WINii: MoneyBites

Finding passion in career vs life has been a recurring theme in our interviews at MoneyBites.Silvia had successfully sold multiple companies. But the realities of payout and the grind coming to a halt had her reflecting on her next steps. She felt a pull to still prove something to herself. For years, she’d built tech companies alongside her husband and brother. But this time, she wanted to step out on her own—and into something completely different: fashion.It wasn’t just a career pivot. It was a lifelong dream, shadowed by questions many of us quietly ask: Can I really do this on my own? Do I have what it takes? Is it too late?Join us as we dive into Silvia’s journey of reflection and reinvention—through career, money, and what it means to start over mid career.01:22 Starting over from tech to fashion 03:36 : First startup04:19 Why you? Why now?  07:47 Passion vs Job 09:28 Money memory 11:02 Coming up with startup ideas 12:53 Working with husband & brother 14:58 Imposer syndrome 17:12 Any regrets? 20:51 40 is young! 22:30 Money and self worth 25:43 What’s your superpower?

Maria wrote her dream job into existence—and it came true.She envisioned the exact role, the scope, the team culture, even how she’d receive the offer—on a beach in Costa Rica. Then NVIDIA called with an offer, and yes, the role was as she imagined.But Maria’s journey wasn’t all manifestation and sunshine. Her mindset shift was sparked by a painful experience—watching her beloved uncle suffer from egregious medical racism. A doctor looked at him and said, “Why put in the effort? He’s going to die anyway.”Maria had always believed that success would be her escape—that if she worked hard, she could rise above systemic barriers. But her uncle had made it. He lived the American Dream. And yet, that didn’t protect him. That moment changed everything.It made Maria realize: life is short, and it’s too costly to play it safe. You can’t spend your life in roles that drain you or stay silent out of fear. So she found her voice—and then helped others find theirs. She launched the 3percentclub, a platform empowering underrepresented talent to break into and thrive in STEM.In this episode of MoneyBites, hear how Maria is defining and manifesting her own version of success—and the pivotal experiences that influenced her mindset shift.Maria's 3 Percent Club Women make up 25% of the tech workforce, while Black women only account for 3%. That’s why the 3 Percent Club empowers underrepresented talent with accessible education, mentorship, and career development resources. https://3percentclub.org/donate00:48 What is a Generative AI Analyst?04:26 AI Ethic08:16 My mom sacrificed for my education11:12 Career change13:14 My uncle faced inhumane medical racism21:39 Value vs Money22:56 Paying forward26:08 Manifesting dream role

Hyun’s career has been anything but typical. She helped launch Airbnb in Korea—building everything from the ground up like a scrappy startup, but with the backing of a global brand. It was one of her biggest career highs—but what came before and after was just as compelling.Did you know international students often pay more for student loans? Hyun did—and it shaped the career decisions she had to make after graduation.After years of grinding, she hit burnout. So she took an adult gap year—intentionally doing nothing in a culture obsessed with achievement. Well… except for learning K-pop dance, just for fun.Join us as we dive into Hyun’s honest and inspiring journey—through money, identity, burnout, and what it means to rewrite success on your own terms.MoneyBites is brought to you by WINii—an app and community for women and allies in tech, helping make wealth-building real. Our mission? To help a million women become millionaires+. Join the beta at www.wewinii.com.01:07 Program operation manager03:26 Student loans for international students07:30 Pay off student loan09:32 Early Days at Airbnb14:02 Burn out - Gap year23:12 Negotiating compensation28:41 Having kids changed my perspective35:27 Bonus talk : how to find a perfect match!

They say you don’t quit jobs—you quit managers. I’ve had a toxic boss whose explosive anger left me shaking on the commute home. Sadly, Helen faced a similar situation. But unlike me, she found her voice—and a smart, strategic way out.In this episode, Helen shares how she stood up to a workplace bully and rewrote her own story. We also dive into her incredible career pivot from translator to instructional designer, what she loves about her work, and why she made the move from the UK to the US.Tune in to hear Helen’s inspiring career and money journey.MoneyBites is brought to you by WINii—an app and community for women and allies in tech, helping make wealth-building real. Our mission? To help a million women become millionaires+. Join the beta at www.wewinii.com.00:52 What makes a good instructional designer?03:12 Skillsets for instructional designer06:03 Speaking multiple languages09:56 Toxic boss15:45 Emotional Abuse at Workplace23:15 Promoting yourself23:32 #IAMREMARKABLE27:18 Finding your own voice: calling out BS

Did you know up to 70% of mental health conditions may be misdiagnosed? Rui is on a mission to change that with her mental health AI startup. But her path to entrepreneurship is anything but typical.Rui worked in AI before large language models went mainstream. As her corporate career accelerated, the pandemic hit—prompting deep reflection on work, identity, and mental health. It also brought back memories of being an international student in the U.S., where language and cultural barriers often led to misdiagnoses.Those reflections, combined with the rise of AI, inspired her to take a leap of faith—leaving stability behind to build something that makes mental healthcare more accessible. Join us for an inspiring conversation about Rui’s career, startup journey, and money story.00:48 My mental health startup05:30 70% misdiagnosed in mental health 08:44 Biggest challenges in building a startup11:16 Working at IBM13:40 Starting career in AI17:00 Balancing career and life26:17 Starting my own company30:40 Where I want to take my AI startup

