SJSU: Silicon Valley's #4 U.S. University | Cynthia Teniente-Matson

In this insightful conversation with Cynthia Teniente-Matson, President of San José State University (SJSU), shares her journey from being a first-generation college student and CFO to leading the oldest public university on the West Coast.   She explains how SJSU, often called "Silicon Valley's Public University," is now at the forefront of the AI revolution. Learn about the groundbreaking partnerships with tech giants like Nvidia and Adobe that provide students with essential AI learning labs and digital literacy tools, ensuring every graduate is prepared not just for current generative AI tools, but for the "convergence of technologies" like AI and human-robotic connections, ensuring graduates have the skills needed in the next 5, 10, and 15 years.   SJSU was founded in 1857 as the California State Normal School. This makes it the oldest public higher education institution on the West Coast and the founding campus of the entire California State University (CSU) system. In this sense, it was an "original" endeavor—a first in the region for public education.   Anchor of Silicon Valley: Located in the heart of downtown San José, SJSU is the public university physically embedded in the capital of global innovation. The "startup" metaphor connects the university's historical capacity for adaptation and innovation (constantly evolving its programs since 1857) with the relentless, disruptive, and entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley today.    This episode highlights SJSU's success as a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and AANAPISI, serving a profoundly diverse student body. Cynthia reveals the strategic shift to a pipeline-to-a-job model that has resulted in SJSU being ranked the #4 Public University in the Nation by The Wall Street Journal. This is a masterclass in leadership, strategic organizational transformation, and driving equitable change for the next generation of technical leaders.   Join the conversation with host, Erica Lockheimer and co-host, Elizabeth Wendorf-Bloesser for a dose of inspiration.

Join us for a deeply informative conversation with Joanna Strober, Founder and CEO of Midi Health, the pioneering telehealth platform transforming women's midlife health.   Joanna clarifies the hormonal chaos of perimenopause (which often starts in your 30s) and the shocking truth behind the decades of fear surrounding Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). She reveals data showing estrogen alone may actually reduce breast cancer risk and improve bone/brain health.   We dive into how Midi Health delivers rapid, personalized care from expert Nurse Practitioners, often covered by insurance. Joanna details their focus on comprehensive women's health (sleep, anxiety, weight, and sexual health) and their groundbreaking at-home blood test for truly proactive, personalized medicine. Hear her story of leveraging multiple career pivots to found her "fourth baby" and close a crucial gap in healthcare.

Join us for a lively conversation with Cherie Brooke Luo and Jean Luo, the Tiger Sisters! This dynamic sister duo, both successful tech product managers from LinkedIn and Snapchat, made a radical pivot to earn their MBAs from Harvard Business School and Stanford GSB to then become full-time content creators and entrepreneurs.   They pull back the curtain on how they built their brand and business in just over a year, achieving phenomenal success by hitting #1 Business Podcast and Top 3 U.S. Podcasts overall on Spotify! This episode is a masterclass in modern entrepreneurship and personal reinvention, featuring insights on:   🔀 The Power of the Pivot: How they moved from a reality TV show concept to launching their podcast and a physical product, Sisters Matcha. 📸 Startup Mentality in Media: Applying their product management skills (hypothesis testing, fast iteration, and ruthless optimization) to grow their content rapidly. 👩‍💼 The Flow State of Entrepreneurship: The satisfying reality of moving faster and seeing direct impact compared to the corporate world. 💰 Building Community and Commerce: How they created a highly engaged, supportive audience that helped them launch their sold-out matcha brand. 👯‍♀️ Sister Dynamics in Business: The hilarious and honest reality of living and working together—from figuring out who's better at editing to switching from messy text threads to organized Slack channels.   The Tiger Sisters' story proves that being intentional, adaptable, and focused on genuine value is the ultimate growth strategy. Join the conversation with host, Erica Lockheimer and co-host, Elizabeth Wendorf-Bloesser for a dose of inspiration.

