Podcast Guest – Betatalks: Rewriting the Operating System of Tech

Hosted by Rick van den Bosch and Oscar Span
Listen on Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts

In this episode, we went straight to the heart of something that rarely gets questioned in tech: the operating system underneath our industry.

We spoke about why attracting women into IT is only half the story, while more than half leave within the first decade of their career . We unpacked what happens inside workplaces that still reward similarity over difference, and how “the best candidate” often quietly means “the one who looks like us.”

I shared how my transition shifted more than my identity. It changed how my expertise is perceived. Before, my opinion was accepted. Now, it is questioned more often. My knowledge did not change. The lens did.

We explored the deeper issue behind diversity conversations: culture. Not as a buzzword, but as structure. Why do we still organize tech companies like industrial era pyramids? Why do we promote brilliant engineers into management roles without ever asking if leadership is their strength? Why is making money the mission, and people an afterthought?

I spoke about my vision for Beleeve: an organization that puts people first and builds technology second. A place where culture add matters more than culture fit. Where teams are trusted. Where leadership is shared. Where humanity is not a side note.

We also discussed the Women in IT Gala, which started almost as a joke and became something much bigger . A room full of women in tech, not talking about expertise, but about presence, safety, belonging. An evening where women did not have to watch their drinks. That detail alone says enough.

This conversation was not about blaming an industry. It is about rewriting it.

Not with louder slogans.
But with different foundations.