's degree. Veronika also shares some great insights about how to think about engineering excellence as data teams, what differentiates a good engineer from a great engineer, and how to build a unicorn data team. We also talk about how to continue showing up in difficult work environments–and why it’s so important to do this! So, if you’re a data professional looking to hone your engineering skills and craft, or a data leader working on building an exceptional team–this episode is absolutely for you.

In this episode, I’m joined by Elizabeth Gilbert, Product Data Scientist at Duo, to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Elizabeth shares how she got started in data. We talk about her breadth of startup experience across different sectors like geospatial analytics, healthcare automation, and cybersecurity. We touch on the importance of data literacy and having a common language–both for business users and newcomers entering data professions. Elizabeth also shares how getting more involved in the data community through events like meetups and conferences helped her accelerate her career growth.Episode Links:Cincinnati Data and Analytics Meetup

In this episode, I’m joined by Sol Rashidi to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Sol has been in the space for over 25 years and is currently the ‘Head of Technology, North America’ for Amazon’s Startup Division. Before that, Sol held several former C-suite data roles for giants like Estee Lauder, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Sony Music, and Royal Caribbean. She also helped launch IBM Watson back in 2011–the world’s 1st commercial and enterprise-grade AI application. We touch on so many great topics in this episode–Sol shares about her recent soul-searching journey to find the right next role for her, how to know your shelf-life in a role and the importance of knowing your worth, and she shares how building genuine connections with people in your network can unlock career opportunities. We also talked about Sol’s course on Maven: “Transition from a Tech Practitioner to an Executive”, and her new book “Your AI Survival Guide” to help you navigate all the noise out there about AI right now. So if you’re a data professional looking to grow into leadership roles and develop executive-level soft skills–this episode is for you! So without further ado, let’s hear from Sol!Episode Links:Sol Rashidi on Substack Sol Rashidi on ForbesYour AI Survival Guide by Sol Rashidi: Scraped Knees, Bruised Elbows, and Lessons Learned from Real-World AI DeploymentsMaven Course: Transition from a Tech Practitioner to an Executive

In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Levy, Co-founder and CEO of Euno, to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Sarah has spent the last 20 years in tech and data-related roles ranging from army intelligence and cyber security, to being a 3X founder. We learn more about her current company Euno and how their team is reshaping the workflows of Analytics Engineers. From there we dive into Sarah’s views on how to build the best teams regardless of what it takes. Sarah has so many great insights and experiences to share, this episode is perfect for founders trying to balance speed with building great culture and teams, as well as those looking for advice on how to find a supportive culture in their next role.Episode Links:https://euno.ai/

In this episode, I’m joined by Nicole Radziwill, PhD, author and fractional chief data officer to startups and enterprises, to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Nicole shares about her career journey, which is so interesting and varied: from starting out in meteorology (even stormchasing!), transitioning into telecom, to her first chief data officer position in the early 2000s, and getting her PhD then becoming a professor for just over 10 years. Most recently Nicole has been sharing her insights and wisdom back in the data industry in various CDO roles and fractional work, and she has written a new book called Data, Strategy, Culture, and Power, which is a culmination of her decades of learnings. We take some time to talk about the challenges that folks in data roles have, especially CDO roles because they have to navigate the politics and power that surround data. This episode is for any data professionals who have felt the challenges of navigating the politics of the role and are interested in how to move up and overcome. Without further ado, here is Nicole!Episode Links:Data, Strategy, Culture & Power (Amazon): https://amzn.to/4bcDED9Book Overview: Data, Strategy, Culture, and PowerStakeholder Engagement Matrix

In this episode, I’m joined by Meri Nova, Technical Founder of Break Into Data to learn more about her journey in the data industry. Meri shares more about her early career journey, how her education in business and entrepreneurial spirit drove her to become a first-time founder, and how this taught her the importance of data-driven decisions for successfully running a business. Meri shares more about how she launched an online accountability group to help her upskill in data, and how this eventually transformed into the broader community she now leads, Break Into Data. This is such a cool story of how things can evolve and grow when people come together to support one another–I think you’ll enjoy hearing about this journey and where things are heading next.Episode Links:https://www.linkedin.com/company/break-into-data/ https://breakintodata.substack.com/about https://substack.com/@merinovahttps://github.com/Break-Into-Data/Break-Into-Data-Discord

