On the heroine’s journey, a lot of our speakers find that they return to the magic, playfulness, and confidence they had as little girls. Linda Liukas is a beautiful example of this cycle. A computer programmer and children’s book author, she hopes to create a more diverse and colorful perspective of technology – starting with the poetry of coding.

Linda’s coding book for children quickly became one of Kickstarter’s most highly funded children’s books, and her recent TEDx talk has garnered over 1.5 million views. Her unapologetic, girlish enthusiasm is contagious – she’ll get you thinking back to what you were like as a little girl and perhaps remind you of parts of yourself you’d like to reclaim.

Show Notes:
-Linda as a very imaginative little girl who loved role-playing with friends and tinkering on her dad’s computer. [3:51]
-How she came to develop a brave and curious attitude towards technology, plus the hilarious story of teaching herself to build a fan website for her girlhood crush, Al Gore. [7:30]
-Thoughts on identity: Linda talks about how pre-teen girls often feel like they have to define themselves in very binary terms. [13:20]
-Linda’s decade away from computers and technology, what she did instead and why, and how she found her calling. [18:20]
-The small steps that led to her true career, early opportunities, and the start of her children’s book. [21:48]
-On getting swept up by projects, never graduating, and moving to New York to work with a new start-up. [28:34]
-Dealing with self-doubt as her book started to take off, and the importance of taking time and creating empty space for deep work. [34:45]
-Launching her kickstarter: How she dealt with imposter syndrome as she started to see huge success. [41:04]
-On her TEDx talk and speaking more broadly about her work, plus Linda’s insights on being many things at the same time. [48:27]

References:
Hello Ruby website: http://www.helloruby.com/
Linda's TEDx talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/linda_liukas_a_delightful_way_to_teach_kids_about_computers

Episode Sponsor:
Adobe Creative Residency – http://adobe.com/go/creativeresidency

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com