What do crisis managers really do? I thought they were pessimists, always expecting the worst. But Marnie showed me they’re actually optimists—people who believe they can still make a difference.In this episode of MoneyBites, Marnie shares why she left government after the Capitol attack and opens up about her personal cancer scare, at a time when women under 50 face the highest rise in cancer diagnoses.She explains how her crisis management mindset guides her work, investing, and health, and why she’s stayed hopeful through it all. Join us for an inspiring journey through her career and money story.00:38 What’s crisis management?02:03 How do you expect crisis?03:14 Are crisis managers pessimistic?04:39 Applying crisis management to personal life07:23 How did you start your career?10:53 January 6, United States Capitol Attack15:30 Net worth growth even in difficult situations19:34 How I research the stock market21: 18 Joining Meta22: 14 Beating Cancer28:51 What is COBRA?32:00 Protect yourself against medical surprises#podcast #womenintech #crisis #crisismanagement #career #investing

Neta has one of the coolest jobs I know. She leads workplace innovation—having scaled Meta’s internal hackathons globally, and now serving as Director of Innovation at Okta. But her path wasn’t always smooth.Despite a decade of success as a hardware engineer at Broadcom, returning to the workforce after maternity leave brought crushing interview experiences that led her to pivot industries entirely.In this episode of MoneyBites, Neta shares how she reinvented herself, built her dream career, and redefined success on her own terms. We talk career, money, and resilience—and how she turned setbacks into innovation.00:41 What is innovation?02:15 Day in the life of Director of innovation04:12 How to drive meaningful innovation at work07:22 Is innovation at risk?12:55 The importance of mangers15:57 Balancing career and motherhood 18:19 Brutal reality of coming back to work after maternity leave21:58 Interview advice after career gap28:35 Working at Meta31:29 Lessons learned in boundary setting35:09 Career advice for reaching director level

What would it take to walk away from a high-paying role as Head of Engineering at a top tech company? For Nancy, it came down to one question: Can I see myself in the company leadership’s shoes 10 years from now—and feel excited about it?The answer was no. She didn’t envy their path, and that realization gave her the clarity to break the golden handcuffs and launch her own startup. In this episode, Nancy shares how she built Hachi AI, an AI platform that offers advice from different personalities.We talk about how to validate AI products, navigate early-stage pivots, and why she believes startups are better positioned than big tech to push the boundaries of consumer-facing AI.Thinking about your next big career move in hashtag#AI? This conversation is for you.01:17 AI should have a personality03:19 Experience at Google04:49 ‪@Neurosama‬ 07:36 Technical innovations start with B2C not B2B11: 02 Test your idea in person15:05 Cultivate your network19:31 How I decided to jump careers26:28 Does your 10 year vision excite you?29:11 Financial stability before the big leap

In this episode, Shoma gets real about what it’s like when your career hits pause and how it taught her a big lesson: _you are not your job_. We chat about the power of building an identity beyond the 9-to-5, why multiple income streams are a must, and how the tech job hunt isn’t as simple as “just get a referral” anymore. Come hear about Shoma's career, money, and life journey on WINii's MoneyBites!00:31 Nath Jewelry02:32 Working in Tech04:26 Tips for Getting into Tech05:18 Cutthroat Experience in Retail07:14 Getting Laid Off10:15 Starting a Brand While Working in Big Tech15:28 Ultimate Goal for Nath Jewelry

Kati’s career journey went from leading a wild salmon research study to driving sustainability initiatives at major tech companies likeGoogle,Meta, andAdobe.What I find most inspiring about Kati isn’t just her commitment to building a purpose-driven career—it’s her willingness to continuously reassess what success and wellbeing truly mean. During COVID, she was white-knuckling her job, convinced she needed it to survive. Then came the layoff. And instead of spiraling, she started asking: What if my career isn’t my identity? What does success even mean? And more importantly—how do I want to live?As someone who’s been interrogating the meaning of work for a while now, Kati’s concept of a _passion portfolio_ hit me hard.She was laid off at one of the lowest points in her life—but the experience became her turning point.That forced reset became the gift she didn’t know she needed—a chance to reassess, rebalance, and build a life where she could actually thrive.I loved this conversation. Join me as we dive into Kati’s journey with money, career, and a refreshing take on what it really means to “make it.” Let’s dive in.01:55 What does corporate sustainability mean?04:52 Google’s sustainability initiative08:41 Golden handcuffs VS Betting on yourself13:36 Getting laid off18:50 Mental shift after burnout25:29 Getting a financial advisor is the same as getting a personal trainer

We've heard some fascinating origin stories, but never a clarinet repair business owner turned software engineer. Melanie loved her work, but like many small businesses, one down side was the brutal hours. Every hour she spent at her repair bench was directly tied to her income. Time off? Practically impossible. That is, until life forced her to pivot. Through a series of unforeseen events, Melanie transformed her career into that of a full-stack software engineer—and she couldn’t be happier! One of her biggest surprises? Discovering the magic of PTO. Join us as Melanie shares her money and career journey. You'll hear her take on why AI won’t replace developers, the value of soft skills in senior leadership, and how she captured luck to unlock new opportunities. 02:28 Healthcare tech has low bar? 04:15 I didn't make it as a classical musician 09:49 How my clarinet repair business helped me become a developer 11:34 Stress from running your own business 14:03 Family tragedy 17:17 Pivoting into tech 22:33 Recommend bootcamp to become a software engineer? 26:35 AI as a productivity tool for developers 28:33 What would you do differently?

