Velma Magazine: Origins Issue 01

OCTOBER 2014

Time Out with Jacqueline Hughes Design. Start. Code.

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Origins Welcome to Velma’s first issue!

For the first issue of Velma, we’re celebrating origin stories. It’s the beginning of a journey together. Future issues will include stories from coders, designers and women starting something new. We want to offer you tips, inspiration and ideas for opening doors with confidence - no matter the outcome!

In the pages that follow you’ll read stories from a few members of the women in tech community in Austin. These are experiences that led to a change in direction, understanding or a new beginning. They show us that every decision leads to a different set of doors.

We’re taught to pursue happiness, but sometimes fail to recognize that joy and pain are linked. If not for our blunders, failures, scraped knees or broken bones, we’d have no awareness of our edges. And it’s through the collection of all of it that we are able to experience happiness. The risks we take guide us to our true selves. Every birth involves pain and joy.

Velma isn’t your typical tech magazine. You won’t read articles about perfect people with perfect resumes and perfect careers. Instead Velma offers you real stories about women who are just like you. Perfectly flawed and yet capable in every way to experience profoundly rewarding lives.

Thanks for reading and please share feedback on Facebook or Twitter. We look forward to providing you with a publication that’s a resource like no other in Austin.

Cheers,

Jess Lowry, Founder

Meet the Velma

Staff

Jessica Lowry grew up in Toronto, Canada and is founder of

Clave, LLC, the force behind Key to the Street, SheHacksATX, SheDesignsATX, and now, Velma Magazine. Her knack for thinking outside the box and passion for broadening the perspective of others by creating communities that help conquer fear has inspired these creations and powers Jessica’s collaborative aspirations.She has lived on three different continents but settled in Austin two years ago and can often be found unwinding at barre3, walking around Town Lake, or at Barton Springs Pool. She believes that Velma “will show women (and men) a world devoid of fear and enriched by courage,” believing in the spirit of the magazine because “everyone deserves the chance to live their best lives possible.”

@jeslowry

Meet the Velma

Staff

Jessica Lowry grew up in Toronto, Canada and is founder of

Clave, LLC, the force behind Key to the Street, SheHacksATX, SheDesignsATX, and now, Velma Magazine. Her knack for thinking outside the box and passion for broadening the perspective of others by creating communities that help conquer fear has inspired these creations and powers Jessica’s collaborative aspirations.She has lived on three different continents but settled in Austin two years ago and can often be found unwinding at barre3, walking around Town Lake, or at Barton Springs Pool. She believes that Velma “will show women (and men) a world devoid of fear and enriched by courage,” believing in the spirit of the magazine because “everyone deserves the chance to live their best lives possible.”

@jeslowry

Meet the Velma

Staff

grew up ingoriginally Toronto, Canada and is Nebraska, founder ofhas from Lincoln, Jessica Lowry Christine Holcombe,

thefor force Keyisto the Street, SheHacksATX, SheDbeen Clave,inLLC, Austin sixbehind years and a Web Project Manager at Adonit. esignsATX, now, Velma knack for thinking outside She applies and her dexterity at Magazine. organizing Her people to achieve a common the box and passion for broadening the perspective of others by crepurpose both at work and for the Velma team. Christine is an unating communities help conquer fear has these creations abashed US Weeklythat subscriber and spends herinspired spare time working and powers Jessica’s collaborative aspirations.She has lived in her neighborhood’s community garden and jamming with on herthree famdifferent continents but settled in Austin twoold years can ofily band (but not singing: “Even my two-year son ago has and asked me tenstop be found unwinding at barre3, walking around orfor at to singing him lullabies.”)

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@jeslowry @holcombe5000

Meet the Velma

Staff

grew up up in Toronto, in the middle Canada of an and Indiana is founder cornfield of Stephanie Jessica Lowry Caingrew

but Clave, hasLLC, livedthe in force Austinbehind for three Keyand to the a half Street, years.

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@yourfriendsteph @jeslowry

Meet the Velma

Staff

Jessica Lowry grew up in Toronto, Canada and is founder of

Clave, LLC, the force behind Key to the Street, SheHacksATX, SheDesignsATX, and now, Velma Magazine. Her knack for thinking outside the box and passion for broadening the perspective of others by creating communities that help conquer fear has inspired these creations and powers Jessica’s collaborative aspirations.She has lived on three different continents but settled in Austin two years ago and can often be found unwinding at barre3, walking around Town Lake, or at Barton Springs Pool. She believes that Velma “will show women (and men) a world devoid of fear and enriched by courage,” believing in the spirit of the magazine because “everyone deserves the chance to live their best lives possible.”

@jeslowry Kelly Hitchcock, a technical writer at CSID specializing in APIs

and SDKs, hails from Kansas City but has called Austin home for over three years. She is an accomplished writer currently working on her third fiction novel. When not wordsmithing technical documentation, short stories, and poetry, Kelly heads to the gym to stay sane. Her indulgences include watching mass amounts of football on the weekends and ordering the house wine at Winebelly. Kelly believes in Velma because “the women in tech scene in Austin needs more light and less heat. I know too many local female developers and other tech professionals that it’s silly for them to feel alone.”

@KellyHitchcock

Meet the Velma

Staff

Jessica Lowry grew up in Toronto, Canada and is founder of

Clave, LLC, the force behind Key to the Street, SheHacksATX, SheDesignsATX, and now, Velma Magazine. Her knack for thinking outside the box and passion for broadening the perspective of others by creating communities that help conquer fear has inspired these creations and powers Jessica’s collaborative aspirations.She has lived on three different continents but settled in Austin two years ago and can often be found unwinding at barre3, walking around Town Lake, or at Barton Springs Pool. She believes that Velma “will show women (and men) a world devoid of fear and enriched by courage,” believing in the spirit of the magazine because “everyone deserves the chance to live their best lives possible.”

@jeslowry Valle Hansen is a Senior UX Researcher who asks people ques-

tions about the Internet and then tries to figure out how to make it a better experience for them. Valle grew up in New Jersey but has called Austin home for over four years. Valle has a knack for controlling her face, a weakness for pretzels, and a guilty pleasure in watching Tommy Lee Jones. Valle believes in Velma because, “Women in tech are few. There should be spaces for women in tech (and everywhere) to feel heard / empowered / supported / proud / nervous / scared / frustrated / humble / hilarious / awesome without having to scream too loud or look too hard. Thanks, Velma.”

@valletown

Meet the Velma

Staff

Jessica Lowry grew up in Toronto, Canada and is founder of

Clave, LLC, the force behind Key to the Street, SheHacksATX, SheDesignsATX, and now, Velma Magazine. Her knack for thinking outside the box and passion for broadening the perspective of others by creating communities that help conquer fear has inspired these creations and powers Jessica’s collaborative aspirations.She has lived on three different continents but settled in Austin two years ago and can often be found unwinding at barre3, walking around Town Lake, or at Barton Springs Pool. She believes that Velma “will show women (and men) a world devoid of fear and enriched by courage,” believing in the spirit of the magazine because “everyone deserves the chance to live their best lives possible.”

@jeslowry Jennifer Aldoretta has one of the best job titles ever, and as

Co-Groover and CEO of Groove she makes tools that educate and empower women to take control of their reproductive health and fertility. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Jennifer has lived in Austin for a little over a year and can be found riding her bike all around town, often in search of kale and/or dark chocolate. Jennifer is featured in the first issue of Velma and believes in the mission of the magazine because, in her own words, “I think it will help inspire the next generation of change-makers.”

