Change starts
with story
Here are a few of the most memorable moments that have happened at a Cat Talk recently:
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A developer and their manager made a plan out loud together for more learning time
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An engineering leader invited his organization to come to him with more unspoken barriers and frictions
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A junior developer took my slides and study and presented about developer science to her entire company (with my enthusiastic support, of course!)
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Out loud with a staff engineer in front of an auditorium, we worked through a definition of "good productivity" in a Q&A
I believe science only turns into action if we tell good stories together. Therefore, I love to give talks about the science and psychology of thriving in technology work. My talks are packed with evidence, backed with science, and focus on helping people learn to recognize and move forward on changing the cultures around them for the better. But most of all, my talks create a space for your technologists to think and plan around the human side of this work.
I'm a multidisciplinary scientist who's seen the transformative impact that telling a powerful story can have everywhere from tiny community groups to high pressure board rooms. I give talks with evidence and interventions I've tested myself. As a speaker I'm a great fit for events that want big, compassionate, and rigorously scientific thinking about technology work and innovation. Don't come to me if you want a tech vent session; come to me if you want to think and plan for optimistic change. We'll interrogate the evidence, name what you've always noticed but never quite understood before, and walk away with some real strategies to try next.
My typical audiences include large technical conferences, engineering leaders, developer experience and infrastructure teams, digital transformation labs, and technical groups seeking to enhance their understanding of research, data, and the dynamics of successful software teams.
Folks have described my presentations as "epic," "infectiously passionate,"warmly brilliant," and "incredibly validating." I prioritize working with events and communities that actively support women in tech and LGBTQ+ speakers in tech. Where possible, I waive a speaker fee for nonprofits, and community organizations.
