Emily Wengel Kollada

Personal Take

Business EN ↓ 5 episodes

Personal Take is the show where we serve up a fresh side of career conversations with amazing women. Join me as I chat with friends and inspiring professionals over their favorite takeout, diving into the highs, lows, and everything in between of their journeys to success. It’s real talk about what it takes to make it, with a little fun, food, and laughter along the way. Hungry for some inspiration? Grab a bite and tune in!

Author

Emily Wengel Kollada

Episodes

Thai Food and Climate Connection with Mackenzie Siren 04.12.2025 43:37

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...

Career Pivots and Papaya Salad with Melissa Maciejewski 10.09.2025 45:18

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...

Leadership and Tortilla Soup with Jenn Goode 01.08.2025 33:57

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...

Serving Up Representation & Beef Noodle Soup with Barbara Wei 24.02.2025 33:32

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...

Pilot: Speaking Up Post-Sushi Era with Amy Kabaria 17.01.2025 31:32

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...