April 2017

Austin Woman MAGAZINE | april 2017

“Because she competes with no one, no one can compete with her.” —Lao Tze

The average American spends 101 m In a Mazda it’s time well spent.

MAZDA NAMED

2017 Best Car Brand www.usnews.com - Nov. 15, 2016. 2017 Best Vehicle Brand Awards. The awards recognize the brands whose vehicles perform the best on an overall basis within four major categories of the U.S. News vehicle rankings: Cars, SUVs, Trucks and Luxury.

Mazda Ranked Most Fuel-efficient Automaker by the EPA for the Fourth Year in a Row. MAZDA’S 2015 FLEET OFFERS THE HIGHEST ADJUSTED MPG. Based on the EPA’s Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 - 2015 report on MY 2015 vehicles.

PROUDLY SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY

*Based on Harvard Men’s Health Watch, dated May 2007. †Return vehicle and receive full purchase price credit valid towards any in stock vehicle of equal or greater value.

One exchange per customer - Maximum mileage limit of 200 miles or 72 hours, whichever comes first.

minutes per day behind the wheel. *

WHY ROGER BEASLEY MAZDA?

It’s ultimately about how we conduct business and take care of our customers. We’re definitely not like a typical traditional dealership. That’s why we’re confident saying we do things better.

Locally owned and operated since 1972, Roger Beasley Mazda has 4 locations operating in harmony with the same straight-forward transparent process, shared inventory for more selection and customer service always the priority. There’s a reason the Austin area is one of the largest Mazda markets in the country.

CENTRAL • SOUTH • GEORGETOWN • KILLEEN

BEASLEY BENEFITS INCLUDE:

3-Day new and used vehicle return policy † If you don’t love it, you can bring it back.

Price peace of mind Kelley Blue Book® and TrueCar® pricing provided so you’ll know you’re getting a great deal.

Free loaner car

With scheduled service and warranty work.

Convenient delivery

We’ll bring your new Mazda to you.

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THE INNOVATORS OF COMFORTâ„¢

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48

On the cover

AT THE TOP OF HER GAME

BY Rachel Merriman

56

feature

BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Photo by Keith Trigaci.

By shelley seale

Contents

Photo by Niki Jones.

APRIL

37 on the scene

GOURMET

22 SAVE THE DATE

62 T O MARkET 64 F OOD NEWS

Five Must-dos for April

savvy women

Can’t Be Beet Casey Smith, Cooking Up

Cultures

24 count us in Women in Numbers 26 B OTTOM LINE From Big Idea to Business wellness 28 F rom The desk of Whitney O’Banner 66 WAITING ROOM Easy on the Eyes 30 GIVE BACK signup.com’s Karen Bantuveris 70 E AT THIS, NOT THAT From Grains to Gains 32 P ROFILE DivInc’s Ashley Jennings 72 H ER ROUTINE Gerre Boardman and Dana Callender

34 P ROFILE

POINT OF VIEW

35 P ROFILE

74 mem

o from JB The Best Man’s Speech 76 i am austin woman Tausha Robertson

Austin Technology Council’s Barbary Brunner

Women Who Code’s Sara Inés Calderón

MUST LIST 37 Discover Lost Pines Region, Texas 40 r oundup How to Start a Podcast

style + HOME 42 The look Heat Wave 44 STOCK UP Techno-gorgeous 46 MAKE ROOM In Disguise 12 | Austin Woman | april 2017

on the cover Photo by Keith Trigaci, trigaci.com Hair and makeup by Lorena Guadarrama Molano, lolabeautyatx.com Armani Collezioni geometric-jacquard one-button jacket, $1,495; Jen7 Riche Touch classic skinny ankle jeans, $159; Milly cutout-yoke knit shell, $295; Christian Louboutin Pigalle Follies leather red-sole pumps, $675; Eddie Borgo pavé crystal mini spike earrings, $150, available at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200, neimanmarcus.com.

EYELASH EXTENSIONS | LASH & BROW TINTS | THREADING | MICROBLADING

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Established in 1998

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www.tocmedicalspa.com

Volume 15, issue 8 Co-Founder and Publisher Melinda Maine Garvey vice president and Co-Publisher Christopher Garvey associate publisher Cynthia Guajardo Shafer

.COM

EDITORIAL Editor April Cumming copy editor Chantal Rice contributing writers

Sarah E. Ashlock, Jill Case, JB Hager, Niki Jones, Rachel Merriman, Natalie Paramore, Rachel Rascoe, Alessandra Rey, Tausha Robertson, Kat Sampson, Gretchen M. Sanders, Shelley Seale, Darcy Sprague, Emma Whalen

Because our readers look to us to help them make informed choices, including which doctors to see, we have launched a powerful digital solution—ATXDOCTORS.COM.

CONTRIBUTE TO ATXDOCTORS.COM

ART

Become a part of our online directory featuring Austin’s leading doctors and health-care centers

CREATIVE Director Niki Jones ART DIRECTOR Stef Atkinson CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Kelly Bauch, Sakura Considine, Kelly L. Dunn, Kevin Garner, David Heisler, Trish Hurless, Korey Howell, Holly Jackson, Jane Ko, Dutchess Cerraeh Laykin, Merrilee McGehee, Dustin Meyer, Lorena Guadarrama Molano, Lisa Muñoz, Natalie Paramore, Bob Roberts, Kat Sampson, Christina Servin, Keith Trigaci, Gerry Tucker, Jessica Wetterer, Donald R. Winslow

Answer our readers frequently asked health questions in an exclusive Ask An Expert article

operations and marketing

Showcase your business and experience with an in-depth doctor profile page

Director of marketing and engagement

Lisa Muñoz OFFICE MANAGER

Victoria Castle

Interns

Monica Hand, Alessandra Rey, Elza Taurins, Emma Whalen

Emeritae Co-Founder Samantha Stevens Editors

Emily C. Laskowski, Deborah Hamilton-Lynne, Mary Anne Connolly, Elizabeth Eckstein

Austin Woman is a free monthly publication of AW Media Inc., and is available at more than 1,250 locations throughout Austin and in Lakeway, Cedar Park, Round Rock and Pflugerville. All rights reserved.

For submission requirements, visit awmediainc.com/contribute.

No part of the magazine may be reprinted or duplicated without permission.

Visit us online at austinwomanmagazine.com.

Email us at info@awmediainc.com.

512.328.2421 • 3921 Steck Ave., Suite A111, Austin, TX 78759

Physicians and healthcare providers, we welcome your participation.

Please contact us at: sales@awmediainc.com or 512.328.2421

From the Editor

I am not most people. I love trying new things and still have bruises from my first downhill skiing foray to prove it. Change is constructive for the soul and a test of both yourself and of those around you. Sure, change is not without its difficulties or moments of second-guessing, but it is a constant in life and, for that reasoning alone, something we should all embrace.

Nowhere is change more cool, upbeat and constant than in the ever-advancing field of technology.

It’s now commonplace for college students to, sans any sense of hesitation, build a startup and know how to develop and design their own websites through platforms like WordPress, Wix or Squarespace. Having a digital skill set, be that in photography, video or search-engine optimization, and an understanding of multimedia are imperative to securing job offers in today’s workforce. Technology, after all, is how our world communicates, and to not know how it works or how to use it in your best interest is equivalent to saying you don’t know how to communicate effectively in the first place.

The amount of progress that’s happened in tech in the past two decades alone is intimidating.

There are now jobs solely dedicated to monitoring a company’s web traffic or social-media activity, jobs that wouldn’t exist without platforms like Google Analytics, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Because of this rapid change, there’s

Join the conversation @AustinWoman #TheTechnologyIssue

16 | Austin Woman | april 2017

always something new to learn or some performance kink to be worked out.

Tech is a lot like life in the sense that it’s in your best interest to be OK with being a beginner. The minute you let go of any expectations or preconceived understandings of how something works and humble yourself to the wisdom and teaching of others, the sooner you set yourself up for growth.

In the following pages, we shine a light on the women representing the changing face of tech in Austin, the backbones behind powerhouses both big and small, from WP Engine and Women Who Code to DivInc and Dev Bootcamp. As a team at Austin Woman, it’s our hope you take something away from each of their stories, even if it is just to be OK with being a beginner.

It’s humorous to rewatch films like You’ve Got Mail, in which Meg Ryan embodies the essence of chic when she logs onto her AOL account, films in which carrying a pager was de rigueur and owning a mobile phone was symbolic of success. Looking back is a reflective reminder that the speed at which technology continues to evolve is one thing that will never change.

Now if someone could just develop the savvy, timesaving technology used to effortlessly organize and color coordinate Alicia Silverstone’s closet in Clueless, that would be great. Take your time. I’ll wait.

Sincerely,

APRIL CUMMING Editor Photo by Lisa Muñoz.

I

hear most people hate change. They say they dread things like moving, complain that it sucks to be searching—for deals on a new car, a new career opportunity or discounts on concert tickets—and they despise the idea of trying something outside of their comfort zone.

I AM A TEXAS MBA “The McCombs community continues to shape and humble me. From the outstanding faculty and program administration to my classmates and the alumni base. My MBA shapes the way I approach opportunities, measure impact, and continue learning in my professional career in the fast-moving tech space as well as with volunteer nonprofit advisory work.”

SOFIE LEON POMPA Integrations Product Manager, Spredfast Inc. Husband is also a Texas MBA Alumnus, Class of 2011 First generation American with Mexican dual citizenship Member of Development Committee for St. Louise House MBA 2013

TexasMBA.info

EXPAND YOUR NETWORK

Photo by Korey Howell.

Evening & Executive Programs

contributors

This month, we asked our contributors: In regard to technology, what is something new you want to learn?

aust iN sym phoN y or c h est ra

KEITH TRIGACI

COVER Photographer, “At The Top of Her Game,” Page 48

Keith Trigaci is an Austin-based photographer who was lucky enough to recently move back to Texas from Los Angeles. When he isn’t doing commercial photography, he enjoys documenting life’s moments, including weddings and day-in-the-life family sessions.

“I want to learn more about the power of solar and how I can incorporate it into our everyday lives. My wife and I recently adopted six baby chicks and I installed an automatic, solar-powered chicken door that opens at dawn and dusk based on information the door receives from a light sensor!”

Rachel Merriman

COVER writer, “At The Top of Her Game,” Page 48

Rachel Merriman is a technical writer and freelance magazine writer. She blogs about baking and making her 1970s fixerupper a home on a budget at siftingandthrifting.com.

your perfect

“I recently put together a video for a dancer friend to show off her choreography skills, using footage shot by other people, and it was really fun! Next, I want to learn how to shoot video with my iPhone and a tripod, and get more adept at using video-editing software.”

Date Night

Lorena Guadarrama Molano

starts here

HAIR AND MAKEUP, “At The Top of Her Game,” Page 48

Lorena Guadarrama Molano is the Lo of LoLa Beauty, an awardwinning hair and makeup company serving Austin and the surrounding areas. She has been an artist for seven years and her company has worked on more than 700 weddings since it was founded in 2013. Follow her on Instagram @lolabeautyatx.

upcomiNg eveNt: v

Copland, Corigliano & dvorák Stephen girko, clarinet aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto april 7 & 8, 8:00 p.m.

Long Center’s dell Hall

Kat Sampson

ConCert Spo nS or Download the app:

Connect:

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writer, “Daring to Diversify,” Page 32

StepHen Girko

æ

tickets/info S ea Son Spon SorS

(512) 476-6064 or austinsymphony.org

Media SponSo rS

“As a business owner and mother of two, I love learning about apps or software that will help me manage my life, anything from software that automates processes for my business and saves me time in the office to apps that keep my home life organized. I’m always on the hunt for new technology!”

All artists, programs, and dates subject to change.

Kat Sampson is a freelance writer living in Austin. After graduating from the University of Texas journalism school this May, she plans to move to New Orleans to work for Teach for America. When not interviewing sources or writing stories, she’s dreaming of places to visit. She likes to think that in 10 years, she’ll be the kind of woman featured in Austin Woman.

“One thing I could learn about technology is how to use less of it, for sure. If anything, I think it would be cool to learn about the technology of years past, maybe learn how the Ford Model T works or how a printing press works.”

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Connect with us!

Can’t get enough of this issue?

Check us out at austinwomanmagazine.com.

➥ More SXSW. The weather may have been a tad abysmal, but that didn’t stop our Austin Woman team from feeling motivated by this year’s South By Southwest Interactive meet-ups and sessions. We put together a digital scrapbook to showcase the moments that are sure to stick with us.

Amy’s Ice Creams and AW’s first cover woman in September 2002, writes a letter of constructive advice to her younger entrepreneurial self.

➥ More travel tips. Planning a vacation shouldn’t feel like a second job. After

scouring the iTunes store—and more than enough user-generated reviews— we highlight the top apps you should download to help make your spring and summer travels more enjoyable.

➥ More style. Ahead of the UT Fashion Show April 19, we check in with two graduating textiles-and-apparel seniors to hear the inspiration behind their three-piece design debuts and the influence they hope to carve out in the fashion industry.

Don’t miss

Win This!

Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Giveaway You deserve to pamper yourself, so let Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa help you do that with a free one-night stay and spa treatment. Nestled among 400 acres of swaying pine trees in the Lost Pines region of Texas, just east of Austin, Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa is a serene luxury wilderness retreat surrounded by tranquility.

A Day to Shine April 1, 2 to 4 p.m.

Barton Creek Omni Resort, 8212 Barton Club Drive safeaustin.org/get-involved/events/adaytoshine craftHer Market April 2, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Fair Market, 1100 E. Fifth St. bossbabes.org/events/2017/4/2/crafther-market Mosaic Luncheon April 3, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hyatt Regency Austin, 208 Barton Springs Road shalomaustin.org/mosaic Mack, Jack & McConaughey Fundraiser April 20 and 21, times vary Locations vary mackjackandmcconaughey.com/schedule-of-events

Named after the famed guitarist Django Reinhardt, the resort’s award-winning Spa Django intertwines music with nature to create a full sensory experience. From customized music selections for each individual treatment room to the outdoor heated pool overlooking the gorgeous golf course, this is a truly relaxing and rejuvenating experience.

Girl Scouts Women of Distinction Luncheon April 27, noon to 1:30 p.m.

AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center, 1900 University Ave. gsctx.org/en/events/women-of-distinction.html

To enter, keep an eye on our Instagram account, @AustinWoman, for the giveaway announcement in April. Word to the wise: We like to be spontaneous. A winner will be chosen and notified at the end of the month.

Smiles Over Texas Gala April 29, 6 p.m.

JW Marriott Austin, 110 E. Second St. 501auctions.com/cadfgala

Follow us

@austinwoman

20 | Austin Woman | april 2017

like us

facebook.com/austinwoman

FOLLOW us

@ austinwoman

SXSW photo by Lisa Muñoz. Amy Simmons photo by Korey Howell. UT Fashion Show photo by Ed Lehman. Win This photo courtesy of Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa.

