Women in Tech Trailblazers: Authenticity Unleashed

Tiffany Benitez
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Technology
  • Updated Bimonthly

Stepping into tech can feel like navigating uncharted territory, especially for women. The Women in Tech Trailblazers Podcast, hosted by Tiffany Benitez, aims to change that. With a blend of real talk, fun, and expert insights, Tiffany tackle the tech world's highs and lows. Join us to hear authentic stories that inspire change and empower more women to make their mark in the tech industry.

  1. 6d ago

    The CEO Still Wears Wingtips with Lavonne McLean

    What happens when you finally get close to the top and start wondering whether the title is worth the sacrifice? For many women in tech, the question is not just “Can I get there?” It is “What will getting there cost me?” Tiffany Benitez sits down with Lavonne McLean, CEO of Apparo, to talk about being the only woman at the table, watching louder voices take up space, and the pressure women can feel to work twice as hard just to prove they belong. Then there is the story behind the episode title. More than 20 years ago, Lavon wrote her college honors thesis, “The CEO Still Wears Wing Tips,” about the glass ceiling and the men occupying most CEO seats. Today, she is sitting in one of those seats herself. But this is not a “keep climbing no matter what” conversation. Lavon argues that it is completely valid to look at a C-suite opportunity and say, “This doesn’t align.” She and Tiffany also get into the part of executive ambition that rarely makes the glossy career posts: the years, family time, expectations, and trade-offs women are often asked to absorb. Here are the key takeaways:  (3:45) Authenticity as alignment, not a leadership persona (6:53) Why authenticity can require courage and build trust (9:14) Staying quiet when your voice feels less valued (11:42) The everyday assumptions allies need to notice (12:57) The story behind “The CEO Still Wears Wing Tips” (16:09) Normalizing women leaders for girls and boys (18:37) Rethinking the sacrifice attached to C-suite ambition (21:14) When a leadership opportunity simply does not align (23:46) Growing into a role without changing who you are (25:11) Doing the thing before confidence catches up And if the opportunity does matter to you, Lavon has one rule: “Do it not ready, do it scared.” She has had the shaking-voice moments too. Watch this episode for a candid look at taking the seat, questioning the price, and changing what the person sitting there can look like.  About Lavonne McLean Lavonne McLean is the CEO of Apparo, with nearly 25 years of experience across financial services and the nonprofit sector. During her decade with Apparo, she has helped expand its reach to more than 500 nonprofits annually, contributing to over $51 million in value delivered back to the community. Her background includes Fortune 500 project management and General Electric’s Financial Leadership Development Program. In 2020, she was named one of Charlotte’s 50 most influential women. Connect with Lavonne: LinkedIn About Tiffany Benitez  Tiffany Benitez leads Data Governance at Compass Group USA, ensuring data quality, integrity, and compliance across all business units. She is passionate about driving data excellence and advancing women in tech and STEM. Connect with Host:  Tiffany’s LinkedIn Disclaimer This podcast is for informational purposes only. The content should not be considered professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with professionals regarding specific situations or concerns.