@JAldoretta

Meet the Velma

Staff

Jessica Lowry grew up in Toronto, Canada and is founder of

Clave, LLC, the force behind Key to the Street, SheHacksATX, SheDesignsATX, and now, Velma Magazine. Her knack for thinking outside the box and passion for broadening the perspective of others by creating communities that help conquer fear has inspired these creations and powers Jessica’s collaborative aspirations.She has lived on three different continents but settled in Austin two years ago and can often be found unwinding at barre3, walking around Town Lake, or at Barton Springs Pool. She believes that Velma “will show women (and men) a world devoid of fear and enriched by courage,” believing in the spirit of the magazine because “everyone deserves the chance to live their best lives possible.”

@jeslowry

Danielle Selby is a recent transplant to Austin and is orig-

inally from Abilene. She’s an artist & designer at Pasadya, where she creates illustrations, abstract fine artwork, murals, and logos; she brings these skills to Velma as well and is to credit for the staff sketches featured here. She’s also a photographer, specializing in photos of “loving families, beautiful people, and simplistic scenery.” Danielle is a proud owner of a socially-awkward Boston Terrier and an accomplished baker of lemon meringue pies. Danielle finds Velma a refreshing addition to her life and enjoys being surrounded “by bright, supportive individuals who are both generous and courageous to share their skills and experiences with others who are excited to learn.”

@DanieSelby

Meet the Velma

Staff

Jessica Lowry grew up in Toronto, Canada and is founder of

Clave, LLC, the force behind Key to the Street, SheHacksATX, SheDesignsATX, and now, Velma Magazine. Her knack for thinking outside the box and passion for broadening the perspective of others by creating communities that help conquer fear has inspired these creations and powers Jessica’s collaborative aspirations.She has lived on three different continents but settled in Austin two years ago and can often be found unwinding at barre3, walking around Town Lake, or at Barton Springs Pool. She believes that Velma “will show women (and men) a world devoid of fear and enriched by courage,” believing in the spirit of the magazine because “everyone deserves the chance to live their best lives possible.”

@jeslowry

Nicholle Jaramillo is from Orange County, CA and has

called Austin home for two years. As Event Manager at Capital Factory, Austin’s entrepreneurial center of gravity, Nicholle coordinates the pre-planning and on-site execution of 40+ events a month, including hackathons, meetups, VIP receptions and, most notably, a visit from the President and White House staff in 2013.

Nicholle has a prolific sweet tooth, indulges in all things Star Wars- and Harry Potter-related, and aspires to be able to do a cartwheel someday. For Nicholle, Velma is about “breaking down barriers, providing a community to spark positive conversation, and helping make big things happen. Velma provides a platform for women to voice their opinion, offer resources that might otherwise not be available, pursue an idea, ask for tips or help, and so much more.”

@NicholleJ

Meet the Velma

Staff

Jessica Lowry grew up in Toronto, Canada and is founder of

Clave, LLC, the force behind Key to the Street, SheHacksATX, SheDesignsATX, and now, Velma Magazine. Her knack for thinking outside the box and passion for broadening the perspective of others by creating communities that help conquer fear has inspired these creations and powers Jessica’s collaborative aspirations.She has lived on three different continents but settled in Austin two years ago and can often be found unwinding at barre3, walking around Town Lake, or at Barton Springs Pool. She believes that Velma “will show women (and men) a world devoid of fear and enriched by courage,” believing in the spirit of the magazine because “everyone deserves the chance to live their best lives possible.”

@jeslowry

Claire Dunn, a native Austinite who returned after spend-

ing a year in London, is a Digital Producer helping organizations build meaningful relationships with their audiences through engaging social media experiences. Claire is an academically-inclined teen media junkie, having previously composed extensive research on Gossip Girl and is currently conducting a close read of Pretty Little Liars without a shred of guilt. She’s also an aspiring mixologist and the loving caretaker of a scruffy little shelter mutt. Claire’s involvement with Velma stems from her belief that “the techie female Austinite’s voice is clear and strong - it’s just needed the perfect avenue for amplification.”

@inwalksfox

Meet the

Cover Artist Autumn Hutchins has lived in Austin

for the past year and a half and works as a visual designer, helping people communicate visually by creating one-of-a-kind icons, infographics, illustrations and other designs as part of the Monkee-Boy Web Design team. She is an avid patron of the arts and regularly invests in artwork from her favorite illustrators and designers. Inspiration for Autumn can often be found in Austin’s lush Greenbelt, where she spends a great deal of time. Autumn is the creative genius behind Velma’s first cover, and she was excited to get involved with Velma because, “Austin has an amazing community of women in the tech industry, probably the best in the country. Velma is a way that we can reach out to other cities to be an example and foster similar communities all over the country! Making the support we have in Austin more universal will help future generations of girls to be inspired and get excited about a future in such a great industry!”

Austin Coding Academy

Origin Story Austin Coding Academy was born from frustration.

We were frustrated because we had a pair of liberal arts degrees collecting dust.

Frustrated because we had a background in “business” and “communication” but no real skills to call our own. Frustrated because every time we tried to launch a new project, our lack of technical knowledge kept us from gathering the team necessary to build it.

We started Austin Coding Academy because we believe anybody can learn to code.

You don’t need a math degree or a childhood of working with computers. All you need is an enthusiasm for learning, excitement for solving problems and a bit of persistence. A great teacher helps a lot too. That’s what we’re here for.

Whether you’re a non-technical co-founder of the next big startup or just someone thinking about making a career switch, our classes are designed for all levels.

Austin Coding Academy. Learn to code. Build the Future. Hire freelancers to help you scale your business and take your startup ideas to the next level. *

ASk Velma “I think it’s very important to get more women into computing. My slogan is: Computing is too important to be left to men.”

Got a technical question you need answered? Ask Velma!

Submit your question to submit@velmamagazine.com Future issues will feature the top questions of the month. All questions will be answered via @VelmaMag

“If I am remembered at all, I would like to be remembered as my family storyteller. It has been a great life.”

— Kay McNulty Mauchly Antonelli, who is remembered as one of the original six female programmers — Karen Spärck Jones, Professor of Computers and of ENIAC Information at Cambridge Computer Laboratory.

Velma Mix Tape

Nothing like music has the power to mentally transport you back to the places you came from.

Here are October’s must-listen “origin” favorites curated by the Velma staff, heavily populated by debut album tracks.

1. Chasing Pavements

ADELLE

2. My Friends

THE HEAD AND THE HEART

3. You Are What You Love

JENNY LEWIS

4. Buzzcut Season

LORDE

5. When Girls Collide

MUM

6. Take Me To Church

HOZIER

7. Open

RHYE

8. Heartbeat

KOPECKY FAMILY BAND

Knowledge is Power:

Know Yourself Figure A

Figure B

When I started my career, I thought my professional trajectory would look something like Figure A—some ups, some downs, but all generally moving in a linear path upward. Turns out my reality resembled more of Figure B—twists, turns, and one hell of a ride.

I went to UT Austin to study advertising, which was duly inspired by on-screen female icons like Angela Bower of Who’s the Boss and an intense fear of math, which was why I turned down acceptance to business school (sigh). Within a year of graduation, I founded my own agency with two other partners and a few years later transitioned that experience to working in economic development in the Texas Governor’s Office.

Frustrated with “the system,” I went to grad school and jumped into planning an entrepreneurs’ conference and leading marketing for a tech+social impact startup.

Eventually all of these disparate—or desperate—paths combined, and today I run

By Chelsea McCullough

Meet the

Artist Thomas Thorne ARTOWRK TITLE: Glass Ceiling BRIEF: Thomas Glenn Thorne is a freelance CG artist & local Austinite.

