The Leadership, Equity, and Wellness Pod

Hi! My name is Rikhi and you are listening to The Leadership, Equity and Wellness pod. Thank you for tuning in to Season 2. This season shared conversations that were recorded a year after the episodes from Season 1. Since then my understanding of leadership, equity and wellness for minorities across various industries evolved so much as did my understanding of recording, editing and sharing podcast episodes with the world. I am so honored to have had your time every Friday as new episodes released and it is my hope that together we grew through each episode and pushed ourselves to renew our commitment to taking care of ourselves first.  Thank you so much for tuning in.

Kellie Gerardi is an aerospace and technology professional, a popular science communicator, and a payload specialist flying to space on a dedicated research mission with Virgin Galactic. Kellie is the author of Not Necessarily Rocket Science and the children’s picture book series Luna Muna. Kellie lives in Jupiter, Florida with her husband and their daughter Delta V. You can follow her on social media @kelliegerardi

Tammy is a Global Supply Chain Manager at Lucid Motors, working on electric vehicles to build a more sustainable future. She works with cross functional teams across finance, engineering, and quality to develop commodity strategies in her Supply Chain and Purchasing role. Previously, she was a Central Buyer at Ford Motors. Tammy  graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with her Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering.

In building a more sustainable future inside and outside work, Tammy enjoys participating in city task forces on their energy committees and in hackathons by using design thinking to identify and solve problems. Tammys first introduction to design thinking and problem solving was during high school robotics.

This was profoundly meaningful to her because it not only sparked her interest in STEM, but it unleashed her courage to blaze a trail for other minorities. As a first-generation low income college student, Tammy valued the mentorship she received through robotics and is deeply passionate about mentoring first generation college students, high school robotics teams, and minorities in STEM.

Antonella is a Computer Science student pursuing a Bachelor of Science, an incoming Software Engineer at Microsoft, a former illustrator and apparel designer from Argentina and a content creator. Beyond being a Computer Science student, she also works part-time as a Research Assistant studying the experiences of minorities within computer science education in order to broaden participation in computer science to all. Passionate about the impact that technology has on society, she's an advocate for diversity within STEM, and for justice-oriented design practices within technology that no longer continue to discriminate against people based on their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or cultural background.

Hira is currently pursuing a Master of Engineering Science in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Western University’s Institute for Earth and Space Exploration. As the President and Co-Founder of the Zenith Canada Pathways Foundation, she has worked with her team to develop the Zenith Fellowship which provides internship and mentorship opportunities to students and young professionals from underrepresented groups across Canada. Hira is an alumni of the Brooke Owens Fellowship program in the US from the Class of 2020, and was the first Canadian selected for the program. She had the opportunity to intern in the Manufacturing and Test Engineering department at Planet in San Francisco, CA.

Hira strives to create inclusive opportunities for underrepresented students across Canada who are passionate about space. Hira was on the Board of Directors of SEDS-Canada from 2017-2020 in varying roles including the Events Chair and President, where she worked on increasing outreach across Canada.

Her current research focuses on machine learning applications for autonomous robotic systems on future space exploration missions. She is currently a Mitacs Intern with Mission Control Space Services where she is developing a deep learning algorithm for lunar regolith particle classification. She is also the ADCS specialist for the Western Ukpik-1 cube satellite mission which is a part of the Canadian CubeSat Project with the Canadian Space Agency.

Sarah Lappin (she/her) graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2021 with a First Class Bachelor’s of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science. As a 2021 Brooke Owens Fellow Sarah interned at Loft Orbital in France, having faced the issues that come with being an international in aerospace. Sarah continued at Loft Orbital following her internship and currently works from the San Francisco office as a Machine Learning Engineer. Previously, Sarah was a software engineer intern at Pixalytics Ltd through the UK Space Agency funded Space Placement in Industry (SPIN) program.

With a passion for creating community and as a passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), Sarah sat on the Edinburgh University Women in STEM Society committee for three years, the final year as president, co-founded a beginner-oriented hackathon, and co-authored two reports on DEI topics. In her professional career she continues to advocate for DEI in the workplace. Sarah is a passionate supporter of using technology for good and is excited about the impact she can have in the Aerospace industry.

