Black Tech Unplugged

We all know and agree that getting into tech is no easy feat. Allow me to introduce you to Andre Hitchman, a UK software engineer who even after being denied a job many times and becoming highly discouraged in the process, still got into tech. And not only did he get into the industry, he's helping others into tech through his organization, Xuntos. Find out what Andre had to learn to get into tech and advice he has for you to be successful in the industry. Full show notes here: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2022/10/31/ep-066-andre-unplugged/ ______________________________________________________________ Connect with Andre Hitchman: • Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/xuntos_ • Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/xuntos_ ______________________________________________________________ Follow BTU on social: • Twitter | twitter.com/blktechunplged • Instagram | instagram.com/blacktechunplugged • Facebook |facebook.com/blacktechunplugged • Linkedin | www.linkedin.com/blacktechunplugged • Email | blacktec

Ever see an ad about a product you were talking about with a friend? Keep seeing ads for a pair of shoes you looked at weeks ago? Well that's because the internet is stalking us... literally. On this episode my guest, Steven Coyle, and I discuss all things ad tech. We dive into how ad tech is affecting our daily lives (supposedly in a beneficial way) and how you can get a career in the space. Full Show Notes for This Episode | https://blacktechunplugged.com/2022/10/13/ep-065-steven-coyleunplugged/ ______________________________________________________________ Connect with Steven Coyle: • Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/beyondsteven • Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/StevenCoyle ______________________________________________________________ This Episode is Sponsored by BPTN | Check out their event, BFUTR, on October 19th-21st in Toronto | https://app.obsidi.com/summit/b9047f9e-bd55-4480-9234-d47d724dd1e8 ______________________________________________________________ Follow BTU on social: • Tw

Misinformation on the internet is running rampant like never before. But we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from spreading it like wildfire. Guest 064 of the podcast, Joe Miller, discusses how we can combat against misinformation in the digital age. He also discusses how we can protect ourselves online as well as how we can get involved in creating policies in tech to protect our rights. Sponsor for this episode | BPTN Check out their event, BFUTR, on October 19th-21st in Toronto | https://app.obsidi.com/summit/b9047f9e-bd55-4480-9234-d47d724dd1e8 Connect with Joe Miller: • Website | https://www.washingtech.org/ • Twitter | https://twitter.com/joemillerjd • Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/joemillerjd/ • Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemillerjd/ Join the BTU community: • Twitter | twitter.com/blktechunplged • Instagram | instagram.com/blacktechunplugged • Facebook |facebook.com/blacktechunplugged • Linkedin | www.linkedin.com/blacktechunplugged • Email | blacktechunplugged@gmail.

Never in my life did I think I'd actually talk to a child protege let alone interview them. Meet Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon, protege, keynote speaker, creator of the award-winning social enterprise, Stemettes, and author. On episode 063, Anne-Marie and I discuss her journey as a child protege, why internships are important and how to get the most out of them, and most importantly her new book, She's in CTRL. Buy her book here | https://aimafidon.com/books/ Sponsor for this episode | BPTN Check out their event, BFUTR, on October 19th-21st in Toronto | https://app.obsidi.com/summit/b9047f9e-bd55-4480-9234-d47d724dd1e8 Connect with Anne-Marie: • Website | https://aimafidon.com/books/ • Twitter | https://twitter.com/aimafidon • Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/notyouraverageami • Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimafidon Join the BTU community: • Twitter | twitter.com/blktechunplged • Instagram | instagram.com/blacktechunplugged • Facebook |facebook.com/blacktechunplugged • Linkedin | www.linked

Grace MacJones has made it her mission to demystify tech for people. And on this episode she does just that! On episode 062 of the podcast, Grace and I delve into the deep world of web3 and what that means for our future. Listen and learn about web3 resources, why decentralized social media apps could be the future, and how you can jump in at the early adopters stage. Find full show notes with linked resources from the episode: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2022/08/25/ep-062-grace-macjones-unplugged/ Sponsor for this episode: • BPTN. Check out their event on October 19th-21st in Toronto (https://app.obsidi.com/summit/b9047f9e-bd55-4480-9234-d47d724dd1e8) Connect with Grace: • https://www.techunlocked.co • https://twitter.com/GraceMacjones • https://www.instagram.com/gracemacjonez/ • https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracemacjones/ • https://www.tiktok.com/@gracemacjones Join the BTU community: • Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged • Instagram: instagram.com/blacktechunplugged • Facebook: facebook.com/bla

