Episode 154: Are You Techie Enough?

What does it really mean to be "techie"? Sean, Kelly, and guest Amelia Hough-Ross dig into the labels we put on ourselves and others — and why curiosity and persistence matter more than credentials. From imposter syndrome to productive struggle, this episode redefines what it means to be technical in a rapidly changing world.

Show Notes

Wins of the Week

Amelia: Getting both kids to all their activities this week — taekwondo, Chinese language classes, and a piano competition where her oldest did very well

Kelly: Running a series of well-attended trainings at school, including a Canva AI session that drew 60 attendees across two campuses, with new audiences (kindergarten and first grade teachers) showing up for the first time

Sean: Finally getting fiber internet installed at his house after over a decade of waiting — a major upgrade from cable with latency dropping from 20-30ms to 3ms, at half the cost

Links & Resources Mentioned

vBrownBag — Tech community show that Amelia is preparing to present at and Sean is scheduled for later in the year

PyCon US 2025 — Pittsburgh, May 2025; Education Summit on Thursday, May 14

LEGO Mindstorms — Referenced in Amelia's story about building a vending machine in 4th grade

Architects of Intelligence — Book Kelly is currently reading (dense but informative, structured as short stories/interviews)

How to Winter by Kari Leibowitz — Book Amelia is reading about mindset and how people approach difficult things