B The Way Forward is an action-driven conversation about systemic change—how it happens, who drives it, and what it really takes to make an impact. Hosted by AnitaB.org CEO, and battle-tested leader in tech and equity, Brenda Darden-Wilkerson, the show gives listeners the tools they need to step off the sidelines and shape the future themselves.
B The Way Forward Season 2 kicked off with a central question: do you change the system from within, or do you have to break it to build something better?
Now, in our second half of the season we'll celebrate something women often feel they can’t admit to in the tech world - failure.
Through candid conversations with leaders at the top of the tech industry the audience gets authentic, actionable advice that they can apply to their own careers.
Thoughtful, incisive and full of Brenda’s warmth and humor, B the Way Forward is human conversations in a digital world.
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At AnitaB.org, our mission is to enable and equip women technologists with the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to thrive. Through innovative programs and initiatives, we empower women to chart new paths, better prepared to lead, advance, and achieve equitable compensation. Because when women succeed, they uplift their communities and redefine success on their terms, both professionally and personally.
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Connect with AnitaB.org
Instagram - @anitab_org
Facebook - /anitab.0rg
LinkedIn - /anitab-org
And for more ways that you can be the way forward visit anitab.org
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Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.
All content for B The Way Forward is the property of AnitaB.org & Frequency Machine and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
B The Way Forward is an action-driven conversation about systemic change—how it happens, who drives it, and what it really takes to make an impact. Hosted by AnitaB.org CEO, and battle-tested leader in tech and equity, Brenda Darden-Wilkerson, the show gives listeners the tools they need to step off the sidelines and shape the future themselves.
B The Way Forward Season 2 kicked off with a central question: do you change the system from within, or do you have to break it to build something better?
Now, in our second half of the season we'll celebrate something women often feel they can’t admit to in the tech world - failure.
Through candid conversations with leaders at the top of the tech industry the audience gets authentic, actionable advice that they can apply to their own careers.
Thoughtful, incisive and full of Brenda’s warmth and humor, B the Way Forward is human conversations in a digital world.
---
At AnitaB.org, our mission is to enable and equip women technologists with the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to thrive. Through innovative programs and initiatives, we empower women to chart new paths, better prepared to lead, advance, and achieve equitable compensation. Because when women succeed, they uplift their communities and redefine success on their terms, both professionally and personally.
---
Connect with AnitaB.org
Instagram - @anitab_org
Facebook - /anitab.0rg
LinkedIn - /anitab-org
And for more ways that you can be the way forward visit anitab.org
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Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.
Forget Failure, It’s All an Experiment - Vlada Bortnik on How Marco Polo Approaches Big Choices
B The Way Forward
40 minutes
6 months ago
Forget Failure, It’s All an Experiment - Vlada Bortnik on How Marco Polo Approaches Big Choices
Marco Polo CEO, Vlada Borthnik, almost said no to being on our podcast. It wasn’t that she wasn’t a fan of AnitaB.org or didn’t believe in its mission, it was that we’d asked her to talk about failure… and Vlada almost totally rejects the notion of “failure” on principle.
Instead, Vlada advocates for throwing away the binary lens of “success” and “failure” and instead to reframe things as experiments and their outcomes. Because even when the outcome isn’t what you’d hoped for, you can still learn from it. And maybe that learning will set you up for a different outcome next time. Fortunately for us, Vlada came around.
In this episode, she talks to Brenda about why she feels so strongly that it's time for us all to stop fearing failure and embrace the idea it’s all about experimentation and learning from outcomes - whether they’re good or bad. Vlada also shares how the challenges of coming to the US as a refuge when she was 11 set her up for her future as an entrepreneur, why you should worry less about communication at work being messy, and focus instead on making sure you have systems in place to clean those messes up, and how Marco Polo’s culture of constant experimentation has led to its success. Plus, Brenda’s top three takeaways from the conversion.
For more, check out Vlada...
On LinkedIn - /in/vlada/
On Facebook - /onmarcopolo
On Instagram - @marcopoloapp
And if you're curious about Marco Polo, you can download the app for iOS or Android.
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At our heart, AnitaB.org is a connector: we connect women in tech to the organizations, opportunities, and tools they need to advance, thrive, and transform the future of technology. We convene transformative events, lead essential discussions, produce groundbreaking research and white papers, and support the tech ecosystem to shape the future for women in tech.
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Connect with AnitaB.org
Instagram - @anitab_org
Facebook - /anitab.0rg
LinkedIn - /anitab-org
On the web - anitab.org
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Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.
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B The Way Forward Is…
Hosted and Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson.
Produced by Avi Glijansky
Associate Produced by Kelli Kyle
Sound design and editing by Ryan Hammond
Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski
Additional Producing help from Faith Krogulecki
Operations Coordination for AnitaB.org by Quinton Sprull.
Creative Director for AnitaB.org is Deandra Coleman
Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Frequency Machine
For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org
B The Way Forward
B The Way Forward is an action-driven conversation about systemic change—how it happens, who drives it, and what it really takes to make an impact. Hosted by AnitaB.org CEO, and battle-tested leader in tech and equity, Brenda Darden-Wilkerson, the show gives listeners the tools they need to step off the sidelines and shape the future themselves.
B The Way Forward Season 2 kicked off with a central question: do you change the system from within, or do you have to break it to build something better?
Now, in our second half of the season we'll celebrate something women often feel they can’t admit to in the tech world - failure.
Through candid conversations with leaders at the top of the tech industry the audience gets authentic, actionable advice that they can apply to their own careers.
Thoughtful, incisive and full of Brenda’s warmth and humor, B the Way Forward is human conversations in a digital world.
---
At AnitaB.org, our mission is to enable and equip women technologists with the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to thrive. Through innovative programs and initiatives, we empower women to chart new paths, better prepared to lead, advance, and achieve equitable compensation. Because when women succeed, they uplift their communities and redefine success on their terms, both professionally and personally.
---
Connect with AnitaB.org
Instagram - @anitab_org
Facebook - /anitab.0rg
LinkedIn - /anitab-org
And for more ways that you can be the way forward visit anitab.org
---
Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.