Avani Gupta is from India. She was born in Uttar Pradesh and spent her childhood in Andhra Pradesh. Ever since she was a little girl, Avani took a zealous interest in anything related to airplanes and wanted to be an aerospace engineer when she grew up. She graduated high school from Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram, New Delhi in 2013 and started as an undergraduate aerospace engineering student at Georgia Tech in the fall of 2013. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering in December 2016 and her Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering in August 2019. During her time as a graduate student, she interned in France within the Modeling and Simulation Department of Safran, Paris-Saclay and worked on the computational simulation of turbomachinery components, specifically axial compressors. She continued her research on the computational modeling of ice accretion, under the guidance of Dr. Lakshmi N. Sankar at Georgia Tech in collaboration with the US Army and NASA Glenn, for her doctoral studies and received her Doctorate in Aerospace Engineering in December 2021. She currently works as an aerodynamics engineer at the Turbomachinery Department at Linde Inc. in Tonawanda, NY.

Simran is a rising senior at The University of Alabama majoring in Aerospace Engineering and minoring in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics. She is a 2022 Brooke Owens Fellow interning at Planet in the Spacecraft Qualification and Systems Engineering teams. Previously, she worked at Wisk Aero, an eVTOL company designing the tilt rotor mechanism as a 2021 Zed Factor Fellow. She has been a part of Alabama Rocketry Association for 3 years and led the Spaceport America Cup team last year as the Project Manager. This year, she will be leading the entire team as the President. Being an international student in aerospace, and a minority in the Nepali aerospace industry, she is extremely passionate about building communities, uplifting, and empowering minorities, and DEI. She serves as a DEI Co-chair for Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics and founded WoAA chapter in Nepal to advocate for female representation in Nepali STEM fields.

Caroline is a Ph.D. Candidate and NSF GRFP Fellow at Columbia University in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, where she studies how climate change is leading to larger forest fires in the western United States, using remote sensing and big datasets. She is motivated by her passion to increase access to opportunities in STEM and dedicates her free time to mentoring students and volunteering for outreach and diversity initiatives in the aerospace and Earth science communities. She leads the Brooke Owens Fellowship as part of the Executive Team, a nonprofit program that matches young women and other gender minority undergraduate students with competitive aerospace company internships and mentorship annually. She is also a Steering Committee member of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Geosciences (AAPIiG), and co-founded SpaceInterns.org (a platform for aerospace-related resources and an opportunities database). She received her Bachelors of Arts in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University.

As a South Korean international student and a queer person, Judy is passionate about providing support to underrepresented minorities in Aerospace. 

They serve as the chair of the International Women of Aeronautics & Astronautics (WoAA), which is a committee of AIAA the largest professional aerospace organisation in the world.  Judy (She/They) is an aerospace engineering Master's student at Virginia Tech researching plasma-material interaction. 

Prior to their graduate studies, they were a System Performance Engineer at Cummins and an astrodynamics intern at Morpheus Space. They graduated from Purdue University with Bachelor’s degrees in both aeronautical and astronautical engineering and mathematics. Judy was a 2021 AIAA Diversity Scholar and a 2022 Zed Factor Fellow.  

Outside of Aerospace, Judy accepts art commissions as a freelance artist and enjoys weightlifting.

Sophie is 21 years old and has been working in the hospitality industry since age 14. She started at McDonalds and made her way to some of the top restaurants in the world including 3 Michelin star restaurant 'Restaurante Azurmendi' in Spain, 3 Michelin star restaurant 'The Fat Duck' in the UK and 2 Michelin Star restaurant 'Gaggan Anand Restaurant' in Thailand. I talk to Sophie about wellness in Michelin starred kitchens and what we can do to communicate more compassionately in our workplaces.

Lorena is a founder, community leader, Keynote Speaker, Forbes Fellow and passionately supports those changing the world for the better.

As a CEO with clients located across the world, current Harvard Graduate Student focusing on Corporate Sustainability, and former participant in Microsoft for Startup Accelerator partner programs, she shares her POV, opinion and lessons learned on social media when it comes to Corporate Sustainability in science, tech, healthcare and finance. She’s currently obsessed with Sustainable Finance & the role it will play in our collective sustainable development journey.

Lorena is your typical multi-passionate optimistic friend & Boardroom Activist who believes in holding companies accountable while addressing Corporate Sustainability problems at their root. You can find her bouldering at a gym or exploring the beautiful PNW when she’s not in digital boardrooms supporting Science & Tech executives implement & drive organizational change management to aid in their company’s transition to a socially responsible organization.

Instagram: @girlchangetheworld

Twitter: @lorenasoriano__

TikTok: @girlchangetheworld

Sophia joined Blue Origin on April 1st, 2019 as a BE-4 engine Test Operations Engineer in Van Horn, TX before transitioning to BE-4 Propulsion Test Manager in 2021. Recently, she moved to Seattle and joined the BE-3U engine team as a Customer Engineer supporting engine coordination efforts with launch vehicles.