➥ More letters. Amy Simmons, founder of beloved Austin sweet-tooth institution

FEMME FILM FRIDAYS

Middle of Nowhere Screening & Conversation Emayatzy Corinealdi and Ava DuVernay shine in this Femme Film Fridays, one of a series highlighting the cinematic works of women.

May 5, 2017 6PM Reception + Cash Bar 7PM Screening + Q&A w/ Dr. Lisa B. Thompson Playwright and Associate Professor of African & African Diaspora Studies at UT Austin

Support for the Bullock Museum’s exhibitions and education programs provided by the Texas State History Museum Foundation.

O

n the scene

save the date

save the date

Check out the April agenda from our favorite local insiders.

Front Porch Gathering “The Front Porch Gathering is an effort and community dinner being supported by UT’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. The group is dedicated to exploring resources, research and community response to issues of equity and access. As we enter unchartered territory politically and socially, the April FPG will provide vital context to the disparities facing Austin’s communities of color.”

April 18, 6:30 to 8 p.m. | Huston-Tillotson University, 900 Chicon St. diversity.utexas.edu/communitycenter | Admission is free.

Virginia Cumberbatch @vacumberbatch

Mack, Jack & McConaughey Fashion Show and Luncheon “This is always a fun social event, and it benefits great children’s charities. I love the luncheon afterwards, where Camila [Alves] interviews the designers for their inspiration. Past designers have been Milly, Veronica Beard, Lela Rose and Badgley Mischka.” [Editor’s note: This year’s designer is Jason Wu.] April 21, 10:30 a.m. | JW Marriott Austin, 110 E. Second St. mackjackandmcconaughey.com | Ticket prices vary.

Katie Kime

@katie_kime

Secret Bar Experience “This is a really cool opportunity. The Secret Bar Experience tour from Austin Tour Company takes you to hidden bars throughout the city. ... A secret door? A red light? Things are not always as they seem. I’m willing to bet that you’ve never even heard of a few of these spots, and a cocktail is included at each stop!”

April 5, 12, 19 and 26, 6 to 8:30 p.m. | The Westin Austin Downtown, 310 E. Fifth St. austintourcompany.rezdy.com/44203/secret-bar-experience | Tickets are $75.

Kristy Owen

@365thingsaustin

The Color Run “The Color Run is exercise and therapy wrapped together into one big bow that gives back to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area. This year, race organizers are promising an on-course Cloud Foam Zone, an Inspirational Dream Wall and giant unicorns. Grab a friend, wear white and let’s tap into the good stuff, y’all!”

April 29, 9 a.m. | Travis County Expo Center, 7311 Decker Lane thecolorrun.com/locations/austin | Tickets start at $34.99.

Adriene Mishler @yogawithadriene

Austin Food + Wine Festival “Austin’s ultimate food festival is back for its sixth year with an impressive lineup of top chefs and cooking demonstrations. You don’t want to miss out on the Rock Your Taco competition, Sunday Gospel Brunch and food-and-wine tastings in the Grand Taste Pavilion. I can’t wait to see the fire pits by chefs Bryce Gilmore and Andrew Wiseheart!”

April 28 through 30 | Auditorium Shores, 900 W. Riverside Drive austinfoodandwinefestival.com | Tickets start at $250.

Jane Ko @atasteofkoko

22 | Austin Woman | april 2017

Mack, Jack & McConaughey Fashion Show and Luncheon photo courtesy of Mack, Jack & McConaughey. Secret Bar Experience photo courtesy of Kristy Owen.

The Color Run photo courtesy of The Color Run. Austin Food + Wine Festival photo by Jane Ko.

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avvy Women

count us in

women in numbers

Facts and figures on females from throughout the world.

By april cumming, illustrations by jessica wetterer

$350 Million 5 Legos Net Worth As employee No. 16 at Google— and with a net worth estimated at $350 million—Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube, a division of Google, was named No. 8 on Forbes’ list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Back in Google’s early years, before the funny-sounding noun became a verb, the search-engine monolith rented out Wojcicki’s Menlo Park, Calif., garage as its first office headquarters. In 2006, Wojcicki encouraged her bosses to make the jump to acquire what is now the second-most-used social-media outlet in the world, YouTube.

The company bought the site for $1.65 billion, a purchase that more than paid off. In 2017, YouTube’s value has skyrocketed to $70 billion, making Wojcicki one of the most powerful women on the internet.

Science writer Maia Weinstock’s idea to commemorate the contributions of five NASA women in Lego form is soon to be a reality. Lego, the company known for miniaturizing the likenesses of everyone from superheroes to construction workers, approved Weinstock’s proposal after the idea garnered more than 10,000 supporters on the Lego Ideas hub. In late February, Lego unveiled the caricature designs for Margaret Hamilton, a famed NASA computer scientist; Katherine Johnson, a mathematician for NASA; Sally Ride, the incomparable first woman in space; Nancy Grace Roman, one of the first female executives at NASA; and Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space.

18.4 Percent of Seats

According to the Alliance for Board Diversity, a new study shows that, in 2016, African-American women increased their number of boardroom seats at Fortune 500 companies by 18.4 percent, compared with a 2 percent increase in seats held by African-American men. A report from the Harvard Business Review noted that, in addition to bringing diverse perspectives to the table, companies with more female powerhouses in the boardroom typically perform better than their peers. In 2016, Fortune 500 companies that ranked high in boardroom diversity numbers reported a greater return on sales and a higher return on equity than their peers. Though women and minorities currently represent 31 percent of boardroom seats at Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates it could take as long as four decades before equal representation in the boardroom in achieved.

1 Million Women Alaina Percival wants to connect 1 million women to technology by 2019. Her game plan to get there depends, in large part, on the reach of her nonprofit, Women Who Code. It wasn’t until the age of 34, after quitting her job in the brand-management industry and moving from Atlanta to San Francisco, that Percival first taught herself how to code. After picking up Chris Pine’s book Learn to Program, she started attending tech conferences and coding workshops, and quickly saw how underrepresented females are in the field. As a response, in 2010, she created a meet-up group specifically designated for women to network, learn how to code and collaborate. “Tech is a great place for women to be. It is the future of every industry,” Percival told Cosmopolitan during an interview. Seven years since its inception, Women Who Code now hosts more than 500 gatherings throughout the U.S. each year.

24 | Austin Woman | april 2017

1/3 of New Drivers A Time survey released last year found that the number of women driving for ride-share company Uber was on the rise, with women accounting for nearly one-third, or 29 percent, of its new-driver sign-ups. According to Uber, a likely factor of the rise is the flexibility of the job, allowing drivers to pick up riders when it fits their schedules.

These findings come after years of notoriously low female-representation rates in the cab industry. (A 2014 New York City taxicab report found that 99 percent of the city’s Yellow Cab drivers were men.) Uber bucked convention in 2015 when the startup pledged to have 1 million women providing rides through its platform by 2020.

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From Big Idea to Business

The co-founder of Austin’s Small Business Festival, Mikaela Berman, confides how to turn your next ingenious idea into a full-time job.

by Alessandra Rey

Solve a real problem. “There are so many problems worth solving out there. Another social networking site or an Uber for ______ won’t cut it anymore. Figure out what causes you are passionate about and pursue those.”

Talk to 100 customers. “My former professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Rob Adams, probably taught me one of the most valuable lessons of business. Go out to the market and ask them questions about the problem you are trying to solve to [learn]: 1. Is this problem I am solving a real one? 2. How painful is the problem? 3. Are potential customers willing to pay money to resolve the problem?”

Hyper focus. “Focus on your core competency and outsource the rest. You don’t have the time or energy to do everything that’s required to run a small business. Delegate any and all tasks outside of your skill set so you can focus on whatever it is you do best: sales, marketing, engineering, etc.”

Sales and marketing come first. “Everyone in the beginning stages of your company should be involved with marketing and sales. Once you have done some market research, go back to those 100 people and sell your concept to them. Turn those people into your biggest champions.”

Cash is king. “Your equity (and IP) is the only valuable thing you have as a small business. I would advise taking on debt before thinking about taking on any investment.”

Great lenders for small-business owners include: 1. peoplefund.org 2. Able Lending 3. Capital One (“A sponsor of the Small Business Festival and a huge supporter of small businesses”) Use SBF currency. “When we started the Small Business Festival in November 2015, we had no budget and no sponsors. So, we came up with a collaborative system of trading favors and bartering for services with fellow entrepreneurs. Provide value to others up front and others will be inclined to provide value back to you and your business.

Building a network like this is very important in the early stages.”

Finally, persist and don’t give up. “You will fail—a lot. You will face a lot of rejection in the initial stages. Don’t be discouraged. The only way to succeed is to make mistakes, learn quickly, iterate and keep going.”

26 | Austin Woman | april 2017

Mark Your Calendar: May 1 through 5 The Small Business Festival coincides with National Small Business Week, recognized each year during the first week of May. The local festival is designed to celebrate, educate, connect and inspire small-business owners.

This year, SBF will host more than 50 community and premium events in Austin, featuring expert speakers on dozens of topics important to business ownership. The festival will also be live-streamed and archived. For tickets and more info, visit smallbusinessfestival.org.

Photo by Sakura Considine.

For most people, the idea of starting a business is intimidating. For Mikaela Berman, the co-founder and director of marketing for the Small Business Festival— taking place May 1 through 5 in Austin—building your own venture is a great way to solve a problem, meet a need and get to know an entire community of creative, dedicated and hustling entrepreneurs.

Throughout the past 12 years, Berman has worked as a consultant for companies both big and small, from startups to multinational enterprises, helping define their business models and marketing strategies. In familiarizing herself with the who’s who of women business owners in Austin, Berman has become somewhat of a goto expert in dishing out both business and career advice to eager ears, offering counsel on everything from how to build lasting relationships through networking to how to make your next ingenious idea a reality.

“Starting a business can feel like an impossible journey,” Berman says. “So, I’ve put together some helpful tips to get started.”

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FROM THE DESK OF

Whitney O’Banner

The Austin campus director of Dev Bootcamp pinpoints the inner dialogue that’s imperative to building a solid starting block in tech.

By april cumming, photo by kevin garner A former Apple engineer, Whitney O’Banner has a career background that’s uniquely diverse. She’s done everything from testing the Kindle Fire at Amazon to approving apps for the iOS App Store.

She currently serves as the Austin campus director for Dev Bootcamp, a one-of-its-kind immersive coding program that touts the ability to transform tech newbies into full-stack web developers in a period of nine to 18 weeks.

Each day, O’Banner speaks with women just starting out in the tech industry. Here, she shares her best advice for those wanting to take that next step and bridge the learning gap from novice to know-it-all.

Her Notes 1. Embrace being a beginner. “Anyone new to technology is at an advantage. A beginner’s mindset is useful for approaching problems in new and interesting ways. Remember that everyone was once a beginner. Even the most admired technologists started as a novice in their craft.”

2. Don’t be afraid. “Vulnerability can be a driver of progress. Don’t be afraid to show your work to a friend or publish it on the internet to solicit feedback.”

3. Recognize your accomplishments.

“Research ‘impostor syndrome’ and discuss it with others in order to develop strategies and techniques to help combat it early on.” [Editor’s note: Impostor syndrome is a concept describing highachieving individuals who are marked by their inability to internalize their accomplishments.]

4. Stay curious. “Explore, tinker and get lost in curiosity! Forging a path in tech is easiest when combining work with play.”

Her advice

“”

Anyone new to technology is at an advantage.

28 | Austin Woman | april 2017

Be Selective. “Choosing the right team is just as important as choosing the right company. It pays dividends to be surrounded by people invested in the collective success of everyone involved.”

ON HER DESK • Soylent. “It’s liquid food in a bottle that is great for working lunches.”

• Photos of students who have graduated from Dev Bootcamp.

• A cowbell. “We ring [it] to celebrate graduates starting new careers in tech!”

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GIVE BACK

A Platform for Philanthropy

From frustrated PTA mom to CEO of signup.com, Karen Bantuveris made the decision to create a schedule-coordination website that has helped more than 11 million people plan volunteer events in their communities.

by Darcy Sprague

The mother of a Girl Scout daughter, and an avid PTA participant, Bantuveris founded signup.com, formerly VolunteerSpot, with the intention of helping assist other volunteers like herself.

The idea to start the company struck Bantuveris in 2002, when she stepped off an airplane only to be immediately greeted by a quick succession of approximately 45 reply-all emails. She had had enough. Inspired to create a platform that could both streamline a user’s schedulecoordination process and minimize back-and-forth email congestion, she soon launched a website, and later an app, that would allow volunteers to spend less time planning and more timing doing.

Since the company’s inception, signup.com has helped more than 11 million people log millions of volunteer hours. In Austin, Bantuveris’ brainchild has been used by organizations such as Austin Children’s Shelter, Zilker Kite Festival, Austin Animal Center, the Texas Rowing Center’s Regattas and citywide dayof-service events. “signup.com powers good work worldwide,” Bantuveris says. “But we’re most proud of the impact we [have] helping local community members make right here in Austin.”

Staying true to her PTA roots, Bantuveris is proud to see school entities like Eanes Independent School District and Doss Elementary School using the platform to coordinate parent-teacher meetings, and Round Rock and South Austin parents using it to plan their Project Graduation events for graduating highschool students.

30 | Austin Woman | april 2017

Photo by Donald R. Winslow.

Karen Bantuveris had no idea her web- and app-based company would become a widespread international platform used to plan everything from community bake sales to setting up aid stations in Croatia. Nor did she know her company would take her to the White House or be used by the more than 300 attorneys working frantically at John F. Kennedy International Airport following January’s travel ban.

Austin Woman: How did your company, VolunteerSpot, grow to become signup.com?

Karen Bantuveris: When we were founded as VolunteerSpot, we were helping the super moms and the volunteer groups, but what happened is they started using us in other aspects of their life. They kept asking for a much broader tool. That’s why we became signup.com. It’s been really fun growing, and growing on the wings of really powerful women. I will say that it is mostly women that are doing the planning [in Austin]. Men do some of it, but women do most of the planning in our community.

AW: What has been one of signup.com’s biggest accomplishments?

to elementary schools across the country. [signup.com is] used by more than half of the schools in America. We have this really deep reach into the schools. We reach just as many parents as the national PTA. AW: Why, in your opinion, is it important for kids to learn how to code?

KB: Coding is going to be an absolutely critical skill for our international competiveness. Right now, it seems like coding is something that only kids that are naturally or immediately inclined to coding find their way to. What the Family Code Night campaign does is [introduce] coding to every kid so that every kid learns to code…and learns that it is cool.

AW: Are there any national events signup.com is currently involved in?

KB: I got to go to the White House last fall as part of Obama’s initiative for computer science for all. It was absolutely fantastic. It was incredible to be among a group of companies like Oracle, Facebook and Intel [that are] all working to bring coding to K-12 kids. signup.com was singled out to be one of five partners highlighted because we were helping out with the Family Code Night campaign, helping to bring coding

KB: We are powering quite a few of the marches that are happening right now. We are organizing volunteer teams that are helping fight the Muslim ban. I say “we” but individual groups are using our tools to do it. It is just so fantastic to see how this tool is being used by people in so many facets to do their important work and to mobilize and coordinate their communities.

