Women Who Tech

Danbi Kim, UI/UX designer - I LANDED DESIGN ROLE IN TOUGH JOB MARKET AND SO CAN YOU

🎙 Welcome to the Women Who Tech show! In the second episode of Season 2, I chat with Danbi Kim [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danbi-d-kim/], UI/UX designer about her job search strategy that brought her a design position in Berlin, Germany and how saying no to mismatching offers saves time and energy. 🔥 We dive into: * the tough truth of German Tech job market - it’s not you, it’s everything * how 250 applications and lots of mental health walks led to 4 job offers and Danbi’s current role * how Danbi’s previous career in Brand strategy gave her extra advantage * navigating power dynamics at interview rounds * networking and mentorship are a key * utilising LinkedIn as a powerful job search tool and other advices for job seekers One quote that stuck with me after our conversation: “I am a strong believer in leveraging past experiences and careers in your current momentum”. 👉 Follow the podcast for more grounded conversations with women shaping the future of Tech and Design. 🔗 Danbi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danbi-d-kim/] on LinkedIn 🔗 Lisa on LinkedIn [https://www.notion.so/Lisa-Burdeniuk-Resum-and-Portfolio-92a412f6dc744987b02ffbca6d77814f?pvs=21] BONUS Employed.world community [https://www.linkedin.com/company/employedworld/] This month's Mentor-mentee meetup hosted by Employed.world [https://luma.com/firdrej6] Berlin Design Events (BDE) [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12836122] Berlin Design Network (BDN) [https://berlin-design-network.org/] Service Design Drink(SDD) [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sddberlin/] Ladies that UX Berlin (LTUX) [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ladies-that-ux-berlin/] Venture Café Berlin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/venturecafeberlin/]

Franziska Wahlers, Freelance UX Researcher - RUN ANALYSIS WITH AI WHEN YOU DID YOUR PART

🎙 Welcome to the Women Who Tech show! In the first episode of Season 2, I chat with Franziska Wahlers [https://www.linkedin.com/in/franziskawahlers/], Senior Freelance User and Research expert who runs The Research [https://the-research.de/] agency about freelance work - from building network and estimating projects to incorporating AI tools into workflow mindfully. 🔥 We dive into: ✔️ How Paul Ekman’s books and the Lie to Me TV show sparked Franziska’s fascination with human psychology and research ✔️ Why visualised personas and AI-simulated personas could become the most engaging way for cross-functional teams to understand their users ✔️ Why Franziska still prefers to do desk research manually, and the best moments to involve AI in the workflow ✔️ Full-time employment VS Freelance: flexibility and responsibilities ✔️ Brave, honest, transparent - this is how one estimates and commits to projects ✔️ How genuine references from fellow designers, researchers, and managers lead to big projects One quote that stuck with me after our conversation: “I run analysis with AI after having my own analysis done, taking it as recommendations just like from another peer”. 👉 Follow the podcast for more grounded conversations with women shaping the future of Tech and Design. 🔗 Franziska on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/franziskawahlers/] 🔗 Lisa on LinkedIn [https://www.notion.so/Lisa-Burdeniuk-Resum-and-Portfolio-92a412f6dc744987b02ffbca6d77814f?pvs=21] Music by Make Like a Tree [https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FcYVCAttLCTrobIOwkxsk]

Alina Korol, Design Leader and Mentor - KEEP YOUR INNER LIGHT ON THE PATH OF TRANSFORMATION

🎙 Welcome to the Women Who Tech show! In this heartfelt and reflective 12th episode, I sit down with Alina Korol [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alina-korol/] - design leader, researcher and mentor - for a candid conversation about design leadership and self-employment, her personal and professional transformation over the past few years, joy of process over result, and the power of self-belief. ⚡ Note: the episode is recorded in Ukrainian 🔥 We dive into: ✔️  Why transformation often hits personal and professional life at once - and how crisis can spark real change ✔️  Alina’s go-to books and resources for navigating life’s turning points ✔️  The meaning behind Notice little things and how it ties into mindfulness (go see Perfect days [https://share.google/TThYQwJGsDEXy7UXn] by Wim Wenders full of Japanese philosophy of Wabi-sabi! 🥰) ✔️  The people who believed in Alina early on and how that made her her ✔️  How the UN Women Leadership Program became a life-changing experience ✔️  What it is like to kickstart an education program that many designers grew to love and the upcoming Product bootcamp announcement! ✔️  Alina’s unique insights into modern Ukrainian startups character ✔️  Testing hypothesis with founders ✔️  How Ukraine leads in client-oriented services and digitalisation One quote that stuck with me after our conversation: “Don’t let to diminish yourself and dim the inner light on the path of transformation”. 👉 Hit Follow to stay inspired and never miss an episode! 🔗 Alina on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alina-korol/] 🔗 Alina offers consulting and mentorship here [https://noticelittlethings.life/] 🔗 Lisa on LinkedIn [https://www.notion.so/Lisa-Burdeniuk-Resum-and-Portfolio-92a412f6dc744987b02ffbca6d77814f?pvs=21] Music by Make Like a Tree [https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FcYVCAttLCTrobIOwkxsk] BONUS Education https://progresiya.biasless.world/ [https://progresiya.biasless.world/] Books https://shopcatalog.com/products/the-mountain-is-you [https://shopcatalog.com/products/the-mountain-is-you] https://shopcatalog.com/products/when-youre-ready-this-is-how-you-heal [https://shopcatalog.com/products/when-youre-ready-this-is-how-you-heal]

