-
Breaking Barriers in Medicine And Leadership with Hanneke Takkenberg | Show notes on episode 87 of Women Disrupting Tech
Does your gender influence health outcomes?
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, Hanneke Takkenberg shares her journey from cardiac surgeon to DEI advocate, revealing how gender biases in medicine affect both careers and patient outcomes.
Key Takeaways from the episode
By listening to our conversation, you’ll learn about a wide range of topics, including:
🧑🏻⚕️ The Gender Health Gap: Women’s health has historically been overlooked in medical research, leading to underdiagnosis, ineffective treatments, and more side effects.
🚻 Medical Bias & Research Gaps: Until recently, clinical trials primarily focused on men—even lab rats were male. This has led to critical blind spots in healthcare.
🤖 AI & Medicine: AI and robotics in medicine must start unbiased. Fixing bias in AI will improve healthcare for everyone.
🙋🏻♀️ Leadership & Systemic Change: Despite 70% of doctors being women, leadership remains male-dominated. Closing the health gap is a $1T economic opportunity.
🙋🏻♂️ Men Must Be Part of the Solution: Since men historically built the current systems and control resources, their involvement is essential for real change.Tune in for a powerful conversation on breaking barriers in healthcare and leadership on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or hit play below.
Breaking Barriers in Medicine And Leadership with Hanneke Takkenberg | Ep. 87 – Women Disrupting Tech
Want to help build inclusive technology? Change starts here!
Whether you’re a woman in tech striving for change or a (male) advocate eager to make a difference, you can be part of a movement reshaping the future of innovation: the Women Disrupting Tech Community.
By joining, you’ll:
👫 Be part of the only community supporting female founders that is open to women and men.
✨ Gain exclusive early access to inspiring podcast episodes.
📩 Get a value-packed newsletter every Thursday with highlights, actionable insights, and personal takeaways.
🎙 Unlock the full episode archive on Spotify to fuel your journey with ideas, strategies, and stories from role models.By joining, you’ll amplify the voices of incredible women in tech and inspire more men to champion gender equity in their circles.
Enter your email below to join the movement and make an impact today.
Processing …Yes! You're now part of the movement!Oopsie, something went wrong at our end. Please reload the page and try again.- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Want to help build inclusive technology? Change starts here!
- The Magic in This Episode 🪄
- The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- What Stood Out to Me
- About Hanneke Takkenberg
- About Erasmus Center for Women and Organizations
- About Rotterdam School of Management
- Your Opinion Matters!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
The Magic in This Episode 🪄
“My ambition is to close the health gap between men and women.”
Did you know that all clinical research in healthcare has traditionally taken the man as the starting point? To the point that even the rats used for testing were male?
As a result, Women are diagnosed later, treated differently, and often dismissed when they report symptoms. Even today, medical research is overwhelmingly based on men.
In Episode 87: Breaking Barriers in Medicine And Leadership, Hanneke Takkenberg reveals:
💡 How gender bias in healthcare puts women at risk
📊 Why closing the health gap would boost the economy by billions
🤖 How AI and medical data must evolve to serve everyone
🌍 Why social innovation is just as crucial as technological breakthroughs🎧 Ready to challenge the status quo and create a healthcare system that truly works for all? Click the button below to tune in on Spotify.
The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
If you want to support my guests in making women in tech by the end of 2032, you can help them by doing these two things:
- Share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Follow the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a rating or review from one up to five stars. You’ll help other people discover the podcast and help me improve.
What Stood Out to Me
I don’t know about you, but I’m always happy to hear from women who shape their own destiny. And Hanneke is an inspiring role model.
In 2006, she wrote an angry email to the board of the Erasmus MC. She has just learned that women doctors were making less money than men.
This email gave her the opportunity to change things for the better. First helping to create policies around diversity, later as a Chief Diversity Officer at Erasmus MC and currently as a Professor in Management Education focusing on Women in Business.
What I also find magical is that Hanneke is the first to explicitly say that men need to be involved because they’ve built the systems we use now; they have the power and money to change things.
I really believe that the only way to change the current systems and biases is by fostering an inclusive collaboration. Otherwise, we simply cannot unlock the One Trillion Dollar opportunity that comes with closing the health gap between men and women.
Hanneke underscores this by saying that she thinks “that focus on Women’s health will also benefit men’s health.”
🎧 Ready to explore how active role models can shape diversity in tech? Tune in to the episode on Apple Podcasts using the button below.
Or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
“Technical innovation is beautiful, but it won’t work if there is no social innovation.”.
Prof. Hanneke TakkenbergAbout Hanneke Takkenberg
Hanneke Takkenberg is a Professor of Management Education focusing on Women in Business at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM). She is also the Executive Director of the Erasmus Centre for Women and Organisations (ECWO) at RSM.
And, since 2012, she has been Professor of Clinical Decision Making in Cardio-Thoracic Interventions at Erasmus University Medical Center (MC). You can connect with her on LinkedIn.
This journey continues on 7 March 2025, when she’ll open a Women’s Health Innovation Center to drive medical research and innovations that work for women.
About Erasmus Center for Women and Organizations
Erasmus Centre for Women and Organisations (ECWO) strives for settings where everyone feels valued, respected and supported. They conduct research and produce evidence-led educational programs, events, coaching, advocacy, and advisory services. By doing so, they help organizations create a sense of belonging for everyone within organizations through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), anchored in social safety.
You can learn more about their programs and about the Diana Bevelander Prize on their website and on LinkedIn.
About Rotterdam School of Management
Rotterdam School of Management, part of Erasmus University Rotterdam, is one of Europe’s top-ranked business schools. Their programs help students, academics and people in business become a force for positive change. To learn more, visit their website and follow RSM on LinkedIn.
Your Opinion Matters!
What do you think is the biggest barrier to gender equality in healthcare? Is it the biases? The lack of women in leadership? Or something else altogether? Let me know what you think in the comments.
And if you would like to suggest a guest or a theme for the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.What’s coming up?
I’m proud to say that we have some amazing episodes coming your way in the next few weeks.
In episode 88, Dieuwertje Drexhage comes on to share how her company, Layco Medical, is designing for sustainability and equality in childbirth. She recently secured a €55k investment at the ‘Her Capital Connection Event,’ and it’s a special episode for sure.
The episode after that is as much a surprise for you as it is for me. I can promise you that it will be different from the ones you’ve listened to before.
So, stay tuned for more inspiring stories on Women Disrupting Tech! And if you want to be the first to learn about new episodes, subscribe to updates.
Until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome.
More episodes like this?
If you want to listen to other episodes on medicine or leadership, you can check out the following three episodes:
– In episode 82, Karim El Oteify provides a systemic approach to implementing diversity.
– In episode 56, we hear how Jacquline Kazmaier‘s Autoscriber is helping doctors prevent burnout and enhance patient care.
– In episode 31, Ingrid Tappin shares her wisdom as a frontrunner about how we can champion DEI. -
Why You Should Never Exclude Opportunities Because of Your Gender with Sara Leggese | Show notes on episode 86 of Women Disrupting Tech
What if your gender never limited your career choices?
Sara Leggese grew up without any tech influences, yet she never ruled out engineering simply because she was a girl. In this episode, she shares how mindset, role models, and visibility shape who enters the industry and why normalizing diversity in tech starts with changing how we see opportunity.
Key Takeaways from the episode
In Episode 86 of Women Disrupting Tech, Sara is our guide as we explore how mindset changes career paths for women in tech. We learn:
🧐 How Sara discovered tech without early exposure
🚀 The mindset shifts that help break barriers
👩💻 Why active, visible role models are key to inspiring future generationsTune into the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts, or hit play below.
Why You Should Never Exclude Opportunities Because of Your Gender with Sara Leggese | Ep. 86 – Women Disrupting Tech
Want to help build a more inclusive tech industry? Change starts here!