Katherine is a rare combination of being wicked smart and super grounded. Five minutes of talking to her, and it's clear she has mastered her craft as a product marketing manager. What I didn't know about her, is that Katherine started her career in standup comedy. (No wonder she’s so articulate and quick on her feet!)What I learned about her through this interview was her superpower. Per her mantra "play the hands you're dealt," she used self-awareness and humility to craft actionable plans that pivoted her career from comedy to tech. Katherine also opens up about how her experience with depression gave her the tools to build a solid foundation for finding balance, staying grounded, and redefining happiness.Come hear Katherine's money and career journey! 0:00 Intro00:40 What does a product marketer do?01:58 Mental health04:39 Becoming a standup comic05:14 Entering startup world08:46 Be realistic about your chances in tech16:36 Life changing compensation in tech 18:18 Working at Meta23:45 Consciously creating life

This was another fun interview where I got to learn about a new role at Meta that I didn't know existed. Ever wondered who brings 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 avatars to life in the Metaverse? Natasha shares how art producers connects concept artists, animators, engineers, and researchers to shape groundbreaking ideas. While Natasha's journey into tech was an interesting one, what also resonated with me was her emphasis on the importance of representation in diversity. It wasn't until she saw women holding leadership roles at her previous studio when Natasha started reaching higher and negotiating for better pay. Join us as Natasha unpacks her winding path to success, and learn how she found her voice and her power. 00:21 One-line intro 00:41 What does an art producer at Meta do? 02:51 Compensation at Meta 04:41 What do you dislike about your job? 06:23 What do you enjoy about your job? 12:58 Women in leadership roles 15:08 Career Satisfaction & Net Worth 16:36 How did you join Meta? 22:07 Imposter syndrome 27:45 Rephrase imposter syndrome 30:46 Importance of representation in diversity

I heard about Imposter Syndrome in many professional women's circles. I identified with it - especially in recent years when I switched both role (from program manager to product manager) and industry (from ad tech to AI). Walking on tight rope feeling underwater and unsure in my abilities. Jossie Haines brings a refreshing new perspective. She channels Reshma Saujani's bold assertion that imposter syndrome is, in fact, a myth. But she doesn’t stop there. Jossie digs into the deeper issues at play, like why so many mid-career women are walking away from tech. Spoiler: It’s not about balancing family life. The real culprit? Microaggressions. It’s the subtle, insidious behaviors that push talented women out, with 50% leaving the field by 35. Hear Jossie explore what leadership can do to stem this exodus. Tune in to hear Jossie’s candid reflections on her money and career journey, and her earnest effort to find better balance and happiness.0:00 Intro00:55 Why does women leave tech?02:08 Empathetic management framework05:16 Why I started my own business11:29 Reflecting on happiness after family tragedy19:08 Self trust and self worth20:54 How to recognize micro aggression and unfair treatment at work21:08 Imposter syndrom? NO!25:25 Any company can benefit by improving inclusivityDownload Jossie's free "8 Core Pillars for Women Rising to the Top of Tech Leadership" guide here: https://ck.jossiehaines.com/pillars

Should you follow your passion? Joelle found her passion early. She was getting her doctorate in archeology, when she hit her highest career and lowest life satisfaction levels. Her career in academia wasn't sustainable though - it took her years to work through the burn out. So Joelle pivoted her career into tech, shifting research from neolithic to modern day human behaviors. Her chase to a more stable career was met by the onset of the biggest tech layoffs the industry has seen. Come hear Joelle's money journey (courtesy of her grandma's lesson on always keeping cuss money) and navigating a UXR career in big tech. 0:00 Intro01:02 What do UX Researchers do?01:36 Day in the life of Joelle06:12 Grad school in archaeology07:45 Highest and lowest moments in life16:34 Tech pays differently20:36 Best salary negotiation tips26:40 Layoff in the tech industry

Ever wonder how you can become an art collector? Did you know corporations like Meta have art divisions dedicated to surfacing local artists and introducing their artworks around global offices? Fola is at the intersection of both experiences. Come hear her career journey stewarding art in corporations, while as the founder of ISE-DA, also helping the next generation of art collectors invest in black culture through art. In the process, Fola shares her money journey and the tradeoff she made betting on her passion. 0:00 Intro 03:09 How to become an art collector 05:35 Secondary markets in art 10:43 Why I wasn't satisfied with my career 12:35 launching an art advisory business during the pandemic 15:26 Financing your dreams 17:57 How to achieve all goals 22:36 Declining life satisfaction 24:03 Working at Meta 25:29 A day in the life working two jobs 29:03 How to achieve life fulfillment