Connect with Thomas on LinkedIn

a consulting company and serve as Executive Director of Texans for Economic Progress, an economic development coalition focused on tech policy.

So I’ve learned a few things along the way, and now that Velma exists, it’s a good time to share, with hopes that I can be helpful to others on a winding path. Yes, it’s time for a little “What I Wish I Would Have Known Then.”

If I could go back in time, here is the advice I would give to my ambitious, younger self:

Leverage the Myth of the Glass Ceiling Ah, the tired analogy for professional women. I read many a book that warned me about this: that I would work hard, rise through the ranks, and then hit an experience limit based on my gender. But it didn’t exactly happen that way. Instead, I experienced discrimination and outright sexual harassment from the earliest days of my career. Forget the glass ceiling; it’s more like a glass staircase where you have to forge each step as you go.

The only antidote to sexism in the workplace is meeting power with power, and not the I’m-pretendingto-be-aggressive-like-a-man power; that’s from the era of fem suits and shoulder pads. I’m talking about the power that comes from creating your own strong platform so that you don’t approach a professional situation from a place of vulnerability, which leads me to my next piece of advice…

Know Who You Are and Value It To thine own self be true. Shakespeare penned this in 1599 and he’s still right. The goal here is to find the simple answer to the complex question, “What makes your heart beat and WHY?” By the way, if that scares the bejeezus out of you, you’re doing it right.

These are the important things to ask yourself: “What do you believe in? What do you NEED to do?”

When I’m faced with a challenging situation—which sometimes is a daily occurrence—I ask myself, “If fear wasn’t a factor, what would I do?” That answer is usually the right one for me; I just have to muster the courage to let it happen and have faith that it’s all going to be all right. And it always is. So when you know the answers to these questions, all you have to do is believe that you are an important force. You can make things happen. Don’t let anyone get in the way of pursuing this direction—including yourself.

Meet the

Author Chelsea Mccullough Chelsea is a Leadership Austin graduate and in 2013 received the BPE Ascendant Award. She was a finalist for Profiles in Power (2013) and is nominated for the 2014 awards in addition to Austin Under 40 (2013, 2014). She is active in the community on several boards and committees focused on economic empowerment including the City of Austin Community Technology & Telecommunications Commission, Impact Texas, BiGAustin and the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Program.

JOP TITLE: Executive Director COMPANY: Texans for Economic Progress

FOLLOW:

@TX4EconProgress www.texasprogress.com

By Chelsea McCullough

Small Ways To

Save Big Restaurant Soft Openings.

With new restaurants opening daily in Austin, there’s always a soft opening to be found. Seek out new places for a business lunch or drinks with friends. Prices are reduced because the restaurant isn’t operating at 100% yet, and you’ll get points for being in the know on the new eats in town.

Manage Your Money.

Women earn less than men. This fact sucks but it’s true—hopefully not for long. What is almost equally depressing is that the money that women do earn is leveraged less carefully and often has to support more people. In this consumerist society, we women talk a lot about what we do with money but not so much about how to make it grow.

How often have you gotten together with a girlfriend and instead of commenting on her new shoe purchase, you compliment her on her 401k contribution? I know that is a silly example, but the reality is that

See her

workspace

Bike It Out.

Student Salons.

It’s getting cooler in Austin, and that means biking is a more reasonable (and less sweaty) option. Save on gas and get some exercise!

Find a salon academy or hairdressing school in Austin (there are plenty!).

Your appointment may take a bit longer, but your new ‘do will be a fraction of the price of a standard salon job.

for women, talking money is taboo and that hurts us. My friend and hero, Krisstina Wise, is trying to change that with her program Real Talk. She knows her stuff, so please check it out. www.krisstina.com/ real-talk-about/ My advice in these three areas is all about power. As women, we have the unique ability to create it and share it. When women are strong within themselves and have a solid platform from which to build, they can have tremendous influence and impact. It is our right and it is absolutely time.

Icon credits: Graph by David Waschbüsch. Protein by WARSLAB (from The Noun Project)

By Chelsea McCullough

Try Barre3 Barre3, a global network of studios and the innovative leader of the white-hot, ballet barre fitness movement, is taking over central Texas!

Early fall 2014, the Circle C location joins thriving Downtown and Hill Country Galleria studios, providing Austinites with even more options for accessing the company’s be- loved combination of yoga, Pilates and ballet barre work that famously builds muscle, burns fat and creates long, lean lines in the body. Clearly barre3’s bright, bold and boundless workout style and wholehealth approach to fitness are a great match for Austin’s creative energy!

Based on the importance of a balanced lifestyle, barre3 classes are designed to be accessible and transform the body through a focus on strength, grace and whole body wellness. Founded by renowned fitness and wellness expert Sadie Lincoln in 2008, barre3 signature workouts balance strength training through isometric holds and small, one-inch movements with seamless recovery stretches. Unlike other barre-inspired workouts, barre3 incorporates larger, functional movements with low-impact cardio to jumpstart the metabolism and re-oxygenate the body. Also unique to the brand, an array of modifica- tions is offered for every posture allowing all fitness levels to maximize the workout while remaining injury free. As both a fitness system and whole-health philosophy, barre3 helps clients to realize amazing, lasting results – a strong, lean physique and a happy, balanced mindset.

The new Circle C location is conveniently located in South Austin (5700 W. Slaughter Lane). Barre3 Austin Downtown is located in the heart of the city steps from the infamous Hike and Bike trail. For those living in west Austin, the barre3 Hill Country Galleria studio is across from Iron Cactus in the outdoor shopping center. The three Austin studios are locally owned by passionate health and wellness advocates, striving to make fitness accessible to all. Barre3 clients can take classes at any of the three Austin locations using a single account. Each location proudly offers an onsite play lounge for little ones of all ages to enjoy while their parents attend class.

Try a Barre3 Class for free!

Velma readers are invited to try a barre3 class ($20 value) for FREE! Enter promo code upon check out: VELMA For a sneak peak into barre3, visit: blog. barre3.com/barre3-overview-video-3/

barre3 Austin Locations: Austin Downtown 115 Sandra Muraida Way Suite 103 Austin, Texas USA 78703 (at Lady Bird Lake) phone: 512-391-6200

Austin Circle C 5700 W Slaughter Lane Suite 330 Austin, Texas USA 78749

Austin Hill Country Galleria 12800 Hill Country BLVD Suite G-100 Bee Cave, Texas USA 78738 phone: 512-243-5233

General questions? Send an email to austin@barre3.com or call the studio of choice directly. For class schedule, locations, and/or to make a reservation for class and play lounge, visit www.barre3.com.

Feeling Groovy:

It’s Not About Rhythm AN INTERVIEW WITH

JENNIFER ALDORETTA

To learn more about the women’s healthcare startup Groove, we sat down with founder Jennifer Aldoretta. Her recently launched app helps women track and manage the data our bodies give us for pregnancy prevention and fertility planning.

No matter your phase in life, relationship status, or method of family planning, women’s health is a pervasive issue. Whether you’re focused on pregnancy prevention or planning, understanding your body is key.

VELMA: Tell us about your upbringing and how that influenced your career path.

JA: My dad was an engineer and my mom was a nurse. All of our dinner conversations revolved around what my mom’s patients were doing. For that reason, I was connected with medicine at an early age, but I didn’t realize how much that interested me until later on.

VELMA: So you weren’t initially drawn to medicine or health and wellness?

