Women Working Ahead

Happy New Year everyone! For the first episode of 2021 I am joined by Gabi Foss who is a recent graduate of Ivey Business School at Western University and who is currently working as a Sustainability and Climate Change Consultant at Deloitte. At the time of the interview, she was working as the Community Manager for the Upside Foundation of Canada, which helps founders of early-stage, high-growth Canadian companies to build social responsibility into their business by pledging equity to the charity of their choice. We discuss her ongoing work with non-profits, including starting one of her own in high school, leadership and the importance of trust in team projects, some of the stereotypes that go along with one of the top business schools in Canada and why it's okay not to fit in with the "corporate success" mold, and her advice for any women thinking of pursuing a similar entrepreneurial path. Such a great episode to start off the new year I hope you enjoy! Be sure to reach out to Gabi over LinkedIn with any follow-up questions: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellefoss/

This week I sit down with Co-Founder and CEO of Rithmik Solutions, Amanda Truscott. Under the promise "Mine Maintenance, Made Intelligent", Rithmik Solutions increases uptime in mines with advanced analytics that help optimize maintenance, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and extend equipment life. We chat about her background in English Literature and early career in Journalism, how she became the Co-Founder and CEO of a company at the forefront of AI technology in mining, and her ongoing journey as a self-published author and blogger. Be sure to connect with Amanda over LinkedIn with any follow-up questions: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-truscott-37aab86/

A very fun episode this week! I got to chat with Mikayla Morfin, who is currently working as the Senior Geotechnical Engineer for Nevada Gold Mines at their Cortez property. We chat about post-secondary and the Geological Engineering program, what it's like transitioning from junior engineer to supervisor in a few short years, leading a geotechnical team made up of mostly women in a male-dominated industry, and the ongoing struggle of power outages and internet troubles.  Feel free to connect with Mikayla over LinkedIn with any follow-up questions! https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikayla-morfin-83a787200/ Follow @womenworkingahead on Instagram and Twitter for more show details!

Tired of always being the one taking notes in meetings? Struggling to find a job? Feeling stuck in your current job and don't know whether to stay or go? Career success expert, professional engineer turned entrepreneur and mentor, published author Stephanie Slocum has got you covered. In this Part 1 of 2 episode series, I sit down with Stephanie to discuss her first job as an engineer, her advice for job hunting and finding the right company for you, key questions to ask (and not to ask) in job interviews, what to do if you're feeling stuck in your current role and much much more. Feel free to contact Stephanie at [email protected] or connect on LinkedIn with any follow-up questions. Be sure to check out www.engineersrising.com and follow their Facebook page for more details.

This week I had the incredible opportunity to sit down and chat with Lori Martin, who is the TruScan Manager for North America at Boart Longyear. Starting out as a graduate geologist logging core at a remote mine site, Lori has built both a successful technical career and management career, and is now paving the way for young women in mining and other technical fields. Working for the largest drilling company in the world, she manages the geological data services for all of North America and is actively working to bring the TruScan technology to underground drilling programs. We discuss first jobs and living in flooded tents, going back to school as a full-time Mom, communication in the workplace, the importance of networking, and the seemingly never-ending learning curve that is our career. Feel free to connect with Lori over LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorimartinpgeomba/

This week I was able to interview Avery Wright who is currently working as an Underground Geologist at a gold mine in Western Australia. This interview was particularly exciting because it was my first time really getting to swap stories with someone who has also experienced working in an underground environment! Spoiler alert, even though we are on opposite sides of the planet, our stories were actually really similar! We got to chat about all things mine rescue training, getting lost underground, the struggles of using a site-wide radio broadcast system, and the terrifying existence that is stink bugs in the Australian outback. Feel free to send Avery any follow-up questions @ave_wright on Instagram or over LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/avery-wright/

This week I sit down to chat with Janet Shaw who is currently working as a Structural Engineer in Training at Adejelian Allen Rubeli Ltd. in Ottawa, ON. We discuss her post-secondary experience in the civil engineering program at Carleton University, her role as a Field Engineer and being able to work on projects like the historic West Memorial Building, and about a mysterious concrete hole that apparently no one knows the size of (hopefully we will get updates soon). Feel free to contact Janet @janetshaw03 with any questions! https://www.instagram.com/janetshaw03/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-shaw/

This week I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Shelby Yee, who is the Co-Founder and CEO at a tech start-up company RockMass Technologies, which currently based in Toronto, ON. Graduating in 2016 from the Queen's Geological Engineering program, Shelby and her Co-Founder started the company as recent graduates with an idea, and four years later, they've developed the fastest digital rock mechanics tool for collecting structural orientation data underground.  For more information, check out https://www.rockmasstech.com/, RockMass Technologies on LinkedIn or @rockmasstech on Twitter. Feel free to contact Shelby with any further questions! https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelbyyee/ [email protected]

In honour of my first interview with Skyla being the first episode to hit 100 downloads, and the Women Working Ahead podcast reaching 1,000 total downloads this week, my sister returns to the show for this special episode and replaces me (temporarily) as host!  Together we go through more questions sent in by listeners over on the @womenworkingahead social medias, and cover a variety of topics ranging from struggling in school, to scariest moments working underground, to whether pineapple truly belongs on pizza or not. Never a dull moment chatting with my crazy sister, we hope you enjoy! Feel free to follow @womenworkingahead to join the community of working women and stay up-to-date on all show news. Follow @skylamercer or connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skyla-mercer/

This week I sit down with Abbey Thompson, who is currently working as a staffer on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. We discuss her post-secondary experience in the Business Administration program at Nipissing University, the importance of mental health and her advice for anyone struggling with it, her job working day-to-day on Parliament Hill, and what it's like getting to be apart of the world where some of the most important decisions for Canadians are being made.  Hope you enjoy! Feel free to contact Abbey directly with any questions or contact the show to get in touch with her! https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbeythompson/ https://www.facebook.com/abbey.thompson.73