This is a difficult but inevitable conversation - how to support your parents as they pass. As an only child, I tear up even thinking about this topic. It was one of the toughest conversation I've had in my life, but my parents and I have discussed how they wish to be treated post life. Mary shares her experience in dealing with her brilliant father's mental illness towards the end of his life, and some of the last parting lessons he gave on how to prepare for death. 0:00 Intro 05:16 Quitting to become a waitress in New York 14:06 My life changed after attending one meeting 21:28 Lessons from dad 22:26 Dad’s mental illness 26:37 How my parents prepared for death 35:15 Parents passing 39:11 Creating my dream career at Meta

I probably won't enter C-Suite at my current company. But have I daydreamed about rising higher up the org? Absolutely. This was a fun one to record because it itched my own curiosity. ❓ What do you do when you feel your career is stuck? ❓ Why (and how) women should brag at work ❓ What you (and your company) can do to bring more women into the C-Suite Come hear Bhavana's career and money journey! 00:00 Intro 02:43 Career in advertising 06:05 What to do if your career feels stuck? Finding your influencer boar 09:50 How do you promote your work at company? 13:59 Switching careers from marketing to consulting 20:35 Increased my salary by 60% - by not sharing my number 25:49 Gender pay gap 27:31 How to increase your salary 35:00 Entering C-Suite 39:33 Getting in to leadership roles in tech 42:00 What companies should do to promote more female leaders #womeninleadership #womenintech #csuite #leadership #diversityintech #genderequality #salarynegotiation

Amanda is one of the most infectiously vivacious co-workers I've had the privilege of working with. So I was surprised when she shared her experience of burning out while working in tech. Having gone through several burnouts myself - in an odd way, it was heartening to commiserate and empathize. Plus the advantage of getting inspired by Amanda's resilience and her proactive approach to integrating the lessons learned into her life and future career endeavors. Last note - if anyone from Bumble BFF sees this post, please send Amanda and her gang some love. She had me converted at "making best friends as an adult." 0:00 Intro 02:41 Working in fashion 05:28 1st Burnout - toxic work environment 10:27 Joining Meta 11:51 What makes an exceptional manager? 21:41 2nd burnout 26:49 Feeling relief after being laid off 32:53 Meeting good friends from  @bumble  BFF 35:20 Navigating career through different industries 38:40 Day in life as an operations manager in tech 41:26 Not feeling guilt spending money

Cristina packed her bags and moved to San Francisco without a job lined up. She wanted to prove herself, and one day work at a company whose name was instantly recognizable. She made bets on herself and it paid off big time - Cristina became the 30th employee at Spotify in the US. She rode the startup rollercoaster alongside the company, embracing Spotify's innovative "tours of duty" career culture, which allowed her to explore diverse internal roles and propel her career forward. We also chatted about the quest and agony for finding career fulfillment among women in their 30s and 40s - a topic on top of my mind these days. Come hear Cristina's career and money journey! 0:00 Intro 2:30 Moving to SF 5:00 Community Relations Manager 8:28 30th US Employee at Spotify 15:35 What Made Spotify Great 24:08 Why I left Spotify 25:04 Building Life Affirming Wealth 28:07 Finance in Marriage 32:52 Talking About Money With Kids 36:10 Company Culture Shock at Square 38:15 Everyone is Going To Die 40:50 Finding career fulfillment 30s/40s

0:00 Intro 3:18 From college degree in Geography to tech 5:07 Spotting red flags for roles/career 7:20 Budgeting while living in NY 9:36 Switching roles in same company 12:02 Balancing work/life satisfaction 16:00 Was student loans worth college experience? 18:35 Supporting parents financially 20:14 Shifting life perspective after a personal tragedy

Christy was disillusioned with the American Dream. Coming from an immigrant family, she worked hard believing her college degree will be her ticket to success. It was not. What was more important to Christy's success was her hustle (she started her own company when opportunities were slim picking), tenacity (her commitment to hit every networking event she can attend), and the final secret sauce many people don't acknowledge, luck. That one lucky break that Christy fostered through her hard work. Come hear Christy's career and money journey as a conversation designer! 0:00 Intro 1:24 What is a conversation designer? 5:27 Struggling in high school with #race and #money value signaling 13:29 College degree didn't lead to success 16:23 Taking an unpaid internship to get into tech 19:10 #microaggressions at work 21:21 Starting my own #freelancing company 24:11 Starting work as a conversation designer 26:04 Success requires luck 31:36 Are startups worth joining? 33:53 Career non-negotiables 37:06 What makes a good manager? 40:07 Going corporate 42:44 How to become a conversation designer 44:07 How to calculate net worth

