The BreakLine Arena

Join us in The BreakLine Arena for an inspiring and uplifting conversation with tech pioneer Rani Johnson, Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President at TIBCO . In this conversation, Rani shares how from an early age her curiosity, access to opportunity, and a supportive community facilitated extraordinary success and cultivated a life-long love of learning. During this episode, she also...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we share tech industry insights and celebrate the stories of our amazing alumni community. In this episode we have the opportunity to hear from BreakLine alum, Andrew Powell,  (aka “AP”). He first forged his entrepreneurial spirit in the bustling markets of Trinidad and Tobago, where he spent his childhood summers. Whether learning to balance the books of his uncl...

"My purpose to walk this earth is not to generate revenue. My purpose is to help people find out ways that they can liberate themselves from a system of control in their mind to create a system of liberation so that they can find emotional and spiritual fulfillment. My first design principle for the rebirth of my professional life, which is where my identify was still very strong: Prioritize y...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we share tech industry insights and celebrate the stories of our amazing alumni community. In this episode, we have the opportunity to hear from BreakLine alum, Ariana Pybus. When it came to life paths, Ariana knew from a young age her’s would be one of service. Growing up a military brat, she developed a special kind resilience, seamlessly navigating the challeng...

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Gusto CEO and co-founder, Josh Reeves. Gusto is a startup on a mission to create a world where work empowers a better life. By making the most complicated business tasks simple and personal, Gusto is reimagining payroll, benefits and HR for modern companies. Josh was recognized as one of the “Most Admired CEOs” by the San Francisco Business Ti...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena for an in-depth conversation with Charlie Newark-French, Chief Operating Officer at Hyperscience . In this conversation, Charile shares how he evaluated his decision to join Hyperscience, as well as valuable insights into the future of automation. Before joining Hyperscience, Charlie was a Partner at Fusion Global Capital, a growth stage venture capital fund focused...

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with living legend Tina Tchen. Tchen serves as president and CEO of TIME’S UP Now and the TIME’S UP Foundation, overseeing the organizations’ strategic plans to change culture, companies, and laws in order to make work safe, fair, and dignified for women of all kinds. In 2017, Tina co-founded the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund with Robbie Kaplan, Fat...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we share inspiring stories from our community in celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month . In this episode we hear from a beautiful couple, BreakLine alums Hannah and Heather Gallagher. Hannah and Heather walk us through their journey from serving in the Marine Corps, pivoting into the tech industry with BreakLine, and Hannah’s personal evolution of stepping into her fu...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we share the fascinating journey of Leslie Blodgett, Wall Street Journal best-selling author of the book Pretty Good Advice , as well as the creator and former CEO of massively successful cosmetic company, bareMinerals . Called the “Queen of Beauty” and the most influential singular woman to impact the beauty industry by the New York Times , you’ve never met anyon...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we unpack the topic of Fear Based Decision Making as it relates to evaluating candidates from "non-traditional" backgrounds. In this episode, our team will share industry insights and best practices to equip leaders, hiring managers, and recruiters with additional tools to embrace a more Opportunity Based hiring approach. Key insights from this conversatio...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we share inspiring stories from our community in celebration of this most recent Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage month. In this episode we hear from a beautiful couple, BreakLine alums Jason and Mirini Kim. In this conversation, Jason and Mirini share their humble beginnings, favorite family traditions, as well as the foundational lessons instilled...

Calling all cybersecurity nerds! Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Greg Murphy, during which he shares his invaluable perspectives on this constantly innovating space. Greg joined Ordr as CEO in December 2018. Previously, he was VP Business Operations for the HPE Aruba Group, the 4,000 person networking and IoT business unit of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. In that role, Greg wa...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we share engaging conversations from our BreakLine community in celebration of this most recent Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Rocky Takapu was raised by immigrants from Tonga (a subset of Polynesian islands in the South Pacific) looking for greater opportunities in America, Rocky was born in Oakland, California as a first generation Tongan-...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena for a truly inspiring conversation with Manny Medina, CEO and Co-Founder of Outreach.io. In this episode Manny shares how his journey as a first-generation immigrant instilled in him an unshakeable grit, and ultimately prepared him to lead a billion dollar AI-based sales engagement company. Manny co-founded Outreach in 2014 and now serves as CEO. Prior to Outreach, M...

