I’m a cultural historian of gender and computer science turned site reliability engineer and aspiring Chief Joy Officer. In my life I’ve also done a bit of teaching and dabbled in communications.
I think eXtreme programming is the cat’s pajamas, site reliability engineering is endlessly fascinating, and teamwork is the most exciting part of any job.
I’m interested in companies with whom I share a common purpose, whose leaders champion openness, accountability, belonging, and problem solving.
To get know me a bit more, check out my posts on:
This is the sweet spot for me, where I get my purpose. I like technical problem solving, I always will, but I love questions of culture and team dynamics. Effective communication is what makes good software development possible.
I became a software developer to unlearn the stereotypes about women in STEM I’d internalised growing up. Now that I’m here, I want to be a part of organisations that centre diversity, inclusivity, equity, anti-racism, and belonging.
For me, these are the core elements of a high performing team, one that’s grounded in joy, resilience, and the ability to take interpersonal risk. They’re also a lot of fun.
Over time this is what I’ve realised brings me true joy at work: supporting someone’s self-discovery, growth, and self-defined success. Seeing the potential in every person and working to bring out the best in each other.
I’m a joyful person, I can’t really help it. I learned to be joyful after a near fatal car crash in my twenties. I think tough times encourage us to dig deep, and when I dug I found joy.
From action-focused to organic discussions I love facilitating group gatherings. I typically run a tight ship, no longer than 30 minutes, but also appreciate the importance and value of in-depth, mediated conversations.
I love this part of my job: communicating complex ideas to an audience, making the inaccessible accessible. I draw visuals and build analogies. My favourite was the CentOS 7 Line: a tube map visual guide to our progress upgrading OS versions.
The freest I’ve ever felt is in front of a group, teaching or speaking on what I’m passionate about. It feels like I’m flying.
I enjoy SRE puzzles. I like the emphasis on the end user experience, and building infrastructure with that as the foundation. I also appreciate the complexity, though it can drive me up the wall.
For me, eXtreme Programming (XP) encourages agency, mastery, and purpose in a team. It’s not fit for every team or organisation, it’s one tool out of many…but it’s my favourite tool.
I firmly believe in the power of vulnerability to create social bonds of trust. I value and practice empathy and active listening (it’s a muscle, you gotta practice). Every interaction is a chance to be part of someone reaching towards the best version of themselves.
I’m a problem solver at heart. Even as cultural historian I got a thrill from contemplative analysis. I then got hooked on the exhilaration of solving things in code. My favourite part is breaking problems down into smaller pieces and experimenting with solutions.
I’m a bit shy about this feedback because I think it speaks to the caliber of the people I’ve had the privilege to work with. What I do find is that my intuition on a technical direction is often correct, despite my internal critic. Perhaps I should trust myself more.
One of my favourite quotes is “seek first to understand, then to be understood”. I ask a lot of questions, perhaps it comes from my training as a historian.
I have a funny laugh. It’s hard to describe. I squeak.