Linda wanted to become a singer. She came from a musical family and had the talent to go professional. However, through her career in music and later on in tv production, she saw how difficult it can be as a women in front of media. So she sought out a career where she can maintain autonomy - by becoming a software engineer. I was fascinated by Linda's process in finding career advancing opportunities. After deciding to switch careers into tech, she didn't just jump into a bootcamp. She contacted HR and the managers of the digital department at Fox Corporation (the company she was working at the time), and first heard out what roles and skills the company was hiring for. Linda then went out and learned those skills to become hirable. How to upskill yourself so you're in demand? Ask what your company needs! Come hear Linda's career and money journey as a rapping developer advocate at AWS! 0:00 Intro 2:07 Growing up in a musical family 3:46 Switching from a singer to tech 6:11 Combining hard and soft skills 7:01 Sad #lawyer8:15 Pivot career to #softwareengineer based on what company needs 11:18 Jumping into bootcamp 14:51 Changing roles within Fox 16:12 Managers matter more than a company 18:11 Becoming domain expert in cloud 20:17 How to assess if new technology is a hype? 23:32 What do I want to do with my life? 24:29 Breaking into  @amazonwebservices  26:21 Don't overthink career changes. Take baby steps. 30:04 What is Developer Advocacy? 32:33 Rapping about AWS - content creation 34:30 Why you should become a content creator 37:25 A day in the life of developer advocacy 39:25 Excited about #generativeai

I haven't laughed this much in a podcast. Ashley shares her intense affection for The Walt Disney Company, while sprinkling in her career journey - from the start of her career at Time Inc. (she built some amazing memories while living with her grandma + saved enough to buy her first home afterwards), to her work experience taste tasing ice cream as a finance manager at Unilever, and later at Meta.Few things that stood out from this conversation - 1. Everyone I've spoken to who worked at Unilever really enjoyed their experience - seems to be a great company. 2. We don't make career decisions in a vacuum - it was really inspiring to hear how Ashley navigated and balanced career aspirations with her family needs.Come hear Ashley's career and money journey as a marketing finance director at Indeed! 0:00 Introduction 1:33 First memory of money 2:56 College experience 4:12 Living with Grandmother 5:12 Buying a condo 7:33 Finding a work culture that fits 10:40 Time at Unilever 12:09 A day in the life 13:44 What makes a good job 15:30 Becoming a mom 16:50 Time at Siggy’s 18:50 Responsibility in a partnership 21:07 Balance as a working mom 23:16 What makes a fun career 25:45 Sussing out company culture 28:41 Navigating red flags 30:10 Startups vs. big tech

Reny was deeply influenced by her family. She was inspired by her grandmother's journey and work ethic moving with nothing from DR, to building a life and foundation for her family through #realestate investing in the US. Her older sister also was a positive influence in entering the world of #advertising (though some healthy sibling rivalry had Reny looking elsewhere at first). Reny has since been upping her game by up leveling her technical understanding, especially excited about how #genai will impact advertising solutions. Come hear Reny's money and career journey as an advertiser solutions architect! 0:00: Intro 3:35 🎓 Benefits of graduating  @cuny  4:45 Grandma's influence on generational wealth mindset 7:00 Sister's influence on career path 10:20 Taking a paycut for an internship 12:25 Early career imposter syndrome 15:40 📈 Changing jobs to challenge myself 17:35 🤝 Networking virtually during COVID 18:30 Joining Google 20:00 Different opportunities in advertising 21:25 What does an advertiser solutions architect do? 26:00 Benefits of working at Google 28:15 Certificates help in landing a job depending on role 31:00 🌍 Increase in salary 33:20 Learning about #genai

Meet fun, bubbly, and charismatic senior PM, Trishna Sharma! I particularly enjoyed hearing her experience on preferring B2C over B2B work satisfaction, as well as her prioritizing work life balance. The burnout experience that led her to protecting healthy boundaries at work was no fun, but she came out as a stronger PM as a result. Come hear Trishna's money and career journey as a product manager! 0:00 Intro 1:33 Starting career in finance 3:40 Product manager vs Project manager 5:48 First job: high life, low career satisfaction 7:32 Second job: higher career satisfaction 8:20 Downside of B2B PM 9:35 Not being the product decision maker 11:15 Questions to ask while interviewing company 12:45 Burnout 14:30 Doing what's best for you vs company 16:25 Setting boundaries at work 19:50 Jump in net worth (salary + equity) 21:40 How to determine your salary 25:27 Why jump to Meta? 27:27 Culture difference at Meta 29:50 Day in the life as a PM 32:50 Running competitor analysis 36:55 Leveraging LinkedIn to boost career

