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Meet Isabela Anselmo, a Brazilian electrical engineer who turned a childhood visit to a hydropower plant into a thriving career in power systems! 🌎⚡

In this episode, Isabela takes us through her incredible journey—from studying at one of Brazil's most prestigious universities (UFMG) to earning her master's at Florida Polytechnic University and now thriving as a senior power systems engineer in Minnesota.

What we cover:
🎓 The intense reality of engineering school in Brazil vs. the US
⚡ Why electrical engineering is one of the coolest (and most underrepresented) fields for women
🌍 How learning new languages opens unexpected doors
💼 Navigating career transitions across countries and cultures
💪 Real advice for surviving those brutal first semesters of engineering school
🚀 Why taking chances—even when you're uncertain—leads to amazing opportunities

Key Takeaway: Don't let the difficulty of engineering school discourage you. If you're passionate about it, you CAN do it! 💫
Isabela's story is proof that following your curiosity, staying adaptable, and taking bold chances can lead to an extraordinary career path. Whether you're considering electrical engineering, navigating a career transition, or just need some inspiration to keep pushing through tough times—this episode is for YOU!

🎙️ New episodes drop every other Tuesday!
👉 Follow, subscribe, and share with someone who needs to hear this!
💬 Let us know in the comments: What inspired YOUR STEM journey?

#WomenInSTEM #ElectricalEngineering #PowerSystems #EngineeringCareer #BrazilianWomen

✨ Let’s connect:

Website → https://unlocking-my-potential.com
Instagram → @unlockingmypotentialnt
TikTok → @unlockingmypotentialnt
Buzzsprout (Podcast) → https://unlockingmypotential.buzzsprout.com/
Discord → https://discord.gg/4FB86UUKwB
YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@UnlockingMyPotential
Linktree → https://linktr.ee/UnlockingMyPotential

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In this episode of Unlocking My Potential, we sit down with Isabel Zimmerman to hear how she accidentally stumbled into data science, boldly tweeted her way into her dream job, and learned that choosing discomfort is the secret to exponential growth in tech.

Isabel shares:
🔹 How she applied to 4 colleges with 4 completely different majors—from finance to biotech—before landing at Florida Poly
🔹 The Twitter DM that changed everything: how she landed her job at RStudio (now Posit) by reaching out directly to the founder
🔹 Her journey from scared student to software engineer, contributing to major open-source projects like Quarto
🔹 Why writing bugs and failing publicly might be your greatest career accelerator
🔹 The liberating truth about imposter syndrome: nobody knows what they're doing—not even your tech heroes
🔹 How she transitioned from playing it safe to actively seeking uncomfortable challenges that fuel growth

This episode is a must-listen for anyone battling imposter syndrome, considering a career pivot into tech, or needing permission to do it scared and choose growth over comfort.

#UnlockingMyPotential #WomenInSTEM #WomenInTech #DataScience #ImposterSyndrome #CareerPivot #OpenSource #WomenWhoCode

✨ Let’s connect:

Website → https://unlocking-my-potential.com
Instagram → @unlockingmypotentialnt
TikTok → @unlockingmypotentialnt
Buzzsprout (Podcast) → https://unlockingmypotential.buzzsprout.com/
Discord → https://discord.gg/4FB86UUKwB
YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@UnlockingMyPotential
Linktree → https://linktr.ee/UnlockingMyPotential

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🚀 What happens when a computer engineer decides to stop surviving and start thriving? Meet Radhika Paliwal—solutions engineering manager, real estate investor, author, and newsletter creator who's redefining what success looks like for women in STEM.

In this powerful episode, Radhika shares her journey from struggling with finances at a Fortune 500 company to owning three investment properties by age 24. She opens up about the pivotal moment she quit her corporate job with nothing lined up, flew to India to interview her grandparents, and discovered who she really was beyond the career ladder.

💡 You'll discover:

• How she went from zero knowledge to buying her first investment property in ONE year (without ever seeing it!) 🏠
• The real reason she walked away from Cisco to work at a 35-person startup
• Why personal finance should be as simple as "Step 1, Step 2, Step 3" 📚
• The unexpected way curiosity drove every major decision in her career
• What "slow down to speed up" really means for high achievers ⏸️

From her time as one of only 11 women in a class of 250 engineers to building a 6,000-subscriber newsletter on living intentionally, Radhika's story proves that the most interesting paths are rarely straight lines.

Whether you're considering a career pivot, curious about real estate investing, or simply tired of just "surviving adulthood," this conversation will inspire you to live deliberately—one decision, one goal, one step at a time.
📲 Connect with Radhika:

Newsletter: Intent https://radhika-paliwal.beehiiv.com/
Book: "From Ramen Noodles to Riches" https://a.co/d/iLj6erQ

#WomenInSTEM #WomenInTech #RealEstateInvesting #PersonalFinance #CareerPivot #EngineerLife #TechCareers #WomenEngineers #FinancialFreedom #CareerGrowth #SideHustle #WealthBuilding #STEMpodcast #WomenEmpowerment #TechLeadership #CareerAdvice #EntrepreneurMindset #IntentionalLiving #WomenInBusiness #PodcastLife

✨ Let’s connect:

Website → https://unlocking-my-potential.com
Instagram → @unlockingmypotentialnt
TikTok → @unlockingmypotentialnt
Buzzsprout (Podcast) → https://unlockingmypotential.buzzsprout.com/
Discord → https://discord.gg/4FB86UUKwB
YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@UnlockingMyPotential
Linktree → https://linktr.ee/UnlockingMyPotential