From discussing women in male-dominated fields to a company that offers quality management training to managing her own chronic illness, my conversation with Colleen spanned many interesting and needed topics.

While still early in her career, Colleen opens up about unemployment, the road to her current position, and how she knows she doesn’t want to manage others. I appreciate Colleen’s candidness about how she advocates for herself and creates an environment of empathy and understanding for her illness that helps others understand her situation better without undermining her talent. She also provides a wonderful narrative around why she doesn’t want to be a manager and how it’s okay to take the individual contributor route in your career.

Along with all that, we have a lively discussion about Harry Potter, which house we would be in, and the Epic Fantasy book she will be releasing this fall.