JA: No. I actually have a degree in mechanical engineering [laughing]. I ended up getting into math and science in high school. My AP calculus teacher was especially encouraging. She basically said: “You’re good at this and capable of doing this, so it would be a shame for you not to pursue something in this area.”

Meet the

Author Jennifer Aldoretta Austin-based entrepreneur empowering women through education & innovation. Making female reproductive health an everyday conversation.

JOP TITLE: CEO of Ready To Groove COMPANY: Ready To Groove

FOLLOW:

@JAldoretta readytogroove.com

“

So, I ended up going to college for mechanical engineering. But during my senior year, I had this looming feeling that what I was doing didn’t really align with what I wanted to do long- term.

VELMA: How did you realize mechanical engineering

I want to change the landscape for women’s health and redefine what it means to be a woman-owned technology starup.”

wasn’t quite the right fit?

JA: I had an ongoing conversation with one of my best friends about my struggle with taking my birth control pill.

I kept telling her about how awful the pill made me feel. I was torn between whether I should take the pill and continue to feel this way, or stop taking it and struggle with menstrual problems. My friend was focused on women’s reproductive studies at the time, and she was the one who helped me see that I didn’t have to be as limited in my options as I thought.

VELMA: And how does that experience tie into your company and current work?

JA: This snowballed into me doing a year’s worth of intensive research on women’s health after finishing my degree. What I found was that my experience with the pill wasn’t isolated; this is something that many other women experience. I felt this responsibility to tell other people that there are more options out there. I moved to Austin around this point, and I felt this was the right place to take my first step towards spreading the word about women’s health.

What I want to do with this company is to help change the way we think about women’s bodies, and empower women to take in all the data that their body is giving them every month. We’re not sick, we’re not flawed; there’s all this information your body is trying to tell you if you take the time to look at it and understand it.

VELMA: So, tell me about your product.

JA: It’s a period and fertility tracker that serves as a dual-purpose app. How do the physiological and hormonal changes that happen throughout your cycle help you achieve certain goals? You can use a fertility tracker to prevent or encourage pregnancy. It can help identify potential reproductive issues with fertility.

VELMA: What are some of the major setbacks you’ve had to overcome in getting your app launched?

JA: So many people don’t understand what we’re doing, and a lot of that is a lack of education. A lot of people associate what we’re doing with the “rhythm method.” What I’m trying to get people to understand is that there’s a lot of science behind this that we’ve never been taught.

I also fell into a funk where I was looking at competitors, and I started discouraging myself by thinking: “They’re so much further along than we are. Is there really a need for something that’s this similar?” I thought that maybe I shouldn’t bother since there were other people who were exploring this space.

See her

Workspace

I realized that what other people are doing isn’t going to change my goal for this company or my passion to drive this fundamental social change. Having the competition that I do has made me reimagine my vision and what I want to accomplish with the company.

VELMA: What is your long-term vision?

JA: Right now, we have an app, but we want to influence the way we view the natural things that happen within the female body. There have been hundreds of thousands of years for evolution to change the way your body works, and tweak it to improve it. We need to learn how to use the natural way the body operates to benefit women. We shouldn’t try to interrupt this delicate process within the different systems of the body.

Interested in learning more? Check out Jennifer’s app, Groove, on iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/app/id831795151*

You’re never too busy to look out for your health.

If you have trouble remembering when it’s time to see your doctor, try picking a date you’ll remember annually. A well woman exam may not be your top idea of how to spend your birthday, but it’s a great strategy for keeping it on the schedule (and having a guilt-free cocktail afterwards) year after year. VE Day may stand for ‘Victory in Europe’ but no one says you can’t make up your own acronym as a mnemonic device for your favorite annual appointment every May 8th.

Be good to yourself; catch potential health issues before they become problems.

Check out how barre3 combines yoga, Pilates and ballet workouts to give you strength, length and wholebody wellness. barre3 »

Health Break

SheDesignsATX + SheHacksATX =

AWESOME!

There is no other event in Austin that pairs women coders and founders for a day of hacking. And this time we’re inviting designers to create complete product teams.

Originally, the idea of creating an event for founders to find help with their software product seemed simple enough. Women struggle more than any group to secure funding and scale their startup.

As more women get into tech, too few opportunities remain to develop the leadership skills necessary for career advancement. Although there is much debate about why few women hold c-level jobs, get into technology, and remain in their careers for the long haul, events like SheHacksATX and SheDesignsATX help narrow the conversation and focus on taking action. Through practice, women develop the confidence to advance their skills and career goals.

Startup founders get the benefit of expert help; while coders and designers get to practice their consultancy and leadership skills.

We’ll be pairing up female founders with women coders and designers for the largest event of its kind.

Join Us

December 5-7, 2014 Learn more about the event and RSVP »

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Meet the

Author Yogapreneurs The Yoga Recipe — Origin of Kara Pendl

Aenean lacinia bibendum nulla sed consectetur.

Praesent commodo cursus magna, vel sceler“Well… could weAmy help them?”

Social Psychologist Cuddy recently explored how body language and isque nisl consectetur et. Aenean eu leo quam.indicators of how non-verbal queues can oftentimes be more powerful It was a simple question that would spin off into a vision andtime a business others perceive us than other physical attributes.

Any you’ve more spentinPellentesque ornare sem lacinia quam venenatis spiring, more larger than either us acould have imagined. doing yourfulfilling, makeupand or picking out an outfitoffor job interview probably isn’t vestibulum.

nearly as relevant as how you hold yourself and assert your presence with In 2012, my longtime friend and yoga enthusiast Mel and I were sitting at a juice others. bar in Austin, talking about how unfair it was that yoga teachers--much like stayFOLLOW: JOP TITLE: at-home school teachers,meeting and nurses--selflessly devote themselves Whenparents, you have an important or presentation, try practicing oneto of Lorem Ipsum Title @twiterhandle theirthese craftpower yet struggle pay modest monthly bills.Powerful These were people who and had poses to before going into the room. body language testlongerurl.com changed and healed ourOne souls through their classes; to say we COMPANY: posesour canlives givefirsthand you added confidence. study showed that participants were grateful was an understatement. went back and forth heatedly comLorem Ipsum Title who practiced power poses prior toWe a job interview received more positive plaining for a from bit until theevaluators. question came up:says: “Well…could wechange help them?” feedback their Cuddy “Our bodies our minds, and our minds can change our behavior, and our behavior can change our By that point, we had worked in the yoga industry in various capacities for years outcomes.” and seen yoga become a $10 billion industry in the United States over the past decade.

We knew there had Check out her Ted Talk » to be a way we could trickle the revenue abundance down to the teachers, the core of the industry.

By Kara Pendl

Meet the

Artist Danielle Selby ARTOWRK TITLE: Focus BRIEF: Danielle is an Austin-based artist, designer, and photographer who creates in a modern and simple style.

See more work by Danie at blog.pasadya.com

Find the Opportunity We immediately started interviewing teachers and friends to determine how we could help. Similar themes began to emerge across gender, age, and experience levels. One, there was a plethora of seasoned teachers who were putting in a lot of effort to make fantastic classes and worthwhile trainings, but they weren’t being compensated for the outside work. Two, as students leave training, they often don’t have access to resources that foster the teacher-to-teacher relationship. Three, many new teachers would be willing to pay additional money for continued guidance in planning classes to cut down on the learning curve. Finally, everyone wanted to teach more consistent, inspired classes.

The Yoga Recipe is Born Our research and interviews illuminated the need to provide ongoing support to yoga teachers. We envisioned a software tool where yoga teachers could create sequences, playlists, and themes for their own classes. In our marketplace, teachers could also choose to collaborate with other teachers to buy and sell sequenced classes. We would provide organization, inspiration, and community to yoga teachers around the world.

