Community of Women breaking stereotypes in STEM and beyond. Join the movement Hi, my name is Masha! Interested in working together?
I'm an entrepreneur, speaker, content creator, ex-Googler and an advocate for women in the workplace. It’s very nice to e-meet you 🙂
I create content that combines my passion for career development, social psychology and driving female impact and innovation in tech. Helping you grow your career, advocate for yourself, build your confidence and negotiation muscles - all while taking a mindful appr
oach to life. I'm on a mission to drive female impact and innovation in tech by giving them the tools to transform the work culture to meet their needs and life choices. https://www.stereotypebreakers.com/work-with-us
Let’s talk about non promotable work (yes again!) because it’s important to be able to recognize it and filter it out of your to-to list (in an ideal world)
Do any of your projects align with these characteristics?
Sharing some examples in the comments!
SOCIAL MEDIA ISN’T REAL - I had to jump on this trend. Can you relate to any of these?
We often overlook a problem until we hear individual stories. Stories are powerful because they add color and emotions, helping us empathize with the humans behind them - as opposed to statistics.
So here are 6 human stories of incredible mothers who have experienced discrimination after they came back from leave. All 6 have been shared with me over dms - and all of them have expressed consent for me to share these anonymously.
Ladies, thank you so much for sharing your stories ❤️
👇 Here’s the truth:
You already have a personal brand at work and it’s either working for you or against you.
And no, a personal brand doesn’t require posting on social media. It means communicating your value through the RIGHT channels that will help achieve your career goals.
Comment below with what you think is the most important factor in one’s personal brand out of the 3 elements we’ve discussed: Performance, Image & Exposure
Can we stop making the word “selfish” an insult please? Being selfish is healthy and allows you to help others on a different level.
It’s time to cancel “selfless”.
Hoping this post reaches someone who needs it during the holiday season and family conversations ❤️
When your dog tolerates you, but you’re pushing it 😂
Have you ever created an influencer map? If yes, what project/goal was it for and how did it go?
Let’s talk about visibility. What is it, why it’s important and how to add it to your existing projects.
Comment below if you want more content on the topic and if you have any specific questions!
Let’s talk about non promotable work: what is it and how to recognize it.
Sharing examples in the comments!
What are you grateful for?
I’m grateful for this last year and the trip I got to go on with my loved ones in October. I was in the same place as the four people in this world whose calls will defy the permanently silent mode on my phone ❤️
So here’s a little photo dump from Turkey and Italy. Moments that will forever be imprinted in my memory ❤️
Who remembers Coding Blonde? If you’ve been following this account for a while, you may have witnessed multiple evolutions.
Well, we’ve finally reached the most sustainable of them all: I renamed it to my name 😉
Evolutions are normal: you evolve, I evolve - the world and culture evolves. While I loved Stereotype Breakers and was incredibly aligned with the mission, I felt constrained on what I could create and post.
When I did that rebrand, I was planning to make it a business with a voice of its own. A stand-alone entity that could live without me if needed. Well, I failed. It was a combination of a lack of vision, structure and my burnt out state. So I ended up running it as a personal page-ish, with me front and center… And that’s where I started to feel constricted.
This latest evolution will help me feel more free to be myself. Create better content and share more value ❤️
What has been your latest evolution? How did it feel?
Your performance won’t speak for itself, you need to advocate for it. Here’s how.
Hi. Hello. A lot of things happened since we last talked and I know there are some new faces here. So let’s re-introduce each other in our current evolutions in the following format:
1. Your name
2. What lights you up and motivates you like no other
3. What you love doing for fun
4. Your current role and biggest goal (whether professional or personal) for 2024
Please share yours in the comments and here’s my re-introduction. Can’t wait to re-meet you!
1. My name is Masha
2. I love guiding people to “aha” moments. Whether with reflection or education - nothing excites me more than seeing someone’s eyes when a light bulb goes off in their head
3. Hanging out with my family and friends, cuddling with my dog Granite, cooking new recipes and eating good food and, of course, traveling
4. I’m a Member Education Manager at HoneyBook and also a Career Growth Strategy Coach. My biggest goal for 2024 is to do a TED talk about growing your personal brand at work.
Your turn!
“Should we freak out?” - my brain asked me as my session was coming up.
“No, we’ve done this many times before. Yes, it’s been almost 4 years since you’ve faced a live, in-person audience, but that time in 2020 felt so good, let’s channel that experience” - I mentally replied.
I’ve done a ton of talks, workshops, events, etc. - but I haven’t done one in person since January 2020, only virtual ones. It’s almost been 4 years and for a second my mind wanted to spiral out of control with nerves.
Nerves are normal and they happen to everyone. You’re alive, you’re human and we can perceive public speaking as a threat, going into that fight or flight mode.