Whether you’re a woman in tech striving for change or a (male) advocate eager to make a difference, you can be part of a movement reshaping the future of innovation: the Women Disrupting Tech Community.
By joining, you’ll:
👫 Be part of the only community supporting female founders that is open to women and men.
✨ Gain exclusive early access to inspiring podcast episodes.
📩 Get a value-packed newsletter every Thursday with highlights, actionable insights, and personal takeaways.
🎙 Unlock the full episode archive on Spotify to fuel your journey with ideas, strategies, and stories from role models.By joining, you’ll amplify the voices of incredible women in tech and inspire more men to champion gender equity in their circles.
Enter your email below to join the movement and make an impact today.
Processing …Yes! You're now part of the movement!Oopsie, something went wrong at our end. Please reload the page and try again.- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Want to help build a more inclusive tech industry? Change starts here!
- The Magic in This Episode 🪄
- The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- What Stood Out to Me
- About Sara Leggese
- About Nexperia
- About Role It Out
- Your Opinion Matters!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
The Magic in This Episode 🪄
“I’d like to learn of women who used to play with dolls but ended up in tech.”
This thought-provoking request on LinkedIn came from Sara Leggese. And it turns out that she is one of those women.
Sara didn’t grow up surrounded by tech, yet she never saw her gender as a reason to exclude opportunities. In this episode, she shares how mindset, role models, and visibility shape who enters the industry and why normalizing diversity in tech starts with changing how we see opportunity.
Together, we explore:
💡 How upbringing influences career paths
👩💻 Why women in tech must be visible role models
🌱 The mindset shifts needed for future diversity🎧 Ready to learn why you should never exclude opportunities because of your gender? Tune in on Spotify.
The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
When you’re ready to support my guests in making DEI obsolete by the end of 2032, help out by doing these two things:
- Use the share buttons below to share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a review. You can use a rating of one to five stars. This will help other people discover the podcast. And if you leave a review, it will help me improve.
What Stood Out to Me
We have a fascinating discussion about role models. Sara argues that everyone around you is a role model but that there is a difference between active and passive role models.
She feels that active role models, women who have done something that few have done before, have an obligation to become visible to others and that it is possible for others too. And the more role models do that, the more normal it becomes to go into tech.
And she encourages her fellow Role It Out role models to take up that role. But that has not always been easy for her. Until five years ago, she did not feel at ease telling others what she was good at.
Right now, she believes that her visibility comes with a ripple effect: it will inspire other women and promote diversity in tech.
When I ask Sara what is needed to make DEI in tech the new normal, she has one of the shortest answers I have received to date: “Change the mindset. Our kids can do anything they want that they set their minds to, and we should not restrict them in any way because they’re a boy or a girl.”
🎧 Ready to explore how active role models can shape diversity in tech? Tune in to the episode on Apple Podcasts using the button below.
Or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
“Our kids can do anything they want, whatever they set their minds to, and we should not restrict them in any way because they’re a boy or a girl.”.
Sara Leggese, Manager Project Management at Nexperia and board member at Role It OutAbout Sara Leggese
Sara Leggese is on a personal mission to entice more women to come work in tech. She is a Manager Project Management at Nexperia and a role model and Board member at Role It Out. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.
About Nexperia
Nexperia is a global semiconductor company with a rich European history and over 15,000 employees across Europe, Asia, and the United States.
You can check out their website for more information and open positions. And you can follow them on LinkedIn.
About Role It Out
Role it Out is a Role-Model Agency for Women. It offers training and education to women working in tech and helps them become effective role models.
You can learn more about Role It Out and their Role-Model Program by visiting the website and following their journey on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Your Opinion Matters!
Did you ever play with dolls when you grew up? And did that impact your career choices? Let me know what you think in the comments.
And if you would like to suggest a guest or a theme for the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.What’s coming up?
I’m proud to say that we have some amazing episodes coming your way in the next few weeks.
In episode 87, Professor Hanneke Takkenberg is my guest to talk about how male biases influence decision-making in healthcare and leadership.
After that, Dieuwertje Drexhage comes on to share how her company, Layco Medical, is designing for sustainability and equality in childbirth.
So, stay tuned for more inspiring stories on Women Disrupting Tech! And if you want to be the first to learn about new episodes, subscribe to updates.
Until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome.
More episodes like this?
Besides being a role model, Sara is also a board member at Role It Out. If you’d like to be inspired by other role models from Role It Out, you can check out the following three episodes:
– In episode 67, Mitra Gilasgar shares how we can inspire the next generation of women in tech.
– In episode 58, we hear from NXP’s Carlota Salamat why diversity is a game changer in deep tech.
– In episode 43, Leonie Wiggers-Frijters gives a masterclass on how to get started as a female role model in tech. -
Making Blockverse the Platform to Upskill and Match Women to Tech with Gaurav Gupta and Iris Bloemsma | Show notes on episode 85 of Women Disrupting Tech
How can we get more women to work in tech? And is it a supply issue?
If you ask Gaurav Gupta and Iris Bloemsma from the Blockverse Institute, it is indeed a supply issue. In fact, fixing the “supply side” of the talent market is essential to increasing diversity in tech.
Key Takeaways from the episode
In Episode 85 of Women Disrupting Tech, they share their playbook for driving change, including:
🔍 Unlocking the untapped potential of women returning to tech after a career break
👩💻 Combining skills training with confidence-building for lasting success
📊 Using data to tailor education to meet the needs of women and employersTune into the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts, or hit play below.
Making Blockverse the Platform to Upskill and Match Women to Tech | Ep. 85 – Women Disrupting Tech
Want to help build a more inclusive tech industry? Change starts here!
Whether you’re a woman in tech striving for change or a (male) advocate eager to make a difference, you can be part of a movement reshaping the future of innovation: the Women Disrupting Tech Community.
By joining, you’ll:
👫 Be part of the only community supporting female founders that is open to women and men.
✨ Gain exclusive early access to inspiring podcast episodes.
📩 Get a value-packed newsletter every Thursday with highlights, actionable insights, and personal takeaways.
🎙 Unlock the full episode archive on Spotify to fuel your journey with ideas, strategies, and stories from role models.By joining, you’ll amplify the voices of incredible women in tech and inspire more men to champion gender equity in their circles.
Enter your email below to join the movement and make an impact today.
Processing …Yes! You're now part of the movement!Oopsie, something went wrong at our end. Please reload the page and try again.- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Want to help build a more inclusive tech industry? Change starts here!
- The Magic in This Episode 🪄
- The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- What Stood Out to Me
- About Iris Bloemsma
- About Gaurav Gupta
- About The BlockVerse Institute
- Your Opinion Matters!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
The Magic in This Episode 🪄
“When we don’t do anything, the percentage of women in tech is on the decline. Because women are leaving, and there is not enough supply entering.” 😳
We’re about 7 minutes into our conversation when Iris Bloemsma underscores the need to fix the supply side of the talent market. It’s essential to increasing diversity in tech.
Gaurav Gupta and Iris Bloemsma are tackling this challenge by building and scaling The BlockVerse Institute, a platform designed to empower women new to tech, especially those returning after a career break, such as maternity leave or relocation.In Episode 85 of Women Disrupting Tech, we uncover how they’re
👩🏻🔧 Helping women re-enter tech after career breaks,
💪🏼 Combining skills training and confidence-building, and
📈 Building data-driven solutions to create real change.
And then there’s this: Gaurav recalls a father in India who approached him after his daughter completed BlockVerse training. “You’ve given my daughter a chance at generational wealth,” he said.🎧 Ready to learn how to unlock new talent and redefine tech’s future? Tune in on Spotify.
The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
When you’re ready to support my guests in making DEI obsolete by the end of 2032, help out by doing these two things:
- Use the share buttons below to share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a review. You can use a rating of one to five stars. This will help other people discover the podcast. And if you leave a review, it will help me improve.