This man sent out his resume 131 times before getting a job as a designer in tech. This same man is now a Director at Nava, a civ tech organization based in Washington DC. On episode 061 you get to meet Senongo Akpem. A man who took has taken is worldly experiences and creates visual magic. On this episode we discuss: - his long journey to get into tech following a stint in Japan - different designer roles you can pursue - why inclusivity in the designer space is key to producing great products Full show notes for this episode are available at: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2022/08/11/ep-061-senongo-akpem-unplugged/ Connect with Deena for Career Coaching: https://calendly.com/deena-m-mckay/15min ————————————————————————- Connect with Senongo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/senongoakpem/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/senongo Website: https://senongo.net/ ————————————————————————- Stay Connected with Black Tech Unplugged: Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged Instagram: instagram.com/blacktechunpl

Asking questions and staying curious can be a game changer for your career. Just ask Jennifer Opal, the UK sensation that was winner of the Tech Women 100 Award, named a Rising Star in Tech, and is a keynote speaker at some of your favorite conferences. On this episode we discuss: - her role as DevOps Engineer at Dropbox - Being neurodivergent in tech and how you can support a neurodivergent team member - Her experience as being the "only one" and how that led to anxiety - Tokenism in the workplace (because it still exists!) Full show notes for this episode: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2022/07/28/ep-060-jennifer-opal-unplugged/ Connect with Deena for Career Coaching: https://calendly.com/deena-m-mckay/15min ————————————————————————- Connect with Jennifer: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferopal/ Polywork: https://www.polywork.com/jenniferopal Twitter: https://twitter.com/_jenniferopal TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_jenniferopal Website: https://www.jenniferopal.com/ Blog: https://www.theop

Jermaine will get you an offer you can’t refuse. Yes, you are meeting the JobFather. On episode 059 of the podcast I talk to Jermaine Murray about his role as CEO of JupiterHR, his career coaching and tech career placement firm that’s helping increase the number of Blacks in tech. Also in this episode we discuss: - how Jermaine transitioned into tech - helpful resume tips that you can use right now - why Toronto is one of the biggest tech hub today Full show notes for this episode: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2022/07/07/ep-059-jermaine-murray-unplugged/ Connect with Deena for Career Coaching: https://calendly.com/deena-m-mckay/15min Connect with Jermaine: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jermainejupiter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jermainelmurray ————————————————————————- Stay Connected with Black Tech Unplugged: Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged Instagram: instagram.com/blacktechunplugged Facebook: facebook.com/blacktechunplugged Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/blacktechunplugged Email: blackte

This episode is for my technical bros and sistas! Grab your notebook because my guest, Art Butler, is dropping a ton of technical dimes in this episode. Art talks about his current role as technical product manager and what that truly means. He also goes into his previous life as a Dev Ops Architect. He breaks down what Dev Ops is, the tools you need to know, and gives you a mini interview prep session. You are about to go out and be great after this one! Connect with Deena for Career Coaching: calendly.com/deena-m-mckay/15min Full show notes for this episode: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2022/04/28/ep-058-art-butler-unplugged/ ————————————————————————- Stay Connected with Black Tech Unplugged: Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged Instagram: instagram.com/blacktechunplugged Facebook: facebook.com/blacktechunplugged Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/blacktechunplugged Email: blacktechunplugged@gmail.com

After episode 053 some of yall were asking questions about scrum so I had to hit you with a new solo episode to talk about the basics of scrum. In episode 057 I talk about what is scrum, the key members of a scrum team, and the scrum ceremonies a team performs for each iteration. Full show notes for this episode: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2022/04/14/ep-057-what-is-scrum-scrum-unplugged/ Interested in receiving career coaching from Deena? Schedule an initial intake and answer a few questions: https://calendly.com/deena-m-mckay/15min Connect with Deena: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deena_mckay Twitter: https://twitter.com/deenamckay Website: https://www.deenamckay.com ————————————————————————- Stay Connected with Black Tech Unplugged: Instagram: instagram.com/blacktechunplugged Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged Facebook: facebook.com/blacktechunplugged Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/blacktechunplugged Email: blacktechunplugged@gmail.com ————————————————————————- Use the hashtag #BlackTechUnplugg

