Pattern Thinkers vs Procedural Thinkers — Why One Survives AI

Busy Is Not a Flex

"Busy is not a strategy. It's not a reward. It's a symptom of something broken." Mamuna and Lola on the tech-culture trap of confusing the appearance of productivity with the actual thing — back-to-back meetings, fast Slack replies, the perpetual "I'm so busy" status update. Why the highest performers have the emptiest calendars, why Lola's "time optimist" brain keeps misjudging how long things take, and why Mamuna refuses to let an LLM write the V1 of anything important. Plus: the 250-person hellscape Mamuna survived, the deep-work block that has to be 90 minutes minimum, and what happens when you brick a device — and then your husband. Chapters: 00:00 — Cold open + a pop culture reference goes wrong 02:15 — The real topic: time management hurts my heart 03:43 — "Busy is not a flex" 04:30 — "I'm a time optimist" 06:00 — The 250-person hellscape 08:24 — Deep work needs 90 minutes minimum 10:36 — "There's no right answer. There's no done." 13:42 — Bricking the device, then bricking the husband 16:30 — Reject multitasking 18:36 — AI won't write your V1 21:38 — Simplify your life Watch the video version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LostInTechPodcast/videos Also on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lost-in-tech/id1738267185 Lost in Tech is Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Pearson — a combined 35 years in tech across North America and Europe, on the highs, the lows, and the WTFs of navigating the industry. Send your tech questions: help@lostintechpodcast.com.

I love the Jump

"Inertia or chaotic change — which is worse for a company?" Mamuna and Lola both land on inertia. In this one they argue the slow death of unchallenged assumptions is more dangerous than the wild swing of a forced pivot — and pick apart why "loyalty is bought, not earned," why the shoes-to-AI pivots of 2026 actually make sense, and why every chaotic moment at work hides a latent opportunity if you can stop bracing and start looking. Plus: managing a team through chaos without losing them, the out-of-body moment Mamuna decided to take her own jump into building Theme Health, and why regret almost always lives on the side of the things you didn't do. Chapters: 00:00 — Cold open 01:05 — The question: inertia or chaotic change? 04:08 — "Loyalty is bought, not earned" 06:43 — The shoes-to-AI pivot 08:45 — Meta, the metaverse, and "ahead of its time" 11:07 — Covid as forced invention 13:14 — Why employees feel powerless 15:21 — "I love the jump" 16:50 — Callback to Ep 74: pattern vs procedural thinkers 19:15 — Managing a team through chaos 22:23 — The out-of-body decision 25:28 — Regret what you did, not what you didn't Watch the video version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LostInTechPodcast/videos [https://www.youtube.com/@LostInTechPodcast/videos]  Also on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pattern-thinkers-vs-procedural-thinkers-why-one-survives/id1738267185?i=1000767455490 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pattern-thinkers-vs-procedural-thinkers-why-one-survives/id1738267185?i=1000767455490] Lost in Tech is Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Pearson — a combined 35 years in tech across North America and Europe, on the highs, the lows, and the WTFs of navigating the industry. Send your tech questions: help@lostintechpodcast.com.

Pattern Thinkers vs Procedural Thinkers — Why One Survives AI

Are you a procedural thinker or a pattern thinker? Mamuna and Lola break down why this distinction is suddenly career-critical — and why AI is quietly making one of them obsolete. Safety-critical environments (planes, hospitals, cars) need procedural thinkers. But in dynamic tech work, senior procedural thinkers are the hidden blockers — they kill momentum, manage out bold juniors, and missthe moment they've lost relevance. Meanwhile, AI is the most efficient procedural thinker we've ever built. So if your career strategy is "follow the playbook"… the playbook just got automated. Pattern thinking is developable. We get into how. Mentioned: "The War of Art [https://www.amazon.com/The-War-of-Art-Steven-Pressfield-audiobook/dp/B07PTBYH2G/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=191658294132&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.NYigRkuNgraY0mFLpZqr1-BlcdD4ZGzQow7NGMkhB2leVhyBTIRc4Yw2EQMldkc9kVxk6ZWUgsU4n-cg69bYcCPJxMastaD2A99DCaf3BvuBVpPZXvZKxkgRV-cKaXSgCzPupAS0jeu1xIN-cGuLEe7asTTBQCcK-r7Ob27yDv7f6IzNFe0aob_FgNb7wwNM40Kti6SZpR7Q7jFDT6Z9G3Lg4Cq7Mn3flQDIg-xXRH8.VEpe3Cuv0kyz3hhUxyAnntfq-0cIjwHXp6nQd9EcFos&dib_tag=se&hvadid=792771720623&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9004357&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=4263150944265420020--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=4263150944265420020&hvtargid=kwd-1304858716284&hydadcr=15701_13884959_2468381&keywords=the+war+of+art.&mcid=bd688235024136aba241428cae9662fa&qid=1778609482&sr=8-1]" by Steven Pressfield. Watch on YouTube: @LostInTechPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@LostInTechPodcast] Follow: @LostInTechPod⁠⁠ [https://x.com/LostInTechPod] Email: help@lostintechpodcast.com⁠⁠ [help@lostintechpodcast.com] Watch the full episode on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCUvzve_1iY⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCUvzve_1iY]

Building in Public: From Corporate Idea to Real Business | Episode 73

Lola is nine weeks into building her own startup and nothing is going according to plan in the best possible way. She and Mamuna get honest about what it actually takes to go from a corporate idea to a real business, why raising money is about way more than the cash, and the startup Lola built and walked away from that someone should probably still build today. 💡 We cover: Why Lola treated her startup idea as a real business from day one instead of another work project, and what that decision changed The real reason to raise investment is not the money, it is who you get on the same side of the table as you Why taking VC money means choosing your overlords and how Steve Jobs getting fired from Apple is the ultimate cautionary tale Building a health product for people with chronic conditions and why the problem space is so underserved by tech The TV fashion startup Lola built, nearly pitched to Netflix, and ultimately walked away from, and why somebody should still build it Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCUvzve_1iY [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCUvzve_1iY] 🔔 Like, share & subscribe for more honest tech talk. 🎧 Listen on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lost-in-tech/id1738267185], or wherever you get your podcasts. 📩 Email us: help@lostintechpodcast.com [help@lostintechpodcast.com] 🐦 Follow on X/Twitter: @LostInTechPod [https://x.com/LostInTechPod] Show Notes - Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters — https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters [https://lostintechletters.substack.com/]

The Anxiety Nobody is Talking About at Work | Episode 72

Workplace angst is at an all time high and most leaders have no idea how to handle it. Lola and Mamuna get honest about the difference between what employees say they need and what they actually need, and why your manager cannot fix the fear you are carrying. 💡 We cover: Why workplace anxiety right now is not just about performance it is existential and tied to job security in the age of AI The difference between needing direction from your leader and needing safety and security which nobody can give you but yourself How people disguise emotional vulnerability as work questions and why leaders need to spot the difference Why holding ambiguity is one of the most valuable and underrated skills in tech right now The historical parallel between AI displacement and the miners strikes of the 1980s and why this has always happened Why this moment might actually be the biggest entrepreneurial opportunity of your lifetime if you are willing to sit with the discomfort Watch the full episode on YouTube.🔔 Like, share & subscribe for more honest tech talk.🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.💌 Email us at help@lostintechpodcast.com💬 Follow on X/Twitter: @lostintechpodShow Notes: • Subscribe to Lost in Tech: Letters - https://open.substack.com/pub/lostintechletters/p/coming-soon?