v1.0.1 - Jaidie Vargas

v1.0.4 - Anemari Fiser

Tech lead, coach, author, and the person 500+ engineers called when they needed someone who actually got it. Anemari Fiser burned out in a role she loved. And then she built something better. After a decade in tech - starting as a software engineer, becoming a tech lead at 26 (the youngest on her team, a detail she quietly kept to herself for years) - she left her full-time role, got her coaching certification, and built a practice that's now shaped 500+ engineers and 400+ tech leads across companies of all sizes. Based in Barcelona and working globally, Anemari helps teams navigate the messy middle of tech leadership: the part where your title changes but nobody hands you the manual. She helps companies scale by empowering tech leads through leadership training, coaches tech professionals on performance and confidence, and frequently speaks at conferences about the lessons, challenges, and successes she’s encountered throughout that journey. And most recently, she captured those lessons in her first book with O’Reilly Media, Leveling Up as a Tech Lead [https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/leveling-up-as/9781098177508/]: Growing as a Technical, Project, and People Leader. The title "tech lead" is used frequently and it means something different at every company. What stays consistent is the pressure: you're suddenly accountable for your team's technical outcomes, your people's growth, and the business side you may have ignored before. Anemari has seen this story hundreds of times. She knows what actually helps. In this episode, she gets honest about hiding her age early in her career, what burnout really looks like when you love your work, and why motivation is the wrong thing to rely on - whether for writing a book or for growing as a leader. In this episode, we'll talk about her path from software engineer to tech lead to full-time coach, navigating age and experience in tech, the one burnout strategy that actually works (redistribution), what a tech lead actually is and why every company answers differently, writing a technical book with O'Reilly and what consistency really requires, accountability as the real engine of progress, how AI is reshaping the tech lead role, and why intentional growth beats motivation every time. Your call to action? → Make a plan for where you want to be and how you want to get there. Build small steps along the way because motivation is not what's going to keep you there. Consistency is. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Tech Leadership and Coaching 03:03 Navigating the Journey from Engineer to Tech Lead 05:50 The Impact of Age and Experience in Tech 09:13 Transitioning to Freelancing and Coaching 11:59 Understanding the Role of a Tech Lead 14:54 Burnout in the Tech Industry 18:02 The Writing Process of a Tech Leadership Book 21:12 The Importance of Accountability in Growth 23:52 Current Trends in Tech Leadership and AI 26:52 Final Thoughts on Intentional Growth THE GOOD STUFF - LINKS & MORE * 📚 Leveling Up as a Tech Lead [https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/leveling-up-as/9781098177508/] (book) * 🎓 Soft Skills for Tech Leads [https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/soft-skills-for/0642572043995/] (course) * ✉️ Substack [https://level-up-as-a-tech-lead.anemarifiser.com/] * 🌐 Website [https://anemarifiser.com/] * 🔗 Anemari on LinkedIn

v1.0.3 - Anna Miller

Anna Miller, founder of Outlier Mentors, on why your job search isn't a job search problem. Anna Miller has coached over 100 engineers into roles at companies like Google and Amazon. She has 44,000+ LinkedIn followers who tune in for her straight talk on what actually works in today's job market. And she built Outlier Mentors, a career mentorship community, to fill the gap she kept seeing: engineers who are talented, hardworking, and completely unprepared for how  getting hired actually works. Spoiler: it's not about blasting out applications. Anna brings a no-nonsense, deeply human approach to job searching. She understands that the process is emotional, that rejection emails often mean nothing, and that the engineers who get hired aren't necessarily the most skilled, they're the ones who show up prepared, visible, and practiced. Anna's network-first philosophy isn't just theory. It's built from years of watching engineers miss offers not because they weren't qualified, but because they treated the job search like a form submission instead of a human process. Getting the interview and passing the interview are two completely different skill sets, and most people never train for either one. In this episode, we'll talk about how the tech hiring landscape has changed, why online visibility is the most underrated career skill, not taking rejection emails at face value, the difference between landing an interview and passing one, what Outlier Mentors actually does, the mentorship model from networking through offer, AI role play for interview prep, the emotional barrier that hold engineers back, and why recording yourself might be the highest-leverage thing you can do for your career. Your call to action? → Record yourself speaking about something. Anything. If you do it, you will be a more successful person in life. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Career Mentorship in Tech 02:18 Navigating the Job Market: The Role of Networking 05:15 The Importance of Online Visibility 08:24 Understanding the Job Search Process 11:25 The Evolution of Interview Preparation 14:16 The Difference Between Landing and Passing Interviews 16:29 The Emotional Aspect of Job Searching 19:26 The Mentorship Model and Its Benefits 22:07 Innovations in Interview Preparation: AI Role Play 24:38 Final Thoughts on Communication and Self-Reflection THE GOOD STUFF - LINKS & MORE Anna Miller, LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/annamiller/ Outlier Mentors - https://outliermentorship.systeme.io/