Once we had the idea, we knew we wanted to test it before we spent any time or money developing an online version. For about six months, we held complimentary goal-coaching sessions in and out of teacher trainings, and sold dozens of sequences in person until our concept was validated.

There’s an App for That Next, with the help of our connections here in Austin, we built a web application. We tapped every person we knew for cash, brainpower, or snacks to keep us going. We went through all of our contacts-email, Facebook, and LinkedIn--and talked to anyone we thought might be able to help us. From helping us get funded, to applying to accelerators, designing applications, working at a startup, and creating wireframes, we found someone to answer all of our questions.

We quickly learned that most people are more than willing to help if you have a specific request and a clear outline of what you’d like help with. For example, asking a designer for general help with your application isn’t as helpful as asking for their favorite wireframing software or providing comps for design feedback.

We finally went live in May 2013 and sold our first sequence that very day. We have been trying new things, falling down, getting back up, and getting better every day since.

Meet the

Author Kara Pendl At The Yoga Recipe, Kara is CEO and specializes in product development, ideation, and expansion.

JOP TITLE: Founder & CEO. The Yoga Recipe COMPANY: The Yoga Recipe

FOLLOW:

@theyogarecipe theyogarecipe.com

By Kara Pendl

Social Psychologist Amy Cuddy recently explored how body language and nonverbal cues can often be more powerful indicators of how others perceive us than other physical attributes. Any time you’ve spent doing your makeup or picking out an outfit for a job interview probably isn’t nearly as relevant as how you hold yourself and assert your presence with others.

Power Poses

When you have an important meeting or presentation, try practicing a power pose before going into the room. Powerful body language and poses can give you added confidence. One study showed that participants who practiced power poses prior to a job interview received more positive feedback from their evaluators. Cuddy says: “Our bodies change our minds, and our minds can change our behavior, and our behavior can change our outcomes.”

Check out her TED Talk »

Continued Growth Our mission is to create an energy and monetary exchange between seasoned and new teachers that elevates both parties, the yoga community, and the students. We are yogi for yogi.

As our business grows, we’re most excited about continuing to ask “Well…could we help them?” in bigger ways and experiencing new avenues to serve our community. *

See her

workspace

By Kara Pendl

On the Road with Jacqueline Hughes

By Valle Hansen

“If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s creating shared experiences,” Jacqueline Hughes says.

self, figuring out who she was, learning how to be alone, and thinking not so much about the future.

As often happens, though, eventually the money ran out and the road got old, and Jacqueline found herself in need of a home base and an income.

Sitting down with Velma for a couple of hours before Austin Startup Week, Jacqueline tells us a little bit about where she came from and how she’s made it all happen—and, not surprisingly, her story involves a whole lot of personality and a whole lot She ended up back in Austin in late 2009, armed of ommunity. with a strong sense of self but still no clear idea of her future. So, as the economy was still pretty dismal, she started sending out resumes for any and every type of employment she could find. Jobs she was overqualified for, underqualified for, uninAfter graduating from college in 2008 and decidterested in, and intrigued by—if she thought she ing not to pursue a PhD in Environmental Sociology, which had been her plan all along, Jacqueline had an iota of a chance to get a call back, she’d wasn’t sure what she wanted to do “professionally.” She was concerned academia would be too political for her, and she didn’t want to sit behind a desk for the foreseeable future. She figured she could continue bartending until she landed some entry-level job, but that wasn’t too appealing an option to her, especially considering she’d been watching her friends do that for the previous year or so with little luck. So, rather than try to find random employment in the middle of an economic crisis, Jacqueline went on walkabout.

Chasing Pavements

Setting Forth

Buoyed by an unexpected windfall, she spent the better part of the next 18 months traveling around the U.S. and Europe—mostly alone—reading, relaxing, and enjoying experiences by herself. She discovered a love of architecture in Prague and a passion for hiking in the Grand Canyon. She did not have any life-affirming epiphanies about her future or inklings of her interest in technology and community building; she just spent time with her-

send in her resume. In the meantime, she took odd jobs here and there, handling local bands’ shows at dive bars, bartending at events—anything that would help pay the rent, keep her fed, and forge the path ahead.

and looking for work, she still wasn’t sure what it was she wanted the next step to be.

Hundreds of resumes later, Jacqueline’s efforts were repaid with only three phone callbacks and one in-person interview, none of which led to a job offer. So, in the interest of avoiding managing local bands at dive bars for the rest of her Friday and Saturday evenings, she tried a new tack.

Picking Up Speed In early 2010, Jacqueline turned to social media for help with her job search. She joined Twitter and Meetup.com, and started attending networking events, lunches, job fairs, happy hours. Anything that involved people like her, or people who might like to hire her. She wasn’t yet married to the tech scene—or any industry, in truth—but she did stumble upon a few tech-inspired events that she figured she might as well check out. Despite all the time she’d spent on her own learning about herself

At one of these networking lunches early on, Jacqueline met the guy who owned Texas Coworking—a place for self-employed individuals to work independently in a shared space—and they hit it off, exchanging creative ideas and talking about the independent marketplace in Austin. Jacqueline was ultimately offered a job managing the office space for 20 hours a week, and she found her first experiential entry into the Austin tech scene.

“My mind just went wild,” Jacqueline says of her first few weeks on the job after learning about some apps that the freelancers at Texas Coworking were working on. She spent most of her time at the coworking space chatting with the people who rented desks there, exploring ideas, and giving feedback on the various creative endeavors they

Meet

Jacqueline Jacqueline Hughes Jacqueline works with the Techstars program in Austin. Additionally, she is the co-founder and curator of Austin Startup Week, co-organizer of the Made in Austin Tech Startup Career Fair, the Dean for the Austin chapter of the Awesome Foundation, and was the event coordinator for RISE Week 2012 & 2013.

FOLLOW:

@JacquelinesLife atxstartupweek.com

were working on—mainly design and development on board too. Along with a small team of developin the tech space. “I was meeting so many cool, cre- ers and a designer, Jacqueline spent six months ative people. My life [at that point] was just a crazy working to bring her brainchild to life. string of ideas.”

But Bridge the City was not to be. Citing the team’s lack of direction coupled with conflicting Now that Jacqueline had some sense of direction—namely, creativity through technology—she ideas of simplicity versus extreme functionality, Jacqueline talks about the dissolution of the idea started engaging more with the creative people with a mixture of acceptance and weariness, both at Texas Coworking and interacting with peers tempered with the calming influence of time. It’s at more than 300 different tech-focused events clear that Jacqueline was affected by the experiin the span of a year. She met a ton of interesting ence, but it’s also clear that she was eventually people doing amazing things and started learning able to learn from it and move on to the next big things about Austin she’d never known. And, as she says, she “just wanted to share all that with the thing in her path. world.”

“I told everyone I knew about this idea...I sold evDuring this time, Jacqueline wasn’t simply soaking eryone on this vision I had,” she says. “And when up her peers’ creativity; she was energized and in- it didn’t work out...I don’t know how long I spent spired by it. The tech community reached out and spoke to her. It wasn’t just a stop along the journey; it was the journey. She started to cultivate not only a desire but also a drive to “make hard things easier [for people] through technology.” By identifying areas of need or “friction,” she started thinking about what technology could do to help fill the gaps in our everyday lives.

The Road Not Taken Talking about one of her very first ideas gets Jacqueline noticeably excited, and maybe even a little nostalgic. The idea was called Bridge the City, a curated events calendar that would let you know what events were in your area and who of your friends was going to be there—a “Foursquare of the future,” she calls it.

