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 ab...

In this episode of Personal Take, I sit down with Melissa Maciejewsk i 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 h...

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...

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 U...

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...