She Leads with Carly – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Resilience, Leadership, and Redefining Success with Farnaz Azmoodeh, CTO of Linktree.

In this episode of She Leads, Carly sits down with Farnaz Azmoodeh, the Chief Technology Officer of Linktree. Farnaz shares her remarkable journey, from growing up in Iran to becoming a leader in the tech industry. Her story highlights resilience, adaptability, and the transformative power of diverse leadership.

Join us as Farnaz reflects on her childhood, her passion for engineering, and her transition from technical roles to executive leadership. She also shares valuable insights into building a supportive work culture, fostering effective collaboration, and navigating challenges with a positive, gamified mindset.

Whether you’re an aspiring leader, a tech enthusiast, or simply looking for inspiration, this episode is packed with wisdom, vulnerability, and practical advice.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:52 – Introduction
• 02:03 – Farnaz's Early Life and Childhood in Iran
• 05:44 – Academic Journey and Introduction to Coding
• 08:53 – University Experience and Gender Dynamics in Engineering
• 12:18 – Transition to the United States and Cultural Adaptation
• 15:29 – Entering the Tech Industry and Joining Google
• 17:24 – Career Growth and Leadership at Google and Snap
• 23:09 – Reflecting on Tough Times and Resilience
• 25:50 – The Concept of Wartime Leadership
• 26:35 – "Bull in a China Shop": A Unique Leadership Style
• 28:12 – Building Relationships with Kindness
• 29:18 – Transitioning from Engineer to CTO
• 31:09 – Joining Linktree: A New Adventure
• 37:18 – Navigating Challenges with a Gamified Mindset
• 39:03 – Addressing Gender Disparities in Tech
• 42:09 – Redefining Success and Embracing Struggle
• 45:50 – The Art of Loving and Caring

Key Takeaways:

• How resilience shaped Farnaz’s journey from Iran to the U.S.
• The importance of adaptability in career transitions.
• Building strong work cultures and effective executive relationships.
• Addressing gender disparities and fostering diverse leadership styles.
• The evolving definition of success and finding joy in challenges.

Tune in to hear Farnaz’s inspiring story and her advice for aspiring leaders navigating their own unique journeys.

🎙️ Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | She Leads website

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, and many more.

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Ossa is the President of Aurora – a public company that provides self-driving technology for safe, accessible, and efficient transportation - with a market cap of ~ $9 billion dollars.

Prior to Aurora, Ossa spent over twenty years at innovative technology companies in high-growth industries, serving in both strategic and operational functions. Most recently, she served as president & COO of Istation, a leading education technology provider serving millions of students across the United States. Prior to Istation, Ossa served as senior vice president of strategy and analytics at the dominant dating company Match Group, known for such brands as match.com and Tinder. In addition, she spent almost a decade at global consulting firm Bain & Co, ultimately serving as a partner in the technology, media, and telecom practice. She began her career as an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs. 

Ossa also serves on the board of directors for Instructure, a public edtech company serving over 30 million users, and Hometown Ticketing, a digital ticketing company.

Ossa is a member of the Yale Alumni Association Board of Governors and has a bachelor’s in economics from Yale University, an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a master’s in education from Stanford Graduate School of Education.  She holds both Swedish and American citizenship and is fluent in both Swedish and English. She is also married with two teenage daughters.

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn and many more.

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In Today's Episode with Ossa Fisher We Discuss:
1. Ossa's Upbringing and Passion for School
2. Early Professional Years at Goldman Sachs 
3. Choosing To Go To Stanford Business Schools + Masters In Education
4. Joining Consulting at Bain for 10+ years 
5. Decision-Making Formula: Will I Regret It in the Future?
6. Self-Advocacy at Bain
7. The Biological Clock Women Face
8. Lessons in Transitions from IC to Manager
9. Choosing to join Match Group 
10. Goal-Setting 
11. Transitions into C-Suite Executive + Navigating Restlessness
12. Joining Aurora and Leading A $10Bn Company 
13. Honing the Craft of Influence

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Audrey is the Founder and CEO of Curious Cardinals, an edtech company committed to empowering K-12 students to discover and pursue their passions with the guidance of college mentors.

Audrey started Curious Cardinals as a freshman at Stanford University, where she was pursuing a Bachelors degree in History. Just one year later, the COVID pandemic hit and Audrey ultimately decided to take a leave of absence from Stanford to pursue Curious Cardinals full time. Today, Curious Cardinals is a global community of over 500 top college students mentoring kids across the globe.