What Stood Out to Me
With labor shortages, you’d think that employers would be turning over every stone to find people. But as you’ll hear, that is not the case.
I was surprised to learn that employers in the Netherlands have not been considering women who have taken a career break (e.g., relocation or maternity leave) as employees.
This has unintended consequences: besides persisting labor shortages, the career ladder for women in tech is broken right in the middle.
And if you can’t complete all steps of the ladder, you can’t end up in leadership. But, as Gaurav aptly puts it, “if employers start looking in places where they’ve not been looking, they’ll be surprised by the gold under the carpet.”
I experienced the career break issue firsthand when my mother wanted to return to work after raising me for about 8 years. I saw her struggle, not because she didn’t have the capabilities but because she lacked the confidence to sell herself. Training, like the one Blockverse provides, would have definitely helped.
BTW, my mother landed well in the end as the job market started to accept part-time work.
🎧 Listen and learn how the Blockverse Institute is becoming the Platform to Upskill and Match Women to Tech! Tune in to the episode on Apple Podcasts using the button below.
Or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
“If emploers start looking in places where they’ve not been looking, they’ll be surprised by the gold under the carpet.”
Gaurav Gupta, Founder and CEO of The Blockverse Institute.About Iris Bloemsma
Iris Bloemsma is a strategic advisor to BlockVerse Institute. She currently holds a role as director of Noble- institute for visionary leadership. Prior to this, she worked in HR positions at Customs Group and Rabobank.
You can connect with Iris on LinkedIn.
About Gaurav Gupta
Gaurav Gupta is the founder of Blokverse Institute. Prior to founding BlockVerse Institute, Gaurav worked in senior HR positions at Akzo Nobel, Carrefour India, GenPact, and Ranbaxy.
You can connect with Gaurav on LinkedIn.
About The BlockVerse Institute
BlockVerse Institute offers training programs that help diverse talents like women who relocate to another country gain a foothold in tech. And they can upskill existing employees, too. They work with partners like Deloitte and Google. In the past, they have partnered with the Dutch government to increase the representation of underprivileged groups in tech through projects in India and South Africa.
You can learn more about the programs that the BlockVerse Institute offers on its website. And I invite you to follow the journey on Linkedin, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
Your Opinion Matters!
What do you think is the biggest barrier preventing women from re-entering tech after a career break? Let me know what you think in the comments.
And if you would like to suggest a guest or a theme for the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.What’s coming up?
I’m proud to say that we have some amazing episodes coming your way in the next few weeks.
In episode 86, Sara Leggese and I have an interesting conversation about the relationship between upbringing and career choices.
After that, Dieuwertje Drexhage comes on to share how her company, Layco Medical, is designing for sustainability and equality in childbirth.
So, stay tuned for more inspiring stories on Women Disrupting Tech! And if you want to be the first to learn about new episodes, subscribe to updates.
Until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome.
More episodes like this?
I met Iris and Gaurav during the demo day of the 2024 cohort of the Dutch New Narrative Lab (DNNL). If you’d like to hear episodes from other inspiring participants of the DNNL 2024 cohort, you can check out the following three episodes:
– In episode 80, Virginia Scheele shares her journey to building the sustainable and inclusive version of AirBnB with GINI.
– In episode 66, we hear from Kasia Prokop how Mamamoon supports the 3 M’s of women’s health and wellbeing.
– In episode 62, DNNL Founder Ruben Brave explains how we can create new narratives for an equal and innovative society. -
The Kindlee Case for Fair, Unbiased and Profitable AI with Carla Canino | Show notes on episode 84 of Women Disrupting Tech
Are biases in AI and risk models costing us more than we realize?
In this episode, Carla Canino and I explore the high price of biased systems and how reducing these biases can unlock both fairness and profit.
From AI’s role in financial inclusion to the amplification of systemic inequities, this conversation dives deep into how technology can perpetuate or solve critical challenges in the financial services industry.
Key Takeaways from the episode
In this episode, we discover:
– How biases in risk models cost financial services companies billions annually.
– Why AI often amplifies inequities and how to reverse this trend.
– How ethical innovation can drive fairness and profit.🎧 Curious how ethical AI practices, responsible innovation, and embracing outliers can drive not just equity but also significant business growth? Hit play below and dive into the conversation.
The Kindlee Case for Fair, Unbiased and Profitable AI with Carla Canino | Ep. 84 – Women Disrupting Tech
Want to help build a more inclusive tech industry? Change starts here!
Whether you’re a woman in tech striving for change or a (male) advocate eager to make a difference, you can be part of a movement reshaping the future of innovation; the Women Disrupting Tech Community.
By joining, you’ll:
✨ Gain exclusive early access to inspiring podcast episodes.
📩 Get a value-packed newsletter every Thursday with highlights, actionable insights, and personal takeaways.
🎙 Unlock the full episode archive on Spotify to fuel your journey with ideas, strategies, and stories from role models.Together, we’ll amplify the voices of incredible women in tech and inspire more men to champion gender equity in their circles.
Enter your email below to join the movement and make an impact today.
Processing …Yes! You're now part of the movement!Oopsie, something went wrong at our end. Please reload the page and try again.- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Want to help build a more inclusive tech industry? Change starts here!
- What’s magical about the episode 🪄
- The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- What Stood Out to Me
- About Carla Canino
- About Kindlee
- The Book from the episode
- Let me know what you think!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
What’s magical about the episode 🪄
Biases in AI and risk models aren’t just ethical dilemmas; they’re a $443 billion business problem for banks and insurance companies.
We hear from Carla Canino, founder of Kindlee, how reducing these biases can unlock financial inclusion, fairness, and untapped profit potential. She sheds light on the urgent need to reconfigure risk models, embrace fairer systems, and view regulation as an opportunity, not a penalty.
In episode 84 of Women Disrupting Tech, Carla and I discuss:
1️⃣ AI’s Role in Financial Inclusion: Biases in risk models exclude millions from financial services, costing the industry $443 billion annually.
2️⃣ The Amplification of Bias: AI doesn’t just reflect and perpetuate existing biases; it magnifies them, sometimes by a factor of 10 or more, through the weighting of flawed indicators.
3️⃣ Profit through Fairness: Reducing biases isn’t just ethical; it’s a proven way to unlock new profits and opportunities.You’ll also learn about Carla’s journey as an immigrant solo founder with a disability. Spoiler: It’s a powerful testament to resilience and leadership in tech.
Click below to listen and learn how ethical AI can reshape the future of finance on Spotify.
The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
When you’re ready to support my guests in making DEI obsolete by the end of 2032, help out by doing these two things:
- Use the share buttons below to share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a review. You can use a rating of one to five stars. This will help other people discover the podcast. And if you leave a review, it will help me improve.
What Stood Out to Me
The moment that stood out to me arrives around 60 minutes into the interview when I ask Carla about her journey as a solo founder. In keeping with the underlying theme of the episode, Carla believes that being a solo founder is mispriced.
She goes on to list all the reasons why solo founders are becoming more attractive to Venture Capitalists, including the possibilities that AI gives to start a company on your own.
But the magical moment is just before that. Carla explains that statistically, as a Latina with a disability, she had no chance of being in any leadership position. Yet she has been there, so she knows she’s an outlier. She concludes by saying, “Being an outlier is very much a testament to one’s talent or to one’s potential.” If that doesn’t inspire, I don’t know what is.
Are you ready to learn how this outlier helps companies build fair, unbiased and profitable artificial intelligence? Tune in to the episode on Apple Podcasts using the button below.
Or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
“Being an outlier is very much a testament to one’s talent or to one’s potential.”
Carla Canino, Founder and CEO of Kindlee.About Carla Canino
Carla Canino is the founder and CEO of Kindlee. Prior to founding Kindlee, she spent 15 years in financial services in various capacities. She also taught inclusive product management. You can learn more about Carla and connect with her on LinkedIn.
About Kindlee
Kindlee enhances the inclusivity of AI applications while identifying and increasing revenue, making fairness profitable for all.
