A Small Big Introduction

Hello, world!

Seemingly trivial or obvious ideas can be the most fruitful.

Small actions build on each other and give rise to big results.

This is the first issue of my Small Big Ideas newsletter. To my first subscribers, welcome, and thank you for joining me. 

A Small Big Idea, the idea of trying something new (in this case, playing a videogame), led me to write and publish my first blog post.

A Small Big Idea, the idea that we need to protect our limited mental bandwidth, led me to produce more and work less.

A Small Big Idea, the idea of sharing feedback openly, elevated the trust within my team.

In each issue of this newsletter, I will explore a Small Big Idea (SBI) through a practical lens. I will cover topics that reflect my countless interests (engineering, Burning Man, Batman, Vipassana, and so on) and share the common themes of growth, productivity, and self-understanding. I promise to do my best not to waste your time, and to leave you with an insight you can apply.

A Bit About Me

(This is by far the coolest photo taken of me, ever. I couldn’t resist.)

I’m currently writing to you from Berlin. In February 2020, my partner and I quit our jobs, moved out of our apartment, and left San Francisco to travel. This hasn’t been ⭐️the year of complete freedom⭐️ we were hoping for, but we solved a 1000-piece puzzle, learned how to bake banana bread, and tested the limits of merino wool. Both of us would agree that we spent our time well.

Before leaving San Francisco, I worked as a software engineering manager at Sonder, managing teams of impact-driven, growth-hungry engineers and managers. I like playing a supportive role in peoples’ growth and I’m good at it. It’s what led me to be a people manager, and it’s what led me to start this newsletter; I may not know you, but I want to support you.

Before managing, I worked as an engineer at Uber and Zynga, both of which were hyper-growing when I joined. I was the first female mobile engineer at Uber and I had the privilege of being a founding engineer on two major products: Uber Eats and Uber Freight. It was the hardest I’d ever worked and the most fun I’d ever had. Inspiration is perishable, and I’m glad I rode the wave even if it meant coding till my eyes watered.

At this stage, I started practicing meditation and reading about spirituality to help cope with stress. They helped me usher in an ongoing period of self-discovery and self-forgiveness. Self-forgiveness, another SBI, has been a key driver of success in my life since.

I graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) from UC Berkeley in 2010 with just two other women (only partially joking).

My parents are kind and supportive, my sister is my best friend, and my partner believes in me. I’m very grateful.

If you’re still with me, thank you for giving my story a chance, and please reach out so I can hear yours!