Conversation with Jessica Callahan
June 26, 2021
Join me in a conversation with Jessica Callahan - Program Manager at Microsoft, with more than 22 years in the Military, mother, wife, world traveler, rescuer of animals, mentor to transitioning service members who want to work in tech, and an overall winner.
In this Episode:
- Jessica's current Job, what is airgap, cloud etc.
- Origin Story - childhood, teen mom, 20+ years in the military, basic training away from 1 year old, mental games, divorce, learning who I was, special ops, marrying my best friend, juggling motherhood and military service.
- On failure and success, 10 months away from my son, life before internet, living in the time of change.
- Journey to Microsoft, finishing degree, U of Arizona, Microsoft Case Studies, coming home to the Pacific Northwest.
- Work and raising kids, children forgetting who you are, picking your battles, choosing to enjoy work, teaching kids resilience, marrying your best friend, balance vs. harmony, focus, my orchestra rant.
- Military to Teach, imposter syndrome, change, overcoming, glass ceilings, support, differences between military and corporate, finding diverse backgrounds, being the "only female", expectation of equality.
- Working at IBM 30+ years ago, crying, being alone, progress, changing the face of future, fitting in, rough start, and being the woman I needed when I was younger.
- The evil twin, becoming the environment vs. rising above, and support.
- Growth Mindset, making small wins, being open, growth in tech, getting girl in STEM.
- Parrot and Dog rescue, mentoring ex-military transitioning to tech.
- Be Kind and never give up.
Jessica's LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-l-callahan/
Parrot Rescue of Costa Rica : https://www.parrotrescuecr.com/
My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barkhaherman/