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Serena H. Huang, Founder of Data with Serena, to learn more about their leadership journey in the data industry. Serena shares more about her career journey, how she started in economics and consulting, transitioned her focus into People Analytics, and most recently started her business Data with Serena. Serena shares advice for how you can think about getting unstuck in your career, why data leaders should care about preparing their teams for AI, and how betting on yourself as an entrepreneur gives you the ultimate freedom to be yourself in your career. This is such a cool episode, Serena has so much valuable insight and information to share–I think you’re gonna love it.Episode Links:Data with SerenaLinkedIn Learning: The Data Analytics of Diversity, Inclusion, and Well-being

In this episode, I’m joined by Joy Robson, co-founder of Data for Good, to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Joy shares more about her career journey, how she got into data, and how she started Data for Good, a collective that connects socially minded data professionals with non-profit organizations through volunteer opportunities. We also discuss how societal expectations can impact women’s career paths and choices and how you can think about overcoming these challenges.Episode Links:Data for GoodDataKindData Mishaps Night

In this episode, I’m joined by Maggie Wolff Data Scientist, Product Analytics at American Express Global Business Travel, to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Maggie shares her career journey, with her early dreams of being a webmaster leading her through different PR, communications, and marketing roles, and an interest in mathematics that eventually pulled her to transition into a role in data. Maggie shares more about how she made this career transition, and how self-awareness, community, and content creation played an important role along her journey.Episode Links:Data Storyteller SubstackData Storyteller TikTokData Storyteller Instagram Data Storyteller LinkedIn Page Data Storyteller on MediumData Storyteller on Gumroad 

In this episode, I’m joined by Kelly Adams, Data Analyst at Golden Hearts Games to learn more about her career journey in the data industry. Kelly transitioned into the data industry over the past few years, despite the realities of a highly competitive job market for folks trying to break into the industry. We talk about how portfolio building and content creation can be critical support for folks looking to break into the field, not only for external visibility but for the learning and skill development it requires. We also talk about the challenges of waiting to “feel ready” in your career–and how you can overcome this to make big leaps.Episode Links:Kelly's BlogKelly’s Data PortfolioKelly’s Data and Analytics ResourcesGolden Hearts Games

In this episode, I’m joined by Jess Ramos, Senior Data Analyst at Crunchbase and Founder of Big Data Energy Analytics to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Jess shares more about how she got started in the data industry, how she advocates for herself in promotions and salary conversations, and how she got started on her content creation journey and launched her brand and side hustle. We dive deeper into the importance of advocating for yourself, how this can change the trajectory of your career earnings, and how salary transparency and research can be critical data points to support women in achieving better compensation outcomes.Episode Links:Blog post: How I Advocated for a 32% Raise in my First Data Analytics JobLinkedIn: Big Data Energy AnalyticsCrunchbaseInstagram @jessramosdataTikTok @jessramosdata

In this episode, Julie Beynon–Head of Data at Census, joins Lindsay to share her leadership journey in the data industry. Julie tells us about her career journey, starting in marketing roles and transitioning into data, and how she navigates being a Head of Data, Team of One. We talk a bit about managing feelings of imposter syndrome and people-pleasing tendencies, and how silencing your internal critic is the key to success.This was a LIVE episode that aired during MDS Fest, so we also answered a few questions from the audience. You can check out the video recording and catch all the talks we hosted at MDSFest.com.Episode Links:CensusMDS Fest LIVE Recording of Women Lead Data with Julie BeynonWatch other MDSFest talks for free!

In this episode, I’m joined by Michelle Yi, startup mentor, advisor, and founder, and a board member of Women in Data, to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Michelle has had such a cool career path in the data and AI industry, she shares more about how she started her career at IBM at the age of 16 (she started university when she was just 13 years old!!), where she worked on AI research and IBM Watson. She also shares her experiences working in consulting and on practical applications of AI, how she founded her own company and raised a seed round, and her more recent focus on startup mentoring, board advising, and her board member position with Women in Data. We also spent discussing the debate of open source/science vs. the monetization of AI and some of the practical benefits that open source communities provide. Michelle and I also chat about some biased feedback that women in technical roles often hear, and how you can navigate that.Episode Links:Women in DataWatson and the Jeopardy ChallengeLinkedIn discussion: open source vs. monetizationhttps://www.basis.ai/about/https://yulle.substack.com/ 

In this episode, I’m joined by Phoenix Jay, Manager, Digital Community at dbt Labs, to learn more about her career journey in the data industry. Phoenix shares about starting her career in finance and how she transitioned into data roles, self-teaching SQL and dbt, and then discovering the world of analytics engineering! Most recently, Phoenix has moved into a new role at dbt Labs, where she will be helping manage the digital community–a perfect crossover between her love of data and community advocacy. We also spend some time talking about how you can be a leader, even if you’re still in an IC role, and the importance of both providing and receiving coaching and mentoring to help you grow new skills and navigate career growth.Episode Links:Phoenix JayDev ColorGrace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computingdbt Labs