v1.0.2 - Erik Gross

From Navy Nuclear Reactors to 4,000+ Students: Why Fundamentals Still Beat AI Erik Gross [https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikgross/] is the co-founder of the Tech Academy [https://www.learncodinganywhere.com/] and author of The Uncommon Engineer. A Navy nuclear reactor operator turned sales professional turned software engineer, Erik couldn't find junior developers, so he built a school to train them. In this episode, we talk about Erik's journey from programming on a Vic 20 at age 11, to operating nuclear reactors in the Navy, to co-founding one of the earliest coding bootcamps. We dig into why AI is a game changer for experienced developers but a potential crutch for beginners, the moment systems architecture "clicked" on a submarine in Idaho, how the Tech Academy bakes AI training into every bootcamp, job search tenacity, and Erik's upcoming book, The Uncommon Engineer. Your call to action? → If you can read and do basic math, you can learn to code. Whatever method you choose, give it a shot. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Erik Gross 01:00 The Vic 20 and Learning to Code at 11 02:01 Inside the Computer: A Lesson from Dad 02:36 Navy Nuclear Power and Digital Circuitry 03:00 The Unexpected Tech Career in Sales 03:27 The Blunt Conversation That Changed Everything 04:31 Landing the First Tech Job 05:27 The Search for Junior Developers 05:56 How the First Coding Bootcamp Inspired the Tech Academy 06:36 Staying Current as a Working Developer 07:37 AI for New Developers vs. Experienced Engineers 09:26 Domain Expertise and Garbage In, Garbage Out 11:22 "Explain It Like I'm Five": Using AI to Learn 12:50 Principles Over Syntax 14:29 AI as a Companion, Not a Replacement 15:19 Why Claude is a Game Changer 16:33 AI in the Tech Academy Curriculum 17:56 The Current Tech Job Market 18:56 Tenacity in the Job Search 22:03 The Uncommon Engineer: Erik's New Book 22:26 The Submarine in the Desert 25:35 When Systems Architecture Clicks 29:02 One Takeaway: You Can Learn to Code THE GOOD STUFF: LINKS & MORE * Erik Gross, LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikgross/] * The Tech Academy [https://www.learncodinganywhere.com/] * The Uncommon Engineer [https://theuncommonengineer.com/](coming soon!) * Tool reference: Claude by Anthropic [https://claude.ai]