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Daring to Diversify

Co-founders of tech accelerator DivInc, Ashley Jennings and Dana Callender, are taking the charge to tackle diversity in the tech world. story and photo By Kat Sampson

Silicon Hills, the tongue-in-cheek name for Austin’s tech scene, has a diversity problem, and nobody is more aware of it than the women behind DivInc, Ashley Jennings and Dana Callender. Both Jennings, DivInc’s chief marketing officer, and Callender, the company’s chief operating officer, say it’s time to be adamant about moving the dial in favor of diversity.

Launched in September 2016, DivInc is a tech startup’s dream program and the brainchild of CEO Preston L. James II, who spent 20 years at Dell and currently serves as entrepreneur-in-residence at the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship within the University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business. It’s been more than a year since James first approached Jennings and Callender, proposing the idea of establishing a 12-week incubator for a cohort of nine or 10 smallscale tech startups—all of which, he noted, would need to be either minority- or female-founded.

“We’re all very passionate about growing the number of people of color and women in the tech space.

[That starts] by providing them with the resources and connections to grow their business,” Callender says.

DivInc’s intensive 12-week incubator is modeled roughly on Techstars’ three-month program, Jennings notes. Using the incubator framework, the team identified three pillars to success: education, mentorship and community. The curriculum is geared toward early stage startups that might be searching for help in the legal area or with business-model development.

“There are efforts in the Bay Area [and] there are efforts on the East Coast, but in terms of the middle of the country, no one’s really doing anything,” Jennings says of the company’s mission to have a hand in amalgamating the diverse faces of the tech industry.

At about 6 months old, the incubator now hosts weekly workshops and mentor sessions four times a week at Galvanize, a spacious, window-lined co-working space that looks like an office from the future. In an age in which technology offers the liberty to create distance between people, the space’s open floor plan and long tables offer a kind of kumbaya effect. In fact, daily in-person communication isn’t just a suggestion for DivInc’s startups; it’s a requirement.

“The importance of working in a co-working space, for us, is that we want our businesses to really integrate into the current tech ecosystem. It’s a lot about integration,” Callender says.

Few things are lost on the powerhouse duo when it comes to the daily challenges of being a female entrepreneur. Prior to helping launch DivInc, both women were, and still are, responsible for

32 | Austin Woman | april 2017

running their own companies. Jennings co-founded the production company CF Studios, and Callender runs a public-relations firm with her husband called Stellar Impeller.

Jennings remembers facing sexism in the workplace and seeking out other female tech founders for words of wisdom but coming up short. Callender remembers when she first started the PR firm, often leading business meetings only to have clients or potential clients direct the conversation and questions toward her male partner instead.

“We’re making it a point to change the mindset of the client [to understand] that women can hold that position and that the man isn’t always in charge,” Callender says.

One area in which women have a particularly hard time, compared with their male counterparts, is fundraising. Less than 5 percent of venture-capital funding goes toward women-owned or -founded companies. Part of the curriculum behind the DivInc program is built to prepare female business owners to pitch to investors, Jennings says, but it takes more than just business savvy to make a connection.

The change isn’t going to happen overnight, Jennings says. Women and people of color are working against their own preconceived notions for success as well, and women have to work to change their mindset.

“Women are more averse to risk-taking. We’re prone Dana Callender and Ashley Jennings to having a career before starting our own company, getting into STEM or being a developer,” Jennings says. “But if there’s no one around you that looks like you, how would you feel comfortable and confident enough to enter that space?”

Jennings and Callender act as ambassadors for diversity when they host local events and speak at conferences, forcing others to strike up conversations and look deeper at the parity within their companies.

“We don’t come from corporate America. We come from the startup scene,” Jennings says. “We know what they’re walking through because Lord knows we’re doing it.”

The two agree that a conversation about diversity in the tech field needs to be happening earlier—at the inception stage of a new startup—rather than later, which is why they’re planning to work with middle-schoolers and high-schoolers to lead by example and show others, women and girls included, that entrepreneurship is a viable career path.

Austin has the chance to champion diversity, Jennings says, and DivInc wants to be the leader of that charge. “[Our] long-term vision is that we no longer need something like DivInc,” Callender says, “because the tech ecosystem is already as diverse as America.”

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The Making of a Mastermind

As CEO of Austin Technology Council, Barbary Brunner reveals how to keep climbing the ladder in tech.

By Sarah E. Ashlock “I have, through the course of my career, tried to figure out how to get to Austin without compromising my career,” Brunner confides.

“It just seemed like it was time. I took a leap.”

In addition to looking for a job in Austin, she also started looking for a way to connect with and impact the local community. A few months passed, then an opportunity at Austin Technology Council opened up.

Since the early 1990s, Brunner has navigated the male-dominated She’s served as the council’s CEO for the past year. field of technology, from Seattle and Los Angeles to Denver and Austin.

Austin Technology Council has been around for almost a quarter of a While she never expected to use her liberal-arts degree in the tech field, century, and aims to supply those in the industry with a space to network Brunner has always had a knack for figuring out how things work. After and support one another. As the all, as a 4th-grader, she took apart tech scene in Austin bursts at its her flute with a screwdriver, an seams, and with more than 200 endeavor that resulted in about member companies and organiza150 intricately dissected pieces. tions under the council’s leadership, “I’m a builder and I’m a maker,” Brunner says ATC is transitioning to Brunner says. fit a larger and more integrated role Post-college, Brunner lobbied in the community. for women’s reproductive rights Transformations for ATC, she before accepting an editing posinotes, include increased member tion at Microsoft. services, such as legal counseling, “Microsoft was about, I don’t accounting and continuing educaknow, 8,500 people and about 8 tion. ATC has also started a coalition to brainstorm about policy and percent female when I joined,” advocacy for those in the industry, Brunner says, noting that she a smart move, Brunner notes, confound the sense of community sidering tech is a “huge part of the at the company captivating. “I city’s GDP.” found myself surrounded by this While Brunner’s strategic incredibly bright, passionate, strengths account for her high-level driven group of people who had a achievements, her ambition and cross-discipline skill set.” enthusiasm for both learning and Brunner’s mentor at Microteaching are equally as admirable. soft advised her to become a “It’s an honor and a privilege to program manager and learn mentor people and help them figure how to write code. out where they want to go and how “It was one of those light-bulb they want to get there,” Brunner says. moments,” Brunner says, addAs CEO, Brunner continues to ing that taking on a programaccept mentorship and follows manager role at Microsoft made her own advice to always “look for her think, “This is not what I’m people who do something better It’s an honor and a privilege to mentor people supposed to be doing but, oh my than you.”

God, this is what I’m supposed and help them figure out where they want Her career trajectory serves not to be doing.” only as a model of how to survive to go and how they want to get there.

From Microsoft, she channeled being a woman in tech, but how to her builder-and-maker skill set at thrive in it. In addition to seeking companies like Sierra Online, a video-game business where she helped out mentorship, Brunner urges young women to consider a holistic apexpand the company’s retail market and watched its revenue grow from proach to education, that is one that has a mix of both the creative and $4 million to $70 million in the short span of a few years. the tactical, like computer science or economics. She also recommends Soon, Brunner was taking on leadership roles at companies like MSN, working for a large company where women are presented with more opYahoo and Experian. She wound up accepting a big-time opportunity in portunities for vertical movement, as well as stellar training and support.

Denver only to realize shortly after starting that her forward-thinking “Invariably, if you’re a woman and you stand up for yourself,” Brunapproach was not going to be valued. She set off on her own, founded her ner says, as though she’s issuing a warning to women pursuing a career own consulting company and eventually made her way to Austin. in tech, “someone’s going to call you a bitch, or worse. You have to be Brunner had visited the city multiple times, occasionally checking in very confident in yourself because, you know, the haters are going to try to spend time with her two closest friends. to cut you off at the knees.”

“

34 | Austin Woman | april 2017

”

Photo by Dutchess Cerraeh Laykin.

“It’s tough to be a woman in tech, even today. You have to stand your ground,” says Barbary Brunner, the insightful CEO of Austin Technology Council. “When you see chauvinism on display, when you see bigotry on display, you have to be able to stay calm and point it out.”

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Cracking the Code

As co-director of Women Who Code Austin, Sara Inés Calderón is programming the way to equal opportunity in the tech community.

By rachel rascoe Code event and met Gibson, the Austin chapter’s founder. The following year, Calderón and Gibson held the first Women Who Code Hackathon, during which programmers work in teams to build out projects like apps and websites.

The co-directors’ own experiences working in the tech industry helped shape the goals of the Austin chapter. Calderón remembers when a project leader for a previous employer welcomed her to the company by saying, “We’re so happy to have a girl on the team.”

The organization connects women with the resources they need to She notes her work on a team was often not considered valid until succeed in the technology industry through weekly meet-ups and profes- it had been double checked by a male colleague. sional development services. Calderón, along with co-director Holly “It’s not that it hurts my feelings,” Calderón says. “But over time, Gibson, focuses on equipping and emwhen you’re perceived as not competent, powering women with both the coding you also don’t get promotions and skills and confidence to launch careers pay increases.” in technology.

In mentoring women through their “I feel really inspired by these womfirst jobs in technology, Calderón says en who are just changing their lives,” she’s learned that many underestimate Calderón says. “They wake up one day their own expertise. Because computerand say, ‘I’m going to do anything it science degrees are traditionally valued takes and work hard to get there.’ ” above graduation from an online coding Women Who Code’s weekly events school, women often enter the workplace cater to all skill levels with lessons on assuming their co-workers know more different programming languages, as about coding. well as guest speakers and collabora“The meet-ups have been really good tive “hack” nights. Calderón says the for allowing women to have those converdialogue started at the meet-ups, as sations about feeling under-confident and well as through the organization’s to realize, no, you probably know more online Slack and Twitter communithan you think you do,” Calderón says. ties, is helpful in navigating the maleDuring her time as a journalist, Caldedominated world of technology. rón reported on immigration and South “We really wanted to create a safe Texas’ Latino communities. She now space to talk about stuff that happens sees programming as a particularly emwhen you’re a woman in technology,” powering opportunity and career avenue Calderón says of the woman-only for Latina women. group, “like, ‘This happened at work.

“Opportunities for Latinas to find How do I talk about this with my those fields are so limited that if they do manager? Does this seem inapprofind it, they’re going to be so motivated priate to you?’ [It’s] everything from to be successful because it took them emotional support to professional so much to get there in the first place,” advice that you can’t really access if Calderón says. you don’t happen to know 500 people She notes that she hopes to launch a vothat work in technology.” cational training program for women who In addition to her work with were formerly incarcerated or have limited Women Who Code, Calderón works higher education, adding that by trainas a software developer in Austin. ing in WordPress for a few months and She also owns her own company, My favorite part of teaching is not teaching, connecting with clients, a woman can gain Tercera, through which she works on but rather seeing how people that you’ve the financial means to support herself and freelance projects, such as building her family. Watching women undergo that shared your knowledge with run with it. websites and custom applications. transformation, she says, is what inspires After being laid off from a journalher most about Women Who Code. ism job in 2009, Calderón began reporting on the rise of Facebook for a “My favorite part of teaching is not teaching, but rather seeing how friend’s tech website, which introduced her to the basics of coding for people that you’ve shared your knowledge with run with it,” Calderón the blog site WordPress. Calderón’s newfound interest in technology led says, reflecting. “You’re giving someone an opportunity, and if they really her to Los Angeles, where she worked for YouTube network Mitú and want it, they’re going to blow your mind. It really just costs you, what, a attended Sabio, a software-engineering program founded by Latinos. few hours of your time? But this person is a different person now.”

Upon returning to Austin in 2014, Calderón attended a Women Who

While waiting to hear back from her first round of job interviews in software development, Sara Inés Calderón found herself searching for ways to connect with other women in technology. She has since helped create that same community she was originally looking for, as the co-director of Women Who Code Austin, a local branch of global nonprofit Women Who Code.

Photo by Trish Hurless.

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MUST LIST PINING AWAY

Find a change of scenery and pace—without having to travel far and wide—in the Lost Pines region of Texas. story and photos by niki jones

austinwomanmagazine.com | 37

M

ust List

discover

Sometimes in life, we just need a change of scenery—literally. When you’re in the middle of a state as big and vast as Texas, it takes seemingly forever to get anywhere with a different landscape, which many of us don’t have the time for. But head east of Austin, and in less than an hour, you’ll be greeted by a whole new set of trees, rolling hills and rustic vibes.

Here, we offer up a suggested itinerary for a relaxing yet fun-filled long weekend among the pines.

THURSDAY 4 p.m.: You were fortunate enough to cut out of work early and beat the rush heading east on Highway 71. Exhale as you pull into the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa, a sprawling 405-acre property.

Navigate the picturesque and winding entrance roads and rejoice in the sight of the massive plantation-style property. Leave your car with the valet, give your bags to the attendant and make your way through the Texas-ranch-themed, airy lobby to check in.

4:22 p.m.: Step onto your balcony or patio, take a seat and enjoy the fresh air paired with the sound of nothing but birds and an occasional cow mooing in the distance.

6:01 p.m.: Head to Shellers Barrelhouse Bar, a casual Southern joint with a farmhouse feel. Choose from an extensive list of local beers and wines, or order a specialty cocktail. We recommend sipping on the basil watermelon cooler. Pair it with Shellers’ Shiner Bock queso for a cheesy treat, then dig into some prime-rib tacos. Not ready to give up yet? The Lost Pines s’mores martini is the ideal way to end the meal on a sweet note.

8:06 p.m.: Take a wandering stroll throughout the property. The buildings are lit beautifully and the landscaping is stellar. Head to one of the resort’s two fire pits and claim a rocking chair. Spend an hour or two rocking by the toasty fire, then make your way back to your room for a good sleep. And rest up because tomorrow is going to be filled with activities.

Shellers Barrelhouse Bar tacos

FRIDAY 7:52 a.m.: Make your way to Firewheel Cafe, a sunny, rustic space with plenty of room and a fantastic variety of menu items. Try the Lost Pines breakfast sandwich: two fried eggs, chipotle cheese spread and candied bacon on toasted sourdough.

8:43 a.m.: Take your coffee to go and head through the lobby, out the back doors, down the path to the river. Sit a spell on the dock, sip your coffee and take in the jaw-dropping beauty of the Colorado River.

9:38 a.m.: You’re fully caffeinated and ready for a big adventure. Just five minutes down the highway is McKinney Roughs Nature Park, where you’ll find Zip Lost Pines, featuring six dual ziplines. Fly over the pine forest and across steep canyons, or challenge your buddies to a race through the air. Not up for heights? Stay on the ground and traverse the 1,100-acre park’s 18 miles of hiking trails.