In 2018 Sophia graduated from Johns Hopkins University with dual degrees in Physics and Applied Mathematics.  She received the 2018 Brooke Owens Fellowship with summer internship placement on the Sales, Marketing, and Customer Experience team at Blue. She has previously interned at NASA HQ in the ISS Division, at SpaceX with Crew and Mission Management, and at the Space Telescope Science Institute performing Hubble instrumentation research.

Jeanette Quinlan is Senior Program Manager at SpaceLink Corporation, a company building a satellite relay system that provides continuous, high- capacity communications for spacecraft on orbit. In this role, she oversees all of SpaceLink’s NASA and Civil government program activity, working closely with the SpaceLink team of engineers, managers, executives, and industry partners.  She founded the Bay Area Women in Space and Aerospace, a quarterly speaker series promoting diversity and creating opportunities for women in the Aerospace industry to build their professional networks. 

Jeanette has 17 years experience in the space industry, with roles as Engineer, Director, Consultant, Startup Advisor, and Program Manager.  Prior to joining SpaceLink, Jeanette was the Director of Space Systems at Akash Systems, a startup developing a new material, GaN-on-Diamond, for Aerospace applications. Before joining Akash, she managed the U.S. operations of Starburst Aerospace Accelerator, connecting traditional aerospace prime contractors with startups. Jeanette spent the first 11 years of her career as a Thermal Engineer in the satellite industry. Over that period of time she worked at OneWeb, Space Systems Loral (now Maxar), and ITT (now L3Harris).  Jeanette has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.  

Jeanette lives in San Francisco, California with her husband, 1.5 year old son, and cat.

Karina Perez is the Director for Unmanned and Emerging Aviation Technologies at the Aerospace Industries Association. In this role, she works with AIA’s members regarding Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Urban Mobility, and Spectrum, among other areas, and works to find industry consensus on complex issues facing the aviation industry.

Karina is also the Co-Founder of Zed Factor Fellowship, an organization focused on providing internships to underrepresented communities in the aerospace industry.

In 2021, Karina was recognized by WIA with the Initiative, Inspiration, Impact Award for her bold advocacy for women and underrepresented communities in the aerospace industry while building consensus among policymakers and industry to enable the next generation of flight.

As a multicultural and queer woman of colour, Shireen is passionate about leading and supporting sustainable improvements of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in STEM. She is currently a DEI chair for Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics under AIAA the world’s largest Aerospace professional organization, and has held leadership positions at the Society of Women Engineers at Georgia Tech.

Shireen is currently working at Boeing’s subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences as a Systems Engineer on electric and autonomous aircraft programs. Shireen’s breadth of STEM experiences range from space debris mitigation and policy, to collaborations with the European Space Agency on bioastronautics and with the FAA and NASA on MBSE-enabled certification streamlining for noise and electric propulsion.

Shireen obtained her Masters in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech in the United States, and her Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. Today, she continues to work towards normalising a safe and welcoming industry-wide culture that empowers minorities to reach their full potential.

Hi! My name is Rikhi and you are listening to The Leadership, Equity and Wellness pod. Welcome to Season 2.

This season shares conversations that were recorded a year after the episodes from Season 1. Since then my understanding of leadership, equity and wellness for minorities across various industries has evolved so much as has my understanding of recording, editing and sharing podcast episodes with the world.

I am so honored to have your time every Friday as new episodes release and it is my hope that together we grow through each episode and push ourselves to renew our commitment to taking care of ourselves first.  Thank you so much for tuning in.

Kim serves as the Executive Director of the Space Prize Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to empowering young gender minorities to participate in the growing space economy. She began her career managing community relations for start-ups in working on a range of projects including space situational awareness and private spaceflight. She has had the privilege of representing these companies at international events including the UN World Space Forum. Throughout her career she has made a concerted effort to advocate for marginalised communities and create pathways for non-traditional actors to engage in the growing space economy.

She is also passionate about diversifying and democratising the space industry. She advocates for the development of the space economy through her role as the Chair of the Space Frontier Foundation. Since taking on the position she launched ambitious initiatives cantered around Climate Change, Diversity & Inclusion, and STEM.

Cassie Lee leads Climate Intelligence at Lockheed Martin. She previously managed the Advanced Programs Climate Intelligence, Weather and Earth Science team there.

In addition to her role at Lockheed Martin, Lee is Chair of the Board of Directors for PLACE, a non-profit technology organization established to build and maintain data infrastructure to help improve lives, strengthen public services and better care for the environment. She also serves as a Strategic Advisor to Bye Aerospace, a world leader and innovator of electric and solar-electric aircraft.

