Black Tech Unplugged

Greg Greenlee is the man we all want to be... the man who has over 17 years of experience in tech. The person who has used his personal experiences in the industry as a motivator to create change in the industry. And furthermore, that's why I had to have him on episode 031 of Black Tech Unplugged, it was time to share his knowledge with us so we can be motivated too. On episode 31, Greg & I discuss: * The evolution of his organization, Blacks in Technology (BIT) * What a Dev Ops Engineer is and how he got into that role * How he plans to increase the number of Black men and women in tech Connect with Greg: https://twitter.com/bit_greggreenle https://www.facebook.com/blacksintechnology/ http://www.blacksintechnology.net/ Full show notes at: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2019/10/09/ep-031-greg-greenlee-unplugged/

When I tell you that Charles Kuykendoll has been on a ride and yet doing the most, I'm not exaggerating! This man went from an operations internship at Barclays, which he had no experience to do, to now leading engineering recruiting at AirBNB. On episode 030, Charles breaks down his unique journey into tech, why being a good person is going to get you far, and how he has a business that doesn't interfere with his 9-5. Full show notes at: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2019/09/24/ep-030-charles-kuykendoll-unplugged/

Episode 029 features Latesha Byrd, the Founder & CEO of Byrd Career Consulting — a consulting firm on the mission to help millennial professionals turn their dreams into careers that allow them to live life on their own terms. On this episode Latesha and I discuss: * Stigma around career switching * Why you need to take control and "manage up" today * The importance of LinkedIn and why you should update your profile weekly Make sure to sign up for Latesha's FREE salary negotiation masterclass on September 19th or September 21st: https://www.lateshabyrd.com/masterclass Connect with Latesha Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/latesha_byrd Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lateshabyrd Twitter: http://twitter.com/latesha_byrd Website: http://lateshabyrd.com

Like many of us, Jessica Williams had no idea that she would end up working in tech. Learn how Jessica went from following people in the office to managing a team in episode 028 of Black Tech Unplugged. Full show notes: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2019/08/13/ep-028-jessica-williams-unplugged/ Vote for Black Tech Unplugged's SXSW Panel: https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/99023 Connect with Jessica: Website: https://www.techbizgurl.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicalavernewilliams Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techbizgurl Twitter: https://twitter.com/techbizgurl

Last week Black Tech Unplugged celebrated 2 years of podcasting!! In order to celebrate I had a live podcast in Chicago! Listen to the live episode that includes my 4 panelist: Will McNeil, Jane Hamner, Giovanni Perez & Vunzai Yeazel. This episode is full of amazing advice from these Chicago techies and of course the full show notes have all the cliff notes and links you need. Full show notes: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2019/06/18/ep-027-black-tech-unplugged-live-in-chicago/ Special shout out to the event sponsors: * Thank God It's Natural (TGIN) (https://thankgoditsnatural.com/) * Ulta (http://careers.ulta.com/) * Full Stack Academy (https://www.fullstackacademy.com/)

Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I wanted to acknowledge the month with a tech + mental health discussion. Introducing Solome Tibebu, an investor (Launchpad Digital Health) and tech entrepreneur (Cognific) who is passionate about frontier technologies transforming digital health, equity and access, behavioral health and more. During episode 026, we discuss: * the stigma of mental health in the black community * how tech is improving mental health access, including startups that are currently doing the work * how to support a friend or family member with mental health issues Links: Black Tech Unplugged Live Event: blacktechunpluggedlive.evenbrite.com ReThink Behavioral Health Innovation Newsletter: http://rethinkbhi.com Solome's Twitter: https://twitter.com/solometibebu Full episode show notes: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2019/05/28/ep-026-solome-tibebu-unplugged/

