WOMANufacturing

In this episode of Womanufacturing , we sit down with John Webster , an old colleague, former intern, and now seasoned startup engineer, to talk about what it really means to grow up in a startup world. John shares his journey from graduating during COVID, moving countries for an internship, and being thrown into high-pressure manufacturing environments where learning happened fast, documentation...

What if the thing you’ve been fighting your whole life… finally has a name? In this deeply personal episode of Womanufacturing , Alicia opens up about receiving an ADHD diagnosis as an adult, and how it reframed decades of anxiety, burnout, overachievement, people-pleasing, and thriving in chaos. Joined by Justine, this conversation isn’t about checklists or stereotypes. It’s about what ADHD can a...

Internships get a lot of airtime, but what happens after you’re hired? In this episode, Alicia and Justine talk candidly about mentorship, the kind that actually works. Not the clunky HR programs or forced pairings, but real, human mentorship built on trust, curiosity, and mutual respect. They dig into what makes a good mentor, why one-size-fits-all management fails, how mentoring others sharpens...

Swetha is Queen This week on Womanufacturing , Alicia and Justine sit down with someone very special: former coworker, naming-genius of the podcast, recent UCLA grad, and now automation powerhouse — Swetha . Swetha shares her journey from confused high-school STEM kid to mechanical engineering major to discovering her love for automation and systems-level thinking. We talk internships, owning enti...

In this episode, Alicia and Justine get real about the power of internships, the good, the awkward, and the transformative. From Alicia’s wild summer on a remote Alaskan island to Justine’s first taste of engineering in a polymer lab, they unpack how early experiences shape who we become as professionals. They also explore what makes a great mentor, why “try before you buy” is the best career advi...

In this episode of Woo Manufacturing , Justine and Alicia sit down with longtime entrepreneur and automation badass Adrienne Harvey to talk about her unconventional journey from running an early e-commerce business to building Ignition systems and speaking on stage at Inductive Automation’s ICC. Adrienne shares how a summer internship at a bakery plant sparked a lifelong curiosity for how things w...

Ever been the one keeping everything running — without any official authority? In this episode, Alicia and Justine get real about leading without the title. From wrangling cross-functional teams to navigating egos, they share how influence, empathy, and integrity can move mountains (even when politics and bad actors try to block the path). Expect stories from the plant floor, lessons learned the h...

This week, Alicia and Justine welcome a very special guest, Alicia’s cousin, Bailey! 🎉 From Montana to France and now to New England, Bailey’s journey as a chemical engineer has been anything but ordinary. She dives into what it was like moving abroad during COVID, learning French, and mastering yogurt production at scale. We chat about the art (and headache) of plant mass balance, why food and b...

In this episode of Womanufacturing , Alicia and Justine open up about the realities of moving for work — from the excitement of new opportunities to the challenge of starting over. They share personal stories of uprooting for careers, finding (and sometimes struggling to find) community in new places, and what it feels like to go from confident expert to newcomer overnight. Whether you’ve relocate...

In this episode of Womanufacturing , Alicia and Justine sit down with Dr. Zöe Steine-Hanson, PhD , a research scientist at OpenBCI. Zöe’s work bridges neuroscience, computer science, and ethics, exploring how brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are being developed today — from invasive neural arrays used in epilepsy research to open-source EEG systems that make neurotechnology accessible outside the...

Alicia and Justine dive into the intoxicating pull — and hidden costs — of startup life. From the thrill of building something from scratch to the subtle ways boundaries erode, they unpack how a sense of mission can morph into relentless grind. Was it just dedication… or were they caught up in a full-blown “CULTure”? If you’ve ever wondered why smart, capable people give everything to a company —...

Guest Spotlight: Abe Coir, Manufacturing Engineer at Leatherman 🔧 In this episode, we sit down with Abe Coir to talk about what it really takes to scale manufacturing processes for millions of tools a year—and why collaboration between design and operations is everything. Abe shares stories from across the manufacturing spectrum: from union shops to startups in garages, from being the only woman...

This episode dives into the messy, hilarious, and sometimes dangerous transition from school to the manufacturing floor. We unpack early-career mistakes, cowboy engineering, the Dunning-Kruger effect, and why safety rules exist for a reason — especially when hydrogen’s involved. We also talk about the disconnect between theoretical design and real-world execution (hello, carpet dwellers) and how t...

In this episode, Alicia and Justine dig into the messy, unfiltered reality of what it actually takes to be an engineer once you leave the classroom. From mentoring interns to managing million-dollar projects, they share hard-won lessons that don’t come from a textbook — like how to size a valve, why your “perfect” design might be unusable, and what happens when you’re told to “just figure it out”...

Not every uncomfortable moment at work comes from bad intentions—but that doesn’t mean it didn’t land wrong. In this episode, Alicia and Justine dive into those “in between” situations—awkward comments, pet names, and moments where you walk away feeling dismissed or disrespected, even if no harm was meant. We share: Tools for handling these situations without setting the building on fire Why the i...

In this episode, Alicia and Justine reflect on what it really takes to find your voice—and use it—in male-dominated workplaces. From learning how to navigate awkward interactions to calling out dismissive behavior with grace (or grit), they unpack the messy, human side of growing your confidence. They talk through: The difference between intent and impact—and why both matter How to advocate for yo...

This week on Womanufacturing , we're joined by the brilliant and fearless Lola Vars — mechanical engineer, materials scientist, ceramist, and all-around multi-hyphenate badass. We dive deep into the emotional cost of working in male-dominated spaces, the internal contortions women make just to be heard, and how it feels to finally stop filtering ourselves. Alicia opens up about how she’s been fire...

In this episode of Womanufacturing , we compare the chaos of a manufacturing plant to a casino—both are action-packed, flashing 24/7, and somehow always a little bit broken. We talk about what it’s really like to work shifts, swap war stories from the plant floor, and dig into the big questions nobody else asks: Are stack lights actually helpful, or just leadership’s favorite toy? Is “flashy flash...

In our very first episode, we’re kicking things off with how we met, why we started this podcast, and what you can expect from Womanufacturing . We’re talking real, raw stories from startups and 24/7 factory life—the kind of things that don’t make it into panel discussions or glossy brochures. This isn’t just about surviving in manufacturing—it’s about thriving, showing up fully, and bringing more...