Who would think in 2022 we still have to announce the first Black (fill in the blank)? Well allow me to introduce to you to the FIRST BLACK FEMALE CIO(Chief Information Officer) of the White House Office of the United States Trade Representative(USTR), Celestine Pressley. Jump into this episode to hear her talk about working in the White House and how she went from fleecing the government to policing government IT. Connect with Deena for Career Coaching: https://calendly.com/deena-m-mckay/15min Full show notes for this episode: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2022/03/03/celestine-pressley-unplugged/ Connect with Celestine: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celestine-pressley-csm-mba-ts-sci-84391b10/ ————————————————————————- Stay Connected with Black Tech Unplugged: Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged Instagram: instagram.com/blacktechunplugged Facebook: facebook.com/blacktechunplugged Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/blacktechunplugged Email: blacktechunplugged@gmail.com

Connect with Deena for Career Coaching: https://calendly.com/deena-m-mckay/15min Failing upward can be a beautiful thing and Elise Swopes tells us how that's possible. She turned her rock bottom, purposeless life into an intentional, healthy, abundant, purposeful experience. That's powerful! Learn how Elise went from college dropout and couch crashing to working with some of our favorite brands (Apple, Adidas, Lady Gaga to name a few) and kicking ass in the NFT community. Oh and did I mention she met Kanye West?! Full show notes for this episode: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2022/02/10/ep-055-elise-swopes-unplugged/ Connect with Elise: Instagram: instagram.com/swopes Twitter: twitter.com/swopes Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EliseSwopes/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJfvUKB15m_UlaIjwswAylA Elise's Podcast: https://anchor.fm/swopes ————————————————————————- Stay Connected with Black Tech Unplugged: Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged Instagram: instagram.com/blacktechunplugged Facebook

If you ever wanted to get inside the mind of a CEO, today is your lucky day. I had the pleasure to sit & chat with my company (Kin+Carta)Group Chief Executive, Kelly Manthey. We talk about her career path, the top tech topics including burnout and remote working, and dare I say we talk about RACE. Yes you read that right, we go deep on this episode! Enter the mind of Kelly Manthey, if you dare. Full show notes here: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2022/01/27/ep-054-kelly-manthey-unplugged/ Interested in receiving career coaching from Deena? Schedule an initial intake and answer a few questions: calendly.com/deena-m-mckay/15min ————————————————————————- Stay Connected with Black Tech Unplugged: Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged Instagram: instagram.com/blacktechunplugged Facebook: facebook.com/blacktechunplugged Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/blacktechunplugged Email: blacktechunplugged@gmail.com ————————————————————————- Use the hashtag #BlackTechUnplugged on social media to discuss this & other episodes!

Have you ever wondered what your Scrum Master actually does at work? Well it's a lot more than you think. Join Black Tech Unplugged host, Deena McKay, for an episode where you learn more about her role as a Scrum Master, the responsibilities that come with the role, and how she wants to help you in 2022! (And also how you can help her.) Full show notes for this episode: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2022/01/13/ep-053-deena-mckay-unplugged/ Interested in receiving career coaching from Deena? Schedule an initial intake and answer a few questions: https://calendly.com/deena-m-mckay/15min Connect with Deena: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deena_mckay Twitter: https://twitter.com/deenamckay Website: https://www.deenamckay.com ————————————————————————- Stay Connected with Black Tech Unplugged: Instagram: instagram.com/blacktechunplugged Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged Facebook: facebook.com/blacktechunplugged Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/blacktechunplugged Email: blacktechunplugged@gmail.com ——————————

You may know Du'An Lightfoot as Mr. Lab Everyday, but on this episode he is my co-host. On episode 052, Du'An and I give a brief update on his current tech role and touch on several of the top tech stories. We speak about Elizabeth Holmes (CEO of Theranos) and her current fraud trial, the iPod turning 20 this year (this is where we show our age), Snapchat seeing a dramatic drop in it's stock price, and last but not least every woe that Facebook has going on right now (there's too many to list here so that means you have to listen to the episode to find out what we talk about.) Full show notes here: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2021/10/28/ep-052-black-tech-unplugged-with-duan-deena/ Connect with Du'An: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/labeveryday Twitter: https://twitter.com/labeveryday YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/labeveryday Website: https://www.labeveryday.com ————————————————————————- Stay Connected with Black Tech Unplugged: Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged Instagram: instagram.com/blackte