12:13 p.m.: All that adrenaline worked up a huge appetite, so head a little farther east to the new outpost of the famous Southside Market, a 133-year-old, familyrun barbecue joint. Try the famous sausage, add some brisket and grab a few unique spices to go for some cooking adventures back home.

1:37 p.m.: Are you feeling like a true Texan? Step it up a notch with a new pair of cowboy boots from Texas Boot Company. Enjoy a complimentary margarita as you try on that pair of Luccheses you’ve been dying to go two-stepping in.

2:55 p.m.: Make your way back to the resort and strut through the lobby in your fancy new boots. After receiving a few passing compliments, make a quick room stop before heading to Spa Django for the signature Eight Greens Facial.

5:49 p.m.: If you’re lucky enough to visit the resort on the first Friday of the month, check out the First Friday Art Walk in downtown Bastrop. Grab a complimentary glass of red or white wine at Lost Pines Art Bazaar and easily spend an hour or more perusing storefronts filled with unique gifts and home items curated from throughout the world. Make your way down Main Street, making sure not to miss Relics Jewelry and Gift Emporium or Art Connections Gallery. Cap off your walk by ducking into Viejo’s Tacos y Tequila for a specialty margarita. After all, it was voted Best Margarita in Bastrop County by local residents.

7:04 p.m.: All that shopping has made you hungry, and pizza sounds perfect.

Neighbor’s Kitchen & Yard overlooks the Colorado River, and features live music and a full bar, plus some excellent pizza. Try the Tree Hugger, a homemade pie topped with spinach, feta, tomatoes, Kalamata olives and artichokes.

A few of Copper Shot Distillery’s offerings

38 | Austin Woman | april 2017

8:28 p.m.: Follow the sounds of acoustic guitars just a few steps next door and enjoy Pickers on the Porch, an impromptu gathering of local musicians at Copper Shot Distillery. Taste test some samples of the delicious moonshine, pick a favorite (Ours is apple pie!) and head back out to the porch to appreciate some of Texas’ finest live music.

Photo by Lisa Muñoz.

Lost Pines Art Bazaar proprietors Saba and Naseem Khonsari

SATURDAY 9:13 a.m.: Head back to downtown Bastrop’s Main Street to Maxine’s Café, an award-winning spot that’s beloved by locals and sports a bevy of Texas charm and friendly service. Choose from a variety of Southern classics, like biscuits and gravy, grits or chicken-fried steak and eggs. Or if you want to go big, choose the Texas Monthly Stacker, a pile of 12 griddle cakes served with a quarter-pound heap of crispy bacon.

The Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa

10:22 a.m.: Mosey on down to Chestnut Street to visit the Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market, hosted in a renovated barn, and peruse the booths of locally grown and made wares. Pick up some grass-fed beef, fresh farm eggs and possibly one or two delicious pastries to enjoy on your drive home. For good measure, throw in a handmade soy candle. That way, no matter where you call home, you can always be reminded of the fantastic trip you took to the Lost Pines region of Texas.

Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market

Southside Market’s delicious desserts

Pets in the Pines

The Colorado River, viewed from the dock at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa

So, you don’t want to leave your pup at home?

No worries! The Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa is pet-friendly. For a $150 fee (good for as long as a six-night stay), the resort allows one dog weighing less than 50 pounds or two dogs with a combined weight of 75 pounds or less. The resort will even provide your pooch with a dog bowl and bed. Dog cleanup stations are offered on the property as well.

austinwomanmagazine.com | 39

M

ust List

roundup

How to Start a Podcast

Michelle Pimm, one of the voices behind Austin-based podcast I Was Just Saying That, offers her insight on how to direct a dialogue.

by Emma Whalen Podcasts didn’t exactly catapult to popularity when they hit the iTunes store in the early 2000s. One of the first series to gain notoriety was Serial, a true-crime podcast that debuted in 2014 and became the first to surpass 5 million subscribers. Since then, podcasts have grown to include nearly every genre, and it was only a matter of time before the creative community of Austin began to capitalize on this new storytelling trend.

Launched in 2016, I Was Just Saying That is a lifestyle podcast hosted by Austin’s Michelle Pimm and Kimya Kavehkar. Pimm and Kavehkar typically interview a guest on the weekends—with cocktails in hand—and edit one segment a week for a new release each Friday.

“I started the podcast out of wanting to create a space online for females and women to be able to relax and laugh and learn from each other and lift each other up,” Pimm says.

Looking back on her journey, Pimm offers up a few steps for those wanting to start a podcast of their own.

r Ask the internet. “It seems obvious, but when you start a podcast, Google will be

your main squeeze. There are countless videos and blogs ready to walk you through the entire process. From recording a show to publishing your episode on iTunes, established podcasters have resources waiting for you.”

r Brand it. “Before you hit record, make sure you define your brand. Is there a topic

you’re passionate about, an audience that you want to reach? This helps you book guests and plan your content accordingly. A nifty logo helps too.”

r Don’t overthink it. “We all can’t sound like NPR, not at first, at least. So don’t get

caught up in where to record or what mic you’re using. The pressure to be perfect will just slow you down from executing on your awesome podcast idea. We all have to start somewhere.”

r Hit record. “Yep, it’s that simple. Start recording! Be consistent and ensure your con-

tent is always working toward your original goal. It helps your listeners if you have an established day of the week to release your show. For instance, each Friday we release an episode of I Was Just Saying That to get listeners in the habit of tuning in.”

r Spread the word. “We all want to rise to the top of the podcast charts. That, however,

takes a little bit of work, so get ready to stretch your marketing muscles. A little tip is to encourage subscribers to rate and review your podcast on iTunes. Doing so helps your show get discovered and attract new listeners.”

Michelle Pimm’s Podcast Pick

Photo by Chelsea Francis.

If you like what you hear on I Was Just Saying That or are looking for more listening inspiration, Michelle Pimm recommends tuning into the podcast Call Your Girlfriend. The podcast, which served as one of many inspirations for I Was Just Saying That, features phone calls between two long-distance best friends, each accomplished professional women, as they trade humorous takes on pop culture, politics and everything in between.

“It’s a great female-focused podcast, hitting the same message of women’s issues and creative women,” Pimm says.

40 | Austin Woman | april 2017

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S

tyle

the look

Heat Wave

Transition from spring to summer with a flawless new hairstyle.

by April Cumming

VOLUMINOUS WAVES

Disheveled Double Knot

1. Blow dry hair with a light moisturizing cream.

1. Pull all the hair back and secure loosely with a hair tie.

2. Divide hair into eight to 10 sections.

2. Split hair into two sections and begin to “tie” or knot the hair once.

Repeat once more.

3. Comb each section. Hairspray and wrap hair in a spiral movement around a curling iron.

4. Let hair cool and brush with a natural-bristle brush.

5. Finish the look with a polish of hairspray.

Products used in this style: Oribe Supershine Light Moisturizing Crème and Oribe Superfine Hairspray, both available for purchase at Jose Luis Salon

42 | Austin Woman | april 2017

3. Secure with a hair tie. For a messier look, carefully cut the first hair tie that creates the ponytail.

4. Apply a texturizing spray for a disheveled texture.

5. Finish with a shine finishing spray.

Products used in this style: Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray and Oribe Shine Light Reflecting Spray, both available for purchase at Jose Luis Salon

Photos by Alejandro Osmo.

The winter months are gone, a fact officially confirmed by the sunbathers lined up like sardines in Zilker Park and the lilaccolored redbud trees in bloom. The shift in weather has a way of stirring up all sorts of changes, among them, how one chooses to wear her hair. To soak in some sage, creative-hairdo advice, Austin Woman turned to the stylists at Jose Luis Salon.

Vintage Glam 1. Prep hair using a heatproof styling spray.

2. Comb and smooth hair with a shine finishing spray.

3. Curl small sections of hair with a 1-inch curling iron.

4. Create a deep part for a vintage look. Find your natural part and direct it over a little more than usual. If you have a middle part, choose the side you like better and use a comb to secure it in place.

5. Use a small amount of light-hold gel to help keep the part in place.

Products used in this style: Oribe Royal Blowout Heat Styling Spray, Oribe Shine Light Reflecting Spray and Oribe Gel Serum, all available for purchase at Jose Luis Salon

austinwomanmagazine.com |  43

S

tyle

stock up

TECHNO-GORGEOUS

Step up your glam game with products at the forefront of the digital beauty market.

by Niki jones, compiled by stef atkinson

ARTPRO V11 NANO PRINTER Print unlimited flawless, unique designs directly onto any type of nails within seconds.

ILLUMINAGE SKIN REJUVENATING PILOWCASE

$1,225, available at art-pronail.co.uk

Copper technology helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles for smoother, younger-looking skin while you sleep.

Dyson Supersonic hair dryer

$60, available at Sephora stores, sephora.com and iluminagebeauty.com

Controlled, high-velocity airflow makes for a quick dry. Motor placement in the handle allows for a more balanced feel. Magnetic attachments make adjustments fast and easy. $399, available at Sephora stores, sephora.com and dyson.com

TRIA Hair Removal Laser 4X Target and permanently disable the growth of hair follicles with the same diode laser technology used by dermatologists. $449, available at Sephora stores, sephora.com and triabeauty.com

OKU This “personal skin coach” app uses visible light to analyze your skin, providing you with a “SkinScore.” $299.95, available at getoku.com

44 | Austin Woman | april 2017

R E A L PAT I E N T S . R E A L S T O R I E S .

After 15 years, Lacy Barcak’s progressive liver

I have my sister and Baylor to thank for my liver transplant.

disease began gaining momentum. “I was in and

‘‘

’’

out of the hospital,” she says, “going from bad to worse.” Lacy’s only good option was a living donor liver transplant, and for that, she needed two things: the right donor and the right hospital.

Her gastroenterologist at Scott & White in Temple sent her to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, one of the top six hospitals in the nation for living donor liver transplant. And her sister proved a willing and well-matched donor. “Nine days after the surgery, we did what healthy sisters do,” says Lacy. “We went shopping.”

For a physician referral or for more information about transplant services, call 1.800.4BAYLOR or visit us online at BSWHealth.com/Transplant.

Individual results may vary.

Physicians provide clinical services as members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Scott & White Health’s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and do not provide clinical services as employees or agents of those medical centers, Baylor Health Care System, Scott & White Healthcare or Baylor Scott & White Health. ©2017 Baylor Scott & White Health. ACHC_654_2017 CE 03.17

H

ome

make room

In Disguise

An Austin interior designer offers up her tips for styling a dual-purpose media room.

By Emma Whalen

Austin-based interior designer Merrilee McGehee drew from her experience on a recent redesign project and kindly bequeathed her best tips and takeaways for how to create an entertainment room that is equal parts fun, multi-faceted and functional.

PAINT PICK

In This Room r BuildASofa couch

r antique chair with castors

rN uevo Beton from Home Deeco standing lamp

r fiddle-leaf fig plant with Ikea basket r Serena & Lily decorative baskets

rc ustom-made corner sofa pillows with r custom-made center sofa pillow with Groundworks fabric and Moriyama Manuel Canovas fabric and Dara fabric Carnival fabric r Etsy pink geometric pillows r Vintage rugs 46 | Austin Woman | april 2017

rc ustom built-in cabinets by Alex

Cifuentes of Interior Home Solutions

Crushed Ice (SW 7647), sherwin-williams.com

Photo by Merrilee McGehee.

It’s fairly common to keep both a desk area and a homeentertainment system in the same room. It’s also fairly common to feel overwhelmed when trying to find ways to seamlessly incorporate technology into the home without adding unnecessary stress, or worse, an unwanted eyesore.

“” Our obstacle was creating a new room where everyone felt like it was their own space. We were very mindful with this objective in trying to make it purposeful for all members of the family.

—Merrilee McGehee

Get the Look Less is More “A desk area was needed for both parents, and the kids needed storage for their toys and furniture. The space needed to be kid-friendly during the day and morph to be grown-up-friendly at night. We collaborated to create a desk with sliders that camouflage as cabinet doors. These are utilitarian for him, but also keep [the space] clutterfree. For her, we created a desk space under the stairs with beautiful sunlight. It’s exactly the space you want to be in when you need some ‘hiding time.’ You can also take the desk chair away and the doors will close to look like cabinetry. Viola! It’s as if there was no desk at all.”

Embrace storage cabinets “If it’s not an option to have a media closet for cable and internet boxes, you can always use a cabinet. Use adjustable shelves to maximize space and prevent overheating. You can also use a patterned-wood grill for the front of the cabinet door to help with airflow without sacrificing design. The lower cabinets can serve as toy and arts-and-crafts storage, and the baskets are also a must when it comes to hiding toys after kids go to bed. The space converts easily for a glass of wine, adult time and good movie watching.”

Photo by Kelly Bauch.

Hide electrical cords “Computer and electrical cords are always unsightly, and hiding them can be an issue. Use a seagrass or inexpensive rug in your space. Cut a small incision in the bottom of the rug with a razor blade. Duct tape the back to avoid fraying and run your cord down the desk leg or under the sofa through the incision and to a floor or wall outlet. Now it’s out of sight.”

Cover the TV “If the only place for the TV is over the fireplace, you can always hinge a piece of art to the wall, closing over the TV when not in use. Make sure to use a piece of art with a deep enough cradle to cover the depth of the TV.” austinwomanmagazine.com | 47

AT

THE

TOP of her

GAME BY rachel Merriman | photos by keith trigaci hair and makeup by Lorena Guadarrama Molano | styled by niki jones SHOT ON LOCATION AT PEACHED SOCIAL HOUSE 48 | Austin Woman | april 2017

E 49

austinwomanmagazine.com |  49

50 | Austin Woman | april 2017

High above

downtown Austin’s bustling streets, on WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner’s office windowsill sits her very first cellphone.

At first glance, the square, bulky device with protruding buttons and a long antenna could easily be mistaken for a walkie-talkie, a relic of the past that passively reminds her not only where the technology industry has been, but also its immense potential for growth and innovation.

“”

Be somebody who is willing to take on challenges. Go where nobody wants to go. Be the one who’s willing to take the problem. Say, ‘I’ll do it,’ and then do it well.

Doing that allows you to dive into other areas.

Page 51: Diane von Furstenberg lace and basketweave sheath dress, $368; Alexis Bittar poppyprint kite drop earrings, $195, available at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200, neimanmarcus.com.

Opposite page: Rag & Bone Hayden long-sleeve silk blouse, $375; Diane von Furstenberg twig and diamond lace pencil skirt, $298; Alexis Bittar lucite thorn drop earrings, $265, available at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200, neimanmarcus.com.

ABOUT THE LOCATION Peached Social House is a multifunctional event space spanning more than 4,300 square feet, and is located at 6500 N. Lamar Blvd. in Austin. For more information, visit peachedsocialhouse.com.

Design Hound, the East Austin architecture firm that designed Peached Social House, was founded by Kevin Stewart and Liz Rau. The firm creates unique spaces, design-forward homes, restaurants, offices, retail spaces and multifamily developments. Design Hound designs projects like Peached Social House that engage the environment and explore the evolving aesthetic of Central Texas. For more information, visit design-hound.com.