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a vulnerable and encouraging episode celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month. We sat down with BreakLine teammates Bethany Coates and Lauren Faul to discuss their experiences with Imposter Syndrome, and how to conquer that voice in your head that tells you "you don't belong here." You do. And we'd love to remind you why. If you like what you&#39...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena for an inspiring, and uplifting conversation with Kristin Groos Richmond, Co-Founder, CEO and Chairman of Revolution Foods. In this episode, Kristin shares the incredible mission-driven success created by her company, as well as the challenges of innovating through a global pandemic to serve communities across the country. Kristin founded Revolution Foods in 2005 wit...

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for the inside scoop on the BreakLine admissions process with our Director of Admissions, Sergio Padilla. Sergio drops some knowledge on how to stay open-minded during overwhelming times of transition, shares his fascinating life path, and invites folks to come claim their spot at the table within the tech industry.   Sergio is a United States Air Force veteran and B...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena for an action-packed conversation with John Vrionis, Co-Founder and Partner at Unusual Ventures. In this episode, John shares valuable insights gained across the course of a tremendously successful career as a venture capitalist, as well as the epiphany which lead him to reimagine the industry and create Unusual Ventures. Originally from Georgia, John attended Harvar...

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for an incredible conversation with Ahron Oddman. He shares how his immigrant roots raised him in a culture of generosity, how he uses those very principles to shape the organization he runs as well as the schools they serve, and how we can all better support the educational institutions that will create the next generation of leaders. Ahron is currently the CEO of P...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena for a thoughtful and compelling conversation with Hasani Caraway, General Counsel at Notion. In this episode, Hasani shares how receiving a childhood gift sparked an insatiable curiosity which inspired him to study Computer Science at Prairie View A&M University prior to entering the tech industry. Intrigued by various aspects of the industry, Hasani would later...

Join us in The BreakLine Arena for a fascinating conversation with Monika Fahlbusch, the Chief People Officer at Epic Games. In this episode, Monika shares insights gained from shaping work cultures, tips for identifying talent as well as her journey rising to the highest levels of leadership as a woman within the tech industry. She is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience leading...

Join us in the BreakLine Arena in celebration of Women’s History Month with BreakLine alum Haley Wilson.  Haley shares her path from Grapevine, Texas to the Air Force Academy, where she studied Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. She then led several teams across the Air Force and in the Pentagon, and earned a Master’s in Human Factors and Industrial Organizational Psychology from Wright State. Sh...

Join us in the BreakLine Arena in celebration of Women’s History Month with BreakLine alum Onai Gwachiwa.  Onai chronicles the bold move from her hometown of Harare, Zimbabwe to the UK, where she attended the University of Gloucestershire and studied English literature. She then served in the British Army for 12 years, and earned a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Southampton, a...

Join us in the BreakLine Arena in celebration of Women’s History Month with BreakLine alum Mandy Birch.  Mandy describes her journey from rural Indiana to her now passionate pursuit of quantum computing solutions at Rigetti Computing. She attended the Air Force Academy, where she majored in Mechanical Engineering and French, and was an Air Force Athlete Hall of Fame swimmer. She transitioned into...

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for an authentic and insightful conversation with Matthew Prince, Co-Founder and CEO of Cloudflare. In this episode, Matthew shares his love for his hometown of Park City, Utah, the entrepreneurial journey which led to the creation of Cloudflare, as well as the challenges associated with leading in a complex and ambiguous environment. Cloudflare’s mission is to help...