How to be an IT Grrrl

Michelle's first IT job was a self-appointed one: fixing her own PC after inadvertently crashing it. Her growing fascination with this machine led to her switching majors, getting a job in a PC shop, and the impressive technical career through messaging infrastructure, data security and consultancy that followed. In this episode she talks about how it's not just enough to know what you want, you have to be prepared to ask for it too.Also meet a great innovator and trail-maker in the history of computing: Frances Allen. The book that Michelle mentions is How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back by Marshall Goldsmith and Sally Helgesen.

Growing up, Penny aspired to be on the stage. After many circuitous routes, she found her way into cyber security and felt right at home. In this episode, Penny talks about how the psychological aspects of cyber are just as important as the technical, and why all parents should take parental leave. And in a week where we heard the Grace Hopper Celebration had been cancelled, our introduction is about the conference's co-founder, Anita Borg.

Remote working has had an enormous impact on technical career paths, as Morgan has found. In this episode she talks about a work life that looks very different to previous generations, and why your authentic voice is your greatest asset when job hunting in 2026.

Sarah Lean, aka Techie Lass, is a respected Azure specialist with a firm focus on community. In this episode we talk about the technical grounding that farming childhood can give you, how you never know what might come out of making connections across the tech sector, and the strategic intricacies of curling! Also learn about our IT legend of the day: Margaret Hamilton.

Maria grew up watching her parents design and build bridges all around Venezuela, and as a mathematically gifted child, even helped them draft blueprints. In this episode she talks about the lessons of her childhood and how they help her in her work as a Service Architect. Also check out the memoir of our pioneering IT Grrrl of the day, Anne Moffat.

Daniela thought she was going to be a chemical engineer, but events kept leading her into data – organising it, analysing it and revealing its value. Here she talks about navigating her IT career as a single parent and why IT has something for everyone. Also learn more about why our historical woman of the day, Florence Nightingale, is remembered as a pioneer of modern data science.

Something a bit different this week while I line up my next round of podcast guests - I'm reading a chapter from my book "How to be an IT Grrrl". This chapter centres around a highly unpleasant experience I had at a Women in Technology Lunch in 2005, and then some unexpectedly positive encounters following it. The outcome is the motivation both for writing the book and for starting this podcast.

Cloud engineer Emma Turner's philosophy is to try things out and see for herself, and this is nowhere more apparent than in the job she accepted as a young woman, just out of university - one that took her into an unfamiliar country, work environment and role as a network engineer. In this episode, Emma talks about how an IT/Engineering education can only prepare you for so much, the rewards of jumping in and giving it a go, and why keeping your end users in mind when building computer solutions is far more satisfying than simple problem solving. Also meet our IT pioneer of the day: Lucy Suchman - Wikipedia.

A choice Anishma made at only 15 years old set her on the technical track, but she couldn't have imagined where it would take her. Join us for her cross-cultural reflections on women in tech, and why AI is creating more opportunities for developers. Also meet our IT pioneer of the day: Sudha Murthy - Wikipedia