Welcome to The Meeting. This podcast is hosted by Luba Yudasina, a self-taught software engineer that has been working in the Tech industry for many years now. In this podcast, Luba interviews professionals across different industries and functions on the impacts of Coronavirus on their day-to-day lives. By creating a community, The Meeting encourages people to stay happy, motivated, and inspired, despite the crisis. 

Today’s guest is Akhil Reddy, a driven analytical professional with progressive experience in data analysis, statistical modeling, and quality assurance. Akhil transforms critical data into meaningful analytics to drive informed business decisions and enhanced alignment with powerful goals. Just as Luba, Akhil is convinced that data and science are the future.

In this episode, Luba interviews Akhil to chat about his career, and how he’s been affected by  COVID-19. A few years ago, Akhil worked in PayPal as a Data Engineer, and just recently, he had a full-time job at ZipRecruiter as a Data Analyst. Everything was going smoothly until March hit: He got fired from his job at Ziprecruiter without any previous notice (through a 2-minute group meeting), and his life took a 180-degree turn. However, within 3 weeks, he got 3 different job offers and started working at Autodesk as a senior data analyst, with an amazing 50% pay increase.

Thanks to the power of the internet and a positive mindset, Akhil took advantage of having finished a Data Science degree at UCLA to level-up his job opportunities. Listen to this full conversation and discover how Akhil used resume services for free and other free trials to elevate his knowledge while he was looking for his new job. It's amazing how, despite the lockdown, people are coming together and helping each other. As you finish listening, you will know how to show companies that you are a valuable piece in their puzzle. 

Key Takeaways: 

• March, 27th: Akhils' contingency/emergency plan to save money and try to not pay rent during April.
• Why Silicon Valley is still the perfect place to take your tech career to the next level. 
• How keywords and extra classes are a super powerful tool for recruiters to know that you are being proactive these days.
• Akhil’s experience in interviews with Facebook and the beauty of LinkedIn’s InMail credits.
• Rules to manage confidence as you receive higher level offers.
• Differences between being a data engineer, a data analyst, and a data scientist. 
• What makes Data Science the dream role for Akhil’s career.
• Machine Learning: a powerful vertical of data science. 

Resources

Data Science: Online Courses from Harvard, MIT, Microsoft | edX

What is SQL (Structured Query Language)?

Connect with Akhil on LinkedIn

Today’s guest is Daria Shapovalova, a talented and charismatic fashion figure who placed Ukraine on the map and was listed in the BOF 500, People “shaping in the global fashion industry”, and in 2019 in Forbes US 30Under30 (Arts & Culture). Daria began when she was only 19, and since then she has built herself a successful career with the ethos that there’s always something new to learn. 

In this episode, Luba interviews Daria on the fashion industry and what goes on behind the scenes, through the lens of an insider. They’ll both share their perspectives on the lock down, the current trends, and the future of the industry. From the recent disruption of the fashion industry, to the mind blowing concept of digital garments, and the introduction of a whole new clothing category, today’s conversation is filled with fascinating information. 

As COVID-19 has pushed people, businesses and entire industries to migrate to digital models and habits, retailers and designers are finding valuable opportunities to reach out to their consumers. Social media is more crucial than ever to stay relevant, not only for settled and successful brands, but for any entrepreneur eager to start their business in these times filled with hidden opportunities. Listen to this rich conversation and discover how one of the most polluting industries in the world is making efforts to transform into a more sustainable and ethical one. Learn how you can vote with your money and how you can support brands that are fighting to break the old rules of the fashion world.

Key Takeaways: 

• The hidden opportunities of living in quarantine and why “normal” life will never be back.
• Online only: The digitalization and the remote communications for business, personal relationships and leisure activities.
• How Daria takes an active part in the fashion disruption.
• The power of storytelling, Daria’s vision and the future of the fashion industry.
• The concept of digital fashion and how it could impact our society.
• How fashion is transforming into a sustainable and ethical industry.
• Vote with your money: on-demand fashion vs local producing.
• Embracing beauty and welcoming innovation: what tech and fashion can learn from each other
• How TikTok could take over the business world.

Resources

Ganni

Net Sustain

KSENIASCHNAIDER

Reformation

Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas

Business Insider Hermès Article

Follow Daria on Instagram

Follow Luba on Instagram

Connect with Luba on...

Today’s guest is Anna Kostikova, a passionate data science leader, director of analytics and bioinformatics at Novartis. Anna got started in data science before it became the “sexy” field that it is today and has built a brilliant career, starting from academia and transitioning into machine learning in the medical field. Luba and Anna share a deep love for tech and believe data science brings us closer to the future.

In this episode, Luba interviews Anna to chat about her career and her labor as a data scientist during COVID-19 and the world prior to it. Despite the health crisis’s impact in our lives, it has managed to switch the pharmaceutical industry from a competitive mindset into a collaborative one to reach a common goal. From Coronavirus drug research to the development of a much needed vaccine, Anna will guide us through the incredible process of the machine learning that leads to medical treatments. 

Technology is shaping the medical field, and Anna happens to be a pioneer of this movement. Listen now to discover insightful information on the latest technological advances to face COVID-19 and how data helps patients and businesses. Her charisma and contagious passion make this episode a jewel you can’t miss. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Her predictions for COVID’s development and cure.
• Develop and discover: The possibility of a safe and effective vaccine within a year. 
• How machine learning and data science benefits the medical field.
• How molecular information feeds machine learning to determine medical treatments.
• Working in tech as an innovation leader vs. working at a traditional tech industry.
• How she transitioned from academia to data science (and fell in love with it).
• The future verticals of data science: is machine learning really the future?
• On women's leadership: how she built her career in a male predominant industry.
• The importance of emotional intelligence and empathy as a leader.

Resources

Kaggle

Connect with Anna on LinkedIn 

Follow Luba on Instagram

Connect with Luba on LinkedIn

This show is being produced by StudioPod, a full-service podcast company based in San Francisco. If you want more details on how to fully record and produce your podcast with our services, you can reach us at http://studiopodsf.com, send us an email at info@studiopodsf.com or contact us through our social media channels as @studiopodsf.