In this episode, I’m joined by Lauren Moores, data innovator, advisor, and strategist for startups, and Chief Data Queen of Moores Data. Lauren shares more about her leadership journey in the data industry, her transition from economist to various data-centric roles, her startup advisor positions, and her teaching fellow role in Harvard’s Business Analytics program for AI, Innovation and Startups.We also discuss why backgrounds in social sciences and arts can provide excellent foundations for those interested in pursuing data careers, and how letting go of perfectionism, comparison, and “having it all” is critical to progress on a leadership path.Episode Links:https://www.laurenmoores.com/

In this episode, I’m joined by Santona Tuli, Head of Data at Upsolver, to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Santona shares more about her career journey and how she spent several years working on particle physics and analyzing massive particle collision events from the Large Hadron Collider, during her time at CERN. From there, we dive into the topic of being confident and asserting yourself in your career, and how this can be a really important skill to help you make leadership progress. We also spent a bit of time musing on the options for data leaders and Heads of Data looking to move beyond data roles in the future.Episode Links:UpsolverLarge Hadron ColliderCERN

In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Krasnik Bedell, Director of Growth Marketing at Prefect to learn more about her journey in the data industry. Sarah has an impressive and varied background in data that spans from research, quantitative analysis, data science, and data engineering roles. Most recently, Sarah transitioned her focus to bring her closer to direct business impact in her role as Director of Growth Marketing at Prefect. Sarah shares some guidelines and advice for designing your career with optionality–allowing you to try on a lot of different roles and responsibilities and build areas of expertise across the business.Episode Links:PrefectSarah Krasnik Bedell on Medium

In this episode, I'm joined by Rehgan Avon, CEO and Co-founder of Align AI to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Rehgan is also the founder and former CEO of Women In Analytics, a group she started in 2016 to help increase the representation of women in the data and analytics industry. Rehgan shares more about her career journey, how she started in Engineering, transitioned into the data and ML space, and became the CEO and co-founder of Align AI. We dive deeper into the topics of navigating the politics of data roles and why this can be so difficult, how companies can benefit from investing in senior individual contributors in data, and how the Data Connect Conference (run by Women in Analytics) solves for having a full female and gender fluid speaker line-up–every single year. Conference organizers take notes!Align AI is the first people-centric platform to connect strategy, governance, policies, and procedures from leadership to the front lines.Episode Links:Align AIWomen in AnalyticsData Connect Conference

In this episode, Lindsay is joined by Monica Kay Royal, founder of nerdnourishment, to learn more about her journey in the data industry.Monica became a solopreneur in 2020 when she started nerdnourishment–an online learning platform that offers blog posts, podcast episodes, and other resources to help those individuals interested in breaking into the data and analytics industry.Monica shares her journey about how she got started with nerdnourishment, turning her passion for continuous learning into a business. She also shares helpful insights about the importance of “managing up” and how this skill set helped her to grow to more senior levels in her career.Episode Links:nerdnourishmentData Podcast for Nerds88% of professionals say “managing up” means career success

In this episode, Lindsay is joined by Jerrie Kumalah, Resident Data Architect at dbt Labs, to learn more about her career journey in the data industry. Jerrie’s career started in public health conducting research and analysis, where she eventually transitioned her focus into data science and then discovered the world of analytics engineering. Most recently she has moved into her current role as Resident Architect at dbt Labs (an exciting mix between working at a tech scale-up and serving as an internal consultant!). Jerrie shares her thoughts with us about why networking and community building can be such an important part of your career development (and how to do it properly). We also try to answer the question: Can women really “have it all” (an ambitious career and a fulfilling home life)?dbt Labs is the creator of dbt (data build tool)–a data transformation software that allows you to build and test business logic, ensure data quality, and fix issues proactively before they impact your business.Episode Links:dbt labs10 Reasons Why Networking Is Essential For Your CareerChief Networking Study 2023Designing your Life

In this episode, Lindsay is joined by Celina Wong (CEO of Data Culture) to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Celina shares her story about how she transitioned into the data industry after starting her career in finance and has progressed from data leadership roles into her current role as CEO. We spend some time digging into this topic of managing through pivotal moments in your career (some good, some bad), how to recognize when you’re in one of these moments, and how you can turn these into opportunities to propel your career forward.Data Culture is a leading data strategy consulting firm based in Brooklyn, New York.Episode Links:Data Culture7 Positive Ways to Respond When Someone Steals Credit for Your WorkBe the Senior you needed as a Junior

In this episode, Lindsay is joined by Stefania Ólafsdóttir (CEO and Co-founder of Avo) to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Stef shares her career journey and how the common challenges of dealing with broken event tracking data led to the birth of her company, Avo. We dive deep into Icelandic culture to learn more about the 1975 Icelandic Women’s Strike, how it paved the way for the world’s first democratically elected female president, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, and how this led to a generation of Icelanders who believed you had to be a woman to be president. Stef also shares some great insights about how she tackles goal setting as a CEO and how this helps her manage the different roles in her life. This is a juicy episode, you don’t want to miss!

