Ordinarily Extraordinary - Conversations with women in STEM

Sylleste Davis is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 100th District. She is the Chair of the House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee. Prior to representing the people of South Carolina, Sylleste worked at an electric company in various roles from Information Technology to Power Supply leadership positions. Sylleste has a Bachelor of Science Deg...

Kathy Ford is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Kura Oncology. She has over 30 years experience in biopharmaceuticals. She is equally passionate about the work she does bringing treatment to cancer patients and as a mom and grandmother. Kathy earned her R.N. from Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing and her B.S.N. from Fitchburg State College. What do we talk about in this episode?...

Sheryl Recinos is a physician, author, speaker and advocate. She is a locums hospitalist. After spending her teen years homeless and living on the streets in Los Angeles, she got a Bachelor's Degree in Cellular and Microbiology and later went back to school for her MD. Her childhood trauma helps her identify trauma in patients she sees and she advocates and works with homeless in Los Angeles....

Karen Laos, Communication Expert and Confidence Cultivator, is on a mission to eradicate self-doubt in 10 million women by giving them simple strategies to ask for what they want in the boardroom and beyond. She guides corporations and individuals with a proven model and is known for her actionable tips and ability to build trust quickly. During her corporate career, she led a team of facilitators...

Liz Lee Heinecke is an author and media figure for science and STEM. She has loved science she was young which drew her to study molecular biology where she worked in research for ten years. As she transitioned to parenting, she began sharing her love of science through experiments with her kids which became the basis for her books and media appearances. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Art and...

Pamela Kellert is a strategic leadership coach focusing on women in STEM. She works with individuals and organizations to elevate their leadership skills, confidence and organizational impact. She is the Founder of Women Leading in STEM. Prior to starting her own business, she spent 16 years in the corporate world leading strategy within technical companies in the transportation sector. What do we...

Dr. Alison Banwell is a Glaciologist and Research Scientist in the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), part of the University of Colorado Boulder. She studies glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctica and glacial lakes that form from glacial ice melt. She has led many field expeditions in Antarctica and has also conducted fieldwork on the Greenland Ice Sheet, Svalbard...

Nancy Joie Wilkie worked for over thirty years in both the biotechnology industry and as part of the Federal Government’s biodefense effort. Nancy is now retired and explores many creative pursuits including writing, composing original music, playing a variety of instruments, and is recording many of her compositions. Nancy has a BA degree in Biology and a MS degree in Bio-Chemistry. What do we ta...

This is a recording from a keynote speech I gave at a women in energy forum in 2017.  I talk about the importance of:  Showing up - especially as your authentic self Signing up, or just say "yes" if an opportunity comes up Speaking up - use your voice, even when it shakes Giving a hand up - to women who come behind you - we need to support each other. Music used in the podcast: Higher Up...

Sherry Shannon - Vanstone is a serial entrepreneur. She started her career as a cryptology mathematician in the US government, then went on to work at a start up in Silicon Valley. She then went on to co-found and found companies specializing in security and her latest company, Profound Impact, a female-founded, Canadian data analytics company that leverages AI and machine learning to provide solu...

Lydia Blume is the Morning Meteorologist at WDAY in Fargo, North Dakota. Lydia has a Bachelor of Science degree in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology. She focuses on communications of scientific information to non-scientific people. What do we talk about in this episode? Lydia talks about her love for meteorology and weather from a young age. She grew up on a farm in rural South Dakota, fascinat...

Nicole Kelner is a science and climate artist. She is the founder of Arts and Climate Change. Prior to founding Arts and Climate Change, she was an Artist in Residence at MCJ Collective. Prior to these two positions she worked in operations areas at climate companies. Nicole has a Bachelor's Degree in Communications, Shreyer's Business College and Honors in Engineering Entrepreneurship f...