💡 "I play in the spaces where tech, storytelling, and entertainment intersect." Author–filmmaker Abigail Hing Wen joins us to talk about her newest universe, The Vale—a novel with a short-film prequel and a companion Roblox experience about a boy navigating an AI-driven virtual fantasy world. We dig into how she builds story worlds with real AI literacy behind them, drawing on years as an AI tech exec and as the Director & former host of Intel's AI Podcast, plus her work on fairness, transparency & accountability in AI policy. Abigail also opens up about the decade before her "yes," the four "buried" novels that taught her craft, and how that persistence led to the breakout book-to-film journey from Loveboat, Taipei to the Netflix movie Love in Taipei.  Website:  In this episode 🎭 The making of The Vale — novel → short film → Roblox world 🤖 Using AI thoughtfully in creative work — what helps, what harms, and what's hype  🧗‍♀️ Law → tech → author/director — embracing the "jungle gym" career 🎬 Book-to-film realities — what authors actually control ⭐ How fans truly help — preorders + ratings (Amazon/Goodreads/IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes) The Vale is in the home stretch and every order around the country before September 20 is critical! Please support your local booksellers and spread word! NOTES: sales transactions must CLOSE to count. Indie Bookstores: (preferred) Bookshop.org (preferred) Barnes and Noble  Amazon CTA: ✨ If this conversation resonates, preorder The Vale, watch Love in Taipei on Netflix, and drop a quick rating/review—those signals make a huge difference. 🙏 Join the conversation with host, Erica Lockheimer and co-host, Elizabeth Wendorf-Bloesser.

Kirthiga Reddy, a trailblazing leader and first female Investment Partner at SoftBank Vision Fund, shares her incredible journey from growing up in India to becoming an influential figure in tech. She details her time as a Director of Engineering at Silicon Graphics and the first employee to launch and lead Facebook (now Meta) in India. This episode is packed with invaluable insights, including: The Power of the "And": How she embraced the "superpower" of having a career and a family, even when societal pressures suggested it was an "either/or" choice The Career Jungle Gym: Why she chose a 40% pay cut to pivot her career and how her impressive (linear-looking) resume actually hides a series of strategic, non-linear moves Guilt Management: Her powerful philosophy on not "overthinking" every decision and learning to manage guilt as effectively as time The "Trust Technology": A deep dive into her new venture, Verix - a company building a verification layer for digital credentials using blockchain, and the pivotal learning that led her to that mission AI Kiran: The story behind her new initiative to spotlight and grow the community of women in AI in India. Kirthiga's story is a testament to the power of a growth mindset, the importance of mentorship, and the courage to take a break and find clarity. Join the conversation with host, Erica Lockheimer and co-host, Elizabeth Wendorf-Bloesser.

Join us on The HumanizeHer Podcast for a powerful and candid conversation with Nidhi Gupta, a trailblazing leader with a chemical engineering background who rose to become a Chief Technology & Product Officer - then ventured out to create her own business and become a Co-Founder and CEO!  Nidhi shares her incredible journey from growing up in India, where she was one of just a few women in her engineering class, to navigating pervasive biases and microaggressions in the tech industry. She reveals how these experiences fueled her passion to create SheTO.org, a non-profit dedicated to accelerating women's leadership in engineering.   This episode is packed with unfiltered insights on: Overcoming adversity:  How early experiences of bias shaped her resilience and grit The emotional side of impact:  Why she prioritizes supporting one life over just chasing big numbers The unexpected challenges of funding a non-profit:  Debunking myths about corporate and investor support for mission-driven organizations Building a thriving community:  How SheTO's programs achieve remarkable promotion rates for women in tech A White House invitation:  The surreal moment she realized her work is being recognized at the highest level.   Nidhi's story is a raw and inspiring testament to creating change, fostering community, and finding soulful fulfillment beyond traditional corporate success.  Join the conversation with host, Erica Lockheimer and co-host, Elizabeth Wendorf-Bloesser.

In this episode of The HumanizeHer Podcast we sit down for an insightful conversation with Catherine Fisher, LinkedIn's esteemed Career Expert! Catherine shares her journey in communications, from Netflix to LinkedIn, revealing how she became a go-to voice for career navigation.   This episode dives into crucial topics like the evolving job market, the impact of AI on careers, challenging traditional growth paths (the "squiggly line"), and the art of asking for what you want. Tune in for candid advice on handling workplace setbacks, the power of delegation, and building a resilient network.   Join the conversation with host, Erica Lockheimer and co-host, Elizabeth Wendorf-Bloesser.   ** NOTE **  An audio mishap impacted this episode's sound quality, but we worked with Swell Sound to repair it so you don't miss a moment of the great conversation!