Sikha started her career as a data scientist. Then, fueled by her growing interest in machine learning, Sikha jumped on a project to build BuzzFeed's recommendation system teaching herself machine learning while on the job. This is what I find fascinating about careers in tech. You create career leaps when you sign up for your company's next big bet - even if you don't have full experience, you learn and push yourself while building. Sikha volunteered, showed up, and delivered. Wahoo! We also discussed how to find (and fail at) work life balance, her experience being part of the mass layoff at Twitter, and what excites her about her new role. Come hear Sikha's money and career journey as a machine learning architect! 0:00: Intro 4:00 🤔 Do you need to be good at match to become a data scientist? 5:50 Life satisfaction == career satisfaction 11:10 Lessons learned when job didn't match expectations 14:44 💼 How to filter for new company/opportunities 18:20 📊 #datascience vs #machinelearning 21:01 Building recommendation system  @BuzzFeed  22:15 How to learn machine learning (resources) 24:45 Career progression leading to higher net worth 28:50 Interest in #generativeai 32:57 Difference in startup vs big tech DS culture 35:02 😮 Getting laid off from  @twitter  38:35 Machine learning architect at Snowflake

Meet Stephanie Skuzenski, senior manager at Johnson & Johnson. Her mind 🧠 works in different ways - her ability to recognize repeatable patterns, and love of efficiency propelled her from pursuing a life as an artist to a system designer in tech.Come hear Stephanie's money and career journey from an artist, to a freelancer, to her experience in tech.I particularly enjoyed the question - would you stay at your current role/company several years down the road❓ If not, what would you do differently today? 0:00 Intro 01:16 First memory of money 2:39 Starting out as a textile designer 7:00 Experimenting with UX 8:04 Freelance work 10:28 What is system design? 11:41 System vs. Bespoke 14:32 Finding career opportunities 17:41 No code UX 19:37 Relevancy of UX/digital experience designers 20:53 Life of a digital experience designers 23:33 IC vs. Senior designer 24:03 Drop in life/career satisfaction 26:43 Working for salary vs fulfillment 27:51 Reverse engineering a 10 year plan

✨ Erin Essex applied to Google several times before Google's recruiter reached out to her. Along the way, she worked at a calling center, on  @MLB  projects, and notable startups. In deciding to join Google though, Erin changed roles from a director back to a senior IC. Why? Hear Erin's story on how she is bucking the traditional career trajectory, by following her own career satisfaction criteria. That's what Erin Essex would do! 0:35 🐝 Hobby as a beekeeper 3:00 Getting into design 5:30 💸 Career turn from financial recession 8:00 Working at an agency 13:30 Trajectory from agency to @Google 23:45 🎤 Mastering soft skills and storytelling 30:35 Life satisfaction from high salary 33:15 Taking pay cut to join Google 38:27 When to take risks? 41:25 🎥 Sharing your ideas on social media 46:00 The future of UX Design 48:33 📊 Day in the life of UX Designer

Tanvi started out her career as an architect. When Tanvi decided to pursue data science, her mother put down her house as collateral to pay for her Master's degree. True to her go-getter drive, Tanvi paid off her student loans in full before graduating. I really enjoyed hearing Tanvi's unique journey into tech, as well as her excitement about the advancements in ML/deep learning. Come hear her money and career journey! 0:00 Intro - impact of childhood memory of money 5:30 Pros/Cons of being an #architect 7:38 Pivoting to #datascience 9:07 There's no perfect job 11:35 #salary as an architect 13:50 Going to grad school 15:55 Learning data science on the job 16:58 #studentloans 19:30 Courage to ask for help 24:20 Being a data scientist at a #startup 26:35 Negotiating a higher salary 29:00 Traditional DS VS #ai / #machinelearning / #deeplearning 33:45 Learning deep learning 36:20 AI will not make humans obsolete 38:30 Day in the life of data scientist 41:57 How to align financially with life partner?

0:00 Wearing many hats 2:49 Joining as a #productmanager  @WeightWatchers  4:27 To get promoted, work on things that move the needle for your company 7:47 How to ask for feedback from your manager 9:40 Is it better to be a #pm generalist or a specialist? 10:50 How to nudge #behavioralchange for users?  @Ellevest  18:40 What makes an exceptional PM? 21:10 Difference between PM vs PMM 22:30 Setting a vision for your team 24:20 Killing a product 27:40 Weighing between priorities 29:00 Jumping to a new role/company 32:48 Finding new career opportunities  @LinkedIn  34:00 Being up front with your salary expectations

Jessie switched companies/roles every few years. This decision led to a more creative and fulfilling career, that also increased her net compensation by multifold. Women can have it all, but not all at once. Come join Jessie as she shares her experience on how career and life satisfaction can have distinct but complementary trajectories. 0:00 Intro: Wearing multiple hats 2:23 Keeping separate bank accounts as a couple 4:30 Different #investment approach as a couple 8:25 Figuring out life after college 9:36 Getting in to credit card #debt 12:45 Pros and cons of being a #freelancer 15:11 Freelancing vs going corporate @Spotify @Yahoo 18:01 Red flags for a job that's not a good fit 20:00 Jumping companies every ~2 years VS changing roles @Meta 22:40 How do you find new opportunities? 26:40 Career non-negotiables 28:30 During your interview, how do you assess your potential manager/team? 30:00 Prioritizing compensation vs taking risk in career path 33:40 Decoupling career vs life fulfillment. "You can't have it all at once" 35:30 Changing companies significantly impacting compensation