Dr. Sirisha Kuchimanchi is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, podcast host, live radio and live radio show host. She's a former tech executive who left the corporate world to start her own business. She founded Sahita , a Global community for South Asian Women to achieve Career & Financial empowerment so you can "Live the life YOU Dream". She has a PhD and Master's Degree in...

Dr. Rachel Cady is an Obstetrician/Gynecologist and a Certified Menopause Practitioner. She is an active member of both the North American Menopause Society and the International Menopause Society. Among the concerns and symptoms she treats are weight management, sexual problems, vaginal dryness, abnormal bleeding, pelvic floor rehab, incontinence, heart health, mood swings, hormone replacement, b...

Dr. Ginger Campbell is a Palliative Medicine Physician. Prior to Palliative Care, Dr. Campbell was an Emergency Physician. She earned a BSE in Electrical Engineering and an MSE in Biomedical Engineering prior to her MD. Dr. Campbell launched her podcast Brain Science in 2006 and was inducted into the Podcast Hall of Fame in 2022. What do we talk about in this episode? Dr. Campbell shares her exper...

Anna Litvinova is a Flight Test Engineer. She graduated from college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering about three years ago and spends her time writing test plans, executing test missions on planes per those test plans, and analyzing the data from the tests. Anna immigrated to the US after growing up in Russia and then Germany. She is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Flig...

Pat Muoio is a partner at Sinewave Ventures where she assess the technical value and viability of emerging technologies and make investment recommendations in the federal marketplace. Prior to joining Sinewave, she worked in cybersecurity and cryptography both in the private sector and at the Department of Defense. She has a PhD in Philosophy from Yale University. What do we talk about in this epi...

Heather Jackson, co-founder of GenM, shares how GenM works with brands to provide awareness and branding of products that support women in menopause. GenM also provides research, awareness and resources for women going through menopause. Heather is the former CEO of An Inspirational Journey, the company behind several programmes, events and online activities including The Balanced Business Forum (...

Jill Anderson is the Executive Vice President of Operations at Southern California Edison. She has served in several leadership roles in several utilities in her career. At SCE in addition to her current position, she has also been the Senior Vice President of Customer Service and Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning & Power Supply. At New York Power Authority, she worked as the Chief C...

Hayley Hoaglund and Madeleine Howard developed a tampon that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect cervical cancer without a pap smear. They share their journey with the intersection of women's global health, business, and tech. Hayley has worked in health care and program management from rural settings to government level. From community level health efforts in the Peace Corps in Peru...

Parmin Sedigh is a high school senior in Canada who enjoys researching and creating content about stem cells and developmental biology. She is also also the VP of Communications at Eye Hope Canada and a Sponsorships Associate at the Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference. What do we talk about in this episode? Parmin developed a passion for stem cells and developmental biology. She talks abo...

Isabel Nelson is a senior majoring in computer science, minoring in business at Montana State University. She is in her last semester of college and is beginning to look for jobs. What do we talk about in this episode? Isabel talks about why she decided to go into computer science even though she had never taken a coding class before declaring her major. How Post Secondary Education Option (PSEO)...

Eliza Kosoy is the Founder of Eliza Dolls, a doll which teaches young girls how to code and build hardware through custom, tech-enabled projects based on things girls love. Eliza is also a PhD Student at University of California, Berkeley working in child development and Artificial Intelligence. What do we talk about in this episode? Eliza shares how she came to start E-liza Dolls and what her goa...

Lennis Perez is the founder and chief wellness engineer at Just Lennis, LLC, a wellness consulting company focusing on helping organizations and individuals implement stress management strategies to prevent burnout, improve efficiency, productivity, and overall well-being. She is a certified meditation teacher and coach and has a Masters in Chemical Engineering with over 16 years of experience in...

Saba Khalid is a Manager in Technical and Business Consulting focusing on Energy & Utilities. She has Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Electrical Engineering. What do we talk about in this episode? Saba and I talk about some challenges many of us face as women in STEM in STEM (or women in any career for that matter). Perfectionism and being people pleasers. Why do we feel the need...