  2. Sep 3

    Janet Heins on Turning Good Work Into Visible Impact

    You can be excellent at what you do and still be passed over. Not because your work isn’t valuable, but because the people making decisions may not understand the impact you’re creating or even know enough about it to advocate for you. Tiffany Benitez sits down with cybersecurity executive and author Janet Heins to explore the difference between doing valuable work and making that value visible. It’s a conversation for anyone who has been told to “let your work speak for itself” and is beginning to realize that great work often needs context, relationships, and a voice behind it. Janet shares what happened when she was the only woman on a leadership team and watched the room repeatedly move past her contributions. Instead of continuing to accept the pattern, she physically stood up and created a pause that made people listen. It’s a simple story, but it raises a bigger question: what do you do when being good at your job still isn’t enough to be heard? One of Janet’s most useful frameworks is “the what and the so what.” Don’t only tell people what you completed. Explain why it mattered to the business, what changed because of it, and what might have happened without your contribution. That shift can change how leaders understand your work and how easily other people can speak about your value when you’re not in the room. Here are the key takeaways:  (4:35) Bringing your genuine self to work without performing (5:33) When adapting starts turning into losing yourself (8:25) What to do when your voice gets overlooked (13:38) Turning the “what” into a meaningful “so what” (17:52) Building relationships beyond your immediate function (20:17) The real difference between mentors and sponsors (22:20) How visibility creates opportunities beyond promotions (24:45) Why community matters throughout your career (28:29) Replacing work-life balance with work-life harmony (31:16) Doing the groundwork before making the ask (32:59) Stop denying yourself what you deserve (34:38) What a “no” can reveal about your visibility The conversation also gets into the difference between mentors and sponsors, choosing the right stretch opportunities, asking for what you need at work, and learning from rejection instead of letting it end the conversation. Janet leaves listeners with a challenge worth carrying into the next promotion, role, or opportunity: “Stop denying yourself what you deserve.” Tune in now and hear what it takes to make your value impossible to overlook. About Janet Heins Janet Heins is Chief Information Security Officer at ChenMed and the author of Go Ahead and Ask for It. Her executive leadership experience spans healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotech, travel, and media, including roles at Merck, Biogen, Royal Caribbean, and iHeartMedia. She is known for building high-performing teams and helping leaders connect their expertise to visible business impact. Janet is also a speaker and mentor who is passionate about developing diverse talent, supporting professionals throughout their careers, and helping people become more intentional about relationships, visibility, and asking for the opportunities they want. Connect with Janet: LinkedIn About Tiffany Benitez  Tiffany Benitez leads Data Governance at Compass Group USA, ensuring data quality, integrity, and compliance across all business units. She is passionate about driving data excellence and advancing women in tech and STEM. Connect with Host:  Tiffany’s LinkedIn Disclaimer This podcast is for informational purposes only. The content should not be considered professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with professionals regarding specific situations or concerns.

  3. Aug 20

    The Skills Tech Leaders Often Undervalue with Kara Schlageter

    You keep exceeding expectations, but the promotion never comes. Then a boss asks, “Why are you in such a hurry?” Kara Schlageter did, and years later she figured out what that question really meant. It made her start questioning who gets encouraged to step up, and who gets told to wait. Kara is the Chief Information Security Officer at Discovery Education, with 25 years leading cybersecurity and enterprise risk. She got there without a computer science degree. Her background is HR and change management, and she’s convinced those are the skills that made her good at it. She started asking her male colleagues whether they had ever been told to slow down, be patient, or wait. Their answers revealed a pattern many women may recognize, especially when ambition gets mistaken for impatience. Kara also challenges the advice to simply “act like you have the title,” because “men can walk into rooms without a title that women can’t.” Her shift was simple but useful: stop spending your energy proving you deserve a seat at the table and focus on the value only you bring. She also questions whether cybersecurity really has a talent shortage, or whether companies are overlooking people whose backgrounds don’t fit the traditional mold. Here are the key takeaways:  (1:43) Authenticity as alignment (8:22) The career cost of being told to wait (11:52) Stop proving your seat and focus on value (13:38) Why nontechnical skills matter in tech (18:05) Your path doesn’t need to match (20:38) Break the mold and create your own (25:11) Networking is really relationship-building (30:25) Why leaders should pour from the overflow (32:20) Build a legacy by making room for others You'll hear stories that shaped how Kara leads, including a symbol she discovered in a village in Ghana and a promotion decision that made her own job harder. If you’ve ever wondered whether your unusual path is holding you back, watch Kara and the host, Tiffany Benitez, challenge what “qualified,” “ready,” and “leadership material” are supposed to look like.  About Kara Schlageter Kara Schlageter is the Chief Information Security Officer at Discovery Education, with more than 25 years of experience across cybersecurity, enterprise risk, and business transformation. Her path into tech began in HR and change management, shaping the people-first leadership style she brings to cybersecurity today. Kara focuses on trust, communication, resilience, and making complex challenges easier to understand. She is also passionate about mentorship, sponsorship, and creating more opportunities for women in technology. Connect with Kara: LinkedIn About Tiffany Benitez  Tiffany Benitez leads Data Governance at Compass Group USA, ensuring data quality, integrity, and compliance across all business units. She is passionate about driving data excellence and advancing women in tech and STEM. Connect with Host:  Tiffany’s LinkedIn Disclaimer This podcast is for informational purposes only. The content should not be considered professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with professionals regarding specific situations or concerns.

