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)
051: Creating Safer Spaces with Soo Choi
00:16 – Welcome to “The Venn Diagram Podcast. It’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but it’s definitely not that other thing.” …we mean, “Greater Than Code!”
01:09 – Soo’s Background at NASA and Superpower
06:01 – Wanting Attending Conferences and Speaking and then When Speaking at Conferences Goes Wrong
Soo Choi: Changing Diversity Constructs: My Journey as a Woman in DevOps @ DevOpsDays D.C. 2017
16:10 – Creating Safe Spaces: From Conferences to Workspaces
21:29 – Allies and Advocacy; Talking Salary
24:12 – Safe Spaces vs Safer Spaces
28:16 – Forgiving People Without Labeling Them (i.e. Sexist, Racist, etc.)
38:28 – Having “Fierce Conversations” and Collecting Better Tools
Aja Hammerly: We Don’t Do That Here
Reflections:
Soo: Sharing experiences in open and safer spaces.
Sam: Listening to each other’s experiences. Sit with cognitive dissonance, be okay with it, and see what it has to teach us.
Jessica: Learning from other’s experiences.
This episode was brought to you by @therubyrep of DevReps, LLC. To pledge your support and to join our awesome Slack community, visit patreon.com/greaterthancode.
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Special Guest: Soo Choi.