With clear alignment to UN SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 10 (Reduced Inequalities), Kindlee is positioned to transform the lives of millions by driving financial mobility for those traditional systems overlook.
In 2024, Kindlee was included in the fall cohort of Techstars Miami.
If you’d like to learn more about Kindlee, check out their brand-new website, subscribe to their email list for weekly updates by Carla, and follow them on LinkedIn.
The Book from the episode
When you’re pondering the question why society is organized the way it is when it comes to gender, I can recommend a book that we also discuss in the episode. In The Patriarchs, Angela Saini explores the history of gender roles. I have to say that it is a very well-researched book with lots of interesting insights into how humanity has looked at gender roles throughout history.
Let me know what you think!
What biases do you think exist in the systems you interact with daily, and how could reducing those biases create both fairness and opportunity? Let me know what you think in the comments.
If you would like to suggest a guest that I absolutely must have on the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.What’s coming up?
I’m proud to say that we have some amazing episodes coming your way in the next few weeks. In episode 85, Gaurav Gupta and Iris Bloemsma explain how Blockverse helps companies upskill diverse talent for a more inclusive tech world. After that, Sara Leggese and I have an interesting conversation about the relationship between upbringing and career choices.
Stay tuned for more inspiring stories on Women Disrupting Tech! And if you want to be the first to learn about new episodes, subscribe to updates.
Until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome.
More episodes like this?
It’s always difficult to compare, but if I could recommend three episodes related to Artificial Intelligence and Financial Services, it would be these:
– In episode 60, we hear from Mesh’s co-founder Connie Bloem how she is using blockchain technology to make capital markets fair and accessible.
– In episode 59, Sonal Rattan explains how she’s helping financial services companies make complex concepts like data protection bite-size.
– In episode 57, Wafa M’Ribah comes on to talk about building and navigating a career as a woman in AI. And, part of her career was in financial services. -
Using AI to Transform Therapy and Mental Health Outcomes with Diana Oganesian | Show notes on episode 83 of Women Disrupting Tech
What if technology could make therapy more human, not less?
In Episode 83 of Women Disrupting Tech, Diana Oganesian shares how her personal journey, from witnessing her family’s struggles after a devastating earthquake to leading the AI-powered platform Sestive, is reshaping mental health care for patients and therapists alike.
Key Takeaways from the episode
In this episode, we discover:
📊 Why therapy needs data-driven insights to improve.
👩🏽💻 How tech-savvy therapists are reshaping mental health.
🌪️ The perfect storm that inspired Diana to build Sestive.🎧 Curious how Sestive is using AI to make therapy more tailored, effective and informed? Hit play below and dive into the conversation.
Using AI to Transform Therapy & Mental Health Outcomes with Diana Oganesian | Ep. 83 – Women Disrupting Tech
Want to help build a more inclusive tech industry? Change starts here!
Whether you’re a woman in tech striving for change or a (male) advocate eager to make a difference, you can be part of a movement reshaping the future of innovation; the Women Disrupting Tech Community.
By joining, you’ll:
✨ Gain exclusive early access to inspiring podcast episodes.
📩 Get a value-packed newsletter every Thursday with highlights, actionable insights, and personal takeaways.
🎙 Unlock the full episode archive on Spotify to fuel your journey with ideas, strategies, and stories from role models.Together, we’ll amplify the voices of incredible women in tech and inspire more men to champion gender equity in their circles.
Enter your email below to join the movement and make an impact today.
Processing …Yes! You're now part of the movement!Oopsie, something went wrong at our end. Please reload the page and try again.- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Want to help build a more inclusive tech industry? Change starts here!
- What’s magical about the episode 🪄
- The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- What Stood Out to Me
- About Diana Oganesian
- About Sestive
- Diana’s book tips (blog)
- Let me know what you think!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
What’s magical about the episode 🪄
45% of psychotherapists face burnout. Therapy’s effectiveness, around 60%, hasn’t improved in 40 years.
With demand for mental health care skyrocketing, the system is struggling. And both therapists and patients deserve better.
Diana Oganesian saw this up close. After both her grandfathers struggled with trauma following an earthquake, she realized therapy was in dire need of a reboot.
That’s why she’s building Sestive, a platform that uses AI to make psychotherapy work better for everyone.
In episode 83 of Women Disrupting Tech, Diana and I discuss:
🔍 Why being a therapist is far more than just taking notes
🤖 How AI can improve conversations, diagnoses, and treatments
🔒 What Diana and her team do to keep our sensitive health information safe and secure.What stood out to me? Psychotherapy isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s a personal process that takes effort and understanding from both sides. Making it better with AI takes time, knowledge, and care.
🎧 Ready to learn how AI is reshaping mental health care? Check out Episode 83: How Sestive Uses AI to Transform Therapy and Mental Health Outcomes with Diana Oganesian on Spotify!
The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
When you’re ready to support my guests in making DEI obsolete by the end of 2032, help out by doing these two things:
- Use the share buttons below to share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a review. You can use a rating of one to five stars. This will help other people discover the podcast. And if you leave a review, it will help me improve.
What Stood Out to Me
Three things stood out to me: an absurd coincidence, the depth of Diana’s mission, and the generational gap between old and new therapists.
First, the coincidence: Diana’s grandfather was dismissed from the Soviet army for refusing to shoot down a civilian plane. Decades later, on Christmas Day, a Russian officer shot down an Azeri airplane, mistaking it for a drone. Though recorded before this tragedy, it made me wonder: what if the officer had acted with the same courage as Diana’s grandfather?
Second, our discussion about therapists and technology (around 35 minutes in) highlights a generational divide. Newer therapists, raised in the age of AI, approach therapy differently than those of us who remember a pre-digital world. Diana believes these shifts will lead to new therapies tailored for tech-savvy patients.
Finally, the depth of Sestive’s mission is striking. Therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all. Diana explains how successful outcomes rely on layers: the right therapy, the right therapist, and a strong connection between them. And that’s just the beginning.
Want to hear the full episode? Tune in to the episode on Apple Podcasts, or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
“We’re creating the space when therapies in daily life can be more tailored, effective and informed.”
Sestive co-founder and CEO Diana Oganesian.About Diana Oganesian
Diana Oganesian is the Co-founder and CEO of Sestive. Prior to founding Sestive, Diana led initiatives across Telco, IT, FMCG, and Creative sectors in Switzerland, the USA, Armenia, Romania, and the Netherlands.
Her passion for mental health began in childhood after both of her grandfathers fell into a deep depression following the 1988 earthquake.
This personal experience helped her understand the transformative power of talk therapy. In 2024, leveraging technological innovations and her entrepreneurial experience, she saw a clear path to turning this vision into reality. That’s how Sestive was born. You can connect with Diana on LinkedIn.
About Sestive
Sestive is on a mission to transform psychotherapy by integrating Vertical AI to improve therapist effectiveness significantly. Their tools help therapists give data-driven, impactful therapy experiences, supporting therapists in overcoming burnout and client dropouts while enhancing productivity. You can learn more on the website and follow the journey on LinkedIn. And if you’re interested in using the platform as a psychotherapist, you can email Diana.
Diana’s book tips (blog)
During the episode, we mention two books that touch on the topics that we discussed. The first is The Anxious Generation which is especially relevant for parents who want to learn more about the impact of smartphones, social media and big tech on their children. The second is Men, Machine and Modern Times, which is relevant for startup founders who want to understand how societies respond to changes.
Let me know what you think!
After hearing Diana’s story, what do you think the future of therapy should look like? Should Artificial Intelligence have a role, or should therapy stay human-driven? Share your views, questions and observations in the comments.
If you would like to suggest a guest that I absolutely must have on the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.What’s coming up?
