Women in Agile

Confessions of a Promiscuous Co-Presenter - Allison Pollard | 2010

Allison Pollard is part of the next generation of agile thought leaders. Through her stories, we learn she loves changing up her glasses and that she loves co-presenting with people who “catch her brain.”
She shares a story about a seemingly chaotic organization-wide coaching initiative – a story which seeded a memorable Agile2019 presentation she co-presented with Skylar Watson, a fellow agile coach.
Favorite quote (on the topic of her changing glasses):
“I usually pick out a pair that kind of scares me initially when I look in the mirror – like, I’m not sure who that is, [but] I can take a year and find out.”
Pollard’s words of wisdom: “As much as you think you know, there’s so much more out there…”
Accenture | SolutionsIQ’s Leslie Morse hosts.
The Women in Agile community champions inclusion and diversity of thought, regardless of gender, and this podcast is a platform to share new voices and stories with the Agile community and the business world, because we believe that everyone is better off when more, diverse ideas are shared.
Podcast Library: www.solutionsiq.com/womeninagile Women in Agile website: https://womeninagile.org/
Connect with us on social media! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/womeninagile/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninagile/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/womeninagileorg
 

The Art of Agile Conference Speaking - Megan Windle | 2009

Megan Windle is an Agile coach and the president of the Agile 757 Meetup in Hampton Roads, Virginia. She specializes in the people side of change and wholeheartedly believes that happy teams sparkle with creativity and productivity.
Windle recounts her journey from local talks to the national level at Agile2019. She tells all from the intense preparation and top-of-the-mountain highs, to overcoming critical adversity and how she copes with it all with intentional self-care.
Words of Wisdom: “If you want to try speaking, you should go for it. The key is find someone who is there in your corner to support you.”
Accenture | SolutionsIQ’s Emilia Breton hosts.
The Women in Agile community champions inclusion and diversity of thought, regardless of gender, and this podcast is a platform to share new voices and stories with the Agile community and the business world, because we believe that everyone is better off when more, diverse ideas are shared.
Podcast Library: www.solutionsiq.com/womeninagile Women in Agile website: https://womeninagile.org/
Connect with us on social media! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/womeninagile/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninagile/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/womeninagileorg

Banding Together a Coalition of the Willing - Colleen Kirtland | 2008

Colleen Kirtland is passionate about expanding agility beyond the boundaries of technology. She’s currently Assistant Vice President of Emerging Technology for Pacific Life.
Kirtland fosters the idea of “the coalition of the willing” saying, “It’s amazing what you can do when you see willingness and desire in people.” She has applied her own passion to understanding complex, adaptive systems as the place she experienced the most growth. Colleen’s contributions to the community extend outside the agile community and into enhancing the lives and education of underserved high schoolers.
Kirtland’s words of wisdom: “Find who you really are and roar.”
Accenture |SolutionsIQ’s Leslie Morse hosts.
Book Recommendations:
– Complex Adaptive Systems – Scott Page
– Thinking in Systems: A Primer – Donella Meadows
– A Practice of Peace – Harrison Owens
The Women in Agile community champions inclusion and diversity of thought, regardless of gender, and this podcast is a platform to share new voices and stories with the Agile community and the business world, because we believe that everyone is better off when more, diverse ideas are shared.
Podcast Library: www.solutionsiq.com/womeninagile Women in Agile website: https://womeninagile.org/
Connect with us on social media! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/womeninagile/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninagile/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/womeninagileorg

The Art and Wisdom of Changing Teams - Heidi Helfand | 2007

Heidi Helfand is a veteran of several high-growth startups and the author of “Dynamic Reteaming: The Art and Wisdom of Changing Teams”. 
According to Helfand, we shouldn’t fight to keep teams from changing in a company that is growing rapidly. Rather, focus on how to successfully reteam. Hear the different patterns she has identified for changing teams and learn the benefits of reteaming, such as sharing new information and diversity of thought.  
Accenture |SolutionsIQ’s Leslie Morse hosts.  
The Women in Agile community champions inclusion and diversity of thought, regardless of gender, and this podcast is a platform to share new voices and stories with the Agile community and the business world, because we believe that everyone is better off when more, diverse ideas are shared.
Podcast Library: www.solutionsiq.com/womeninagile Women in Agile website: https://womeninagile.org/
Connect with us on social media! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/womeninagile/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninagile/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/womeninagileorg