  4. Aug 6

    Stop Waiting for Permission to Take Your Seat with Zhenia Klevitsky

    When you’re the only woman in the room, do you focus on the bias, or make your preparation so undeniable that the conversation shifts from who you are to what you bring? For women who have been labeled difficult for being direct or overlooked before they speak, that question carries real weight. Tiffany Benitez sits down with Zhenia Klevitsky, Chief Growth Officer at ITC Federal and a leader with more than 25 years in government contracting. Zhenia’s perspective was shaped long before the C-suite. She arrived in the United States as a young refugee, lived in refugee camps and Section Eight housing, and watched her parents rebuild their professional lives from the ground up. That history informs a leadership style built on blunt honesty, deep preparation, and the willingness to say, “I was wrong.” Zhenia explains why defensiveness can make people afraid to challenge a leader and why being underestimated can sometimes become a position of power. But the harder question is what happens when ambition, motherhood, bias, and responsibility all demand attention at once. One useful idea is clear: balance is not about splitting yourself in half. It is about being fully present for what is in front of you and intentionally building support around your priorities. The episode also raises harder questions about why boundaries fail, who belongs in the inner circle you call before a major presentation, and what happens when you stop waiting for belonging to be granted. As Zhenia puts it, “Belonging is not something that gets granted to you. You decide it.” Here are the key takeaways:  (2:43) How starting over shaped a 25-year career (5:15) Authenticity without performing for the room (7:11) When blunt leadership builds trust (10:00) A better way to process difficult feedback (11:11) What happens when your team proves you wrong (14:07) Turning underestimation into a position of power (15:27) Preparation shifts the focus to capability (19:58) Refusing to choose between family and career (22:45) Why standardized work-life balance fails (24:56) What children notice about working parents (28:05) Building an inner circle that tells the truth (31:06) The legacy of earning and widening the room If you’ve ever entered a meeting knowing you may be underestimated, struggled to protect both your ambition and your family, or wondered who gets to decide whether you belong, watch this episode. It may change what you prepare for, what you tolerate, and how confidently you claim the seat you’ve already worked to earn. About Zhenia Klevitsky Zhenia Klevitsky is Chief Growth Officer at ITC Federal, where she leads corporate growth strategy across business development, capture, and marketing in the federal market. She brings more than 25 years of government contracting experience, with leadership roles at cBEYONData, Sev1Tech, ASRC Federal, Guidehouse, and Booz Allen Hamilton. She is a recognized voice on federal technology modernization and AI adoption in government. Zhenia has also served on the board of Women in Technology and held leadership roles with the American Council for Technology Industry Advisory Council and the Washington Homeland Security Roundtable. She holds degrees from Bloomsburg University and American University, plus an executive certificate from MIT Sloan. Connect with Zhenia: LinkedIn About Tiffany Benitez  Tiffany Benitez leads Data Governance at Compass Group USA, ensuring data quality, integrity, and compliance across all business units. She is passionate about driving data excellence and advancing women in tech and STEM. Connect with Host:  Tiffany’s LinkedIn Disclaimer This podcast is for informational purposes only. The content should be considered other than professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with professionals regarding specific situations or concerns.