I’m proud to say that we have some amazing episodes coming your way in the next weeks. In episode 84, Carla Canino explains how we can make Artificial Intelligence a force for good. After that, in episode 85, we learn from Gaurav Gupta and Iris Bloemsma how Blockverse helps companies up-skill diverse talent for a more inclusive tech world.
So, stay tuned for more inspiring stories on Women Disrupting Tech in 2025!
Until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome.
More episodes like this?
It’s always difficult to compare, but if I could recommend three episodes related to the role of AI in medical fields, it would be these:
– In episode 56, Jacqueline Kazmaier explains how her company, Autoscriber, helps doctors get better clinical notes and better health outcomes using AI and sentiment analysis.
– In episode 47, fellow Armenian Liana Hakobyan tells us how to use AI in our marketing.
– In episode 4, Faviola Dadis and I discover the world of Serious Brain Games and how they help people with traumatic brain injuries recover faster and better. -
A Systemic Approach to Implementing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Karim El Oteify | Show notes on episode 82 of Women Disrupting Tech
Are we getting it wrong with DEI? And how can we take Diversity, Equity and Inclusion beyond the blame game?
In Episode 82 of Women Disrupting Tech, systemic change guru Karim El Oteify joins me to explore why a systemic approach to implementing DEI could lead to better, more sustainable results.
Key Takeaways from the episode
DEI isn’t a quick fix. It’s a complex, systemic challenge. In this episode, Karim El Oteify shares why surface-level strategies often fail and how we can re-imagine DEI for lasting change.
Together, we unpack:
🔎 The Branding Problem: How to move from siloed diversity efforts to collective action to make a difference.
🤝 Privilege as a tool for progress: How allies can make a real impact and drive inclusive change.
🌍 Human-Centered Solutions: How Karim’s company, The Wheels of Impact, uses actionable strategies to create measurable, sustainable outcomes.Curious to learn how we can get DEI right? Hit the play button below.
A Systemic Approach to Implementing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Karim El Oteify | Ep. 82 – Women Disrupting Tech
Want to help build a more inclusive tech industry? Change starts here!
Whether you’re a woman in tech striving for change or a (male) advocate eager to make a difference, you can be part of a movement reshaping the future of innovation; the Women Disrupting Tech Community.
By joining, you’ll:
✨ Gain exclusive early access to inspiring podcast episodes.
📩 Get a value-packed newsletter every Thursday with highlights, actionable insights, and personal takeaways.
🎙 Unlock the full episode archive on Spotify to fuel your journey with ideas, strategies, and stories from role models.Together, we’ll amplify the voices of incredible women in tech and inspire more men to champion gender equity in their circles.
Enter your email below to join the movement and make an impact today.
Processing …Yes! You're now part of the movement!Oopsie, something went wrong at our end. Please reload the page and try again.- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Want to help build a more inclusive tech industry? Change starts here!
- What’s magical about the episode 🪄
- The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- My Reflections on This Episode
- About Karim El Oteify
- About The Wheels of Impact
- Let me know what you think!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
What’s magical about the episode 🪄
Episode 82 of Women Disrupting Tech is a masterclass in tackling DEI with depth and nuance. Karim El Oteify goes beyond the buzzwords to challenge our assumptions about fairness, privilege, and systemic change.
Here’s what truly stands out:
Fairness Isn’t Real: Karim’s insight that fairness is a construct—one shaped by the systems we’ve inherited—resonates deeply. He explains how biases are embedded in the very fabric of organizational structures, making fairness an illusion rather than a guarantee. This was a lightbulb moment for me: we can’t fix what we don’t first acknowledge as broken.Complexity Is a Strength: I’ve often been told that I overcomplicate things. Listening to Karim, I felt validated. His approach embraces complexity, showing how we can solve systemic problems by addressing their interconnected layers rather than oversimplifying them. It was inspiring to hear him argue that true progress demands embracing complexity.
Privilege as a Catalyst: One of the most powerful takeaways was Karim’s view on privilege. Rather than seeing it solely as an obstacle, he frames it as a tool for progress. He challenges allies—especially white cis-gender men—to use their privilege intentionally to foster inclusion and disrupt harmful systems.
Karim’s storytelling is thought-provoking and actionable. This episode reminded me that DEI isn’t about quick fixes or finding someone to blame. It’s about creating systems that work for everyone.
And that starts with rethinking how we define success, fairness, and inclusion.
Curious to dive deeper into these transformative ideas? Click the button below to tune in on Spotify!
The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
When you’re ready to support my guests in making DEI obsolete by the end of 2032, help out by doing these two things:
- Use the share buttons below to share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a review. You can use a rating of one to five stars. This will help other people discover the podcast. And if you leave a review, it will help me improve.
My Reflections on This Episode
Have you ever had the feeling of listening to a lecture without being lectured? Well, that’s the feeling I had while talking to Karim.
One of the things we talk about is the statement that ‘privilege is leverage.’ Karim highlights that the system we live in was built over time by white men with their needs and wants in mind. He emphasizes that this is not to attribute blame but rather to encourage them to contribute to systemic change.
So, how can they use their privilege? By building awareness, expanding their understanding of others’ experiences, and stepping outside their perspective. It’s about bravery and openness.
Are you ready to move beyond the blame game and start working on a systemic approach to DEI? Tune in to the episode on Apple Podcasts, or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
“This system, in many ways, is built to serve you, to support your endeavors,”
Karim El Oteify, Founder of The Wheels of Impact on the privilege of white men.About Karim El Oteify
Karim El Oteify is an entrepreneur, speaker, consultant and the founder of The Wheels of Impact. He is on a mission to drive sustainable change by creating equitable and engaging workplaces where every voice is valued, and every talent is leveraged. To follow this inspiring personality, connect with Karim on LinkedIn.
And you can find his interview with our mutual friend Michiel Reith on Journeys of Empowerment.
About The Wheels of Impact
With The Wheels of Impact, Karim is working at the intersection of DEI, Communications and Change. The goal is to inspire, empower and transform organizations like KLM, Microsoft and Trivium Packaging by helping them to align their business objectives with DEI principles. You can learn more about The Wheels of Impact on their website and by following them on LinkedIn.
Let me know what you think!
Are we oversimplifying DEI and reducing it to buzzwords? And how do you feel white cis men should use their privilege? Share your views, questions and observations in the comments.
If you would like to suggest a guest that I absolutely must have on the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.What’s coming up?
I’m taking a short break, but we’ll be back in the new year with two incredible episodes:
- Diana Oganesian shares how Sestive uses AI to transform therapy and mental health outcomes.
- Carla Canino explains how we can make Artificial Intelligence a force for good.
Stay tuned for more inspiring stories on Women Disrupting Tech in 2025!
Wishing you a Happy, Healthy, and Disruptive 2025! Until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome.
More episodes like this?
It’s always difficult to compare, but if I could recommend three episodes related to taking a more integral approach to DEI, it would be these:
– In episode 78, Katty Hsu highlights the importance of data when striving for gender equality in entrepreneurship.
– In episode 54, Kimberly Ofori explains how we can harness the power of financial inclusion to break biases in tech and beyond.
– In episode 7, Madhu Mathoera argues that real inclusion requires us to leave our comfort zone. -
The Power of Storytelling for Unconditional Inclusion with Pim Blom | Show notes on episode 81 of Women Disrupting Tech
When he was standing in front of his colleagues to explain why Pride Week is important, it suddenly struck Pim Blom that he had a bigger mission. A mission that would result in a transition from a strategy consultant to a freelance journalist, writer and LGBTQ+ advocate.
In Episode 81 of Women Disrupting Tech, we explore how Pim uses storytelling to champion workplace inclusion and inspire change.
Key Takeaways from the episode
When listening to this episode, you’ll discover:
✨ The influence of LGBTQ+ representation in senior leadership on careers
✨ How storytelling drives diversity in senior leadership
✨ Ways allies can listen and act for real impactCurious to learn how storytelling can change the workplace? Hit the play button below.