v1.0.1 - Jaidie Vargas

Jaidie Vargas [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaidie-vargas/] is a force of nature. She is a national speaker, Navy veteran, PhD student researching AI ethics, co-founder and executive director of Amigas in Tech [https://bio.site/amigasintech], IT Director, and a mom. What doesn't she do?! She's a champion whose actions inspire women and particularly the Latina community to feel empowered and claim their seat at the table. Jaidie's journey from IT in the Navy to cybersecurity leadership shows the power of asking her favorite question, "why not?" at every turn. She built a career by staying curious, communicating authentically, and bringing others along for the climb. Now, through Amigas in Tech, she's building a community with friends she once needed which offers salary negotiation workshops, civic engagement tools, and real resources beyond just panels. Her PhD research focuses on AI ethical frameworks with a human-centric, community-first approach. She's making sure communities have a voice when data centers pop up and AI decisions get made because innovation without consideration of its effects isn't progress. In this episode, we'll talk about finding community, Jaidie's path from IT in the Navy to cyber leadership, building Amigas in Tech from the ground up, researching AI ethics, why communication is the most critical soft skill, asking "why not?" to create opportunities, time management across multiple roles, the importance of allyship, and staying authentic when the world wants you to blend in. Your call to action? → Keep on showing up, keep on making your voice heard, and seek micro or macro glimmers of joy and hope. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Jaidie Vargas 00:58 The Mission of Amigas in Tech 03:24 Jaidie's Journey into Tech 05:55 Researching AI Ethics 08:05 Lessons Learned in Tech 11:25 The Importance of Communication 11:49 Creating Opportunities in Tech 17:14 Future Aspirations and Community Impact 18:18 Navigating Life's Transitions 19:19 Time Management Strategies 21:31 The Mission of Amigas In Tech 22:55 Building Community and Allyship 25:43 Unexpected Success and Growth 27:53 Maintaining Passion and Avoiding Burnout 29:43 The Importance of Inclusivity 29:52 Personal Growth and Authenticity 32:20 Recap THE GOOD STUFF - LINKS & MORE LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaidie-vargas/] Amigas in Tech [https://bio.site/amigasintech] Amigas in Tech socials: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/amigasintech/posts/?feedView=all] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/amigasintech/] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@amigas.in.tech]

v1.0.0 - Release Notes

CHORE: ACKNOWLEDGE THE PAUSE + APPRECIATION Welcome back. Or welcome for the first time. Either way, I'm so glad you're here! Life happened and I wanted to recalibrate. During that pause, so many people reached out. To check in. To say they missed the podcast. To ask if it was coming back. Guess what? It is! THANK YOU, TRULY, TO ALL OF THE FOLKS WHO REACHED OUT. 🙏 I AM SO GRATEFUL! 🥹 This version exists because of those messages and care. I want to keep learning together! FIX: INFRASTRUCTURE + OWNERSHIP UNDER THE HOOD One of the biggest changes is actually behind the scenes. Though you may notice it if you look at the site! The site and podcast have moved to fully-managed hosting. This gives me more control, flexibility, and sustainability long-term. Home base is still the same: wip-podcast.com [http:///show-notes-tech-podcast]. I also added a new light! 💡Which is technically a hardware upgrade, but I wanted to listen to audience feedback! FEAT: INTRO REFRESH Per more audience feedback, you might notice a spoken intro instead of the pre-recording. The goal is to make the entry point a little cleaner. Think of it as a minor version bump, not a rewrite. FEAT: EPISODE RECAPS ENABLED Another new feature per audience feedback I’m excited about is to end interview episodes with a short recap from me: a reflection. What I learned. What stuck. What I’m still thinking about after the conversation ended. FEAT: EXPERIMENTATION MODE ENABLED This season is yet another experiment iteration. Let's try something new! I’ll be testing new episode styles/different formats, and potentially new ways of having conversations. There may be a familiar face joining soon in a collaborative capacity or repeat guest(s). TBD - leaning into curiosity and iteration! FEAT: SUPPORT HOOKS ADDED (TOTALLY OPTIONAL) I’ve also added a way to support the show if you’d like. You can drop something in the "tip jar" to help keep the mics on and cover the costs of software and tools that make the podcast possible. Visit ko-fi.com/wippodcast [https://ko-fi.com/wippodcast] to support the show. Totally optional. Very appreciated. CHORE: THINGS THAT HAVEN’T CHANGED Some things are intentionally the same. This podcast is still a work in progress. We’re still figuring things out in public. Curiosity still beats certainty. And humans are still more interesting than hot takes. BUG: KNOWN ISSUES * I’m still learning in real time. * This show will continue to evolve. * Perfection is not on the roadmap. * No fix scheduled. Though these may be more features than bugs for this podcast. 😅 🚀 RELEASE: SHIP IT Thank you for being here, whether you’re new or a returning human. I very much appreciate you coming along for the journey! Release notes updated.