Motivation to Speak
Are you excited to speak at the Women in Tech Global Conference and what motivated you to join our community of 150 000 women in tech, minorities, and allies?
I am excited to speak at the Women in Tech Global conference this year. My main motivation is ensuring that we need to have more representation in tech of folks who are balancing caregiving and career of not just women and non-binary, but also male allies.
Background and Inspiration
Share with us about your background, your journey in tech, and what inspired you to develop your career in this direction?
I have had a long and winding career up to this point that initially saw me step back from a job I loved at Procter & Gamble to be a full time caregiver because I didn't have good examples of people doing both. I pivoted into entrepreneurship at that stage because I was missing the satisfaction that I got from working. Necessity eventually led me back to the workforce and I had to find a way to balance both sides of my life- caregiving and career. Now, as a career coach at the Tepper School of Business, I have the opportunity to integrate both parts of myself at my job because coaching requires a tremendous amount of care for my students/clients and I constantly draw from my professional experience to give them advice and help them grow.
Why is the topic “You Can Do Both: Redefining Balance, Identity, and Partnership” important to you?
I am hoping that by sharing examples in my talk of women are doing both career and caregiving, if someone is questioning whether they need to leave a job they love to focus on caregiving or vice versa, they will see that there is a third path and walk away with some ideas on how to start the conversation with their partner or support network. We need more representations of both sexes doing both career and caregiving in the workplace so that employers will see how important support is!
Who would you advise to attend the Women in Tech Global Conference and why?
With so much uncertainty in the world right now and with so little we can do as individuals to change that, conferences like Women in Tech Global are important venues to get new ideas on how to solve the challenges people are facing in their jobs, lives, and career paths.