The idea came about largely because of Jacqueline’s continued reliance on her ever-expanding Twitter and Meetup communities. Friends would Tweet at her to find out what she was doing, what events were coming up, whether she was free for lunch. Meetup continued to grow and offer more and more cultivated events for Austin locals. A meeting of the social communities, Bridge the City would be, of the event-based Meetup and the bythe-minute Twitter. She got energized and inspired about the project, and she got everyone she knew

[avoiding my life].” She wasn’t sure what she’d do next.

On the Road Again The fall of Bridge the City was in fact only the beginning of Jacqueline’s journey in tech. After recharging and refocusing her energies, Jacqueline got right back into Twitter, Meetup, and the tech community in general. In a strange twist of fate, she landed a job doing marketing with Plancast, a platform that does almost exactly what Bridge the City would have done. She convinced Plancast, a California-based company Jacqueline connected

See her

workspace

with through Twitter, that Austin would be a great community, and some luck, Austin Startup Week was born. market to launch the app, and she offered up her own ideas and insights from working on Bridge the City.

Once her contract with Plancast was finished, Jacqueline refocused her energies on community events and started trolling new ideas. An event she discovered through Twitter—called Boulder Startup Week—gave rise to Jacqueline’s next big thing.

The Road

These days Jacqueline wears a lot of hats. Not only does she run Austin Startup Week every year since its inception, she also heads the Austin chapter of the Awesome Foundation, works on an Etsy-spawned community site called CraftLaunch, and does event planning and “guerrilla I WAS MEETING SO MANY marketing” for Techstars. She continues to COOL, CREATIVE PEOPLE. be active on Twitter.

“

While attending Boulder Startup Week in 2011, Jacqueline was impressed.

She’d discovered this community that brought MY LIFE [AT THAT POINT] together creative techies A love of sharing expeand savvy investors, and WAS JUST A CRAZY riences with her comgave them a forum for STRING OF IDEAS.” munity combined with shared experiences and a strong and unique growth of ideas. Inspired, sense of self has been she asked the founders Jacqueline’s lifeblood throughout the beginning up there whether she could adopt their idea, and of her journey in tech—and will likely continue to received their overwhelming support. Then, with the help of generous friends, a super-engaged tech sustain her in future endeavors. *

Clave is Key Clave membership is your key to unlocking Austin’s women in tech scene. Our members receive an annual subscription to Velma Magazine, discounts on training workshops, as well as VIP invites to exclusive parties and events.

We’re partnering with progressive tech leaders to deliver a personalized toolkit for you to navigate your career. As a member, you’ll be able to participate, support, and be part of a valuable resource for women in Austin, Texas.

CLAVE, LLC is a startup based in Austin, TX with a mission to create events, services, and products that connect people. Empowering people through design thinking to create meaningful change and sustainable local economies.

Interested in becoming a partner or sponsor? Email info@clave.us

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Evidence shows that women are less self-assured than men—and that to succeed, confidence matters as much as competence.

SOURCE: The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance—What Women Should know.

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The Summer I Worked for the

Most Powerful Studio n Hollywood

By Cecy Correra

I hung up on him. I hung up on the head of the studio my first week there. No one trained me on how to use the phones and I’m just a lowly intern. It’s their fault, really... ...But let me backtrack. It was 2008 and I was about to graduate from film school. I thought I had it all figured out: I would leverage my school’s “Semester in L.A.” offering, but save it for my last semester. That way I’d graduate, find a job, and stay in L.A. This was also the year of the famed Writers’ Strike, when all union writers working in Hollywood shut down production on every major TV show in the hopes of negotiating a better deal.

While I fully supported the writers’ plight, it wasn’t a great year to graduate from film school. My stint as an intern in L.A. began shortly after the strike was over, but the effects were still palpable. Millions of dollars were lost as a result of halted productions, and some shows never even made it back after the strike had ended. The industry was still recovering and jobs were harder to find.

Meet the

Author Cecy Correa Cecy is a “Web Chef” for Four Kitchens, a one-stop web consulting firm. In her spare time, Cecy continues to connect the dots for the local tech community by co-organizing Refresh Austin and our local Girl Develop It chapter.

JOP TITLE: Web Chef COMPANY: Four Kitchens

FOLLOW:

@cecycorrea cecycorrea.com

Meet the

Artist Nikki Hampson BRIEF: Nikki Clark is a local UX and Web Designer. She loves collaborating with smart people, learning new things, and making awesome stuff.

See more work & connect with Nikki at ume7.com

I never wanted to be the next Scorsese or anything. My dream was to be an acquisitions executive, meaning it would be my job to find independent films at festivals and purchase them for distribution.

Specifically, I was interested in documentary acquisitions. As you might imagine, a career in documentary film acquisitions is just about as lucrative as it sounds.

And that’s how, one summer six years ago, I found myself tending to a very busy executive’s desk, hanging up on the head of the company. Luckily, I wasn’t let go for it; studios rely too much on free labor from bumbling interns to really care about one of them hanging up on someone by accident.

The Good Sure, there were perks. The company I worked for produced Project Runway and I got some free L’Oréal product samples a few times, but for me, the perks were beyond tangible. I got to read scripts to recommend for consideration to the higher-ups. I remember reading the scripts for The Runaways and Inglourious Basterds before they were made. I also got to attend the L.A. Film Festival for free!

Attending a film festival where I was representing a film studio was definitely a highlight of my shortlived Hollywood intern career.

See her

Workspace

The Bad Living in L.A. sounds like paradise, and sure—I got to drive by the Hollywood Bowl and Hollywood Boulevard every day on my way to work. But therein lies the caveat of living in L.A.—if there’s a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, your commute back home is two hours. If there’s a film opening at the Chinese, your commute back home is two hours. I cursed the names of Coldplay and the new X-Files movie many times.

Still, those are nuisances you can deal with; what I couldn’t deal with were the hours and the pay. As a lowly intern, I worked about eleven to twelve hours a day, not including the time I spent reading scripts after I finally went home. They offered me $10 per day for my work, but capped the intern salary at $300. So for four months of twelve-hour days, I was paid a grand total of $300. My rent alone, for a tiny studio apartment, was $1,300 a month, which was paid for by student loans.

I had two years of experience working for film festivals and independent films, but that didn’t matter in L.A. because I amassed that experience outside of L.A. With that experience, I couldn’t even get a job making $9 an hour as a production assistant.

The Ugly

“

The executive I worked for had no love for film anymore. It was clear to me that she had lost the spark somewhere along the way. She got to attend festivals I’ve only ever dreamed of attending—Cannes, Berlinale, Sundance. She was hardly in the office, and when she was, she was miserable, exhausted even. The best way I can explain it is that she looked hung over all the time— hung over on film. It was too much.

There’s a lot of ageism in the film industry, too. It’s not just the actresses who have to be young; executives are held to the same standard. If you’re not an executive by the time you’re thirty, you’re never going to be an executive.

If you’re not an executive by “They’ll think you’re not hip anymore,” an older assisthe time you’re 30, you’re tant once said to me. He was well into his thirties and never going to be an exec.” knew his only way out of assistantship was to sell a script.

Worst of all, people working around me didn’t want to be writers or actors because they loved film; they wanted to be writers or actors because they wanted to be famous. Ultimately, that’s the reason people like me didn’t fit in. I was there for my love of film, not out of a desire for fame.

