Mostly Awesome – a podcast by cdtm

Alev Canoglu is the founder of the Munich-based non-profit organisation Female Tech Leaders, which aims to empower women in STEM and leadership positions and mentor tech-savvy girls. After graduating and working in the documentary film industry, Alev decided to change fields and studied computer science at LMU and TUM. Alev has previously led product initiatives at Siemens, Microsoft and Autoscout. In the first block, Alev talks about her career path. She tells us why she moved from the arts to the tech industry. She shares the challenges she faced and talks about the differences between these two fields. Alev also tells us why and how she founded Female Tech Leaders and what projects she is pursuing with it. In the second block, Alev speaks about women in the tech industry. She shares her opinion on the status quo and speaks about what she thinks needs to be done next to achieve equal opportunities. Alev also tells us what she would advise every girl who wants to start a career in the tech industry.

Folkert Behrends is a triathlete and professional coach. After an accident in 2008, doctors told him he might never be able to walk again. But 15 months later, Folkert successfully competed in the Iron Man triathlon and became world champion in his age group. Building on this experience, he is now active as a speaker and as a coach for individuals, teams, and companies. In this role, he shares his insights on taking risks, believing in yourself, and striving for more, but also on patience and taking breaks. In the first block, Folkert speaks about his thoughts on ambition. He tells us how he keeps the discipline to do triathlons and why he thinks time off and relaxation are important. He also talks about what ambition can look like for different people and what the differences between ambitious or striving and status quo people are. In the second block, Folkert shares how he turned adversity into opportunity in his personal story and what he learned from this experience.

Saskia Bruysten is co-founder and CEO of Yunus Social Business. After studying economics at EBS and LSE, Saskia started her career at Boston Consulting Group. After a crucial meeting with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus, she decided to go into social business, and they eventually co-founded Yunus Social Business. Saskia is also an active member of the UN Commission's Expert Group on Social Business, as well as a lecturer at events including the World Economic Forum and the Clinton Global Initiative. In 2020, she co-initiated the COVID Alliance for Social Entrepreneurs with the World Economic Forum. In the first block, Saskia talks about her career path from consulting to social business. She describes how a typical day looks like for her. She also tells us how she decided what career to pursue after her time in consulting. In the second block, Saskia speaks about her experiences in social business. She explains how to target a client group that doesn't have a lot of money. She also shares how YSB decides which companies to invest in and how they measure the social and environmental impact.