The 27-year veteran of the technology industry, who has held leadership roles at some of Austin’s most well-known companies—Oracle, Trilogy and Bazaarvoice, to name a few—is leading the charge, in more ways than one, when it comes to innovation and diversity in the tech field.

Brunner credits her father, who worked in the energy industry in Houston, for first introducing her to the business world.

“As a kid, I was always very fascinated by what he did. I would go to work with him a lot, particularly in the summers, so growing up, I was exposed to offices and work environments, and lots of discussion about travel [because] he would travel all over the world. So, I knew early on I wanted to do something related to business or world trade. Those things were very interesting to me,” Brunner says.

When it came time for Brunner to go to college, the fifth-generation Texan stayed close to home and chose to study at Trinity University in San Antonio. Brunner quickly settled on international economics as her major because it satisfied a wide range of her interests.

“International economics is a very interesting discipline. [I was] numbers-oriented and business-oriented, but also liked some of the more liberal-arts topics such as psychology and history, so economics was a good fit for me,” Brunner says.

During her junior year, Brunner enrolled in a study-abroad program at the University of Cambridge in London, where she discovered her passion for the intersection of business and technology. At the City Club, an organization of students who were interested in economics and finance, Brunner attended a presentation by a partner from Andersen Consulting (which would later become professional services company Accenture) about a project the business was working on with Lloyd’s of London to automate the insurance-claims process. Brunner was fascinated, and after going up to talk to him after his presentation, she was invited to the Andersen Consulting office to meet clients and partners. That meeting led to Brunner landing a job offer from Accenture before graduation.

“I got that leg up just by being interested,” Brunner says. “I always tell people that if there’s something that sparks your interest, go and talk to someone. Even if they’re much more senior than you, they were you once. They appreciate

the fact that you’re interested in what they do.”

In her seven years with Accenture, Brunner rose through the ranks from consultant to senior manager. Although she naturally gravitated toward big-picture-oriented roles that involved defining business requirements and project planning, Brunner notes that exceeding expectations in every role she held was key to breaking into leadership positions.

“I coach a lot of professionals across our global team, and one thing I always say is that from a leadership perspective, the first thing you can do is exceed expectations in your current role,” she says. “If you’re seen as somebody who is an exceptional performer and is exceeding expectations in your role, you’re more likely to have that next opportunity to move up.”

Demonstrating her expertise in certain areas of the business and being willing to take on challenges proved crucial to advancing Brunner’s career to the executive level.

“People who are the most successful executives have been a functional expert. For me, I was an expert in anything customer-facing, whether it was client services or sales,” she says. “I was in front of the customer, finding out their needs, defining their requirements, putting together proposals and executing to deliver on time and on budget. Excelling at that put me into positions like senior manager of a large project team, then practice director, then VP of client services and VP of operations. Having a specialty and being seen as an expert allowed me to go high and fast.

“Be somebody who is willing to take on challenges. Go where nobody wants to go. Be the one who’s willing to take the problem. Say, ‘I’ll do it,’ and then do it well. Doing that allows you to dive into other areas.”

In Brunner’s role as chief operations officer of the social-commerce platform Bazaarvoice, she navigated the company’s fast-paced growth through initial public offering and two acquisitions. Brunner was instrumental in developing Bazaarvoice’s early marketing strategy that put data-driven customer case studies at the forefront, proving the value of the company’s services in a cash-strapped marketplace. It was an especially difficult task to accomplish during the economic downturn of 2008 and 2009, but Brunner’s strategy produced huge results, driving a global adoption of more than 850 brands throughout 36 countries. austinwomanmagazine.com | 51

“When things are down, customers want to make sure that every dollar they spend is going to get a real ROI. So we took this ROI, customersuccess-focused, data-driven approach as our model. It drove conversion and allowed us to get some larger key brands to adopt us, and then more brands followed,” Brunner says.

Bazaarvoice was the first place where Brunner observed a high investment in company culture and its positive effects on the business.

“Bazaarvoice was a place where I saw the power of culture tied to attracting, retaining and growing incredible talent, which then created a really great business environment for our customers,” Brunner says.

In her current role as CEO and chairwoman of WP Engine, Brunner keeps purpose at the forefront of everything she does.

“If you look at the textbook definition, the role of the CEO is to maximize enterprise value for all shareholders and stakeholders. I feel that my job as CEO is to drive enterprise value, but do that through the power of purpose. I call it ‘EV to the P.’ Our purpose is to help our customers win online, and to do everything we can to help them be a step ahead of their goals,” Brunner says. “Whatever their goals are, we’re helping them succeed, whether through what we’re building in terms of technology or having a frontline conversation with a customer who needs help.”

WP Engine offers hosting services for websites built with open-source content management software WordPress, with plans in place to suit small businesses and large enterprises alike. Most people think of WordPress as a blogging tool, but many business’ professional websites are built with WordPress. According to W3Techs, WordPress is the CMS used by 28 percent of all websites.

The WP Engine platform enables users to optimize their website’s performance, get insights on how well their website is performing and keep their website secure.

“Large companies have milliondollar budgets for their websites, so they’re able to have a great focus on uptime, speed, security, scalability and expertise because they’re paying a premium for that,” Brunner explains. “What we do is allow businesses of all sizes to take advantage of a technology that is open-source and free by building a technology platform and a service52 | Austin Woman | april 2017

delivery platform that makes it easy for customers to build really compelling, high-performing websites in a cost-effective way [and] get insights and intelligence from their websites. At the end of the day, in essence, we’re trying to democratize web tech.”

One of the first things Brunner did after joining WP Engine in 2013 was define the company’s core values. The five core values—do the right thing, customer-inspired, where the best get better, built to last and aspiring to lead, committed to giving back— function as an underlying framework that guides everything the company does. Every year, the company holds a signing ceremony during which each employee signs a large printout of the core values, which is then displayed in the office lobby.

“Companies are a collection of people. If you think about a startup, when you have 10 people in a room, all together, it’s really easy to communicate with each other, and usually at that stage, you are very likeminded,” Brunner explains.

“But as you continue to grow, if you don’t codify your core values, then it’s difficult for that culture to scale.

Codifying your core values allows you to declare, ‘This is who we are and this is what’s important to us.’ ” Even Brunner isn’t immune to being driven by WP Engine’s core values. Inspired by the aspiring to lead and committed to giving back core values, Brunner spearheaded the creation of Torque, an online magazine for WordPress developers that spans a variety of beginnerlevel and advanced topics, from selecting a theme to building a plugin from scratch. Although Torque is sponsored by WP Engine, the magazine’s content is curated by an independent editorial staff.

“Brands need to act like publishers and think of themselves as thought leaders in content,” Brunner says.

“We want to be seen as a key contributor to and supporter of the WordPress community. At the time, we couldn’t afford a full-time engineer to work on the WordPress core project, so we saw Torque as a way for us to give our expertise.”

During her four-year tenure as CEO, Brunner has led multiple rounds of fundraising for WP Engine, bringing the total investment in WP Engine to more than $40 million.

“It’s a very large market and we have big aspirations, but we’ve been able to very effectively control our

Meet the Women Executives of WP Engine Heather Brunner Chairwoman and CEO, WP Engine As chairwoman and CEO, Heather Brunner has steered WP Engine to hypergrowth and global expansion, with offices in Austin, San Antonio, London, San Francisco, and Limerick, Ireland serving 60,000 customers in 136 countries. A 27-year technology veteran, Brunner helped create billions in value, drove customer success and led business strategy for both privately funded new ventures and Fortune 500 companies. Prior to WP Engine, Brunner served as chief operations officer of Bazaarvoice during a period of rapid global growth through initial public offering and two acquisition integrations, growing the number of global brands to more than 850 in 36 countries, including Best Buy, Blue Shield of California, Costco and Macy’s, among others. In 2015, Brunner was awarded a silver Stevie Award for Female Executive of the Year and Best CEO from the Austin Business Journal. Most recently, Brunner was a finalist for the 2016 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Central Texas.

Mary Ellen Dugan Chief Marketing Officer, WP Engine Mary Ellen Dugan leads all WP Engine global marketing activities, ranging from product marketing, partner enablement and demand generation, brand building, advertising and integrated marketing. An accomplished senior marketing executive with 20 years’ experience, Dugan has held a number of senior-executive roles at multinational companies, including vice president of global marketing at indeed.com, where she launched the company’s first-ever brand campaign; executive director of global brand and consumer advertising at Dell; and various executive roles at agencies such as Landor Associates and Daymon Worldwide.

April Downing Chief Financial Officer, WP Engine April Downing is a seasoned financial and operational executive with more than 20 years of experience. Having raised more than $220 million in capital and completed more than 20 acquisitions, Downing appreciates the complexity of managing technology and services companies at various stages. In addition to leading the finance side of the house for both publicly and privately held companies, Downing has a passion for people and has led talent and culture teams at various companies in the last decade. Downing currently serves on the board of directors of Helping Hand Home for Children and is a member of the National Charity League of Austin, through which she shares her love of volunteerism with her daughter.

Tina Dobie Senior Vice President of Customer Experience, WP Engine As a results-driven, client-services-technology executive, Tina Dobie has spent more than 20 years building and leading global teams to drive customer value realization while simultaneously optimizing internal operations for high growth and scalability. Her experience spans industries such as software as a service, enterprise software, strategic-management consulting and consumer packaged goods. Dobie helped drive WP Engine’s entire customer-experience team to two gold Stevie Awards for Best Customer Service Department in the past year, and has also earned the company a world-class Net Promoter Score. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, and was a fellow for the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management. She lives with her husband and two daughters, who are all actively involved in the community through their work with the National Charity League.

“”

We have an opportunity to be a voice for diversity [and] to show that technology can be a place for people of all backgrounds to thrive.

austinwomanmagazine.com | 53

expenses and drive more scale to fund our investments,” Brunner says. “A lot of times, tech companies have a high-burn-rate mentality, and we’ve done a great job of creating hypergrowth and really strong customer satisfaction at a low burn and very capital-efficient way.”

Rapid growth can have detrimental effects on company culture, but despite global expansion to locations in San Antonio; San Francisco; Limerick, Ireland; and London, WP Engine remains a strong, respectable place to work. The company has been named on the Austin Business Journal’s Best Places to Work list for the past three years and was named a Top Workplace by the Austin American-Statesman in 2015. To make WP Engine a great place to build a career, Brunner focuses on creating a company culture in which employees can be their true, authentic selves while at work, a culture that fosters an energetic and creative environment.

“When you’re at work, you naturally kind of have to put up a

54 | Austin Woman | april 2017

little bit of a guard. I’ve been in environments where there was fear and judgment, or it was very hierarchical,” Brunner says.

“Our aspiration is that when you join the company, we, as quickly as possible, get you to that place where you feel as comfortable and at ease here as you do at home. We think that brings out your best authentic self, and when you’re there, you are your most creative. You’re putting your energy towards what’s at hand versus thinking about whether you’re going to get your hand slapped. … If information flows freely and equally, it lets everyone participate in the creativity of the business.”

It’s simple, really: A high level of investment in employees leads to better employee performance and better business results.

“Happy employees who feel like they are informed and empowered put all their energy and excitement into our customers.

Then our customers have a great experience. They feel like we’ve got their back [and that] we’re innovating and taking them forward. That equals great shareholder and great business performance,” Brunner says. “There’s a debate in a lot of companies about whether to put the customer or employees first. When you put the employee first, they put the customer first. And then great things happen.”

Described by online magazine Gadgette as “the CEO who’s nailing tech diversity,” Brunner has intentionally shaped WP Engine into a highly diverse workforce. Out of more than 400 employees, 26 percent are women, 30 percent are non-white and 5 percent are LGBTQ individuals.

“Most of my time in my tech history, I have been surrounded by people who went to college and were star performers in college, and for the most part did not have a lot of poverty around in their day-to-day life,” Brunner notes.

“I was in very competitive environments [that were] mostly male and mostly white.”

One way WP Engine promotes diversity is by hiring people who have experience with the WordPress platform but don’t necessarily have a college degree. Today, 35 percent of the WP Engine team does not have a college degree; many employees are hired after completing workforce-development programs or boot camps.

“Jason [Cohen, WP Engine founder,] had built a team that did not look like your typical tech company. So, here I come walking in, and it was very eye-opening,” Brunner says.

“Initially, I had these biases: Are we going to have the same level of performance? Are we going to have to hire more people with more experience? I very quickly had this awakening.

The team was committed. They were loyal.

They all had the same intellect and the same passions as someone who went to college. They just didn’t have the same opportunity.

“We are an on-ramp for people who have the intellect, the heart and the passion to be in tech but just haven’t had the opportunity. We have an opportunity to be a voice for diversity [and] to show that technology can be a place for people of all backgrounds to thrive.”

Notably, women comprise 30 percent of nonexecutive leadership roles and 65 percent of senior executive roles at WP Engine.

“I met more women leaders in my first six months at WP Engine than I had met in the prior decade,” Brunner notes. “I spent probably the first 20 years of my career basically trying not to be a woman and not put attention on the fact that I’m a woman or that I have kids at home. My view was that if I did that, it would take away from my strength and my being viewed as an executive and a leader. But actually, a big part of my strength is the fact that I am a woman, I am a mother, that I can be feminine and tap into the energy of who I am as a woman. And that, actually, is why I’ve been able to do the things I’ve been able to do. I recognized that if I’d been feeling this way, I needed to do a better job of being an advocate for women.”

In 2016, WP Engine committed to the White House’s Equal Pay Pledge.

To standardize pay and eliminate pay inequality, the company adopted a simple and refreshing policy: Each employee in the same role with the same level of experience starts out with the same salary.

Salary negotiations aren’t part of the hiring process; all employees enter the company on a level playing field and earn raises and promotions based on their performance.

“For women, that’s a great commitment because, for example, if you were to be promoted to a new role in the company, you know that the company will pay you as equally and treat you as fairly as your male peers,” Brunner explains. “By taking a no-haggling philosophy, it allows everybody to feel more comfortable and assured that they’re treated fairly.”

“”

I spent probably the first 20 years of my career basically trying not to be a woman and not put attention on the fact that I’m a woman or that I have kids at home. My view was that if I did that, it would take away from my strength and my being viewed as an executive and a leader. But actually, a big part of my strength is the fact that I am a woman, I am a mother, that I can be feminine and tap into the energy of who I am as a woman.

Brunner is fond of saying the phrase “diversity attracts diversity,” meaning that as a company naturally attracts and retains diverse talent, that diversity is sustained from the inside by employee referrals. It’s a strategy that clearly works. Sixty percent of WP Engine’s employees have been referred by current team members. And that diversity is highly advantageous. With more than 60,000 customers in 136 countries, WP Engine’s customer base is extremely global.