The Decision These things I knew: I loved film, but I also wanted a good life. My definition of a good life was to have a steady job and get paid my worth in order to have the freedom of the life I wanted. I knew then that I didn’t want to take a gamble and work my ass off in the hopes that someone would notice me before I was thirty. A gamble like that meant I wouldn’t be the master of my own fate.

Finally, I knew I never wanted to lose my love of film like the executive I worked for. I couldn’t imagine a life so burnt out on film that I couldn’t love it anymore.

The adage goes, “Find something you love and do it every day,” but there are a lot of different types of love. You have to find the right love for your career, and film wasn’t the right love for me.

For me, a career in film was almost like an abusive relationship—I did all the work for very little in return.

So, film and I dated. It didn’t work out, but we’re still friends. I found another thing to love, a healthier love that allows me to have a healthy life. I’m now the Director of Business Development at a web design agency in Austin—a job that pays me what I am worth, allows me to be creative, and live in a town that lets me have the life I want. I still love film, but from a healthy distance, and I now control the relationship… with my remote.*

Given the long-standing gender bias of Hollywood, it’s noteworthy that Cecy was working for a female executive six years ago.

However, according to the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, women are making strides to level the playing field as producers (25% women), production designers (23% women), and editors (17% women). We still have a long way to go to really see gender equity in the film industry, especially in areas like cinematography (3% women) and direction (only 6% of films in 2013 were directed by women), but it’s encouraging to see that talented women in film are finding an increasing number of career opportunities serving the silver screen.

Source: Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film

REALITY CHECK

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Purse & Clutch Just over three years ago I was working with the homeless through a local non-profit here in Austin. My friend and colleague from my graduate school fellowship, Rikki Marler, had just moved to India to help start a social enterprise aimed at creating jobs in the Northern part of the country with limited resources and opportunities.

They were creating beautiful textiles and having them stitched into handbags that were marketed for US consumers. The focus on the US market created a sustainable social enterprise because there was a demand for the product, and the stories Rikki would tell me of transformation that employment meant for their artisans was really powerful.

I knew this was an organization I wanted to be involved in. She sent me a box of handbags to sell online and Purse & Clutch was born! From there I’ve diversified to over ten other artisan groups from Guatemala to Thailand.

For every $200 we sell, we can employ an artisan full time for a month.

Checkout purseandclutch.com to browse products, shop for a handbag and support our cause.*

-Jenn Lewis, Director of Purse and Clutch

Velma’s Back Pages Velma features stories about women in Austin working within the tech/startup industry. She embodies smart, talented women who aren’t afraid of saying the wrong thing. Velma readers are too busy getting things done to notice they’re breaking through barriers.

Since our readers are so busy, Velma provides resources for the following activities:

Connect DISCOVER EAT & DRINK SPEND

Resources: Connect

oct 6 Cookies and Coding: Pumping up your search visibility with structured data!

At Women Who Code, learn the value of structured data and the impact it can have on how you appear in search results.

Pumping Up Your Search Visibility with Structured Data will “teach you the fundamentals of structured data, show multiple use cases, and leave you with a clear actionable strategy on how to implement structured data on your own website.”

WHERE: Capital Factory, 701 Brazos Street, Suite 1601 COST: Free MORE INFO: http://www.meetup.com/Women-Who-CodeAustin/events/205803862/

oct 8 Introduction to Dart program-

ming language by Nola Stowe At All-Girl Hack Night, learn why you should be using Dart, an open-sourced programming language developed by Google, and explore examples using Dart to power a console app and a web application. Speaker Nola Stowe will go into detail on Dart’s strengths, particularly its clean style, optional (or strong types), generics and integration with polymer.

WHERE: ActiveProspect,4203 Guadalupe St COST: Free MORE INFO: http://www.meetup.com/Austin-All-Girl-HackNight/events/205381972/

oct 9 Austin Startup Crawl It’s nearly Austin Startup Week, and this year will be wrapped up with an even more epic startup crawl than ever before! The entire first floor atrium of the Omni Hotel will be full of startups and crawlers, so swing by and network over a free beverage, drop off a resume, check out some office space, or just kick back for a great night celebrating Austin startups. There will be free shuttles running from 6 pm - 10 pm to take you to and from each startup (each of which will have some combination of unique beverage, activity, and/or t-shirt) and get you back to the beginning.

WHERE: Capital Factory, 701 Brazos Street, Suite 1601 COST: Free MORE INFO: https://capitalfactory.apps.umbel.com/6d6/ fall-startup-crawl-presented-by-google-for-entrepreneurs/

oct 14 Refresh Austin Join the growing community of web professionals in Austin meeting monthly to refresh their skills and tuning into the the creative, technical, and professional culture of the craft. This month at Austin Web Design, meet the volunteer staff members who created Velma Magazine Issue 01! Drinks will be provided courtesy of Elance oDesk.

WHERE: Buffalo Billiards, 201 E 6th St COST: Free MORE INFO: http://www.meetup.com/Austin-Web-Design/ events/203257532/

oct 21 Kickass Project Management Meetup Kickass Project Management (or Kickass PM) is a meetup group specifically for the Digital PM. While there are dozens of meetups for devs and designers, there are few opportunities for Project Managers to get together and celebrate our craft (yes, project management IS a craft!). Join us for some drinks and a presentation by the Mutual Mobile team on their discovery process workflow.

WHERE: Mutual Mobile 206 E 9th Street 14th floor COST: Free MORE INFO: http://www.meetup.com/Digital-PM-Meetup-Austin/events/208460332/

oct 22 Bringing Innovation to the City of Austin by Design Join the first talk in Austin Center for Design’s 2015 speaker series, led by Austin’s new Chief Innovation Officer, Kerry O’Connor, and get insight into how design thinking is changing local government from the inside out.

WHERE: Austin Center for Design, 1309 Chestnut Ave COST: Free MORE INFO: http://www.ac4d.com/speaker-series/

Resources: Discover

Cathedral of Junk While we all may have heard of this Austin classic, make October the month you finally check out the towering Cathedral of Junk tucked away in South Austin. The handiwork of Vince Hannemann, the skeleton of the structure is made up of 60 tons of discarded items, including bicycles, lawnmowers, kitchen utensils, ladders, clocks, and a whole lot of et cetera. Reservations required.

WHERE: 4422 Lareina Drive COST: $10 suggested donation MORE INFO: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cathedral-junk

oct 3 Body Rock Join in on the monthly party hosted by Riders Against the Storm (RAS) at Sahara Lounge and hit the dance floor for an always-magical experience. RAS, an award-winning husband and wife hip-hop duo, bring hip hop, funk, soul, reggae, dancehall, and more while rocking the mic and building a connection with everyone in the audience. It’s also a great chance to check out Sahara Lounge, formerly the historic TC’s Lounge, “an inviting Eastside Austin live music venue with a relaxed, eclectic atmosphere.”

WHERE: The Sahara Lounge, 1413 Webberville Road COST: $10 MORE INFO: http://rashiphop.com/about-us

oct 6-8

SXSW Eco A relatively new addition to the South by Southwest family, SXSW Eco focuses on environmental sustainability through a multitude of lenses and draws an array of participants from design, technology, entrepreneurial, and political backgrounds.

With themes ranging from Advocacy & Policy to Food Systems and Smart Cities, there’s something for everyone to engage with in the pursuit of a more sustainable, environmentally secure future.