One day this young woman thought she was going to work in finance, next thing you know she is working in tech at a major corporation. And that is the beginning of Hosanna Hali's story into tech. Even though she took the unconventional path into tech she is making a big impact on the UK tech scene. Not only is she an Azure specialist, she is also a big UK content creator (although I prefer to call her an influencer). Listen to episode 051 of the podcast and learn about Hosanna's tech role, her own platform called ‘The Tech Cornr’, what the UK tech scene is looking like these days, and most importantly how she's balancing work and work. Full show notes for this episode: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2021/10/14/ep-051-hosanna-hali-unplugged/ Connect with Hosanna: Instagram: instagram.com/thetechcornr Twitter: twitter.com/thetechcornr Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIsmzcRwV_EPOBaVQavYuUA ————————————————————————- Stay Connected with Black Tech Unplugged: Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged Instagr

Black Tech Unplugged has officially hit 50 episodes! Thank you to every single person who listens to the podcast repeatedly, it doesn't go unnoticed at all. As a way to say thank you I have two treats for you: 1. Referral link to get more tech news in your inbox via emerging tech brew newsletter: morningbrew.com/emerging-tech/r/?kid=783aa044 2. A discount code for Hustle Crew (https://www.hustlecrew.co/membership#:~:text=Hustle%20Crew%20Membership%20Access%20new%20tools%20%26%20proven,your%20community.%20Join%20Monthly%20%2415%20Join%20Annual%20%24150). Use discount code 'DEENA10' On this episode I get together with my friend, Tye Crutcher, and we talk a little ish about some of your favorite tech stories. In this episode we cover: • An update on OnlyFans (https://www.reuters.com/business/onlyfans-reverses-ban-showing-sexually-explicit-content-2021-08-25/) • Iphone 13 & iOs 15 (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/09/ios-15-is-available-today/ (https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-iphone-13-review-fami

Brandy Hays Morrison's mom had a dream. That her kids would one day work at IBM. Well she got her dream(and then some). Allow me to introduce you to Brandy, VP of Strategic Growth at Pluribus Digital, but more importantly a Black woman with resilience and a tech journey that you would never believe. Listen to episode 049 to hear the story of a woman who took a leap of faith into engineering ended up in the VP chair. Full show notes for this episode: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2021/09/16/brandy-hays-morrison-unplugged/ Connect with Brandy: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandyhays Twitter: twitter.com/brandyhaysdc ————————————————————————- Stay Connected with Black Tech Unplugged: Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged Instagram: instagram.com/blacktechunplugged Facebook: facebook.com/blacktechunplugged Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/blacktechunplugged Email: blacktechunplugged@gmail.com ————————————————————————- Make sure to tag the podcast and use #BlackTechUnplugged on social media to discuss this & other episode

VOTE FOR MY SXSW PANEL: panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/118371 *Note: You have to create an account before voting Africa and I are back together yall! Bringing you a good kiki and the latest tech news. To be specific in this episode we cover: - Deena's SXSW Panel - Code Switching: Lifestyle or Necessary Evil?: panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/118371 - How OnlyFans is removing sex worker content (the content that made them money): https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/21/tech/onlyfans-creators-react-sexually-explicit-ban/index.html - Google work from home salary cut: https://www.reuters.com/world/the-great-reboot/pay-cut-google-employees-who-work-home-could-lose-money-2021-08-10/ - Chip shortage causing Toyota to cut its global production:  https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/19/toyota-to-slash-september-production-due-to-global-chip-shortage.html - Recent viral videos (The Scholarship video challenge and the milk crate challenge) Full show notes for this episode can be found here: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2021/08/26/ep-048-black

VOTE FOR MY SXSW PANEL: https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/118371 *Note: You have to create an account before voting On this episode I am joined by the outspoken, positive being known as Teri Green-Mason. She tells us the story about starting off her career as an intern (it sounds normal, but it's not what you think) and how she climbed the corporate ladder extremely quickly. Learn how this transformational CIO builds successful teams and has everybody wanting to join her standups. And most importantly she's giving all of us game about how to get into that coveted c-suite just like her. Don't believe me? Listen to the episode now to find out! Full show notes for this episode can be found here: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2021/08/12/ep-047-teri-green-mason-unplugged/ Connect with Teri: Facebook: facebook.com/teri.green.9 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/terigreen ————————————————————————- Stay Connected with Black Tech Unplugged: Twitter: twitter.com/blktechunplged Instagram: instagram.com/blacktechunplugged F