The Power of Storytelling for Unconditional Inclusion with Pim Blom | Ep. 81 – Women Disrupting Tech
Be an ally, be part of the movement!
Do you want to contribute to a more inclusive tech industry, as a woman in tech or as a (male) advocate?
Join the movement to help the women on the show shine as role models and help me encourage other men to support the female entrepreneurs in their lives.
To join, enter your email address below. By joining, you’ll get a weekly newsletter each Thursday afternoon (CET) with highlights and personal observations from the episode. You’ll also get early access to each episode, and you can access the full archive on Spotify.
Processing …Yes! You're now part of the movement!Oopsie, something went wrong at our end. Please reload the page and try again.
- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Be an ally, be part of the movement!
- The magic you can expect in this episode 🪄
- The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- What makes this episode magical🌟?
- About Pim Blom
- Let me know what you think!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
The magic you can expect in this episode 🪄
A couple of years ago, Pim Blom explained to his colleagues at Vinted why Pride Month is important. He told them that being LGBTQ+ was illegal in 94 countries. In other words, he could not be who he was in about half of the world. When he heard himself say this, he decided to do something about it.
Fast forward to the end of 2024, a year in which being LGBTQ+ is still considered illegal in about one-third of the world. Pim uses storytelling to advocate for inclusion and equality of LGBTQ+ people.
In episode 81 of Women Disrupting Tech, Pim and I envision an ideal world. One where everyone can be their true selves. We discuss:
– The impact of LGBTQ+ role models and representation on career choices.
– The crucial role of storytelling and education in increasing diversity at senior leadership levels.
– ️The importance of listening to LGBTQ+ people and amplifying their voices.Plus, Pim turns the tables on me and lets me explore my biases and the boundaries of my own comfort zone.
🎧 Listen to episode 81 of Women Disrupting Tech to hear Pim’s inspiring journey and our honest dialogue. Click the button below to tune in on Spotify!
The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
When you’re ready to support my guests in making DEI obsolete by the end of 2032, help out by doing these two things:
- Use the share buttons below to share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a review. You can use a rating of one to five stars. This will help other people discover the podcast. And if you leave a review, it will help me improve.
What makes this episode magical🌟?
In this episode, Pim and I talk about an ideal world in which everyone can be their true selves. That includes being accepted as a person, unconditionally. And it goes beyond accepting or celebrating that people are different. It’s about considering these differences as normal.
Pim also highlights the role of early education, not on gender differences but on including different gender combinations in the materials we use at school. He says that “unconsciously, you learn from a young age that society revolves around cisgender men and cisgender women having a relationship.”
This connects nicely with the insights that Katty Hsu shared in episode 78 about the implicit biases of white men running for-profit companies in teaching materials for students at Erasmus University in Rotterdam.
Pim’s story underlines the importance of how we tell our stories in educational settings. Click the button below to listen on Apple Podcasts, or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
“Representation and education are very important, especially through personal stories.”
Pim Blom, Freelance journalist and writer
About Pim Blom
Pim Blom is a freelance journalist and speaker about diversity and inclusion related to LGBTQ+ people.
He has a background in econometrics and started working as a strategy consultant for Bloom. Bloom was later taken over by Vinted, a European marketplace for preloved fashion, where Pim worked as a data analyst and as a product manager.
He currently lives in Hanoi with his husband, where he’s writing a book on how to be successful as a queer person in the workplace. The Dutch version of the book is out now.
You can connect with Pim and follow his journey as a writer on LinkedIn and on Instagram. And you can find the Dutch articles that inspired this episode here.
Let me know what you think!
What would be your ideal world? And how would diversity and inclusion fit in? Share your views, questions and observations in the comments.
If you would like to suggest a guest that I absolutely must have on the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
What’s coming up?
In the Christmas edition of Women Disrupting Tech, systemic change guru Karim El Oteify will share how we can use DEI as a force for good in business.
After a short break, we’ll return in the new year with an interview with Diana Oganesian about how Sestive uses AI to transform therapy & mental health outcomes.
So stay tuned for more inspiring Women Disrupting Tech and their allies!
With that, I wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy, Healthy and Disruptive 2025! Until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome!
More episodes like this?
It’s always difficult to compare, but if I could recommend three episodes related to travel and entrepreneurship, it would be these:
– In episode 78, Katty Hsu highlights the importance of data when striving for gender equality in entrepreneurship.
– In episode 62, Ruben Brave shares how he’s creating new narratives for a more innovative society. This episode covers his work with Dutch New Narrative Lab.
– In episode 6, Jacqueline van den Ende states that gender should be a non-issue by the end of 2032, and as a result my podcast will be obsolete. -
Gini’s Journey to Inclusive and Sustainable Travel Experiences with Virginia Scheele | Show notes on episode 80 of Women Disrupting Tech
As a woman in tech, you know how important a support network can be in realizing your dream. But, how do you navigate entrepreneurship when your environment doesn’t support your dream?
In Episode 80 of Women Disrupting Tech, Virginia Scheele, founder of Life of Gini and MATI, shares her inspiring journey from microbiology to entrepreneurship.
Key Takeaways from the episode
Here’s a small sample of what Virginia and I cover in our conversation:
💡 What it takes to overcome limiting beliefs about your own capabilities.
💡 How to turn rejection into the motivation to find opportunity.
💡 Why maximizing profit for good is essential for creating lasting change.Hit the play button below to join Gini’s Journey to Inclusive and Sustainable Travel, or scroll down for more information about and opportunities to connect with Virginia, Life of Gini and MATI.
Gini’s Journey to Inclusive and Sustainable Travel Experiences with Virginia Scheele | Ep. 80 – Women Disrupting Tech
Be an ally, be part of the movement!
Do you want to contribute to a more inclusive tech industry, as a woman in tech or as a (male) advocate?
Join the movement to help the women on the show shine as role models and help me encourage other men to support the female entrepreneurs in their lives.
To join, enter your email address below. By joining, you’ll get a weekly newsletter each Thursday afternoon (CET) with highlights and personal observations from the episode. You’ll also get early access to each episode, and you can access the full archive on Spotify.
Processing …Yes! You're now part of the movement!Oopsie, something went wrong at our end. Please reload the page and try again.
- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Be an ally, be part of the movement!
- The magic you can expect in this episode 🪄
- The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- What makes this episode magical🌟?
- About Virginia Scheele
- About GINI and MATI
- Virginia’s plugs
- Let me know what you think!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
The magic you can expect in this episode 🪄
How do you create a sustainable travel business in an unsustainable industry? And how do you navigate entrepreneurship when your environment doesn’t support your dream?
In episode 80 of Women Disrupting Tech, I speak with Virginia Scheele, founder of Life of Gini and MATI, two travel platforms redefining inclusion and impact.
Her journey from microbiology to entrepreneurship is packed with inspiring stories. By listening to Virginia’s story, you’ll learn
– How she turned 65 rejections into motivation,
– How she built two travel platforms redefining inclusion and impact, and
– Why maximizing profit for good is at the heart of Virginia’s mission.Plus, you’ll discover how the Dutch New Narrative Lab helped shape her entrepreneurial journey.
🎧 Listen to episode 80 of Women Disrupting Tech for actionable insights on overcoming limiting beliefs, creating lasting impact through profitability, and making DEI the new normal in tech. Click the button below to tune in on Spotify!
The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
When you’re ready to support my guests in making DEI obsolete by the end of 2032, help out by doing these two things:
- Use the share buttons below to share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a review. You can use a rating of one to five stars. This will help other people discover the podcast. And if you leave a review, it will help me improve.
What makes this episode magical🌟?
I don’t know about you, but I love pioneers like Virginia for doing whatever it takes to succeed. Imagine getting rejections on 65 job applications. Imagine being down to your last 4 days of budget on your birthday. Imagine getting a last-minute funding rejection even though you ‘just had to submit some additional information.’ And then still finding the energy to take the next step.