Lee is active in supporting gender minorities in space and aviation. She is the co-founder of the Brooke Owens Fellowship, a program designed to elevate extraordinary undergraduate gender minorities in aerospace. This award-winning Fellowship model has two spin-off programs in the United States and one in Canada.  Lee has been part of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Space4Women Network since its inception, serving as a Mentor and as part of the cohort of space industry leaders committed to promoting gender equality and empowerment for women and girls in the space sector around the world.

Lee’s previous positions include Chief Operating Officer of Earthrise Alliance and Head of Space Programs at Vulcan Inc, a Paul G. Allen company.  In these roles, she led the development of innovative space solutions and technology applications in support of impact-focused programs such as addressing climate change, ending illegal fishing, protecting coral reefs, and using data to save species at risk of extinction.

Lee is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, where she designed and taught a graduate course in Aerospace Engineering Sciences, and the University of Iowa. She began her career as a propulsion engineer for NASA and has held a variety of roles in human spaceflight with Sierra Nevada Corporation and led media and public relations at SpaceX.

Manasa Srinivas is the Head and Manager of Systems Safety & Reliability Engineering at Wisk. Prior to joining Wisk, Manasa was a technical project manager and a systems safety and reliability engineer at Collins Aerospace, formerly known as Rockwell Collins. Manasa also spent a year at Intel. She earned a Masters in Electrical Engineering from San Francisco State University and a Masters in Program Management from Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

Her passion for knowledge has led her to gain several certifications, most recently a certification in leadership and management from Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business. During her free time she enjoys reading non-fiction and participating in events geared towards supporting Women in STEM. She is a member of the Women of Electric Vehicles - Bay Area Chapter and the Wisk Women’s group to support and encourage women in technology

Dr. Tanya Harrison is a Mars expert who worked as a geoscientist and mission operations specialist on multiple NASA Mars missions over the past 13 years, including the Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance rovers, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. She has served as the Director of Research for Arizona State University’s NewSpace Initiative, and currently works as the Director of Science Strategy for the federal arm of the Earth observing satellite company Planet Labs.

She serves on the Board of Advisors for Explore Mars and Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS), and the Board of Governors for the National Space Society. She is also a co-founder of the Zed Factor Fellowship. Her honours include two NASA Group Achievement Awards, the Amelia Earhart Fellowship and the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Canada’s most prestigious doctoral award. She was also named one of Via Satellite’s Young People to Watch of 2018, and a Future Space Leader in 2019.

Dr. Harrison has been featured on the National Geographic, The Weather Channel, BBC, Slate, Canada’s The Globe and Mail, the Houston Chronicle, and Astronomy magazine. Her first non-academic book, For All Humankind (2019, Mango Publishing) made the #1 release on Amazon’s Aeronautics and Astronautics book list. You can find her prolifically tweeting about the Red Planet―and her experiences with both #WomenInSTEM and #DisabledInSTEM―as @tanyaofmars.

Pavi is a PhD Scholar at the DLR (German Aerospace Center), where she works on AI-based concepts for satellite collision avoidance. She has held internships at HyperSciences (US) and the Institute of Space Systems, TU Braunschweig (Germany). She has also spent a semester abroad at the University of Bristol (UK). Pavi is passionate about solo-traveling, Space Situational Awareness (SSA), refugee-aid, and talking to strangers.

Black Engineer of the Year 2021 Legacy Award Winner, Sydney Hamilton, has been featured on CBS’ Mission Unstoppable, in Marie Claire Magazine, on NPR’s Wow in the World and across The Boeing Company for her innovative contributions to the aerospace industry. She is an IF/THEN Ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to inspire youth to pursue STEM fields.

Sydney is an Aerospace Structures Stress Manager at Boeing in Long Beach, CA. She founded Boeing Generations 2 Generations SoCal employee resource group dedicated to improving workplace culture across the company’s rich, multi-generational talent pool. Sydney received dual degrees in Mathematics and Aerospace Engineering from Spelman College and the University of Michigan, respectively.

Vanessa, is a first-generation Filipino-American Transportation Engineer. She started her college career at her local Community College and later transferred to San Diego State University where she received her B.S. in Civil Engineering. Outside of work, she is heavily involved with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and volunteers in events that help promote gender-minorities pursuing engineering and entry level engineers improving on their professional development skills.

Joan is a Mission Integration Systems Engineer at NASA for the Launch Services Program working on all non-crewed and scientific missions. Her missions include the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), Europa Clipper, GOES-U and the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP).

Joan received a dual bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, and a master’s degree in Systems Engineering from Naval Postgraduate School. Prior to working for NASA, Joan worked for Blue Origin on the New Glenn rocket, and Naval Air Systems Command on jet engines, fuel systems, and biofuels research/qualification.