  5. Jul 23

    The Only Woman in the Room: Dr. Pravi Devineni on Voice, Bias, and Boundaries

    Have you ever walked out of a meeting thinking, I should have said something? Then this conversation is for you. Tiffany Benitez welcomes Dr. Pravi Devineni to Women in Tech Trailblazers for a real and energizing discussion about the moments when we stay quiet, take on too much, and slowly move further away from ourselves. Pravi brings experience from research, AI governance, and responsible technology, along with a perspective shaped by often being the only woman and the only technical person in the room. She talks about learning to trust her expertise and realizing that having knowledge is not enough when no one can hear it. “You earned that place,” she says. But finding your voice is only one part of the story. Pravi and Tiffany explore what happens when being agreeable gets confused with being aligned. How many times do we say yes to avoid looking difficult, then carry the frustration home? Pravi challenges us to stop treating silence as the price of belonging. The episode also gives practical ways to protect your workload without turning every conversation into a conflict. Sometimes the answer is not an immediate yes or no. It is asking, “Which priority should we shift?” And sometimes the reminder you need is even simpler. “No is a full answer.” Here are the key takeaways:  (2:56) Authenticity across cultures and workplaces (3:42) Using your voice and practicing confidence (8:03) Being the only technical woman in the room (11:58) Leadership means bringing others forward (13:50) What healthy workplace boundaries look like (17:24) Finding a trust circle that tells the truth (24:10) Setting time, role, and workload boundaries (26:22) Responding instead of reacting at work (29:24) How community builds confidence and courage (32:38) Why growth can sometimes feel lonely (37:54) Building a legacy through impact and kindness There is so much more in this conversation about allies, self-compassion, community, and the courage to respond instead of react. Tune in to hear how Pravi learned to practise discomfort, build a circle she trusts, and create boundaries that let her contribute without disappearing. Share this episode with someone who is ready to take up more space. About Dr. Pravi Devineni Dr. Pravi Devineni is a Lead AI Scientist at Duke Energy, where she works on AI applications in cybersecurity and nuclear sectors. She holds a PhD in computer science from the University of California, Riverside, and began her career at the Department of Energy National Labs. Her work focuses on AI governance, security, risk, and responsible technology adoption. She also writes, speaks, and mentors women building careers in technology. Connect with Dr. Pravi: LinkedIn About Tiffany Benitez  Tiffany Benitez leads Data Governance at Compass Group USA, ensuring data quality, integrity, and compliance across all business units. She is passionate about driving data excellence and advancing women in tech and STEM. Connect with Host:  Tiffany’s LinkedIn Disclaimer This podcast is for informational purposes only. The content should be considered other than professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with professionals regarding specific situations or concerns.

