For a long time, tech culture has focused too narrowly on technical skills; this has resulted in a tech community that too often puts companies and code over people. Greater Than Code is a podcast that invites the voices of people who are not heard from enough in tech: women, people of color, trans and/or queer folks, to talk about the human side of software development and technology. Greater Than Code is providing a vital platform for these conversations, and developing new ideas of what it means to be a technologist beyond just the code. Featuring an ongoing panel of racially and gender diverse tech panelists, the majority of podcast guests so far have been women in tech! We’ve covered topics including imposter syndrome, mental illness, sexuality, unconscious bias and social justice. We also have a major focus on skill sets that tech too often devalues, like team-building, hiring, community organizing, mentorship and empathy. Each episode also includes a transcript. We have an active Slack community that members can join by pledging as little as $1 per month via Patreon. (https://www.patreon.com/greaterthancode)
127: Hope and Suffering with Amy Newell
01:47 - Amy’s Superpower: Sustaining hope and faith in the face of what feels like no hope and no faith.
Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin E. P. Seligman
07:40 - Amy’s talk on “Suffering in the Workplace”: Genesis and Overview
13:40 - Living a Valuable Life vs a Happy Life
- Examining Causes
- Feeling The Pain
- Relieving Suffering by Seeking a Mindset of Innovation
24:02 - Bringing Your “Whole Self” to the Workplace; Alleviating Suffering in the Workplace
41:15 - Changing Culture in Organizations
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
54:40 - Bipolar Disorder
Reflections:
Jessica: A framework for dealing with suffering. A separation of concerns between observing feelings and deciding what to do about them.
Janelle: By supporting people, we can end up with a better, healthier, and more productive organization.
Avdi: Kindness in the workplace and power structures.
Rein: How do you convince people to care about other people?
Also, work implies suffering. The obligation to reduce suffering is shared -- but not equally.
Amy: Disparities amongst different types of engineers and between engineering and other departments in tech companies.
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Special Guest: Amy Newell.