Jaidie Vargas is a force of nature. She is a national speaker, Navy veteran, PhD student researching AI ethics, co-founder and executive director of Amigas in Tech, IT Director, and a mom.

What doesn't she do?!

She's a champion whose actions inspire women and particularly the Latina community to feel empowered and claim their seat at the table.

Jaidie's journey from IT in the Navy to cybersecurity leadership shows the power of asking her favorite question, "why not?" at every turn. She built a career by staying curious, communicating authentically, and bringing others along for the climb. Now, through Amigas in Tech, she's building a community with friends she once needed which offers salary negotiation workshops, civic engagement tools, and real resources beyond just panels.

Her PhD research focuses on AI ethical frameworks with a human-centric, community-first approach. She's making sure communities have a voice when data centers pop up and AI decisions get made because innovation without consideration of its effects isn't progress.

In this episode, we'll talk about finding community, Jaidie's path from IT in the Navy to cyber leadership, building Amigas in Tech from the ground up, researching AI ethics, why communication is the most critical soft skill, asking "why not?" to create opportunities, time management across multiple roles, the importance of allyship, and staying authentic when the world wants you to blend in.

Your call to action? → Keep on showing up, keep on making your voice heard, and seek micro or macro glimmers of joy and hope.

00:00 Introduction to Jaidie Vargas

00:58 The Mission of Amigas in Tech

03:24 Jaidie's Journey into Tech

05:55 Researching AI Ethics

08:05 Lessons Learned in Tech

11:25 The Importance of Communication

11:49 Creating Opportunities in Tech

17:14 Future Aspirations and Community Impact

18:18 Navigating Life's Transitions

19:19 Time Management Strategies

21:31 The Mission of Amigas In Tech

22:55 Building Community and Allyship

25:43 Unexpected Success and Growth

27:53 Maintaining Passion and Avoiding Burnout

29:43 The Importance of Inclusivity

29:52 Personal Growth and Authenticity

32:20 Recap

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Welcome back. Or welcome for the first time. Either way, I'm so glad you're here!

Life happened and I wanted to recalibrate.

During that pause, so many people reached out. To check in. To say they missed the podcast. To ask if it was coming back.

Guess what? It is!

Thank you, truly, to all of the folks who reached out. 🙏

I am so grateful! 🥹

This version exists because of those messages and care. I want to keep learning together!

One of the biggest changes is actually behind the scenes. Though you may notice it if you look at the site! The site and podcast have moved to fully-managed hosting. This gives me more control, flexibility, and sustainability long-term. Home base is still the same: wip-podcast.com.

I also added a new light! 💡Which is technically a hardware upgrade, but I wanted to listen to audience feedback!

Per more audience feedback, you might notice a spoken intro instead of the pre-recording. The goal is to make the entry point a little cleaner. Think of it as a minor version bump, not a rewrite.

Another new feature per audience feedback I’m excited about is to end interview episodes with a short recap from me: a reflection. What I learned. What stuck. What I’m still thinking about after the conversation ended.

This season is yet another experiment iteration. Let's try something new!

I’ll be testing new episode styles/different formats, and potentially new ways of having conversations. There may be a familiar face joining soon in a collaborative capacity or repeat guest(s). TBD - leaning into curiosity and iteration!

I’ve also added a way to support the show if you’d like. You can drop something in the "tip jar" to help keep the mics on and cover the costs of software and tools that make the podcast possible. Visit ko-fi.com/wippodcast to support the show.

Totally optional. Very appreciated.

Some things are intentionally the same. This podcast is still a work in progress. We’re still figuring things out in public. Curiosity still beats certainty. And humans are still more interesting than hot takes.

• I’m still learning in real time.
• This show will continue to evolve.
• Perfection is not on the roadmap.
• No fix scheduled.

Though these may be more features than bugs for this podcast. 😅

Thank you for being here, whether you’re new or a returning human. I very much appreciate you coming along for the journey!

Release notes updated.