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“When you can reflect your customers, you’re much more relatable as a company. In general, I think people prefer to associate themselves with brands who care about people, treat their employees well and give them opportunities to rise,” Brunner says. “Having a very diverse team be represented is something I think our customers appreciate and value.”

One would think Brunner’s plate is already full, but in addition to her full-time job, she is also a partner at Capital Factory.

In the past, Brunner has also served as a startup advisor and mentor at Capital Factory, lending her wealth of experience to entrepreneurs at any level.

“My constant advice I give to anyone I’m talking to is to know your hero customer. Your product can probably serve a multitude of different personas, but pick one and go talk to them,” Brunner says. “Find out who they are, what their life is like, what problems they have and how your idea will help them.

Sometimes entrepreneurs will have an idea but they’ve spoken to no one. It’s kind of criminal to see that happen. The heavy lifting of identifying your hero customer is one of the most important things you will do as an entrepreneur.”

Brunner is also one of the founders of Women at Austin, a community that provides quarterly forums, workshops and mentoring events to a growing network of women entrepreneurs.

“Women at Austin has been able to very quickly put a spotlight on the fact that there’s an incredible community of phenomenal women here in Austin, and we need to continue to support each other and help each other,” she says. “I want to see us do more with it. We need to think about how we are going to take it to the next level. Right now, it’s all very grassroots and relatively informal. Looking ahead, we’re taking Women at Austin and making it future-proof.”

It’s a challenge to sum up an individual and her achievements in fewer than 4,000 words, and even more so in fewer than 160 characters, but Brunner’s Twitter bio, in which she describes herself simply as “passionate about working towards equality and opportunity for all people,” is incredibly succinct and adequately fitting.

“I’ve been having an awakening over these last four years to be a bigger advocate for women and for people who have typically not had the same advantages as others,” Brunner says.

“I hope that by somebody getting to know my story better, they would feel inspired to do the same thing.”

austinwomanmagazine.com | 55

Bridging the Digital Divide We take an inside look at the innovative and ingenious ways in which two social entrepreneurs are continuing to bring the tech world to underserved women in Austin.

BY Shelley Seale | Photos by Dustin Meyer

The world is in the middle of the technology revolution, and the United States is at the forefront of its progressive developments and change. Yet, in some underserved communities, one may not even know or have heard of the incredible innovations shaping the tech scene today. In lowincome neighborhoods and schools, homeless shelters, senior-citizen centers and among other populations, including veterans and people with disabilities, access to computers and other modern-day technology is sorely lacking.

According to Austin Free-Net, one in five American adults still do not use the internet because they either do not know how to use it, lack access to it or are not convinced of its value. At the same time, some 5,000-plus tech jobs, many of them entry-level positions requiring no college degree, sit unfilled in the U.S. due to a gap in technical expertise.

This is what’s known as the digital divide, the gulf of economic and social inequity between those who have access to information and computer technologies and those who do not, often most divided along lines of income, race and gender. Although Austin is known and applauded for being a tech-forward city, shockingly, this gulf exists here too.

“The digital divide is arguably the single largest segregating force in today’s world,” Janice C. Sipior and Burke T. Ward wrote in a Villanova University report titled The Digital Divide: A Case Study of a United States Community. “If it is not made a national priority, a generation of children and families will mature without these tools that are proving to be the key to the future.”

The divide is something that not only hurts one person or affects one family; it’s an issue that impacts the entire surrounding community. It’s a downward-spiral-like domino effect. Fewer people working means less tax revenue for a city while, at the same time, increased pressure is placed on social-services providers. A family might need an older child to quit school and go to work, which means the cycle of lowpaying jobs is continued for yet another generation.

Investing in Austin’s brain trust and improving the education and technical acumen of residents is a winning game plan to draw more businesses to town, increase the city’s tax revenue and reduce unemployment numbers. In short, a computer-literate and tech-savvy population equals a citizenry that makes a city stronger economically and makes Austin more attractive to new industry.

Shot on location at the Blanton Museum of Art. Installation in photo: Teresita Fernández, “Stacked Waters,” 2009, cast acrylic Commissioned by the Blanton Museum of Art, the University of Texas at Austin, through the generosity of Jeanne and Michael Klein, 2008.

56 | Austin Woman | APRIL 2017

57

austinwomanmagazine.com |  57

Austin Free-Net Tinesha Durr was one of those whose life fell into the crevasse of the digital divide. After her son was born, Durr thought about enrolling in an internet-technology certification program.

She loved tinkering with computers and had taken some college courses in the past, but was frustrated by the endless administrative jobs she held and the obstacles facing her. She was dealing with not only the challenges of single parenthood, but also a life-threatening health issue, both of which temporarily derailed her dreams.

A few years later, however, Durr saw a posting for Austin Free-Net’s Techno-Women program. The 34-week course, which prepares women for the modern-technology workforce, began in March 2016, and Durr knew it was the right fit for her. She applied for one of 11 available scholarships and was awarded financial aid. Soon after, Durr became the first student to complete all three of Austin Free-Net’s IT certifications.

“The course teaches you to become an independent thinker,” says Durr, who was offered a tech position in Las Vegas that paid an annual salary of $45,000.

Her next goal is to earn her certification in the Linux Operating System and help others wanting to launch careers in tech by becoming a network-administration trainer.

In retrospect, Durr’s career trajectory is exactly the kind of result those at Austin Free-Net want to see for all its students.

Austin Free-Net’s mission, after all, is to bridge the digital divide by providing technology training and access to the community, fostering skills that enable these citizens to succeed in a digital age.

“Our vision is a world without digital barriers,” says Juanita Budd, AFN’s executive director, who thoroughly understands having internet access is directly correlated to a better quality of life, a more equal economic playing field and upward mobility in one’s career. “We are a trailblazer in promoting a digitally engaged society. We specialize in free, public computer access, training and workforce development for the underserved populations in metro Austin and surrounding counties.”

Founded in 1995, AFN is the only nonprofit organization that provides one-on-one training and computer access to programs free of charge to clients. While there are a few other organizations through which the public can access the internet for free, most of them, including libraries, require proof of residency and limit online time to one-hour sessions.

Budd points out that AFN clients usually take more than an hour to complete a job application, so, accordingly, the program allows free internet access for as long as three hours in one sitting. AFN has labs hosting a total of approximately 155 computers in 32 community locations, including health-andhuman-services sites, homeless shelters, senior activity centers and low-income housing neighborhoods where residents are less likely to be able to afford internet access, let alone a computer.

All members of the community are welcome to use an AFN lab and are helped on a walk-in basis, with no registration, appointment or identification required. Students get help learning computer basics by achieving the goals they set for themselves.

AFN trainers teach students how to create resumes, look for jobs and find help online, create and use email accounts, connect with friends and family using social media, and more. This access is bridging the technology gap by helping people in the Austin community find work and health-care services, and complete many other necessary modern-day tasks.

“AFN believes empowerment in the 21st century must include technology and digital literacy,” Budd says.

58 | Austin Woman | april 2017

Get Involved With Austin Free-Net > Sign up: Subscribe to the newsletter at austinfree.net/donate/newsletter-signup > Donate: Monetary donations and in-kind donations are accepted through Amazon, Randall’s and hosted fundraising events. austinfree.net/donate > Volunteer: Computer-lab trainers, administrative support and outreach events are some of the areas in which volunteers can play a role. austinfree.net/volunteer > Fee-based training: AFN offers basic computer-literacy classes and advanced computing classes for group organizations. > Take part in Digital Inclusion Week, May 8 through 13: Raise awareness about digital inequities and nationwide efforts being made from California to the Carolinas to close those gaps. During the week, organizations from throughout the nation, including Austin Free-Net, will host digital-inclusion events and share digital stories that highlight specific inequities and the role digital-inclusion providers play in bridging the digital divide.

The Techno-Women program is one of the key components of AFN that advocates for and supports women—a demographic that makes up 65 percent of its client base— preparing underserved women to enter today’s tech workforce.

“Most of these women have little to no experience with technology outside of the usage of their cellphones. They are low-income and 70 percent are minorities—black and Hispanic,” Budd says. “According to research, this group is least likely to engage in technology. Introducing them to potential careers in the technology space garners opportunities for jobs above the living wage and supports self-sufficiency.”

The expected outcomes of the Techno-Women program are that students will have enhanced their business acumen, know how to build their own computer, have learned the functionality of computer software and hardware components, and have earned marketable network certifications.

“The skills the students learn will directly impact their family’s income and potentially lead someone on the path to entrepreneurship within the marketable technology field,” Budd says.

AFN is spearheading the tech-for-all charge by joining forces with crusades such as Unlocking the Connection, a homegrown initiative founded on a mission to help close the digital divide for thousands of people. Partnering with Google Fiber, Austin Community College and the city’s housing authority, the partnership recently completed the pilot year of bringing digital-literacy classes called Tech Starters to public-housing residents. So far, 122 students have graduated from the program, which now serves as a national model for digital-literacy training through the White House’s 2016 technology initiative.

“Our vision is a world without digital barriers.”

—Juanita Budd, executive director of Austin Free-Net

austinwomanmagazine.com austinwomanmagazine.com| 59 | 59

“We are teaching Hispanic girls they need not ‘join’ tech. It is already in their DNA.” —Laura Donnelly, CEO and co-founder of Latinitas

60 | Austin Woman | april 2017

Latinitas As is true in any career field, and particularly within industries such as technology in which there is a high gender, racial and income gap, reaching young people is vital. One organization addressing this need—a need not only to achieve more female and minority representation in tech, but also to reach an underrepresented audience of young women—is Latinitas, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Latina youth through the use of media and technology.

“Less than 1 percent of our technology industry in town is Latina,” says Laura Donnelly, CEO and co-founder of Latinitas. “It’s appalling in a city where 60 percent of our local school district is Latino, and 80 percent of our incoming kindergarteners at AISD is Latino.

The segregated nature in Austin is making it hard for the influx of newcomers to see the bevy of human capital right here in the city borders, just east of I-35—[residents] ready for recruiting to our film, tech and startup sector.”

Donnelly adds Latinos come from a heritage that created the first human technologies. From drought farming to the invention of chocolate, Mayans, Incans and Tainos in the Caribbean were at the forefront of evolving ingenuity and human progress. Contemporary Latinos are also natural code switchers; many already think in and speak two or more languages, and modern technology is a real-life application of those honed skills.

“We are teaching Hispanic girls they need not ‘join’ tech. It is already in their DNA,” Donnelly says. “Their people were there first.”

In tandem with her University of Texas classmate Alicia Rascon, Donnelly founded Latinitas 15 years ago as an assignment for a Latinos and Media class. The ambitious duo approached their professor, media scholar Federico Subervi-Velez, to ask if they could do something off-syllabus for the final class project. The result was the first—and, to this day, the only—magazine made by and for young Latinas.

“Latinas in mainstream media are still represented pretty stereotypically, either as maids, feisty and angry, overly sexualized or just not there at all,” Donnelly says. “We were both adamant about using media and tech to create something that reflected positive, more accurate portrayals of U.S. Latina youth and women.”

While she, Rascon and their fellow UT students were the first volunteers to helm the direction of the magazine, they wanted Latinitas to offer authentic content that was written and produced by the very audience at whom it was aimed. They started holding workshops and after-school clubs, as well as camps and conferences to cultivate the next generation of writers, bloggers, filmmakers, podcasters, photographers and web and graphic designers. Later, they added a focus on app developers, game designers, virtual-reality producers and coders.

Today, Latinitas is a multi-city nonprofit organization providing digital-media and technology training—not to mention esteemboosting services—to nearly 3,000 girls and teens throughout Texas each year, 2,000 of them in Central Texas and 1,000 more in West Texas. Latinitas’ presence at 112 Austin schools, libraries, public-housing sites, community and cultural centers has provided more than 25,000 young women from all backgrounds a suite of multimedia production skills and technology training, from digital photography know-how to robotics how-to.

“You can’t just tell girls to ‘go code’ and [expect] they will,” Donnelly says. “You have to make tech connect to them in real and fun ways. We do this through fashion, such as wearable tech, and through ways in which tech can be used as a tool for community outreach and social justice. Media and technology are ideal delivery devices to teach Latina girls messages about identity, self-esteem, health and wellness, college attainment and much more.”

Celebrate Latinitas’ 15th Anniversary Quinceañera To commemorate 15 years of empowering Latina youth, Latinitas will host a quinceañera event June 10 at Gather, located at 5540 N. Lamar Blvd.

Quinceañeras are a rite of passage for young Latina women, dating back to the Aztecs. They commemorate a girl’s spiritual transition to womanhood and empowerment.

“Like the original quinceañeras, this event will focus on indigenous and mestizo empowerment with a photo exhibit and contest focused on transformation, but also [focus on] the more commercialized and familiar experiences of a modern-day quinceañera, including honoring padrinos [or godparents], five longtime supporters of Latinitas, including Spy Kids producer Elizabeth Avellan, a court made up of Latinitas’ board and current and past staff, and a full-out party driven by the international DJ collective Peligrosa All Stars,” says Vicky Garza, Latinitas’ director of development and marketing.

Patrons are invited to wear cocktail attire in bright quinceañera colors. Luxco distilleries will host a special tasting of its Exotico Tequila and Rebel Yell whiskey.

Latinitas program alumni working in television, technology, education and more will be on hand to share their success stories. latinitasgala.com

Latinitas is driven to connect the city’s fastestgrowing youth population with one of its most lucrative industries, making it the only bilingual technology-education agency in Austin and one of only a handful of similar organizations nationwide.

“We are bringing girls to tech spaces and connecting them with people there who look like them and grew up like them. That lets them experience that ‘you got to be it to see it’ moment,” Donnelly says.

The program, a movement of sorts, is working.

Donnelly says 63 percent of the girls who attended Latinitas’ Code Chica Conference in 2016 had never coded before, adding that 93 percent of Latinitas’ program alumni end up graduating high school and 81 percent of graduates now identify as college students.

“In respect to Latinas having the highest dropout rate of all their peers, this is immense,” Donnelly says of the telling statistics. “When we think of Austin youth now, we should be picturing Latino youth.

Latinitas is about mining the talent right here in our own backyard.”

austinwomanmagazine.com | 61

G

OURMET

TO MARKET

Can’t Be Beet

Spring weather is cause for creating a menu that’s equal parts savory and sweet. story and photos by natalie paramore April showers bring May flowers, but they also bring a plethora of bright colors and mouthwatering produce to the aisles of our favorite farmers markets. Put some pep in your step—and in your recipes—by mixing in a fresh, flavorful dish to your menu this spring. From vibrant

beets to juicy blackberries and crispy green beans, there’s plenty of delicious fare to dish out. Before the unbearable 100-degree weather hits, whip up an appetizer, entree and dessert that serve as perfect table accoutrements to bring to a group picnic or outdoor gathering.