  6. Jul 9

    Paula Guilfoyle on Rewiring Your Brain to Beat Gender Bias in Tech

    Hey Trailblazers! Welcome back to another episode of "Women in Tech Trailblazers." Tiffany Benitez here, and today's guest is going to change the way you think about your own mind. Meet Paula Guilfoyle, the leadership expert behind the Claim Leadership program, whose neuroscience-based work with Microsoft, Lowe's, and Coca-Cola Consolidated has driven higher engagement and teams that actually hit their goals. We go straight to the real talk: gender bias. Paula does not pretend it doesn't exist; she has lived it. But she introduces something called your Reticular Activating System, the part of your brain that finds whatever you tell it to look for, like when you buy a car and suddenly see that car everywhere. She admits she once flew to Nashville expecting a male leader to be difficult, and guess what, he was. "What we resist persists, and what we look for, we will find." Her fix for a hard boss is not what you would expect. Paula gets into the beliefs that quietly hold us back. She calls them "BS," belief systems, and explains why your brain completely ignores the word "don't." She proves it live with a purple elephant. Tell yourself not to think about a purple elephant, and now it is all you can think about. That is exactly why "I don't want to be nervous today" backfires every single time, and she shows you what to say instead. The moment that stole the episode? Paula teaches visualization, the same mental rehearsal Olympic athletes use, where you picture the outcome you want before you walk in. She sent two Coke leaders into a four o'clock meeting picturing the exact result they wanted, and they walked out twenty minutes later with a six-figure check. You have to hear how they pulled it off. Here are the key takeaways:  (3:30) Letting your true self lead (5:08) Dropping the pressure to be perfect (8:24) The neuroscience behind gender bias (13:47) Winning over a difficult boss (15:15) Limiting beliefs are just "BS" (17:31) Affirmations and the purple elephant trick (21:27) Why self-awareness is step one (22:10) Deciding the leader you want to be (25:56) The people who give you energy (28:29) When it's okay to walk away (30:50) Only kindness to yourself and others Paula is proof that your mind is the most powerful tool you own, and she closes with a line that will stick with you. "It's not your business whether or not you make people uncomfortable." Tune in, subscribe, share, and go follow Paula on LinkedIn. See you next time, Trailblazers! About Paula Guilfoyle Paula Guilfoyle is the President and Founder of Claim Leadership, where she helps leaders and teams improve mindset, productivity, engagement, and self-awareness. Her work uses neuroscience-based tools to help people stay calm, focused, and effective during change. With experience across companies including Coca-Cola, Lowe’s, Microsoft, KPMG, and Collins Aerospace, Paula brings a practical view of leadership shaped by earlier roles in Human Resources and Sales at GE and Aventis. Connect with Paula: LinkedIn About Tiffany Benitez  Tiffany Benitez leads Data Governance at Compass Group USA, ensuring data quality, integrity, and compliance across all business units. She is passionate about driving data excellence and advancing women in tech and STEM. Connect with Host:  Tiffany’s LinkedIn Disclaimer This podcast is for informational purposes only. The content should be considered other than professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with professionals regarding specific situations or concerns.

  7. Jun 25

    Debbie Qaqish on Why Stigmas Are Crushing Your Career Growth

    Hey Trailblazers! Buckle up, because this episode of "Women in Tech Trailblazers" goes somewhere most career talks avoid. Tiffany Benitez sits down with Dr. Debbie Qaqish, founder of The Growth Factor and the creator of revenue marketing, who has spent more than 30 years figuring out what really holds women back. Today she puts a name to it. Stigmas. The ones other people hand you, and the ones you quietly hand yourself. Debbie takes us back to her early career, where being a woman with a Southern accent meant getting underestimated before she even opened her mouth. Instead of shrinking, she leaned all the way in, closed a job interview like a pro, and walked away with a nickname that says everything. Her stories are funny; they sting a little, and they make one thing clear. The culture is powerful, and in tech it runs on overdrive. Here is where it gets personal. We dig into the internal stigmas, the perfectionism, and the constant proving, and Debbie calls it exactly what it is. "You need to stop proving yourself through performance and concentrate on the value that you know that you add." She walks us through how to catch the cycle, name it, and break it, and why you get to decide which feedback to keep and which to let go of. Debbie also gets honest about her own life, the ups and the downs, and the one question she asks herself every single morning that changes how her whole day goes. We will let her tell you what it is. We also talk about why your 40s might be your most freeing years, and why she thinks AI could open doors for women rather than close them. Here are the key takeaways:  (2:35) Bringing purpose into how you show up (5:03) The most powerful tool women in tech have (7:09) Bias, a southern accent, and getting hired anyway (13:12) Asking what do I want and how do I get there (14:45) Why stigmas are crippling your next career step (16:34) Breaking the story cycling in your head (22:41) Writing down the story you tell yourself (27:09) Why the AI era is an opportunity for women By the end, you will be looking at your own career a little differently, and asking who actually owns it. Spoiler: it is you. Tune in, share this with someone who needs it, and subscribe to catch what is next. Until then, Trailblazers, go get your own horse. About Debbie Qaqish Debbie Qaqish is the founder of The Growth Factor and the creator of Revenue Marketing®. With more than 30 years of experience, her work focuses on helping marketing leaders and teams improve decision-making, resilience, and performance under pressure. Her books include Rise of the Revenue Marketer and From Back Room to Boardroom, and she also hosts Revenue Marketing Raw. For more than a decade, Debbie has taught revenue marketing at the College of William and Mary. Connect with Debbie: LinkedIn About Tiffany Benitez  Tiffany Benitez leads Data Governance at Compass Group USA, ensuring data quality, integrity, and compliance across all business units. She is passionate about driving data excellence and advancing women in tech and STEM. Connect with Host:  Tiffany’s LinkedIn Disclaimer This podcast is for informational purposes only. The content should be considered other than professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with professionals regarding specific situations or concerns.