But you can outsmart that animalistic part of your brain by: breathing slowly and deeply, doing power poses before, being very present during the talk and not getting into your head (it can take conscious effort sometimes).
Finally, the most powerful of all is focusing on a precedent. Reminding yourself that you’ve done it successfully before and tuning into that feeling.
That’s exactly what I did. I reminded myself of the amazing feeling I had during that talk in January 2020 at a wonderful event in Mexico City organized by the incredible
I focused on how present I felt during that talk and how much I interacted with the audience. It felt so great to engage with them throughout my presentation. I wanted to channel that feeling and create the same experience.
I also controlled my breathing, power posed in a bathroom stall before the talk and consciously tried not to let my mind overthink anything, staying present. It was harder during the first session (I did 2 x 1hr back to back workshops), but got much easier for the second one.
Now I have that second session as a precedent to focus on for the next time. And I can’t wait.
Many of us struggle with confidence, especially when public speaking. So I wanted to share some behind the scenes from my personal experience, to demonstrate the power of focusing on a precedent ❤️
So I did the AI Yearbook thing and… it looks nothing like me? And these are the most alike photos out of 60. The only one that actually looks like me is n10 🤣
It feels weird trying to find similarities between you and this human template. Creates a cognitive dissonance.
I will say that seeing my results was also a little disturbing because of how unbelievably thin all of these are. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to recognize myself in them. I didn’t look like that in high school and I’m not upset about that, but the contrast between these AI projections and reality can make someone feel bad about themselves.
At some point I caught myself thinking: should I feel bad about that?
Anyway, AI is fun but also very flawed 🤷♀️
10 years since I graduated my undergraduate degree. Wow I’m old 😂😂
Who can understand photo #5? 😉
My mood board for this Friday ahead of a 3-day weekend 💆♀️ all I want to do is lounge surrounded by nature 🥰
What are your plans for this weekend? Do you get Monday off?
Mansplaining comebacks: adjust sassiness to taste and context 👩🍳
Do you have a favorite? And what are your go-to comebacks in this situation?
“Happiness is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them” - Steve Maraboli
I saw this quote not too long ago and it hit very deep. I used to think that life is a rollercoaster with highs and lows 🎢 which helped me get through the lows - because I knew it wasn’t forever.
Now, however, I think that’s our perception of life that changes. Something triggers either a positive outlook - or a negative one and our confirmation bias clings on to every positive or negative event that happens to prove our theory, ignoring or dismissing anything that proves it wrong.
While life just happens. Random variables we can and cannot control bring us both positive and negative news - we simply tend to focus more on one or the other.
So the question is, how do we trick ourselves to see the positives more? Or value them more even when it seems like everything is going wrong? Is that happiness?
Back to the quote.
The quote I’ve been searching for over that last few months: because it perfectly explains why some people are so resistant to equity in the workplace, it comes from a place of fear.
A place of scarcity and the fear that they’re not good enough. Sounds like a them problem, not an is problem. So remind yourself of this next time someone is giving you a hard time because you’re a woman or another minority. You are not the problem. Their fear is.
In the meantime I’m starting to explore Bluesky as a Twitter alternative - thank you for introducing me to it!
What’s your favorite part about spring? For me it’s watching nature come alive and blossom after a good, 3-months+ nap ☺️
Which reminds me of a post I saw today by someone saying that we don’t “earn” rest, we need it to function. Nature is a great example of that
Have you experienced burnout recovery? How did you create better habits and systems not to dive back into it again?
I was originally going to post these photos (I did a mini photo shoot with my phone timer in Vietnam because I felt pretty and put on a dress over my bikini) sharing my heart felt experience with burnout and burnout recovery in particular.
But Instagram was buggy and didn’t post it (and I trusted it too much and didn’t save the caption). Let’s hope it posts now because I really need to create better systems not to overwork myself again 😅😬
Vietnam photo dump (potentially one of many). What a beautiful country with delicious food and incredibly kind people!
That Friday feeling before a long trip 🥰 we’re going on our Covid-delayed honeymoon! How are you spending the weekend?
Happy International Women’s Day! I hope that same day next year we will see less panels and more action from companies to make the workplace a more equitable space for women
Real talk: how are you? What challenges are you dealing with and how are you lightening up your day to day life?
Maybe it’s part of growing up, but over the last year or so I’ve truly realized that happiness isn’t guaranteed. Life isn’t going to lead you on this beautiful, easy, stress-free path. Things will happen, life is t going to be easy. But it’s a choice to find happiness in between the lines. It’s a choice to lighten it up with things that bring you joy.
Easier said than done, but reminding yourself that it’s a choice and that you’re ultimately in control is so incredibly powerful.