Beet Hummus Makes 4 cups

Ingredients

Directions

3 small beets

1. W ash and peel the beets. Wrap them in foil and roast for one hour at 425 degrees.

1 can chickpeas, drained 1 cup tahini 1/2 cup filtered water 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon hot paprika Toppings Scallions Crumbled feta cheese Poppy seeds

3. I n a food processor, combine the beets with the chickpeas, tahini, water, lemon juice, cumin and paprika for a little heat.

Pulse on high for three minutes. While pulsing, stream the olive oil into the food processor.

4. T op the hummus with thinly sliced scallions, feta, poppy seeds and sesame seeds, and serve with crackers and veggies. Hummus can be stored without the toppings for as long as a week in an airtight container in the fridge.

Photo courtesy of Cannon + Belle.

Sesame seeds

2. O nce the beets are cool enough to touch, dice them into quarters.

62 | Austin Woman | april 2017

Green Bean Panzanella Salad Serves two

Ingredients

Directions

1/4 cup red onion, sliced

1. P lace the sliced red onion into a bowl of water to take the bite out. Set it aside.

1/2 pound fresh green beans 1 slice bacon 1 cup bread, cubed and toasted 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, diced 1/8 cup crumbled feta cheese

2. W ash the green beans and remove the ends.

Chop them into 3- to 4-inch pieces.

3. B lanche the green beans by dropping them into boiling water for two minutes, then shock them in ice water to stop the cooking.

4. R emove them from the ice water and set them aside.

5. Fry the bacon slice until crisp.

Dressing 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

6. T o make the bread, chop white or sourdough bread into 1-inch cubes. Toss with olive oil and Italian seasonings. Broil for five minutes, tossing once, until the bread is crisp.

7. To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, mustard and vinegar.

8. I n a large bowl, toss the green beans with bread, tomatoes, feta cheese, red onion and crumbled bacon with dressing. Serve immediately.

No-churn Vanilla Blackberry Ice Cream Serves six to eight

Ingredients

Directions

24 ounces (3 cups) blackberries

1. P ulse the blackberries in a food processor until smooth. Pour the blackberry paste through a fine-mesh sieve to strain the pulp. Discard the pulp.

1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 cup sugar 1 pint heavy whipping cream 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 vanilla bean pod

2. Place the blackberry juice into a small stovetop pot. Combine with the lemon juice and sugar over medium heat. Stirring frequently, reduce the blackberry juice for five to seven minutes until it’s thickened. Remove it from the heat and let it cool.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream on medium speed until medium peaks form, about five minutes.

4. Reduce the speed and gently pour in the sweetened condensed milk, mixing for one minute.

5. Using a spatula, fold the vanilla extract and vanilla bean pods into the cream.

6. Stir in the blackberry paste and place the mixture into a metal loaf pan.

Cover and let it chill in the freezer for at least five hours before serving.

austinwomanmagazine.com |  63

G

OURMET

food news

Cooking Up Language Chops

Learn how to prepare a new dish and speak a new language, all from the comfort of your kitchen counter.

by Emma Whalen

In January, Smith partnered with grocery-delivery service Instacart and launched a new website, cookingupcultures.org, that offers classes online. Smith says her goal in taking the company’s methodology online is to increase the culture competency of families in the U.S. Her vision: to provide an opportunity to learn about different cultures through cooking.

While her in-person classes are more immersive, she says the online classes are geared toward families and kids, providing students with select vocabulary words, lesson worksheets and dinner-discussion questions.

“It gives the family the opportunity to talk about global issues over the table but does not necessarily take any new time by [introducing] any additional activities into their schedule,” Smith says.

The original inspiration behind starting Cooking Up Cultures came from a six-month trip Smith and her husband took to Santiago, Chile. Although the couple was taking Spanish classes, it wasn’t until Smith bought a Chilean cookbook, slowly testing out recipes, that the language gap started to close.

Her style of learning is what academics call the physical-response method. When she started Cooking Up Cultures in 2010, Smith

centered her teaching methods on this practice and eagerly sought out cooking instructors, not necessarily classically trained chefs, who were passionate about their culture.

Now that the program is available online, Smith hopes to entice and encourage more people to set foot in the kitchen and marvel at the culinary traditions associated with a particular culture.

“You don’t have to plan a giant vacation for that family-bonding moment,” Smith notes. “You can do something in your own home, [something] that you’re doing anyway and that can be an experience that has lasting effects.”

for those

whose tastes are unreserved

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Visit antonellischeese.com to purchase tickets to our cheese classes.

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Photo courtesy of Cooking Up Cultures.

For the past seven years, Casey Smith’s Austin-based company, Cooking Up Cultures, has combined language classes with cooking instruction.

Think the danger is always a stranger?

I did too.

1 in 10 children will be victims of sexual abuse. 90% of these children know and trust their abuser. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable and help those without a voice.

Learn the signs

W

ellness

WAITING ROOM

Easy on the Eyes

Is laser eye surgery capable of correcting farsightedness?

by Jill Case

Hyperopia, or farsightedness, generally means a person has trouble seeing things up close but sees more clearly at a distance. Farsightedness has been more difficult to correct with laser surgery than myopia, or nearsightedness, but for some patients, LASIK surgery may provide answers.

First things first: Hyperopia should not be confused with presbyopia, the vision problem people experience as they age, which requires reading glasses. These are two different conditions. When someone has hyperopia, it means the eye is too short, making close-up images unfocused on the retina. By contouring the corneal tissue, LASIK surgery helps correct this condition.

Symptoms of Hyperopia

Patients with farsightedness may experience one or more of the following symptoms: • blurriness when reading type or viewing objects up close • squinting in order to see close-up things more clearly • eye strain such as tired, burning, achy eyes • headaches after long periods of reading If you experience these symptoms, it’s in your best interest to see a doctor for a thorough eye exam and evaluation.

What does LASIK look like?

Laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis, or LASIK, is performed in an ophthalmologist’s office and generally takes about five to 10 minutes per eye. For those opting in to the procedure, here’s what to expect: 1. Prior to surgery, patients receive eyenumbing drops. The doctor might also provide some medication to help the patient relax during the procedure.

2. The doctor will use an eye speculum to keep the patient’s eye open as it is positioned under the laser. The ophthalmologist marks the cornea and creates a flap.

3. The surgeon employs the excimer laser to adjust the corneal tissue. The patient should not experience any discomfort but may feel some pressure.

Patients undergoing this procedure will need a ride home on the day of surgery, and should not drive again until visiting the doctor the day after surgery for a follow-up visit. The day of surgery, the patient may have hazy, blurry eyesight, but vision should clear up the day after surgery. However, the patient may want to stay home from work for 48 hours to rest her eyes, and should avoid strenuous exercise for one week post-surgery.

If you decide LASIK is not right for you, your ophthalmologist can discuss other treatment options.

No More Reading Glasses?

After age 40, many people begin to experience presbyopia, or the gradual decline in close-up vision. This usually leads to the multiple-readingglasses syndrome, with pairs of glasses scattered throughout the home, purse, office and car. The good news is there may be a way to correct the problem without readers or bifocals. Consult an ophthalmologist to see whether either of the following procedures may be right for you.

The Corneal Inlay This is a 20-minute procedure that may help with a presbyopia, or near-vision, problem. It involves placing a very small (2 millimeter), clear implant—similar to a contact lens—in the cornea of the non-dominant eye. This inlay works by reshaping and steepening the curvature of the cornea, which begins to flatten out as we age, making it harder for one’s vision to adjust to close-up viewing and low lighting.

Ideally, candidates for this surgery should: • be between the ages of 40 and 60 • require reading glasses for close-up reading • have good overall health, as well as healthy eyes

Multifocal LASIK Also known as PresbyLASIK, this procedure uses laser surgery to provide vision correction in much the same way as multifocal contact lenses. The laser is used to correct the shape of the cornea, and it may be performed on one or both eyes, depending on the patient’s needs.

It’s important to note this procedure is not yet FDA-approved in the United States, so, generally, insurance will not cover this treatment.

LASIK versus LASEK Change one letter in LASIK, and you have LASEK. No, it’s not a typo. Rather, it’s a different method of laser surgery. LASIK stands for laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis, while LASEK stands for laser subepithelial keratomileusis. The primary difference between the two surgeries involves the method the surgeon uses to reach the mid layer of the cornea. LASEK leaves the cornea in a more stable state, but it does require a longer recovery time than LASIK. The main thing patients need to know is that LASEK surgery may be more beneficial for certain people, including: • t hose who play sports or work at a job with a high risk of eye injuries • t hose who have thin corneas, making them ineligible for LASIK surgery

66 | Austin Woman | april 2017

At Texas Disposal Systems, Every Day is Earth Day Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which day events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.

This year will mark the 47th year of Earth Day celebrations.

Events will be held across our community and we’ll once again be reminded about the importance of environmental conservation. However, we shouldn’t think of Earth Day as one single day to take action and reduce our environmental footprint – it should be considered a year-round effort.

At TDS, every day is Earth Day, as we seek to reduce the landfilling of resources, improve communities and protect the environment. Recyclable materials are sent to our Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where 25 tons of unseparated recyclables are processed each hour. Once processed, these materials are packaged for resale as new commodities for products made from recycled materials. We also divert green waste, brush, tree trimmings, and fruit and vegetable matter from taking up space in our landfills while creating premium quality composts and living mulches. These items are then sold to customers via our Garden-Ville retail locations throughout central Texas.

THIS EARTH DAY AND EVERY DAY, WE ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO JOIN WITH US AND WORK TOWARD REAL PROGRESS IN ACHIEVING MEANINGFUL CHANGE IN AUSTIN. With enough people working toward the same goal, we can chart a new path in order to sustain natural resources and our environment for future generations. We should all feel empowered to be good stewards of our environment while we still have time to make a difference.

This Earth Day and every day, we encourage others to join with us and work toward real progress in achieving meaningful change in Austin. Promote environmental awareness by educating others in your household or neighborhood on proper recycling techniques. Start a compost pile at home. Take action and get involved in environmental issues that are important to you.

Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) is a local resource management company that helps customers manage and divert waste to beneficial uses.

Our fully integrated facility incorporates solid waste disposal, compost production and recycling operations. We’re also proud to partner with local communities by teaching others how to recycle and compost to preserve resources. TDS programs such as Eco Academy and Green Event Solutions implement recycling and composting within schools and community events. A few of our partners include Austin City Limits, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, The Dell Diamond, Keep Austin Beautiful and school districts from Lake Travis to Georgetown.

Learn more about our services and commitment to environmental preservation at www.texasdisposal.com.

DO YOU KNOW YOUR

TSH?

HORMONES AND ENDOCRINOLOGY

Endocrinology is the science of hormones, which affect every cell and every function in your body. The glands secreting these hormones form your endocrine system, a tightly interconnected system with thousands of feedback loops. It is far more complex than any supercomputer today. Hormones control everything in your body from birth to death. Without hormones, your body cannot function. Examples of hormones: estrogen, testosterone, insulin and hormones like thyroid, cortisol, adrenal and pituitary.

WHAT ARE ENDOCRINE DISEASES?

They are diseases caused by a malfunction of one or more endocrine glands in your body. Examples: thyroid, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome and obesity, hirsutism, menopause, low testosterone in males, andropause and impotence, polycystic ovaries, irregular or lack of menstrual periods, high and low calcium, and diabetes.

WHAT FACTORS AFFECT YOUR ENDOCRINE SYSTEM?

hypothyroidism. Thyroid ailments include Graves’ and Hashimoto disease, goiter, thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. Thyroid problems require lifelong attention. Each person has a different genetic set point for TSH, the thyroid stimulation hormone.

WHAT IS OSTEOPOROSIS?

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. Osteoporosis affects one in two women and one in four men over the age of 50 and is generally missed. Bone fracture is considered to be the heart attack of the bone and can have major consequences on your quality of life, from reduced mobility to potential loss of mobility altogether. A bone density test is the only way to test for osteoporosis. We perform such testing and provide consultation on bone metabolism and osteoporosis treatment.

HORMONE MYTHS DEBUNKED The facts about some hormone myths:

“Seek your optimal health, your ideal yet achievable health, and increase the quality of your life.”

Aging, other diseases, stress, environmental and genetic factors do influence your endocrine system. Aging changes how hormones are produced and absorbed by your body. Genetic factors and other diseases can do the same. Stress triggers a cascade of hormones that affect your heart, kidneys and other organs. Recent research identified endocrine disrupting chemicals in our environment.

WHY SEE AN ENDOCRINOLOGIST?

Hormone treatments must be followed by a hormone specialist (endocrinologist) the same way heart disease is followed by a heart specialist (cardiologist). An endocrinologist has years of special training in diagnosing and treating your hormone imbalances.

Endocrine diseases are often missed, since symptoms are often subtle and easy to brush aside. An endocrinologist starts out with a thorough physical evaluation looking for these telltale sings, then follows up with a battery of blood and other lab tests. Often, additional highly specialized tests are involved to identify the root cause of your hormonal imbalance.

WHAT IS THYROID DISEASE?

Since hormones rule your body, have your hormonal balance assessed by an endocrinologist to optimize your health.

Dr. Simone Scumpia of Austin Thyroid & Endocrinology outlines everything you need to know about hormones and their effect on the body.

Thyroid disease affects 30 million Americans, yet half of them do not know they have it. It is called the “silent disease.” One in eight women will develop a thyroid disorder in their life; women are five to eight times more likely than men to develop hyperthyroidism or

3 Bioidentical hormones are not human identical and may cause complications.

3 Fountain of youth hormones (otherwise known as human growth hormones) can cause serious side effects when used for anti-aging.

3 hCG diets (HCG) by themselves do not cause weight loss, but can cause irregular periods for women and breast enlargement for men.

3 Hormone treatment of fatigue, depression or anti-aging should be avoided due to many side effects it can cause.

3 Adrenal fatigue is not a real disease, but adrenal failure is a life threatening disease.

WHAT IS OPTIMAL HEALTH AND BIOLOGICAL AGE?

Medicine addresses disease treatment and prevention. Optimal health and biological age deal with your health before disease prevention or treatment. We focus on optimal health, the ideal yet achievable health of your body as you reach middle age and beyond. Our specialized equipment allows us to measure and evaluate your biological age, a measure of how well or poorly your body is functioning relative to your actual calendar age.

Biological age is a composite of several “ages” such as brain age, bone age, heart age and vessel age. Optimal health focuses on your wellness before disease can be identified; it is a step before disease prevention and does improve the quality of your life.

AUSTIN THYROID & ENDOCRINOLOGY

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(behind North Austin Medical Center) MON-FRI, 7 AM TO 4 PM 512.467.2727 | austinthyroid.com

Dr. Simone Scumpia treats all thyroid and endocrine (hormonal) ailments with emphasis on optimal health and biological age.

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Eat This, Not That

From Grains to Gains Enjoy all your favorite rice dishes guilt-free.

by Emma Whalen

Eat this: cauliflower rice Not that: white rice Says who: Carly Pollack, certified nutritionist and founder of Nutritional Wisdom In addition to being gluten-free and lower in carbs and calories than regular white rice, rice made from cauliflower offers a variety of health benefits. Austin Woman asked Pollack to clarify the health perks behind making the switch.