Mariia Lobachova, Technical Project Manager and PM YouTube Channel Creator - BY LEVELLING UP AS A PRO, YOU BECOME A BETTER PERSON

🎙 Welcome to the Women Who Tech show! In the 11-th episode, I sit down with Mariia Lobachova [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariia-lobachova-a0343b101/], Technical project manager, mentor and creator of Manage Me Hard YouTube channel for PMs to talk modern work — myths of project manager role, American and German work culture and the backstage of content creation. 🔹 Turn up the volume if you are interested in navigating tech in Germany, building credibility as a woman professional, and sharing knowledge through content creation. 🔥 We dive into: ✔️  How an engineering background shapes a sharp Technical PM ✔️  The most critical phases of a project — and why they make or break delivery ✔️  3 common misconceptions about the project manager role ✔️  How PMP certification can boost your career ✔️  Gaining credibility as a young woman — outperforming and meeting expectations ✔️  The work culture contrasts between Germany and the U.S. ✔️  Challenges of expat life in Berlin ✔️  The story behind provocative Mariia’s YouTube channel name - Manage Me Hard ✔️  Practical video tips for aspiring PMs ✔️  Content creation workflow - taking up to 10 hours to produce a video and cracking YouTube algorithms One quote that stuck with me after our conversation: “The initiation and closing project phases are the most stressful for a technical project manager”. 👉 Hit Follow to stay inspired and never miss an episode! 🔗 Mariia on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariia-lobachova-a0343b101/] 🔗 Lisa on LinkedIn [https://www.notion.so/Lisa-Burdeniuk-Resum-and-Portfolio-92a412f6dc744987b02ffbca6d77814f?pvs=21] 🔗 YouTube channel for PMs [https://www.youtube.com/@ManageMeHard] in Ukrainian by Mariia 🔗 Mariia offers mentorship here [https://mentor.sh/mentors/mlobachova] Music by ⁠Make Like a Tree⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FcYVCAttLCTrobIOwkxsk]

Camille Dufresne, Senior Product Designer and UX researcher - MAKE SURE FREELANCING FITS YOUR PERSONALITY

🎙 Welcome to the Women Who Tech show! In the 10-th episode, I sit down with Camille Dufresne [https://www.linkedin.com/in/camille-marie-dufresne/], Senior product designer and UX researcher for a real talk about freelancing in Germany — client work, financial realities and owning your value as an independent professional. 🔹 Turn up the volume if you are interested in freelancing and want to learn the tricks of financial management and red flags of potential clients from real-life experience! 🔥 We dive into: ✔️ How networking, conferences, and referrals fuel a steady stream of clients ✔️ Authenticity and empathy as Camille’s approach in networking ✔️ Why having a financial safety net as a freelancer is non-negotiable ✔️ The truth about unpaid sick days and time off—and what to plan for ✔️ How to debrief a potential client and quickly assess if there’s a mutual fit ✔️ Pro tip #1: Delegate or say no to work outside your core competencies ✔️ Pro tip #2: Find a solid Steuerberater to take the tax and insurance weight off your shoulders ✔️ And the classic: Who’s the real boss when you freelance? Freelancing vs. Full-time employment One quote that stuck with me after our conversation: “Freelancing is a certain lifestyle where you balance work and personal time, make sure it fits your personality”. 👉 Hit Follow to stay inspired and never miss an episode! 🔗 Camille on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/camille-marie-dufresne/] 🔗 Lisa on LinkedIn [https://www.notion.so/Lisa-Burdeniuk-Resum-and-Portfolio-92a412f6dc744987b02ffbca6d77814f?pvs=21] Music by Make Like a Tree [https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FcYVCAttLCTrobIOwkxsk] BONUS Malt freelance platform [https://www.malt.com/]