Join us on The HumanizeHer Podcast for an incredibly candid conversation with Sabrina Ellis, a powerhouse product leader as VP at companies like Google and Yahoo, and former Chief Product Officer at Pinterest!   Sabrina shares her remarkable career journey, revealing the highs and lows of navigating top executive roles in the tech industry. From the early days of the dot-com boom and making Yahoo Mail #1 globally, to steering product at Google and Pinterest, she offers an unfiltered look at what it takes to innovate and lead.   This episode is packed with invaluable insights, including:   💡 The power of career breaks: Sabrina openly discusses her intentional "off-ramps" and the confidence (and spousal support!) it took to step away, emphasizing how these breaks fueled her growth. 💡 Defining the Chief Product Officer role: What it means to "herd genius, feral cats" and empower diverse teams to build impactful products. 💡 Navigating adversity in the C-suite: Sabrina shares deeply personal experiences, from a toxic "Coliseum" culture to facing assumptions as an Asian female executive. 💡 "Sabrina's Rule of Three": Her fascinating observation on how minorities are perceived in professional settings and the importance of critical mass for true individuality. 💡 The future of work: A thought-provoking discussion on challenging capitalism's limits and envisioning tech companies that prioritize employees over profit maximization.   Sabrina's transparency about self-doubt, identity crises after leaving big brands, and the ongoing journey of self-discovery offers a refreshing perspective. Get ready to be inspired to embrace your own path, challenges and all!   Join the conversation with host, Erica Lockheimer and co-host, Elizabeth Wendorf-Bloesser.

In this empowering episode of the HumanizeHer Podcast, we welcome Leela Srinivasan, CEO of Parity, for a compelling conversation that spans her dynamic career journey and her impactful work in women's sports. Leela, who transitioned from a successful CMO background at companies like LinkedIn and SurveyMonkey to leading Parity, shares authentic insights into career pivots, the value of an MBA, and navigating the challenges of leadership, including the elusive "work-life balance" as a new mother.   The discussion takes a deep dive into the mission of Parity, an organization dedicated to closing the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports. Leela reveals striking statistics:   50% of professional women athletes make zero income from their sport after accounting for training and competition costs. 74% of these athletes hold a second job, with 1 in 4 working full-time while training 30 hours a week. Women's sports currently receives only 15% of media share. 63% of female athletes surveyed have considered quitting elite sports due to financial struggles. 93% of surveyed athletes experience financial stress. An annual sponsorship of $20,000 would be "very meaningful" or "life-changing" for 88% of female athletes. Women's sports fans are 2.8 times more likely to purchase a product or service recommended by a professional woman athlete than by any other influencer.   Leela emphasizes that this is not a charity, but a lucrative business opportunity for brands to align with purpose-driven athletes. She highlights how brands like Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, and Hormel are already investing in Parity's community of over 1,100 professional women athletes across 85 sports, finding authentic partnerships based on shared values rather than just follower counts. The episode also touches upon the historic 2024 Paris Olympics, which for the first time achieved gender equality in participants.    Through raw honesty about her own experiences with imposter syndrome and the importance of seeking feedback and coaching, Leela inspires listeners to embrace challenges and continuously learn, leaving an indelible mark on both the professional landscape and the world of women's sports.   Join the conversation with host, Erica Lockheimer and co-host, Elizabeth Wendorf-Bloesser.

What if success didn't mean choosing one path, but embracing many? In this episode of The HumanizeHer Podcast, We sat down with the incomparable Jory Des Jardins —co-founder of BlogHer and, more recently, the co-founder of Optionality, a platform dedicated to reimagining how we work, lead, and live. Jory takes us on a deeply personal and professional journey through her unconventional career—from couch-surfing in New York while reading manuscripts at Penguin, to co-founding BlogHer and growing it into a movement that reached over 100 million users, to today—championing the rise of fractional roles, community-powered leadership, and portfolio careers. Together, we explore the power of optionality: a framework where work is no longer a one-size-fits-all ladder, but a flexible, multi-dimensional life design. Jory shares how optionality allows people—especially women—to balance meaningful work, caregiving, creative pursuits, and self-defined success, even when traditional systems aren't designed to support it. This episode isn't just about careers—it's about courage. It's about listening to your gut, staying curious, and being unafraid to start again. Whether it's pioneering the blogosphere, navigating burnout after acquisition, or diving headfirst into emerging tech and VR, Jory's path is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and radical authenticity. We also talk candidly about caregiving, aging parents, raising teens, and the internal conflict so many women face when they feel pulled between achievement and presence. Jory's honesty and humor remind us that no career path is linear—and that building a "portfolio life" might just be the most honest reflection of who we are and who we're becoming. ✨ Whether you're in a moment of reinvention, questioning the 9–5, or dreaming of more freedom and purpose in your work—this episode will speak to you. Key themes we unpack: Why "fractional leadership" is rising—and what it really means The difference between advisory vs. fractional roles How BlogHer created a trusted model for women creators—and what it taught us about power and representation How caregiving, life phases, and flexibility intersect with ambition The future of work—and how we can build it on our own terms This conversation is both a mirror and a permission slip. If you're craving more flexibility, more agency, or simply a new way to define success—this is the episode for you. Join the conversation with host, Erica Lockheimer and co-host Elizabeth Wendorf-Bloesser