Audrey has spoken on CNN, the Today Show and in Forbes to share her vision to create a community of lifelong learners and doers. She was also recognized in the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Education and Youngest category.

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn and many more.

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Show Notes:

1. Welcome to She Leads
2. Audrey's Upbringing in NY
3. Audrey as a Child - being her own CEO
4. Going to Stanford with a 10-year Plan
5. The Impact of COVID
6. Founding Story of Curious Cardinals 
7. Power of Project-Based Learning and Mentorship in Education
8. Fundraising for Curious Cardinals and Lessons Along the Way
9. The Role of AI in Education Today
10. The Power of Resilience and Continuous Learning

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#SheLeads in Law Enforcement! After years as an Award-Winning veteran SWAT officer, undercover detective and decorated US Air Force Desert Storm veteran, Lisa turned her focus to writing and became a reinvention coach. Lisa is used to being the only female in the room, especially during her time as a police officer and in the Air Force. Her early childhood and early relationships have taught her a multitude of lessons that she has carried with her throughout her career, whether it is in the police force, as a TV Crime Analyst, or as a reinvention coach. Key: Embrace a “Next, And” mentality, Use your Past to Motivate you, Not Diminish You. 

Leslie unpacks her book, “Pretty Good Advice” as she shares the lessons she’s learned throughout her career - from making Big Macs at McDonalds, to dropping out of university (or leaving and never returning as she likes to think of it), to then creating the most amazing, powerful beauty brand built on community, humor and creativity -- eventually taking bareMinerals public in one of the largest cosmetic IPOs when it was acquired for $1.8 billion dollars.  

Out of the 97 pieces of advice in Leslie’s book, here are a few that I love that Leslie unpacks more: desperation breeds creativity if you allow it to, use your fears and anxieties as fuel to pursue your passions, and one of my favorites: luck is just another form of optimism. Start believing you’re lucky and you’ll be surprised how this new outlook changes your outcome.

Please please do yourself a favor and read Pretty Good Advice if you haven’t already! It’s one of the most refreshing and genuine books out there and not only do you get to know Leslie as a person and leader, but you learn actionable tips to use in your personal and professional life. 

If you're enjoying SheLeads, please drop us a review! 

As the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Platform, Trailhead & Developers at Salesforce, Sarah specializes in bringing emerging technologies and trends into the market, and she shares her passion for helping people develop the skills needed to obtain their dream jobs. Sarah chats about the importance of female role models, embracing our natural empathetic instincts as a woman, and removing fear from decision-making in order to lean into our passion and purpose.

Becc Holland shares her passion for helping others, and most of all her excitement for the recent launch of Flip the Script, which provides an in-depth analysis of successful strategies for sales. From the lessons she’s learned transitioning from college to the workforce, to dealing with failure as a saleswoman, to always holding a high standard for yourself, Becc has so many valuable lessons for everyone. 

Enjoy!  

For years, Maggie Ntim has worked passionately with soccer players and athletes on and off the field. She shares her motivation to fight for what she believes in, and the key values she shares with the players she works with. She continues to break the glass ceiling by being the first African American female soccer agent who continues to fight for female athletes. As a successful female agent in the sports world, Maggie has overcome numerous obstacles and has so many lessons for everyone. Key Lesson: a “No” is just a maybe. 

 When people express doubts: In Maggie’s mind, “It’s possible … so, when they tell me that, I just laugh.” 

Enjoy the newest #SheLeads! 

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After being a nurse practitioner for 28 years, Angie and her husband Dan decided to start popping popcorn at local spots around the community --- Angie’s BoomChickaPop began as a local hit, and soon became a national sensation. Angie shares her experiences as an entrepreneur, and offers valuable insight on the importance of teamwork and grit when starting your own successful business. She also provides some tangible advice and common traps for new entrepreneurs to avoid. Enjoy!

Before becoming the Senior VP of Engineering at Under Armour, Ann Funai shares her passion for being “glue that brought things together,” at IBM, People Admin and now Under Armour. Ann provides insightful tips on taking risks, and shares the difficult transition she made leaving IBM after 20+ years, but concludes: “It’s the best thing I could have done for myself.” From being a female in the technological workforce, to being yourself and overcoming self doubt, Ann shares so many lessons for everyone.