Lean In Agile: A Global Movement for Women - Padmini Nidumolu | 2006

“The presence of women – or lack thereof – led to a huge difference in the direction the organization or the leadership were heading to.” For Padmini Nidumolu, this was the catalyst for founding Lean In Agile, “a movement for, by, and of women designed to amplify the voices, talents, and experiences of women in the Lean and Agile communities across the globe.”
Nidumolu says, “When there are fewer women on decision-making tables or creative sessions… there is an energy shift.” Lean In Agile has facilitated the formation of groups of women called “spirals” in Nepal, India, and the US, and they have launched two new programs – LIA 100 and LIA Next Generation – which our guest shares her passion and dreams for in this episode. 
Accenture | SolutionsIQ’s Emilia Breton hosts.  
Learn more: 
- Search for “LIA100 interviews” on YouTube 
The Women in Agile community champions inclusion and diversity of thought, regardless of gender, and this podcast is a platform to share new voices and stories with the Agile community and the business world, because we believe that everyone is better off when more, diverse ideas are shared.
Podcast Library: www.solutionsiq.com/womeninagile Women in Agile website: https://womeninagile.org/
Connect with us on social media! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/womeninagile/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninagile/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/womeninagileorg

Velocity Doesn’t Have to be a Dirty Word - Christy Clement | 2005

Christy Clement is the cofounder of the agile coaching and training company Velocity Made Good. She shares with us how she first got started with agile, and the concept and work of her company – especially since “velocity” often gets a bad rap. But the company name is actually sailing term, where you need balance speed with direction. This is the approach she brings to her coaching and consulting work. 
Clement also shares stories of personal agility building her house with her husband using a Kanban board, user stories, and an incremental move-in strategy. Her words of wisdom: 
Rather than focusing only on being fast and efficient, “really think about, are we heading in the right direction, what are those business metrics that we’re really trying to affect - are we measuring them and are we having an effect?” 
Accenture | SolutionsIQ’s Leslie Morse hosts. 
Also mentioned in this podcast: https://www.solutionsiq.com/resource/agile-amped-podcast/practicing-leadership-skills-with-david-marquet/ 
The Women in Agile community champions inclusion and diversity of thought, regardless of gender, and this podcast is a platform to share new voices and stories with the Agile community and the business world, because we believe that everyone is better off when more, diverse ideas are shared.
Podcast Library: www.solutionsiq.com/womeninagile Women in Agile website: https://womeninagile.org/
Connect with us on social media! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/womeninagile/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninagile/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/womeninagileorg

People Skills and Tech Skills Both Take Practice - Andrea Goulet | 2004

Andrea Goulet transforms software with communication and empathy. “Modernizing a legacy project is just as much about communication as it is about the code.”  
Her mission is to remove the label of "non-technical" from the mindset of people who have been actively choosing not to attain technical skills. It is well within each person's ability to become more technical. On the flip side, when developers say, “I understand machines, but I don’t understand people,” her response is “That’s not true, you just haven’t practiced people skills.” 
Goulet hopes to see not only more women in agile in the future, but also other minority groups, especially women of color. Her words of wisdom: 
“We can’t get so wrapped up on the gender that we forget about all of the other intersectionalities of diversity and inclusion.” 
Accenture | SolutionsIQ’s Leslie Morse hosts. 
The Women in Agile community champions inclusion and diversity of thought, regardless of gender, and this podcast is a platform to share new voices and stories with the Agile community and the business world, because we believe that everyone is better off when more, diverse ideas are shared.
Podcast Library: www.solutionsiq.com/womeninagile Women in Agile website: https://womeninagile.org/
Connect with us on social media! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/womeninagile/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninagile/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/womeninagileorg
 

Escaping the Black Holes of Workflow - Sarah Harper | 2003

Sarah Harper studies both the psychology and metrics behind agile. She sat down with us to unpack her presentation from Agile2019 titled “Black Holes and Revelations.” 
Harper believes obstacles to moving work through can become more than bottlenecks – they sometimes form “black holes” that suck in the work but nothing comes out. Tune in to learn how to apply UI design for Kanban and Scrum boards that make it easier to prevent, find and overcome black holes in your agile workflow.  
Accenture | SolutionsIQ’s Leslie Morse hosts.  
The Women in Agile community champions inclusion and diversity of thought, regardless of gender, and this podcast is a platform to share new voices and stories with the Agile community and the business world, because we believe that everyone is better off when more, diverse ideas are shared.
Podcast Library: www.solutionsiq.com/womeninagile

Women in Agile website: https://womeninagile.org/
Connect with us on social media!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/womeninagile/

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/womeninagileorg