Why: “When we go on a diet, it tends to feel like we have to restrict something in order to lose weight and get healthy,” Pollack says. “Instead of the mindset of cutting carbs—which feels restrictive and makes me want to eat an entire loaf of bread—it’s easier to focus on increasing nutrient-rich veggies.”

Cauliflower rice, she says, is the perfect switch.

“You increase your veggie intake, lower your grain intake and receive the added benefits of vitamins C, B-6, K and potassium,” she says, adding that there’s another big-time bonus. “Eating less grain will also leave you feeling less bloated.”

Make the Swap Cauliflower rice, like regular white rice, is easy to incorporate into many dishes. A few of Pollack’s favorite meals to make with the swapped ingredient include cauliflower risotto, cauliflower fried rice, cauliflower rice rolls and a cauliflower-rice-and-bean burrito. uB uy: Farm Day Organic Cauliflower Crumbles, found at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Costco and

Wheatsville Co-op

uD IY:

1. Chop the cauliflower into florets and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it resembles rice. Pro tip: Manually press the pulse button on the processor so you can control the texture. Do not put the florets in a blender or use the “on” button on the food processor unless you want to make cauliflower mush.

Carly Pollack photo by David Heisler.

2. P reheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the riced cauliflower in a bowl and drizzle it with melted coconut oil or ghee, sea salt and pepper. Give it a good stir, then spread it in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

70 | Austin Woman | APRIL april 2017

I HAVE HPV

HPV is so common that most sexually-active men and women will get at least one type of HPV at some point in their lives.

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HER ROUTINE

A Running Tradition

It’s not easy keeping pace with Capitol 10K queen Gerre Boardman.

BY Gretchen M. Sanders Organizers of the Statesman Capitol 10K ought to rename a piece of the downtown course after Gerre Boardman. The fit and spunky 71-year-old athlete will run the beloved Austin race for her 40th time April 23. She has never missed the event.

“I remember when the paper first advertised a 6.2-mile run, and I thought, wow, what would it take to do that?” she recalls.

Boardman, who had never run more than a mile or two, read a book that showed her how to increase her mileage. On race day in March 1978, she showed up ready.

“The runners all met inside the Capitol building,” she recounts, “and some even used the columns to stretch.”

By the time Boardman crossed the finish line that day, she was hooked, and the Capitol 10,000 became a family tradition. Soon, Boardman had her friends, daughters and neighbors lacing up their own running shoes on what they all called “Cap 10K day.”

“We would have a party at our house after the race with food,

where everyone would gather and moan about how sore they were,” Boardman says, laughing.

Throughout the years, the race gave Boardman a reason to keep running. It became a fixture in her life, something physically challenging and social to look forward to each spring. Some years, she paid close attention to her time, once finishing the race in 46 minutes, a personal best. Other years, such as the year after her hip replacement, Boardman simply hoped to finish.

“I need to be a part of the Cap 10K now, no matter if I walk or run,” she says.

This year, she and her husband will spend the night before the big day at the Embassy Suites downtown, the official race hotel. In the morning, she’ll lace up her running shoes—the same way she’s done 39 times before—and set out on the familiar course, waving to adoring friends and grandchildren cheering her on as she goes.

Here’s how this svelte septuagenarian stays fit and strong.

The A.M.:

The Gear:

“I drink a full glass of water first thing every morning. If it’s a running day, then I run out to get the newspaper and I run it back in.

Then I go out for my real run. I love to read the paper while I’m eating breakfast.”

“I have everything I need for running in any type of weather. I will run in a downpour as long as I wear my rain hat from REI. It keeps my head dry. On most days, I wear Asics Gel running shoes and Nike Dri-Fit shorts. My favorite piece of equipment right now is my lightweight running jacket from Luke’s Locker. I really try to pay attention to safety when I exercise. I run early, when it’s still dark outside, so I always wear a road ID on a chain and a reflective strap around my shoulders and chest. I carry a flashlight too. Oh, I just love those little SPIBelts. They hold the key to my car and are very light.”

The Workout:

“I run 3 to 4 miles four days a week yearround. I will run in any weather; it’s just what I do. On the other days, I ride my bike or do yoga. I did RAGBRAI [The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa] a few years ago, but running is what I’ve done most consistently in my life. I think the hikeand-bike trail [around Lady Bird Lake] is a very neat place, especially with the new boardwalk and the beautiful city views, and I love to run there on Saturday mornings.

When I’m finished, I meet a friend for coffee at Sweetish Hill Bakery nearby. We’ve done that for decades.”

The Motivation:

“I eat all sorts of food. There’s nothing that I limit, but I am aware of how much food I eat.

I always have three meals a day, and I like to include White Mountain yogurt and banana in some way. I don’t drink soft drinks, but I can have a tiny bit of wine with a meal. I drink water during the day, especially in the summer, and I indulge in one cup of coffee a week. Really, I just try to have unprocessed food. For dessert, my husband and I like to eat dark-chocolate chunks from Whole Foods mixed with a scoop of unsalted peanuts. We sit there at night and watch Turner Classic Movies, munching on our concoction! On Saturday nights, we split one peanut butter cookie. I don’t skimp and I don’t diet.

I always weigh exactly the same. I’m a small person. It’s just the way that I am.”

72 | Austin Woman | april 2017

Her local loves North Austin n

8

Town Lake n barbecue n Barton Springs n hours n food truck n

8

Austin City Limits n coffee n

8 8

Whole Foods n rescue n mountain bike n cabernet n Torchy’s Tacos n

8 8

Alamo Drafthouse n MoPac n

n South Austin 8 n neighborhood trail n Tex-Mex 8 n Deep Eddy 8 n miles 8 n brick-and-mortar location 8 n South By Southwest n juice 8 n Central Market

The Mindset:

“I want to stay healthy. I want to stay strong. I want to stay able-bodied. As I get older, if I need to lift something, then I want to be able to do it. I want my body to be useful. I challenge my body through running, biking and yoga so that I can continue to do anything that comes up. That’s the overriding idea of how I want to be: healthy, strong and able to do everything I want to do for as long as I can.”

n purebred

The P.M.:

n road bike 8 n chardonnay 8 n Tacodeli 8

“Each night, I set out my yoga mat and do a stretching routine, which includes calf stretches to stave of plantar fasciitis. I also like to read a few pages of whatever I’m reading. Then I turn off the light and say goodnight to my husband.”

n Congress Avenue bats n I-35

Photo courtesy of Gerre Boardman.

Photos by Chris LeBlanc.

The Diet:

“I have set routines for every day, so I never really worry about motivation. I do the routine prescribed for that day, and that’s it. If it’s Monday, then I’m running. If it’s a bike day, then I bike. I don’t consider doing anything else. I simply follow the routine. It’s automatic. I do keep a running log, and I find it very satisfying to look back over the years to see how much I’ve run. It’s a record of my life in many ways because I make little notes about things I saw on a run or other things I did that day. I have a huge compilation of these logs now.”

saturday, april 29, 2017 | jw marriott | austin, texas cocktail hour | dinner and presentation | live band and casino

do good. have a blast!

Mark your calendars for the dental party of the year as the Capital Area Dental Foundation celebrates it’s 10th anniversary! The 2017 event will include a NEW location, entertainment from the Rocket Brothers Band, good food and great company. You won’t want to miss it! All proceeds benefit the good work of the Foundation. See y’all there!

tickets available for $200 sponsorships start at $1,000 For more information about tickets and sponsorship opportunities visit www.capitalareadentalfoundation.org/gala.

CADF’s mission is to transform lives in Central Texas with healthy smiles by offering life-changing access to charitable dental care.

Special Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors:

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memo from JB

The Best Man’s Speech

Driving a racecar is surprisingly similar to mastering a marriage.

By JB Hager Last weekend, I had the honor of being the best man in a wedding for a friend of mine I’ve known for at least 25 years. Surprisingly, at 48, this is his first marriage.

I agonized about the best-man speech. I didn’t want it to be too long, too much of an insiders’ story and certainly not a roast or too sappy. I wanted him and his bride to know it was personal and something I put together just for them.

The night before the big day, I was sitting around with the other groomsmen and friends of the groom late into the evening. It turns out most of them are huge sports car fans. We started talking about the thrill of driving a sports car on a track, how driving a quick car on the streets is one thing, but getting it on the track is an entirely different animal.

Suddenly, I knew what I was going to talk about in part of my speech.

I’ll spare you the personal stories since you don’t know the bride and the groom, but a portion of my speech went like this: The guys and I were all sitting around last night talking about driving sports cars on a track and, as we were talking, the similarities to a marriage hit me. I often make farfetched analogies, but with my 19 years of marriage and some of what I’ve learned, here you go.

When you get on a track, most of the rules of driving on the street go out the window. Much like getting married, everything is elevated as far as importance; you have to navigate it all at very, very high speeds. When I was being taught to drive a racecar on a track, my instructor kept emphasizing to keep an eye on the oil pressure and on the engine temperature. Contrary to what you may think, there is no need to pay attention to the speedometer. How fast you are going is only bragging rights. You need to watch these other two gauges to make sure you don’t destroy the car. The oil pressure can’t go too high or too low. If it does, you’ve got a problem and you might blow up the car. Without a doubt, if the engine temperature gets too hot and you don’t notice, you’re going to blow up the car. When you see the gauges

in the wrong place, you stop immediately and fix the situation. Then, if you are lucky, you get to drive again.

Although my wife doesn’t have literal gauges on her forehead, I often wish she did. If you open your eyes, all the signs are there, just like gauges in a car. Her emotional gauge, she wears on her sleeve. It’s totally visible if you just pay attention.

If she’s too low (feeling down or sad) or too high (feeling irritated or upset), it’s a flashing red light.

Just like a car, you need to stop immediately and address the situation before it’s too late. If you stop and fix it immediately, you increase your chances of getting on down the road. If you don’t address it and keep trying to move ahead, even for just a few minutes, it’s likely you are going to blow up the car.

The other gauge a woman should have is a fuel gauge. I haven’t kept the most accurate statistics on this, but I would guess 90 percent of conflict in a marriage is caused by her running out of fuel, meaning food. When I’m hungry, I’ll think to myself, “Maybe I should grab a bite later or something,” and I forget about it. When women are hungry, it’s all or nothing. It’s full or empty and the “hanger” (part hunger, part anger) causes them to lash out on anyone within spitting distance.

My advice is when they say they are not hungry, make them something anyway. If they say they don’t want dessert, order it anyway and ask for two spoons. Keeping the tank full will be your friend, I promise.

74 | Austin Woman | april 2017

Clearly, I was talking to the groom and the other guys in the audience. This was not intended for the women, as they read visual cues (the gauges) much better than men.

My point was this: Racing a car (a marriage) is not about how fast you are going. You have to pay attention to the details because minor things can cost you the race. If you are consumed with speed or bragging rights and not watching the gauges, you’re going to blow up the car and you won’t get to race again tomorrow.

There was more in my speech to these newlyweds, but it would take me a novel to share it all. I couldn’t have been more honored to be the best man for my dear friend, Rick Moorten, and his lovely new bride, Vanessa.

Photo courtesy of JB Hager.

Although my wife doesn’t have literal gauges on her forehead, I often wish she did.

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I Am Austin Woman

Diving into Tech

After earning my doctoral degree in health policy and administration at the University of North Carolina, I dove headfirst into a career in private equity, beginning with a position at Icahn Enterprises. The word “dove” has special significance here. I met Kim Davis, who would initially hire me at Icahn (and then become my business partner at Alterity Group) on a dive boat in Aruba shortly after graduation. Thanks to her, I learned about complex fund operations, mergers and acquisitions, all while developing sought-after expertise managing the health-care spend across portfolios of companies.

In 2006, I jumped into the icy-cold, dark-blue water of private equity, eventually relaxed, centered my breathing, soaked up the knowledge and excelled. The acquisition of Alterity in 2012 required a move to Austin, where the vibrant technology scene intrigued me.

After going to meet-ups and workshops throughout town, I decided to try my hand at developing a mobile app. But where do you start?

I would never have been able to launch my app, Primpii, in 2015 without the help of my co-founder, Jorge Servin, who does magical things with code and, more importantly, understands the process of building technology. My heart bursts with pride to say Primpii was the first mobile app to leverage the power of your trusted social network to discover nearby beauty service providers. We received a flood of unexpected awards and recognition for Primpii when it launched.

I was gliding along a wall of coral with colors, brimming with life I’ve never seen. Bliss. But success is not free from challenges in the startup world. The Primpii link to user social networks relied on a Facebook login built using the Parse platform, its tool for helping developers build and grow mobile apps. In January 2016, the news came that Facebook was shutting down Parse. Developers had a year to migrate apps to a new platform.

Kick harder to get out of this current. Then, in October 2016, Venture Beat reported about a new Facebook feature: “Regardless

of whether you’re looking for places to go on your next trip, searching for the best salon around town, or looking for a good Mexican restaurant near you, recommendations from your friends are liable to carry weight.”

Sound familiar? This news felt insurmountable, given the personal time and money we’d devoted to getting the app this far. Oh no! My mask is filling with water and I’m 60 feet below the surface.

Panic creeps in. I cannot surface. I look all the way up, unseal the bottom of my mask and blow.

The researcher in me thought, “Let’s talk to our users to see how we can pivot, given that we don’t have the resources to rebuild this quickly and compete against Facebook recommendations.” The user feedback was eye-opening and a gift!

We found out that multicultural, Gen X women feel overlooked by brands and that many products and services on the market are not meeting their needs.

This was a golden nugget.

We are now busy building a digital platform that will curate and amplify the voices of multicultural, Gen X women around things that are important to us. In doing so, our collective eyes and ears will no longer be disbursed across multiple channels. Brands that want our multi-generational influence over kids, spouses and parents, along with our immense buying power, will have one destination to speak to us.

This is a big idea and we’ll need an army of experts and investment to make it happen, both of which are in short supply for women of color as tech founders.

Continue to blow. The water in my mask is slowly seeping out and I am finding my breath again. I’ve experienced the bliss of seeing otherworldly coral formations and abundant life in the depths of the ocean. The rapture of witnessing such beauty is worth the difficulty in getting there. On a dive, the ocean seems to go into infinity, brimming with life I have not yet seen. I won’t ever stop diving.

I love the endless possibilities the ocean presents. And, in many ways, tech has offered me that same open frontier.

Follow my bubbles to see where this tech journey takes me.

Austin Woman features a reader-submitted essay every month in the I Am Austin Woman column.

To be considered for June’s I Am Austin Woman, email a 500-word submission on a topic of your choice by May 1 to submissions@awmediainc.com with the subject line “I Am Austin Woman.”

76 | Austin Woman | april 2017

Photo by Christina Servin.

Tausha Robertson, a health-care expert working in private equity, shares her journey to becoming a first-time app developer.

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Austin Woman MAGAZINE | april 2017

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