In this episode, Lindsay sat down with Colleen Tartow (Field CTO and Head of Strategy at VAST Data) to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Colleen has a breadth of experience, from leading data teams through hyperscaling, to moving into engineering leadership roles focused on building data products. She gives us the low-down on what a Field CTO does day-to-day and we spend some time talking about how to make big leaps forward in your career (hint: sometimes it just takes getting out of your own way!)Episode Links:VAST DataWhere Are All The Female CTOs?Chief Technology Officer Demographics and StatisticsWhy Women Don’t Apply for Jobs Unless They’re 100% QualifiedMichelle Obama Tells a Secret: 'I Have Been at Every Powerful Table You Can Think of... They Are Not That Smart' 

In this episode, Lindsay is joined by Megan Lieu (Data Advocate at Deepnote) to learn more about her career in data and how she became a LinkedIn content creator. This is a great episode for any data people interested in creating content of their own (e.g. blog articles, social posts, or podcasts) or growing their LinkedIn network, but aren’t sure how to get started. Megan shares some of her insights about how she got into the data industry, became a data scientist, pivoted into being a data advocate, and how she has grown her LinkedIn follower base–which is 95K and growing at the time of writing this!Deepnote is a notebook that brings teams together to explore, analyze and present data from start to finish.Show links:DeepnoteThe #1 way people discover a new job is through a referral, so LinkedIn is criticalHow To Become A LinkedIn Influencer In 2023?

In our fourth episode, Lindsay is joined by Sarah Nagy (Co-founder and CEO of Seek AI) to learn more about their journey towards starting a company and becoming the CEO. Sarah shares more about how they got started in data science, the frustration of being asked the same repetitive and tedious questions as a data person that led to starting Seek AI, and their shift into becoming a CEO and co-founder. We talk about how to upskill yourself to take on the CEO role–and how that is an ever-growing journey. Sarah also shares tips on developing a thick skin to overcome self-doubt and rejection early in the founder journey.Seek AI is a natural language interface for querying structured data. Ask questions in plain English and Seek will query data to give you the answers you are looking for. Seek does the mundane work so data teams can do meaningful work faster and more effectively. With a self-learning knowledge graph, and a user-friendly conversational interface that adapts to business users and the most technical data team members, Seek helps businesses get to answers, fast.Episode Links:Check out Seek AIFounderCafeY Combinator LibraryMeet 100 People - Pat Hedley - TEDxDartmouth

In the third episode of Women Lead Data, Lindsay chats with Nicole Janeway Bills (Founder & CEO of Data Strategy Professionals) to learn more about her journey to starting a company and becoming a CEO. Nicole shares her career story about breaking into the data industry and becoming a data scientist before starting her own company.Data Strategy Professionals helps data practitioners ace data-related exams, such as the CDMP (Certified Data Management Professionals).Show links:Data Strategy ProfessionalsCertified Data Management Professional1,000 True FansThe Manager’s HandbookClear Thinking

In our second episode, Lindsay is joined by Jacqueline Cheong (Co-founder and CEO of Artie) to learn more about her journey in starting her own company, Artie, and becoming a CEO. Jacqueline's co-founder is her husband, so we dive into some of the pros and cons they faced getting VC funding as married co-founders. Artie is a real-time database replication solution that leverages change data capture (CDC) and stream processing to sync databases and data warehouses in real-time, enabling sub-minute latency and reducing compute costs. Show Links:ArtieTackling investors' fear of backing married co-foundersAre investors still skeptical of married co-foundersBenn Stancil - Why are we still surprised that startups are hard

In the first episode of Women Lead Data, Lindsay sits down with Jenny Sui, Principal at Craft Ventures. Jenny shares her story of how she got into VC funding (also a very male-dominated industry), some harrowing stats about VC funding for female-led companies, and helpful advice to women in the data industry looking to start their own VC-backed company.Links:Q3 2023 VC funding data for women is just more of the sameDespite Blockbuster Venture Investment, Female Founders’ Share Of VC Funding FallsWhat is VC Pattern Matching?5 Challenges Faced by Women Entrepreneurs