Women in Data Podcast

What if being “professional” is actually costing you a part of yourself that could actually make you better at your job?

In this episode of the Women in Data® Podcast, Karen is joined by Izzy Becker, Manager at Kubrick Group, to explore what happens when we stop suppressing the parts of ourselves that don’t seem to fit the world of data and tech.

Izzy shares her journey from ballet dancer and figure skater to data and technology consultant, and how reconnecting with dance helped her rediscover vulnerability, creativity, joy and self-expression. But this wasn’t just a personal transformation. She found that embracing those parts of herself changed how she showed up professionally — making her more creative, more experimental and better able to think laterally and challenge the status quo.

Together, they explore the hidden cost of performing professionalism, why vulnerability can be a strength rather than a weakness, and how giving yourself permission to be your whole self can unlock confidence and new possibilities in your career.

You’ll hear about:

Why suppressing parts of yourself can leave you feeling disconnected and depleted

How authenticity and self-expression can strengthen creativity, problem-solving and innovation

Why you don’t need to fit a traditional idea of what a successful data professional looks like

How reconnecting with something that brings you joy can change the way you approach your career

Because sometimes, the part of yourself you’ve been leaving at the door isn’t a distraction from your career — it’s the part that can help you thrive in it.

Connect with Izzy on LinkedIn (Izzy Becker) and Instagram (@izzybecker__)

Halfway through the year feels like the perfect moment to pause, reflect, and ask: What have we learned?

Before taking their summer break, Karen and Cecilia look back at the conversations that have stayed with them most and the ideas that challenged their thinking throughout the first half of the year.

Together, they discuss:

Conversations that surprised them

Topics that guests kept bringing up

Learnings that stayed with them

They also give you a sneak peek at what's coming in September, including conversations on reconnecting with yourself at work and redefining career ambition.

Tune in for a quick catch-up and hear Cecilia’s and Karen’s take on the first half of the year on the podcast

What if changing direction didn't mean starting over?

So many of us believe our careers should follow a logical path. But what happens when the version of success you've worked so hard to build no longer feels aligned with who you are?

In this episode, Karen is joined by Christina Finlay, Global Head of Data and AI for Industrial Operations at Volvo Cars, whose career has taken her across continents, industries, and even into restaurant ownership before entering the world of data.

Together, they explore what it really means to reinvent your career without losing yourself. Christina shares 

how staying true to her values helped her navigate major career changes,

why transferable skills matter far more than we often realise

how every experience, even the ones that seem unrelated, can shape the leader you become.

They also discuss the emotional side of change: rebuilding confidence after setbacks, making difficult personal decisions, and learning that success isn't about following a straight line but creating a life that feels meaningful to you.

If you've ever questioned your next career move, wondered whether it's too late to change direction, or felt like you'd be starting from scratch, this conversation will remind you that every chapter of your career has prepared you for what's next.

Find out more about the Women in Data Nordic Chapter at womenindata.ai

This episode features an incredibly candid and tech-forward conversation with Rachel Kirkham, CTO of Mindbridge. Rachel shares her raw experience of returning to work after a six-month career break following a difficult birth, navigating the intense reality of "baby brain fog" and sleep deprivation while stepping right into an executive leadership role. Rather than viewing her time away as a permanent gap, Rachel treated her return as a "cognitive cold start" and leaned heavily into modern generative AI tools to rapidly close her knowledge gaps, manage her executive workflow, and get back to the cutting edge of tech.

In this episode of the Women in Data Podcast, Karen is joined by Marion Shaw to unpack one of the most uncomfortable — and least talked about — parts of career growth: office politics.

From aggressive stakeholders in meetings to hidden agendas and shifting power dynamics, Marion shares the lessons she learned navigating leadership at senior levels — including the mistakes she still makes today. Together, Karen and Marion explore what political capital actually is, how influence gets built inside organisations, and why understanding what the business is truly “betting on” can completely change your career trajectory.

They also dive into one of the most difficult leadership moments many managers face: protecting your team publicly while also protecting yourself professionally.

This episode explores:

How to navigate conflict and difficult stakeholder situations

When to speak up vs when to de-escalate

Why shutting down meetings is sometimes the best leadership move

How to separate noise from what really matters

The hidden dynamics influencing workplace behaviour

Why leadership means accepting that you’ll still get things wrong sometimes

If you’ve ever left a meeting replaying everything you should have said, this conversation will make you feel far less alone.

 

Find Marion on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marion-shaw-9068b08/

Register to the Women in Data Community for free: https://womenindata.co.uk/