Attending conferences and speaking in public left me in a state of anxiousness, exhaustion, and anger. Thanks to the DevOps community, I’ve come out the other side. Come listen to my journey as a women in tech who is trying to interact with conferences attendees and organisers.

In this Ignite talk, I will share my personal adventures as women attending conferences and speaking in public in the 1990s. The undercurrent of condescension, harassment, and unconscious bias left me feeling isolated and frustrated. I didn’t want to be the the “problem” so I didn’t talk about how these experiences shaped me. My inner anger could have powered a small city. Being included in open communities like DevOps Days helped me realize I am not alone. We need to talk about these experiences in safe environments without the pressure of finding a solution. I want to start a dialogue. You in?