---
title: Amazing Women Amazing Giant Robots
teaser: 'On the Giant Robots Podcast I’ve learned from so many incredible women. Here
  are just four of the many episodes that have stuck with me from past last year.

  '
tags: podcast
author: Chad Pytel
published_on: 2019-03-08
---

On the [Giant Robots Smashing into other Giant Robots
Podcast](http://giantrobots.fm) I’ve spoken to and learned from so many
incredible women who’ve accomplished great things, and who are working on
exciting new ones. From these conversations I’ve learned how I can be a better
manager and more fulfilled in my work, discovered a new programming language
being created from the ground up, become more informed about the issues women
face in the workplace from an incredibly funny designer and author, and gained
perspective on what it’s like to join thoughtbot and seen first-hand the
positive impact of a smart, thoughtful leader.

Here are just four of the many episodes that have stuck with me from the last
year.

[In August I spoke with Sarah Cooper](http://giantrobots.fm/287), previously a
Product Designer, Sarah is a comedian, speaker, and the author of “100 Tricks
to Appear Smart in Meetings”. Sarah shared her thoughts with me on management
burnout, the creative process, and her latest book.

<a href="http://giantrobots.fm/287">
  <img src="https://images.thoughtbot.com/blog-vellum-image-uploads/11DokZViSROpwaZjqoCI_sarah.png">
</a>

In October I was [joined by Lindsey Christensen, Chief Marketing Officer at
thoughtbot](http://giantrobots.fm/292). Lindsey taught us what it was like to
join thoughtbot and how she has shaped thoughtbot’s marketing strategy, team,
and future.

<a href="http://giantrobots.fm/292">
  <img src="https://images.thoughtbot.com/blog-vellum-image-uploads/PpRU3c1TIaXIm9SqzCHA_lindsey.png">
</a>

In April, I had [a wonderful conversation with Jennifer
Dary](http://giantrobots.fm/270), founder of
[Plucky](https://www.beplucky.com). Jennifer turned the tables on me and we did
a corporate counseling session for me right in the episode. We discussed
purpose, process, longevity, relationships, and trust. Since recording this
episode, we’ve had several our team members attend Plucky’s [So Now You’re a
Manager” training](https://www.beplucky.com/manager/), with more on the way.

<a href="http://giantrobots.fm/270">
  <img src="https://images.thoughtbot.com/blog-vellum-image-uploads/gzhHpcduSw2HaCS63CkO_jennifer.png">
</a>

And last month [I spoke with Ellen Chisa](http://giantrobots.fm/306), CEO and
cofounder of [Dark](https://darklang.com). Dark is a new programming language,
tightly integrated with an editor, compiler and PaaS, that allows developers to
build distributed applications using high-level primitives. We talked about the
challenges of building a complete programming platform from scratch, the
benefits of a private beta, and making programming more accessible.

<a href="http://giantrobots.fm/306">
  <img src="https://images.thoughtbot.com/blog-vellum-image-uploads/cy6pVKP1QVmrOUkUzWXr_ellen.png">
</a>

Thank you to all the incredible women who took their time to share with us, and
thank you for listening.