Podcast - Limor Bergman Gross

Welcome to ‘From a Woman to a Leader,’ a podcast dedicated to discussing women’s unique challenges in tech leadership and providing actionable tips to help overcome those challenges and grow your career in the tech industry.
In each episode, I will speak with successful women in tech who have navigated the industry and come out on top, sharing their stories, insights, and advice for other women looking to do the same.
Whether you’re just starting out in your tech career or a seasoned professional looking to take the next step, this podcast is for you.

In this episode, we sit down with Padma Lalwani, a seasoned technology leader with a diverse background and an inspiring approach to career growth. Padma shares how her experience of growing up in different parts of India shaped her appreciation for diversity and adaptability – qualities that have been instrumental to her success.

Padma candidly discusses her non-linear career path, moving between startups, mid-size, and large enterprises, and how embracing change and continuously learning new skills enabled her to take on increasingly impactful roles. She also reveals the leadership principles of ”autonomy and accountability” that have empowered the engineering teams she has led.

Whether you're an aspiring tech leader or simply curious about navigating a fulfilling career journey, Padma's insights offer valuable lessons on leveraging your unique experiences, maintaining a growth mindset, and cultivating high-performing, autonomous teams. Tune in to learn how Padma's blend of flexibility, drive, and people-centric leadership has allowed her to thrive in an ever-evolving industry.

About Padma:

Vice President of Engineering, Two Chairs

I am a Senior Software Engineering Executive with a record of bringing transformative business impact through successful customer outcomes.

I have led multiple 10-100+ person engineering organizations to build, ship, and monetize SaaS products across startups and enterprises like Emptoris, OpenGov, IBM, and Capital One.

As the company’s technology executive, I am passionate about building two-way clarity between business strategy and engineering execution to achieve directionally aligned results. I focus on organization scaling, technology transformation, and engineering craft maturity to foster an environment of hypergrowth with stability, scale, and speed.

I lead with the Why, enabling my teams to operate autonomously and be accountable for predictable, sustainable, and multiplicative product growth. I believe in an inclusive culture of respect and ownership where individuals can feel psychologically safe and bring their true, authentic selves to work and propel the business forward with thought diversity.

Follow Padma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/padma-lalwani-0721287/

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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/limor-bergman-gross/message

Embracing Change and Cultivating Autonomy with Padma Lalwani

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Embracing Change and Cultivating Autonomy with Padma Lalwani

04/23/2024

Limor Bergman Gross

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A Latina’s Journey from PR to Cybersecurity with Ariana Flores

In this inspiring episode, I sit down with Ariana Flores, a Latina woman who took a bold leap from her public relations background into cybersecurity. Prepare to be captivated as Ariana shares her unconventional path, breaking through barriers and defying stereotypes. You'll discover how Ariana taught herself SQL, and get her invaluable tips on gamifying the learning process to stay [...]

04/16/2024

Limor Bergman Gross

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The Ugly, The Bad, and The Good: A Conversation with Joya Joseph

In a candid and powerful conversation, trailblazing engineering leader Joya Joseph pulls no punches as she recounts the ugly discrimination, bad biases, and good self-belief she's experienced navigating the male-dominated field as a Black woman. From professors telling her she should be a janitor instead of an engineer to colleagues dismissing her ideas until a white male coworker repeated them [...]

04/09/2024

Limor Bergman Gross

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Shattering Silicon Barriers: Dr. Syreeta Bond on Overcoming the Glass Ceiling in Tech

When They Said the Job Was Too Big For Her Despite having all the right experience, Dr. Syreeta's manager blocked her from even interviewing for a promotion, telling her bluntly ”I don't think you can handle it.” In this candid interview, the boundary-breaking entrepreneur exposes the extra battles Black women face advancing in tech and corporate leadership. From condescending ”mansplaining” [...]

04/02/2024

Limor Bergman Gross

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Inclusive Hiring and Building Belonging: A Roadmap from Nidhi Gupta

In this insightful episode, we sit down with Nidhi Gupta, the founder of SheTO – a growing community accelerating women in engineering leadership roles. Nidhi shares the impactful story of what motivated her to start this crucial mission after realizing how few fellow women she knew in VP and CTO positions. We go behind the scenes of SheTO, exploring the [...]

03/26/2024

Limor Bergman Gross

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Building the Next Generation of Women in AI with Prati Shambhangoudar

In this episode, we sit down with Prati, an engineering leader who is breaking down barriers in the world of AI. Despite facing obstacles from a humble background, Prati defied the odds to pursue her passion for computer science. She shares her inspiring journey – from working on AI research during her master's degree to founding a startup focused on [...]

03/19/2024

Limor Bergman Gross

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Behind the scenes on the CPO role with Navya Rehani Gupta

Want to Become a CPO? Do you aspire to land that coveted C-level chief product officer role someday? Tune into this episode featuring Navya Ragni Gupta to uncover the self-advocacy, visibility, and business acumen needed to get there. In an eye-opening account, Navya shares how she set her sights on the C-suite early on, proactively created her CPO position and [...]

03/12/2024

Limor Bergman Gross

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Bridging the Wealth Gap for Latina Leaders with Julissa S. Germosen

Accomplished tech leader Julissa S. Germosen joins me to discuss the glaring but rarely talked about wealth and leadership gap for Latinas. In this raw conversation, Julissa shares her own inspiring journey navigating tech's difficult terrain as a minority woman and the personal challenges she faced. You'll hear surprising statistics about Latina representation in tech, cultural attitudes around money and [...]

03/05/2024

Limor Bergman Gross

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From Humble Beginnings to Silicon Success with Monica Bajaj

Nothing held Monica back from moving to become one of the influential Indian female tech leaders in Silicon Valley, today serving as a Vice President of Engineering at Okta. Monica Bajaj turned each of those barriers into her strengths. Born in the city of Sand Dunes, grew up in central India, and moving to the United States was a dream, [...]

02/27/2024

Limor Bergman Gross

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Empowering Negotiation: Bringing Your Authentic Self to the Table with Ritu Nadkarni

Want to learn how to negotiate and sell authentically? In this episode, I spoke with Ritu Natkarni, a global healthcare executive with a rich tapestry of experience across three continents and various commercial functions in the biotech industry. Ritu shares invaluable insights into the art of negotiation, emphasizing the importance of coming from a place of authenticity and genuine care. [...]

02/20/2024

Limor Bergman Gross

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