Have you met a developer, scrum master, and network professional before? Well that is exactly who Devin Jackson is, a man of many technical hats. On this episode, Brooklyn native - Devin Jackson walks you through his moment of taking a friend's recommendation of attending a boot camp to now trying to help fellow Black techies achieve their tech dreams. Join the waitlist for Mavens I/O: Black Women in Tech conference: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mavens-io-black-women-in-tech-2019-tickets-59092841279?aff=ebdssbdestsearch Black Tech Unplugged live event tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-tech-unplugged-presents-2-year-anniversary-live-show-tickets-61403815465 Full show notes here: blacktechunplugged.com/2019/05/07/ep-025-devin-jackson-unplugged/

On episode 024 of Black Tech Unplugged I speak with the co-founders of Black Women Talk Tech. The women talk about how they met, what made them put the Black Women Talk Tech Conference together, and much more! Full show notes at: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2019/03/07/ep-024-esosa-ighodaro-lauren-washington-unplugged/

This tech rockstar took over the tech scene in 2018, but did you know she's been working hard on her business for over 10 years?! On episode 023 of Black Tech Unplugged I speak to Sevetri Wilson about her transfer into tech, how being a first generation college student taught her how to hustle early, and why trying to find funding while being a non-technical founder is for the birds. Connect with Sevetri Wilson at: instagram.com/sevetriwilson twitter.com/sevetriwilson Follow Black Tech Unplugged: instagram.com/blacktechunplugged facebook.com/blacktechunplugged twitter.com/blktechunplged Full show notes at: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2019/02/07/ep-023-sevetri-wilson-unplugged/

What do you get when you put 2 techies, 2 marketers, a doctor, and a loan coordinator in a room? I mean you won't get much, but you'll damn sure get this podcast episode. On this episode me, my aunt, and my friends discuss why conferences need to PAY speakers, we attempt to define tech, and we talk about why kitten heels might not be the move (for some). Mixing tech with shade and references to housewives I deliver to you episode 022 of Black Tech Unplugged.

Ep. 021 features Du'An Lightfoot, founder of Lab Everyday and network engineer. However, Du'An wasn't always a network engineer. He started his career working at the help desk and eventually advanced into networking through hardwork and perseverance.  Never one to take his journey for granted that's why Du'An started Lab Everyday. He wants to help people who are interested in becoming a network engineer as well as help anyone who's in tech advance their career path. Check out the full show notes here:

Who thought a young serial entrepreneur from North Carolina and a former filmmaker would be join forces to combat the issue of diversity in tech? Well that's exactly what Melinda Epler and Wayne Sutton did when they created Change Catalyst and Tech Inclusion. In episode 020, Wayne & Melinda discuss their tech journey with me. We also discuss allyship and the importance of mental health while being in tech. Full show notes are available here: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2018/10/16/ep-020-wayne-sutton-melinda-epler-unplugged/

Who thought you could take robots, pizza, and a truck and change the food tech game? Well Julia Collins, co-founder of Zume Pizza did! And now you can hear about her business and how she created it on episode 019 of Black Tech Unplugged. Besides her business, Julia and I break down her transition into tech, her love for food, and everyone's favorite question.. HOW TO GET FUNDING! This is a definite can't miss episode. Full show notes are available here: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2018/09/25/ep-019-julia-collins-unplugged/

Ep. 018 features Jeff Williams, co-founder of Be Nimble Ventures. Jeff speaks about Indy diversity event coming up, #DisruptIndy. We also discuss the tech ecosystems in Indy, Cincinnati, Dallas, & Austin. Most importantly we discuss how tech is not only changing the Indy business mindset, but making the city a place for foodies too! Full show notes here: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2018/09/11/ep-018-jeff-williams-unplugged/

I had the pleasure of attending the Chicago Anita B's diversiTECH Hiring Fair last week. So in honor of meeting so many people and speaking with the organizers I bring to you episode 017 Diversitech Hiring Fair Unplugged! I speak with the Chicago Anita B team who put the event together to give you some background on this unique event. I also speak to several women who's companies were sponsors of the event. Each C-suite woman spoke about how they got into tech and what characteristics they look for when hiring. Most importantly everyone talks about why being black in tech is important!