I also love her goal of maximizing profitability and thinking big. Not for her own wealth but for a fair and sustainable travel industry.
And she does not sugarcoat her journey as a founder and entrepreneur either. She talks openly about the lack of support in her personal circle, learning to separate business and personal finance, and finding the knowledge, mentors and role models needed to complete her journey.
In the end, the magic of a session on the hero’s journey at Dutch New Narrative Lab and the realization that everyone has more or less the same challenges to tackle inspired her to pursue her entrepreneurial dream.
Virginia’s story proves that with resilience and vision, you can transform challenges into impact. Click the button below to listen on Apple Podcasts, or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
“World problems are usually not about knowledge or people. It’s about allocation of money to the right places.”
Virginia Scheele, founder of GINI and MATI
About Virginia Scheele
Virginia Scheele is the founder of GINI and MATI. Through her work, Virginia hopes to show that travel is more than a privilege; it’s a pathway to building bridges, understanding diversity, and uplifting communities worldwide. She’s open to collaborations and co-creating.
You can connect with her on LinkedIn. If you want to invest in her and her companies, keep an eye out for her fundraising, which started 29 January 2025.
About GINI and MATI
GINI is an inclusive tour operator offering trips and travel experiences to overlooked communities. MATI is a SaaS platform focused on connecting people through shared travel experiences, helping to combat the rising loneliness. Both ventures are dedicated to gender equality, reducing inequality and fostering economic growth. You can learn more about GINI on the website and on LinkedIn. On the website, you can also support inclusive and empowering travel experiences for overlooked communities.
Virginia’s plugs
As you’ll discover toward the end of the episode, Virginia is passionate about politics. She supports Stem Op Een Vrouw, an organization that helps women to become and stay politically active. Virginia also supports Positive Impact Tourism.
Let me know what you think!
Can travel be sustainable and inclusive? Or maybe you have views on finding and using your entrepreneurial support network. Share your views, questions and observations in the comments.
If you would like to suggest a guest that I absolutely must have on the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
What’s coming up?
Next week on Women Disrupting Tech, LBGTQI+ Journalist Pim Blom will join me for an open and honest conversation on how to improve queer representation in leadership.
After that, systemic change guru Karim El Oteify will share how we can use DEI as a force for good in business.
So stay tuned for more inspiring Men and Women Disrupting Tech!
With that, I wish you a wonderful day. And until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome!
More episodes like this?
It’s always difficult to compare, but if I could recommend three episodes related to travel and entrepreneurship, it would be these:
– In episode 62, Ruben Brave shares how he’s creating new narratives for a more innovative society. This episode covers his work with Dutch New Narrative Lab.
– In episode 53, Veerle Witte shares her own journey of building an app empire as a solo founder.
– In episode 49, Arosha Brouwer shares how she’s building a company with grace and empathy. -
Minder financiële stress en betere geldkeuzes met Sofie’s Astrid Bruinsma-Eggink | Show notes on episode 79 of Women Disrupting Tech
“In the financial sector, everything starts with a plan. And we believe that for most people, it starts by doing things.”
It’s a bold statement from Sofie founder Astrid Bruinsma-Eggink. A statement that she can back up with scientific data.
And if you’re wondering how her platform empowers people to “start doing things” to improve their financial health, this is the episode for you.
Key Takeaways from the episode
In this Dutch episode, you’ll learn:
💶 What financial health really means and how employers can support it.
🤔 Why behavioral change around money is so challenging.
🧠 How behavioral science can empower employees to make smarter financial decisions.Hit the play button below to learn how employers can empower their employees to improve their financial vitality for less financial stress and better financial decisions.
Minder financiële stress en betere geldkeuzes met Sofie's Astrid Bruinsma-Eggink | Ep. 79 – Women Disrupting Tech
Be an ally, be part of the movement!
Do you want to contribute to a more inclusive tech industry, as a woman in tech or as a (male) advocate?
Join the movement to help the women on the show shine as role models and help me encourage other men to support the female entrepreneurs in their lives.
To join, enter your email address below. By joining, you’ll get a weekly newsletter each Thursday afternoon (CET) with highlights and personal observations from the episode. You’ll also get early access to each episode, and you can access the full archive on Spotify.
Processing …Yes! You're now part of the movement!Oopsie, something went wrong at our end. Please reload the page and try again.
- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Be an ally, be part of the movement!
- The magic you can expect in this episode 🪄
- The Two Free Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- What makes this episode magical🌟?
- About Astrid Bruinsma-Eggink and Sofie
- About Sofie
- Let me know what you think!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
The magic you can expect in this episode 🪄
In the Netherlands, 60% of households are financially unhealthy or vulnerable for financial problems. And the effects of financial stress can spill over into the workplace.
But how do you help your employees reduce financial stress as an employer?
After all, if we follow the data, only 5% of the people act on the information provided by their financial services provider. Information that accurately reflects their situation.
So why do so few people do something with the financial information? And why can we convince them to just buy stuff?
In episode 79 of Women Disrupting Tech, I sit down with Astrid Bruinsma-Eggink. She’s the founder of Sofie, a social fintech startup on a mission to help 100 million Europeans reduce financial stress and live more sustainably.
Together, we discuss:
💶 What seven indicators we can use to assess our financial health.
🤯 Why people don’t take action for their finances, even if it’s crystal clear what to do
📊 The strategies from behavioral economics that employers can deploy to help employees become financially healthy.Plus, Astrid shares how she secured €750,000 in funding to ensure Sofie’s own financial vitality.
🎧 Discover how Sofie empowers employees to beat financial stress and make smarter money choices. Click the button below to tune in on Spotify and join the conversation!
The Two Free Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
When you’re ready to support my guests in making this podcast obsolete by the end of 2032, help out by doing these two things:
- Use the share buttons below to share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a review. You can use a rating of one to five stars. This will help other people discover the podcast. And if you leave a review, it will help me improve.
What makes this episode magical🌟?
Sofie does a great job at encouraging people to start really small and build up a financial routine. This prevents people from feeling they’re not ready. And the success magically brings the confidence needed to get and stay out of financial trouble.
Another piece of magic is her approach to funding. She recognized early on that she was getting in the way of herself. So, she decided to rely on her strength to connect people to her cause rather than focusing on getting the right pitch, the right term sheet, and the right MVP. But she also used the discussions with investors to learn how to do things herself, thereby bootstrapping the company in the first period.
Last, but certainly not least, behavioral economics is the basis for most of Astrid’s work with Sofie. And that happens to be one of my favorite topics. So, I had a great time interviewing Astrid, and I hope you can hear that.
If you’d like to learn more about this intriguing topic, I recommend Daniel Kahneman’s book ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow‘, and the Freakonomics podcast.
Are you ready for a practical guide to improving your household finances? Click the button below to listen on Apple Podcasts, or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
“In de financiële sector begint alles met een plan. En wij denken, voor heel veel mensen begint het gewoon met doen.”
Astrid Bruinsma-Eggink, founder Sofie
About Astrid Bruinsma-Eggink and Sofie
Astrid Bruinsma-Eggink is on a mission to help 100 million Europeans live financially healthy and green lives. Something that is easier said than done.
With her Social Fintech company Sofie, she uses her experience in the financial services industry and her knowledge of behavioral economics to help people spend money on things they need or enjoy. You can connect with Astrid on LinkedIn.
About Sofie
Sofie can help employers who are faced with wage garnishments or get regular requests for paycheck advances from their employees. But also less obvious issues like increases in sick leave or employees who are complaining about ‘issues at home’, may be in a financially unhealthy position.
You can learn more about how Sofie can help you and your employees become financially healthy on their website. Or you can follow Sofie on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
Let me know what you think!
Do you believe in the power of behavioral economics? Or do you think that people will just never learn how to deal with money? I’d love to learn your thoughts and observations in the comments below this post.
If you would like to suggest a guest that I absolutely must have on the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
What’s coming up?
