A few months ago, I had a dream. No. Really. I had a dream that there was a podcast about being a parent in tech. I woke up and thought, wow. That would be awesome but quickly also told myself that it was an impossibility. I have enough trouble balancing being a parent, my career, conference speaking, volunteering, etc. already. I tried my hardest to put it out of my mind but every time I mentioned it to someone they talked about how interesting it would be and how helpful. I found myself spending moments of free time thinking more and more about the idea. Who could talk on it? What sorts of topics would we cover? What sort of an impact would it have on companies and the tech community at large?
Eventually I decided it was time to make the idea a reality and so it's finally coming to fruition. Parent Driven Development will launch sometime in January and will start by releasing one episode a month (although we're excited to increase the frequency of that schedule if our audience wants more!). The goal is to talk about all sorts of parenting related issues, focused on both children and parents. For example, how do we practice self care as developers and parents? How do we continue learning and stay on pace with peers? We'll also cover additional topics like the importance of parental leave and supporting parents as they return to work. And finally, tougher issues like internet privacy and children, handling difficult situations at work, how to talk about race and gender identity with children, and more. I'm excited that we'll have a diverse panel of folks from all different backgrounds and children of different ages. This podcast will not just be for parents.
Since I've spoken more publicly about my triumphs and struggles related to being a parent in tech and bringing my child to conferences, I've had tons of people approach me. Some ask what it's like to use conference childcare, others say it's nice to know when they have children that they don't have to drop out of the tech world or pick a different career. I've heard dozens of stories about the successes and failures from parents themselves or about the companies they work for. I'm hoping this podcast will bring visibility and an awesome support network for parents in tech, as well as be a valuable source of information for managers, hr representatives, and colleagues looking to support their peers.
Stay tuned for updates as we get our website up and plan for the release of our first episode.
If you or your company is interested in sponsoring or contributing to this project, please let me know by emailing me.