  8. Jun 11

    Be Your Own Cheerleader: Career Visibility with Addie Ventris

    Hey Trailblazers! Welcome back to Women in Tech Trailblazers. Tiffany Benitez here, and today's guest had us taking notes before we even hit record. Meet Addie Ventris, a senior marketing strategist and brand architect with nearly 20 years of experience across defense tech, economic development, and consumer retail. She builds brands for a living and today she is building yours. We get right into the thing nobody talks about enough: imposter syndrome and the guilt women feel about sharing their wins. Addie flips the whole script. It is not about saying "look at me." It is about saying "look at what I created and here is how you can do it too." That one shift changes everything about how you show up in your career. Addie also drops a formula that is simple enough to start this week. Three wins and one lesson, tracked and shared on your own terms. "Think of your self-promotion as a living, breathing resume." And the lesson piece? That is where the real community gets built. There is also a conversation in here about the gap between doing great work and being known for great work. Spoiler: those are two very different things, and only one of them gets you promoted. Here are the key takeaways:  (4:08) What authenticity looks like without the mask (5:48) Why talking about your wins feels so hard (7:22) The branding piece most people ignore (8:36) Why your work needs a personal cheerleader (11:28) Getting comfortable with being seen (14:26) The three wins and one lesson method (18:16) Building an elevator pitch people remember (19:29) Why your title is not enough (22:12) Writing down wins when you forget your value (23:49) Doing great work vs. being known for it (27:03) Keep going, keep growing (28:01) Why women need to open doors for women (29:39) Choosing the circle that reminds you Addie closes with something we are still thinking about: make space at the table for the woman next to you. Say her name. Refer her name. Three times. If you are ready to be seen for the work you are already doing, do not miss this one. Subscribe, share, and we will see you next time, Trailblazers! About Addie Ventris Addie Ventris is a marketing strategist and brand architect with over 19 years of experience across defense technology, economic development, and retail. She spent more than a decade leading marketing operations at Tactical Electronics, building strategies for tactical and military audiences. She also served as Director of Marketing for the Tulsa Initiative at the George Kaiser Family Foundation, supporting workforce development and economic growth efforts. Today, Addie works as a strategic marketing consultant, helping brands connect strategy, execution, and growth. Connect with Addie: LinkedIn About Tiffany Benitez  Tiffany Benitez leads Data Governance at Compass Group USA, ensuring data quality, integrity, and compliance across all business units. She is passionate about driving data excellence and advancing women in tech and STEM. Connect with Host:  Tiffany’s LinkedIn Disclaimer This podcast is for informational purposes only. The content should be considered other than professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with professionals regarding specific situations or concerns.

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Stepping into tech can feel like navigating uncharted territory, especially for women. The Women in Tech Trailblazers Podcast, hosted by Tiffany Benitez, aims to change that. With a blend of real talk, fun, and expert insights, Tiffany tackle the tech world's highs and lows. Join us to hear authentic stories that inspire change and empower more women to make their mark in the tech industry.

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