Tag your work bestie to let them know how you feel
Resume tips that not many people are talking about ☝️ what have you tried? And what else would you add?
That feeling when you know you won’t have to respond to emails for the next two days 🙌
What are your plans for the weekend?
Share this with a friend who has been laid off.
The main message is: it’s not your fault. You are enough. The company has messed up. Take some time to process and regroup and then get back on it. You can do this.
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Are Executive Coaches worth the investment? I've interviewed Kelly Santos about her experience working with one: https://youtu.be/ICiFv1l1EPI
If you're thinking of changing careers and going into tech, make sure you watch this interview with Tiff in Tech https://youtu.be/KaM13PdJ2NQ #careerchange #careerintech #womenintech
Thinking about getting a job in the crypto space? Watch this interview with Sam from The Blockhead: https://youtu.be/7LgkDGBEyd4 #careerincrypto #crypto #blockchain #careerinblockchain #workinblockchain
Join our conversation with Mayuko on hustle culture, her go-to time management strategies and how she intentionally chooses which projects to work on: https://youtu.be/Jk8Dq4wwjT8 #timemanagement #hustleculture #intentionalliving
If you struggle with confidence when it comes to public speaking, watch this video: I will give you my go-to techniques and tips for speaking with confidence in meetings, presentations - and any other type of event https://youtu.be/r0x_lLkSIyw #confidencetips #careeradvice #career
How to successfully change careers with no background in the field - watch our interview with Mona Tiesler: https://youtu.be/YMEui7pk4gI #careerchange #changingcareers #careerintech
How to stop comparing yourself to others in the era of highlight reels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KojogfIQGQs #personalgrowth #success #careergrowth
Navigating your career growth is overwhelming, so let's talk about what factors and variables one should keep in mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPsBOoys_Ko #careergrowth #career #careerintech
Have you recently been promoted to a manager? Or are you hoping to be? If so, you might feel a little lost. Make sure you tune in to this week's interview with Emily Tsitrian who shares tips for first-time managers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFfjk2yViFI #firsttimemanager #leadershipskills
10 Life-changing books to add to your list in 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ieLMl_-hsQ #bookstoread #lifechangingbooks #booklover
How to Become a UX / UI Designer with No Experience Are you interested in breaking into User Experience and User Interface design? Then this video is for you - because I will be interviewing Chrys Li, who has over 20 years of experience in the digital industry and 15 years in UX design - about how one can get into it with no background in design or a degree in UX or UI. We will also cover the difference between UX and UI, talk about if it's for everyone - including who it’s not for, what skills you need for it, how much you can earn as a UX / UI designer, and the future of the careers in this field. Thank you, Coding Dojo, for sponsoring this video! Download a FREE course packet on from Coding Dojo's website: https://www.codingdojo.com/coding-bootcamp-community?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=jan2022-masha2-cpd Speak to a Coding Dojo Advisor: https://www.codingdojo.com/speak-to-advisor?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=jan2022-masha2-cs Sign-up for a FREE Virtual Open House: https://www.codingdojo.com/open-house?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=jan2022-masha2-oh Enroll in Coding Dojo's bootcamps: https://www.codingdojo.com/apply?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=jan2022-masha2-apply Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 04:09 - Interview start 04:30 - What is UX/UI? What's the difference? 06:05 - Do you need a degree to work in UX/UI? 08:02 - Who is a good fit for UX/UI? 10:25 - What skills should you build for UX/UI? 13:47 - UX/UI salaries 15:07 - Future of UX/UI careers 19:29 - Steps to starting a career in UX/UI 21:43 - Coding Dojo UX/UI Curriculum 25:00 - Career services at Coding Dojo
New Year's resolutions don't work. Here's what to do instead: https://youtu.be/0Tlw-WE9_yM #resolutions #newyearresolutions #resolutionsdontwork #habitcreation #healthyhabits
Figuring out where to take your career is a constant process - and I love Prasha's approach to it! Watch our interview here: https://youtu.be/ZIpPB5Ha0MQ #career #careerintech #careerinstem #womenintech #womeninstem
Optimize your skill-building process to learn new things faster: https://youtu.be/JNavIcK817s #skillbuilding #skillacquisition #learnnewskills #buildnewskills #careergrowth
The final vlog from me studying SANS SEC401 is live! Sharing my thoughts on the format + tips for a live online Bootcamp here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZeo_1L6n4Y&t #cybersecurity #careerincyber #bootcamp #virtualclassroom #careerincybersecurity
Curious to see what the Live Online Bootcamp format looks like? It's essentially a virtual classroom, here's my experience with it so far studying SEC401 by SANS Institute: https://youtu.be/r-Ka-sUipVU #cybersecurity #virtualclassroom #cybersecuritycourse #virtualbootcamp #careerincyber
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