WHERE: Austin Convention Center, 500 E Cesar Chavez Street COST: $395 for three-day badge MORE INFO: http://sxsweco.com/

oct 16 Bedpost Confessions This live, monthly storytelling show features local writers, performers, and thought-provoking entertainers sharing their stories of “sex, sexuality, and the steamy side of life.” Get a new perspective on sex and relationships the third Thursday of each month at the North Door. Each show involves audience participation, so join in on the funny, sexy show and share your own secrets, wishes, and regrets through anonymous confessions, read aloud during the show.

WHERE: The North Door, 502 Brushy Street COST: $10 at the door MORE INFO: http://bedpostconfessions.com/

Velma Jobs

Start working in a job you love.

All of these jobs (and volunteer positions) are from companies who help women in technology develop skills that lead to awesome careers.

MOTION COMPUTING® Headquartered in Austin, Texas, USA, Motion Computing® is a global leader in integrated mobile technologies for vertical markets including utilities, healthcare, construction, public safety, and retail.

With a complete lineup of ruggedized tablet PCs, accessories, software, and wireless infrastructure, Motion empowers mobile workers at the point of service. Check out: http://www.motioncomputing. com/us/about/careers

UNION METRICS If you love social media, live for analytics, or want to be part of a fast-growing startup, we’d love to talk to you. Check out: https://unionmetrics.com/ company/careers/

RISE RISE needs YOU! We’re a nonprofit program, and our awesome volunteers help make the RISE conference possible! Check out: https://www.riseglobal.org/community/volunteer

ROCKSAUCE STUDIOS IRocksauce creates gorgeous apps and products that people actually want to use. We start with extensive user experience to make products the market wants. Then our amazing design team makes it the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. We wrap it all up with lean, responsive code that’s optimized and flawless. Check out: http://rocksaucestudios. com/newsroom/nr-team-openings WP ENGINE At WP Engine we do work that matters! WordPress and Open Source are at the core of our business, but innovation, technology solutions, and blowing our customers’ minds is really what it’s all about. Check out: http://wpengine.com/careers/#jobviteframe WISEGATE Our mission of bettering IT requires more than just dedication. We offer personalized, on-demand, online, and on-the-phone assistance, getting you the business advice you require, whenever and wherever you need us. Wisegate is a team of people who really love IT. We’re talking, want to go out, and maybe even marry it. Check out: http://www. wisegateit.com/do-i-qualify-for-wisegate/

Join the Elance Mobilizer Austin Program As an Elance Mobilizer, you will be part of a global network of Elance Mobilizers, and together we are pioneering a new way to work. You’ll take on your city by leveraging Elance-provided assets combined with your own home-grown strategy, relationships, and knowledge in the startup and entrepreneurship scene to help spread the world of online hiring.

Check out: https://www.elance.com/q/crp/application.html CONTRIBUTE TO VELMA Each issue is published through the hard work of a team of volunteers. Articles are written by members of the women in tech community in Austin. We’re looking to feature artwork from Austin-based illustrators, photographers, graphic designers, and videographers as companion pieces to our essays.

Upcoming Issues: Wicked Problems http://velmamagazine.com/call-forsubmissions-issue-02-wicked-problems/ Money http://velmamagazine.com/call-for-submissions-issue-03-money/

Resources: Eat &Drink

Sunday Brunch at Sawyer & Co. Diner One of the most recent additions to the East Side culinary scene, Sawyer & Co. Diner delivers a different menu daily, always featuring authentic Southern cuisine in a flawless mid-century modern atmosphere. Take a trip back in time this Sunday and see what they have to offer!

WHERE: 4827 E Cesar Chavez Street MORE INFO: https://www.facebook.com/sawyerandco

Sunday Brunch at Green Pastures A classic special occasion brunch destination, Green Pastures is always a solid choice for getting your Sunday off on the right foot. The gorgeous grounds and Victorian architecture is a feast for the eyes and what awaits inside is a feast in its own right.

The brunch buffet changes weekly, so go back often and go hungry! And for those who enjoy a little liquid refreshment with brunch, their traditional southern milk bunch never disappoints.

Reservation required.

WHERE: 811 W Live Oak Street MORE INFO: http://greenpasturesrestaurant.com

Dinner at Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company Looking for a new low-key dinner destination? Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company (affectionately known as ABGB) slings craft pizzas accompanied by craft beers brewed on the premises. Split one of their “always” pizzas or specialty “sometimes” pizzas featuring locally sourced meat, cheese, and vegetables and enjoy the view of the brewing facilities from community tables inside, or hang out and enjoy the backyard feel of the patio.

WHERE: 1305 W Oltorf Street MORE INFO: http://theabgb.com

Resources: Spend

oct 6 Cookies and Coding: Pumping up your search visibility with structured data!

At Women Who Code, learn the value of structured data and the impact it can have on how you appear in search results.

Pumping Up Your Search Visibility with Structured Data will “teach you the fundamentals of structured data, show multiple use cases, and leave you with a clear actionable strategy on how to implement structured data on your own website.”

WHERE: Capital Factory, 701 Brazos Street, Suite 1601 COST: Free MORE INFO: http://www.meetup.com/Women-Who-CodeAustin/events/205803862/

oct 8 Introduction to Dart program-

ming language by Nola Stowe At All-Girl Hack Night, learn why you should be using Dart, an open-sourced programming language developed by Google, and explore examples using Dart to power a console app and a web application. Speaker Nola Stowe will go into detail on Dart’s strengths, particularly its clean style, optional (or strong types), generics and integration with polymer.

WHERE: ActiveProspect,4203 Guadalupe St COST: Free MORE INFO: http://www.meetup.com/Austin-All-Girl-HackNight/events/205381972/

oct 9 Austin Startup Crawl It’s nearly Austin Startup Week, and this year will be wrapped up with an even more epic startup crawl than ever before! The entire first floor atrium of the Omni Hotel will be full of startups and crawlers, so swing by and network over a free beverage, drop off a resume, check out some office space, or just kick back for a great night celebrating Austin startups. There will be free shuttles running from 6 pm - 10 pm to take you to and from each startup (each of which will have some combination of unique beverage, activity, and/or t-shirt) and get you back to the beginning.

WHERE: Capital Factory, 701 Brazos Street, Suite 1601 COST: Free MORE INFO: https://capitalfactory.apps.umbel.com/6d6/ fall-startup-crawl-presented-by-google-for-entrepreneurs/

oct 14 Refresh Austin Join the growing community of web professionals in Austin meeting monthly to refresh their skills and tuning into the the creative, technical, and professional culture of the craft. This month at Austin Web Design, meet the volunteer staff members who created Velma Magazine Issue 01! Drinks will be provided courtesy of Elance oDesk.

WHERE: Buffalo Billiards, 201 E 6th St COST: Free MORE INFO: http://www.meetup.com/Austin-Web-Design/ events/203257532/

oct 21 Kickass Project Management Meetup Kickass Project Management (or Kickass PM) is a meetup group specifically for the Digital PM. While there are dozens of meetups for devs and designers, there are few opportunities for Project Managers to get together and celebrate our craft (yes, project management IS a craft!). Join us for some drinks and a presentation by the Mutual Mobile team on their discovery process workflow.

WHERE: Mutual Mobile 206 E 9th Street 14th floor COST: Free MORE INFO: http://www.meetup.com/Digital-PM-Meetup-Austin/events/208460332/

oct 22 Bringing Innovation to the City of Austin by Design Join the first talk in Austin Center for Design’s 2015 speaker series, led by Austin’s new Chief Innovation Officer, Kerry O’Connor, and get insight into how design thinking is changing local government from the inside out.

WHERE: Austin Center for Design, 1309 Chestnut Ave COST: Free MORE INFO: http://www.ac4d.com/speaker-series/

Thanks for reading! velmamagazine.com