Being the wife of a #veteran inspired Marie to start a #startup empowering veterans and spouses with jobs in tech. After she folded her first company, Marie told herself "never again will I be a founder." But now, Marie is on her 3rd startup with #web3 community building. Come hear the lessons and laughs Marie shared of her entrepreneurship journey! 0:00 Second cousin to #lennykravitz 4:01 Emotional spending 5:45 How is your money relationship with your spouse? 7:52 First startup to get #veteran spouses into tech 9:00 How did you start your first #startup ? 11:27 Why did your first startup fail? 12:10 Second startup: Lessons learned 15:05 Taking the financial #risk to start your own company 18:00 Asking for what you're #worth during #fundraising 20:00 How to take a salary as a startup founder 23:00 What did you learn as a startup founder? 27:10 Falling in love with #web3 #communitybuilding 29:53 Resources to learn #web3  @ekolance4731   @mishadavinci493 Misha da Vinci

Getting into #tech without a #coding background, promoting yourself at work despite having #impostersyndrome , supporting your parents/siblings as a child of an #immigrant family - all can be daunting, but is doable, needed, and worth it. Come hear Bedilia's money and career story! 0:00 Intro 4:00 Moving from #career in #highereducation into #tech 5:49 Non-tech opportunities in tech 8:20 How to get into tech 9:45 Promote your work to get #promoted 17:44 #websites #newsletter for tech #jobs 20:30 #nonnegotiable for career - being a #mom in tech 23:36 #penalty of being a new #mom 24:40 Job #interview should be bi-directional 27:20 Supporting #parents #extendedfamily #financially 24:39 We should talk about #money with #colleagues #companies #friends

Working a second job at Starbucks was the last straw for Paige to redirect her career from healthcare into tech. Along the way, we discuss Celtic music and shift in money mindset after hitting a six figure salary. Come hear Paige's career and money journey! 0:00 #celticmusic 5:20 Starting career as #physicaltherapist "Making more money at #starbucks than in #physicaltherapy"9:34 Changing from #humble to #ambitious mentality while being #grateful13:14 Moving into #tech17:15 How to follow #curiosity to jump into a new industry/role20:19 Relationship with #money after hitting #sixfigures salary

Join Sophie as she walks through a day in the life of a #recruiter and a #founder. Sophie started her own tech recruitment firm after being laid off. Way to make lemonade out of lemons! 0:00 Intro2:54 Why choose recruitment over sales?4:11 Recruitment salary range 6:40 Difference in agency vs in-house7:33 Difference between in house vs starting your own firm10:00 Staring my own firm after layoff11:40 How to stand out as a candidate13:25 Don't ghost your candidates15:08 Don't be too casual during interviews 16:10 Working with startups18:06 Checklist for recruitment team to find new hire 22:34 Money concerns/aspirations

Marion, the queen of #networking , shares her experience changing roles within #tech and how bringing your #authentic self is the secret sauce in making new connections. 0:00 First memory of money2:55 Starting career in tech - #mba 5:20 Working in #sales @LeParisien  8:33 Changing to a more #strategic role - #businessdevelopment 11:20 Managing up - getting your #manager to be on your side 15:40 Risk in joining #startups  (talk to current employees, customers, & partners)18:52 To be a good networker, create authentic connections first23:44 Moving to #nyc  - starting over at @WomeninTech 29:35 Tips for discovering good networking events

I've been wanting to go deeper into applied generative ai but have been feeling inadequate. Thanks Lori for the push - after the chat, I'm proactively scoping opportunities to work with #LLM at my day job, and at WINii assessing how we can incorporate #genai to provide more value to our community of women in tech building wealth. Excited for what's to come! This was a super fun interview. ❗ Lack of gender representation in product design/decision making leads to deaths.🥒 Have an unorthodox experience, "not being pickled," was the secrete sauce to Lori's success in the tech industry. 0:00 What got you started in #tech ?4:58 Is #ai #artificialintelligence the next big thing? 7:17 What is the right place/right time for #ai , #web3 ?12:20 Curiosity and vulnerabiltiy opened new opportunities 17:53 Figure-out-ability: building confidence as women in tech 21:00 Partnership alignment is key to women's #success 26:55 Paternal leave need to become normative 31:00 Dropping out of college - diversity in thought/experience made me successful39:37 Lack of representation in product development leads to higher deaths44:00 Companies w/ gender #diversity & #leadership had 50% higher profits50:00 Why are companies not acting on this #data ?