Connect with her and support her work here: https://beacons.ai/yourfemaleengineer/home

Christina serves as the Business Development and Marketing Officer at Space Forge, an in-space manufacturing company creating the world's first returnable and reusable satellite platform. She founded Scotland’s first Women in Space Conference and her blog, Miss Astronautica, where she speaks about space and lifestyle topics. Christina is a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Edinburgh.

Connect with her here: https://www.missastronautica.com/

Born and raised in El Salvador, Fernanda Sulantay is a first-generation Chemical Engineer, currently earning her Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Yale University. A mother of two, Fernanda also creates content for Instagram and TikTok and is an Etsy store owner @engineeringbaddies. Along with sharing her life as a mom student, she shares study tips, scholarship opportunities, motivation to study, and much more.

Connect with her here: https://www.instagram.com/fernsulantay/?hl=en

Support her work here: https://ko-fi.com/fernsulantay

Kat is the first Mexican-born woman to fly to space. She graduated from UCLA in 2019 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and is now pursuing her Masters in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. After her bachelors degree, she became a full-time engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and worked on missions such as the Perseverance Rover and Europa Clipper. Now alongside pursuing graduate school, she is also a science show co-host of the NETFLIX Youtube Series “Netflix IRL” where they debunk movie and show scenes using scientific experimentation.

Connect with Kat here: https://www.katechazarreta.com/

Follow her here: https://www.instagram.com/katvoltage/?hl=en

Support her work here: https://ko-fi.com/katechazarreta

Naia Butler-Craig is working toward her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering and is a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research fellow and GEM fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is the recipient of the 2020 Modern-Day Technology Leader Award and 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 award for her outstanding performance in STEM.

Naia has also built a large following online through her social media profiles and website. These outlets bring her advocacy work to life by offering a window into the life of a doctoral student.  In between her pressing academic schedule, Naia also works to advocate for diversity in STEAM disciplines. She engages in public speaking events, volunteers with STEAM organization, and virtually mentors students.

Connect with Naia: https://www.naiabutlercraig.com/

Bhavi is an Astrodynamics Engineer at Planet Labs, in San Francisco, California. She graduated with a Master's in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, from the Space Systems Design Lab, with a focus in orbital mechanics. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University with a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering, and minors in both Business and Aerospace Engineering. She has experience in spacecraft GNC, satellite orbit determination, control systems, systems engineering, structural analysis, and mechanical design through projects and internships. Her passions include advocacy for gender minorities and international students in the US aerospace industry. Outside of engineering, she enjoys hiking, painting, and playing with her puppy.

We discuss using hope as a tool during the job hunt and layering various mental health resources and in-person support systems.

Welcome to Season 1.

This season shares conversations that have been recorded through Instagram Live. I first began my series named Wellness Wednesdays for Minorities in STEM which evolved to Wellness Wednesdays for Leadership in December 2020. I gave myself permission then to be scrappy and start with whatever equipment, bandwidth and time I had and to make the best of it. As my bandwidth has now expanded, I am so eager to share these conversations in a more accessible manner. Through each recording and episode on Season 1, you will witness both my personal growth in my understanding of leadership, equity and wellness for minorities across various industries and their advice on the things that have helped them lead, take care of themselves and push for an equitable future. It is my hope that these episodes help you grow too and push you to renew your commitment to taking care of yourself first.  Thank you so much for tuning in.

This is Episode 1 with Emma Louden.

Emma M. Louden, is a founder, astrophysicist, and space entrepreneur who is committed to helping everyone find their place in space. As an astrophysics Ph.D. student at Yale University, Emma studies the geometry of exoplanetary systems. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in Astrophysical Sciences and minors in Astrobiology and Latin American Studies from Princeton University. Now as a second-year graduate student at Yale, Emma works at the intersection of academia and the space industry and is passionate about being a steward of the story of the relationship between space exploration and humanity.

Connect with Emma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exoplanet_emma/?hl=en

Resources - 

Passion Planners: https://passionplanner.com/collections/shop-all

Inner.U and the Handel Coaching Method: https://www.inneru.coach/

The Leadership, Equity and Wellness pod is a platform that shares the personal development and leadership learnings of minorities across industries who are leading fulfilling lives and building meaningful careers. It aims to equip the most marginalised in challenging environments with wellness tools, a network, and the knowledge to navigate unfamiliar waters. With this, it hopes to encourage a different perspective in a culture that wears burnout like a badge of success and give those who are overlooked and underestimated a fighting chance so they can not only overcome but also lead the way for a more equitable future. It is important to acknowledge that this work is personal and ultimately only goes so far as long as external systemic forces exist.