Next week on Women Disrupting Tech, we’ll dive into the world of travel with Virginia Scheele to discover how she’s building the future of sustainable and inclusive travel.
After that, LBGTQI+ Journalist Pim Blom will join me for an open and honest conversation on how to improve queer representation in leadership.
So stay tuned for more inspiring Men and Women Disrupting Tech!
With that, I wish you a wonderful day. And until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome!
More episodes like this?
It’s always difficult to compare, but if I could recommend three episodes on making the right choices in life, it would be these:
– In episode 77, Astrid’s business buddy Angela Ursem, highlights how making an impact and profitability can go hand in hand.
– In episode 61, Asceline Groot and Wyke Potjer describe how their platform hetkanwel.nl can help you live a sustainable life.
– In episode 5, Puck Landewé educates us on the importance of being financially independent as a woman. -
Using Data to Build a Gender-Equal Future in Entrepreneurship with Katty Hsu | Show notes on episode 78 of Women Disrupting Tech
In episode 78 of Women Disrupting Tech, we’re talking to Katty Hsu, a global changemaker on a mission to make entrepreneurship more inclusive.
Born in Taiwan, raised in South Africa, and now shaping change in Rotterdam, Katty brings a unique perspective to the Women in Tech conversation.
Key Takeaways from the episode
In this episode, you’ll learn:
📊 Why good data is the backbone of driving diversity and inclusion
💬 How universities can reshape entrepreneurial education to reflect real-world diversity
🤝 Why collaboration and honest dialogue are essential for closing the gender gapHit the play button below to learn how we can start using data to build a gender-equal future in entrepreneurship!
Using Data to Build a Gender-Equal Future in Entrepreneurship with Katty Hsu | Ep. 78 – Women Disrupting Tech
Be an ally, be part of the movement!
Do you want to contribute to a more inclusive tech industry, as a woman in tech or as a (male) advocate?
Join the movement to help the women on the show shine as role models and help me encourage other men to support the female entrepreneurs in their lives.
To join, enter your email address below. By joining, you’ll get a weekly newsletter each Thursday afternoon (CET) with highlights and personal observations from the episode. You’ll also get early access to each episode, and you can access the full archive on Spotify.
Processing …Yes! You're now part of the movement!Oopsie, something went wrong at our end. Please reload the page and try again.
- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Be an ally, be part of the movement!
- The magic you can expect in this episode 🪄
- The Two Free Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- What makes this episode magical🌟?
- About Katty Hsu
- About ECE and SheLeads
- Let me know what you think!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
The magic you can expect in this episode 🪄
As an entrepreneur, you know that collecting data is critical for building impactful business cases and ensuring you’re tackling the right problem.
This applies to inclusive entrepreneurship, too.
But there wasn’t much data when Katty Hsu joined the Erasmus Center for Entrepreneurship to investigate how inclusive entrepreneurship really is. At the time, DEI wasn’t even on the radar for most organizations.
Therefore, she and a team of researchers started a project to change this. In episode 78 of Women Disrupting Tech, Katty is my guest to educate us on the power of inclusive entrepreneurship.
Join us for a powerful discussion on:
📊 Why high-quality data is the key to advancing DEI
🤝 The importance of collaboration within the entrepreneurial ecosystem
💬 How to start the uncomfortable but necessary conversations about gender inequalityPlus, you’ll get a glimpse into the insights from the SHELEADS+ Insights Report titled: “Towards a gender-equal future in entrepreneurship through data, dialogue and support,” which will be unveiled at the annual event on 29 November.
Ready to learn how data, collaboration, and bold conversations can create a more inclusive future? 🎧 Tune in and join the conversation! Click the button below to listen to the episode on Spotify.
The Two Free Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
When you’re ready to support my guests in making this podcast obsolete by the end of 2032, help out by doing these two things:
- Use the share buttons below to share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a review. You can use a rating of one to five stars. This will help other people discover the podcast. And if you leave a review, it will help me improve.
What makes this episode magical🌟?
Katty brings a truly global perspective to the show. Born in Taiwan, raised in South Africa, and now living in Rotterdam, she has experienced life in three vastly different cultures. This unique background shapes how she views entrepreneurship and inclusion.
Her entrepreneurial journey started young. Her mother instilled business skills early by taking Katty along to supplier negotiations. This hands-on exposure gave her a firsthand understanding of the challenges and opportunities in entrepreneurship.
When we talk about the need for good data on inclusive entrepreneurship, we also discuss the role of data in teaching at universities like Erasmus. Katty reveals that when she started at Erasmus, teaching cases and study materials focused almost entirely on companies led by white men and built solely for profit.
This lack of representation matters. Studies show that women often feel they need more knowledge before taking entrepreneurial risks. Again, the adage that “you can’t be what you can’t see” applies here. So, her efforts to make study materials better reflect female entrepreneurship truly contribute to making the ecosystem more inclusive.
Are you ready for the global perspective on entrepreneurship? Click the button below to listen on Apple Podcasts, or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
Quote from episode 78 of Women Disrupting Tech. Click the image to listen to the episode on YouTube. “Without data, the fact that we need to support more women in entrepreneurship, is not a fact but merely an opinion to those who need to be convinced.”
Katty Hsu, co-founder and managing director of the SHELEADS+ Global Foundation
About Katty Hsu
Katty Hsu is the Inclusive Entrepreneurship & Research Lead at Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship and co-founder and managing director of the SHELEADS+ Global Foundation.
She graduated in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Then, she moved to Rotterdam to get her Master’s in Industrial Dynamics and Strategy at the Erasmus School of Economics.
You can discover her personal story on this website and connect with her on LinkedIn.
About ECE and SheLeads
Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE) is part of Erasmus University Rotterdam. It is a leading international center for entrepreneurship education and research. ECE empowers aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs through knowledge, networks and access to resources, enabling them to achieve their entrepreneurial ambitions. You can find more information on the ECE website and follow ECE on LinkedIn or Instagram.
SHELEADS+ is an initiative and part of ECE. It leverages high-quality research, transformative education, and meaningful connections to create a future where everyone, including those affected by gender-based marginalization, can thrive. To realize this mission, SHELEADS+ activities are spinning out from ECE to the dedicated SHELEADS+ Global Foundation. Check out their new website or follow them on LinkedIn or Instagram.
On 29 November 2024, they unveiled the report titled: “Towards a gender-equal future in entrepreneurship through data, dialogue and support” at their SheLeads+ Annual Event on 29 November 2024. You can download it here.
Let me know what you think!
Do you believe that profit and impact go together? Or do you think that impact companies must never make profits? I’d love to learn your thoughts and observations in the comments below this post.
If you would like to suggest a guest that I absolutely must have on the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
What’s coming up?
Next week on Women Disrupting Tech, Astrid Bruinsma-Eggink will be my guest to talk about the importance of financial health for your employees. This topic is near to my heart as I’ve learned firsthand how financial stress can cause people to make really bad decisions.
After that, we’ll dive into the world of travel with Virginia Scheele to discover how she’s building the future of sustainable and inclusive travel.
Later in season four, we’ll move into queer territory as I talk to LBGTQI+ Journalist Pim Blom and Systemic Change Guru Karim El Oteify.
So stay tuned for more inspiring Men and Women Disrupting Tech!
With that, I wish you a wonderful day. And until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome!
More episodes like this?
It’s always difficult to compare, but if I could recommend three episodes on sustainability, it would be these:
– In episode 70, Constantijn van Oranje-Nassau argues that we need a cultural shift towards inclusion to reap the benefits in entrepreneurship.
– In episode 59, part of my conversation with Sonal Rattan is about how the way tech is taught plays a key role in making young women choose a career in tech
– In episode 32, we learn from Sanne Jongejan why independent women should choose an education and career in tech.
Women Disrupting Tech | The Podcast
Stories That Build a More Inclusive Tech Future.
Women Disrupting Tech | The Podcast 