As Heidi went through two internships in big tech, her curiosity and motivation (her why) in her role changed leading to a pivot from a software engineer to a product manager. Hear her story! ‍0:00 Major in college ‍1:28 Different mental framework as a #softwareengineer vs #productmanager‍2:47 #internship in #bigtech‍8:10 Things you should do during your internship‍11:00 Getting a return offer‍13:10 How to make your #application stand out‍14:17 Resources to prep‍16:20 Choosing the #pm route ‍23:50 Negotiating total #compensation as a FTE after internship‍28:40 How do you become a PM? Different backgrounds

This was a personal interview for me. I've been struggling mentally during the layoffs at Meta. The waiting was excruciating, we lost some amazing colleagues. I'm grateful I was able to keep my job, but those that stayed behind and those that left all suffered. Hope everyone has the support system you need. 0:00 Dealing with #uncertainty in a healthy way‍10:26 Numbing response to #stress‍17:00 How can you sense when you are mis-calibrated? ‍23:00 Society overestimates #willpower and underestimates #consistency‍27:25 Is "work" and your "#thriving self" at odds with each other?‍32:00#stoicism#meditation on mortality - time is precious‍33:30 If time is so precious, should I even be working?‍39:17 As an adult, can you create a pockets for #experimentation and #play ?‍43:18 How can we reintroduce #spark into our lives?49:57 What is life asking of you right now? - Viktor Frankl

Working in tech as a new mother/father is tough. How can the tech industry improve our support/benefits?Hear Huma's journey from Pakistan to Silicon Valley. ‍0:00 Education in computer science and AI from Pakistan to the US‍1:11 Choosing between English Literature or Accounting... why not computer science?‍3:36 Women in US are less confident than in Pakistan‍5:54 Importance of recognition in improving women's computational identity ‍7:50 Are girls interested in computer science? Societal/cultural changes‍13:10 Barriers as a mother in tech‍15:30 Maternity/paternity leave‍22:50 Lack of support returning from mat leave28:00 Transitioning to new adventures

Emma Sadler is a versatile career shifter - from working front of house in the restaurant service industry, to becoming a UX designer, career coach, and business owner. Listen as Emma shares her money story on what has worked and hasn't worked during her journey.   #uxdesign #dailyharvest #womenintech #career 0:31 pastry chef to front of house 4:00 salary in the service industry5:00 COVID layoff 8:35 pivot into UX/UI design (bootcamp)11:29 advice for choosing a bootcamp14:30 will bootcamp help you find your next job?14:45 how do you stand out as a candidate?18:35 finding the company/industry you enjoy 20:30 UX salary21:45 UX design vs product design23:50 starting Emma's own business - pet inspired candles! 27:45 advantage of a career changer 30:15 providing mentorship 31:50 advice for entering UX 34:40 personal financial goals 39:41 Emma's contact info

Hear Jessica's experience on how she pivoted her role from a Program Manager to a Product Marketing Manager after being laid off. She leveraged her website to stand out during the interviews, and increased her salary by $40k in the process. Making lemonade out of lemons!

Chat with Valeri on everything from budgeting for the holidays, to inflation impacting the job market. What's your money story?

Interview with Kate Watts from Advancing Women In Tech. Why is gender diversity in tech leadership important? 

Should you find fulfillment from your job? How is it like working at a startup? Come join Kelsey from Capitalize as she shares her experience building her career in startuphood following her passion while getting paid what she deserves.

In this Hey Stranger! Series, we asked random strangers in NYC, “What's a Recent Purchase that Surprised you?” Here’s what they had to say. Money opens many doors, and sometimes, what’s behind the doors surprises us in a good way. In bite size chats with three strangers in NYC, we learned three totally different stories about surprising money purchases. Whether we are a parent, foreign exchange student, or an actress, we all have to move with the way money moves. Flexibility is golden. How are you surprised by a recent purchase? And how did you react? Timestamp: 0:00 Investing in My Daughter’s College Fund 7:20 New York is Surprisingly Safe 10:40 Actress and Her Budget

In this Hey Stranger! Series, we asked random strangers in NYC, “What's a Recent Purchase that gave you joy?” Here’s what they had to say. In this era of consumerism, “buying” is an action we are all familiar with. In three bite size chats with strangers, we learned how to (1) decide what to and what not to buy without budgeting, (2) buy items we will treasure, and (3) keep “buying” simple. How are our purchases personalized, and how do they give us joy? WINii encourages you to reflect on your own buying habits. Timestamp: 0:00 Self Reflection VS Impulse Buying 4:38 Will you Still Buy It if It was Even MORE Expensive? 11:01 Being Vegetarian and Money

In this Hey Stranger! Series, we asked random strangers in NYC, “If $1000 dropped from the Sky, What Would You Do with It?” Here’s what they had to say. Most of the time, money stirs the wheel of our lives’ ride. In these conversations with strangers, we learned what strangers would do if they had “free money”. Whether they’d save it in their travel fund or invest in their dream startup, money can open up many doors and expand our perceptions of the world. If $1K dropped from the sky into your hands, what would you do with it?  Timestamp: 0:00 30% savings, 70% travel!  3:09 Invest in my Ethical Fashion Startup

In this Hey Stranger! Series, we asked random strangers in NYC, “What does Salary Mean to You?” Here’s what they had to say. “My day job, or my start-up?” Our jobs not only can offer us the money, but it may also come with flexibility, culture, and an entirely different social network. In these bitesize chats with strangers on a bus, we learned what it means to earn a salary without the financial benefits from several independent contractors. WINii encourages you to reflect: Why are you working? Are you in it just for the money? @CocoCooperDenim is the startup founded by our first stranger. Timestamp: 0:00 Fitting Model 4:20 Money VS Actress 9:16 Nurse VS Fashion