TINT Podcast-GHC20 Speakers_092320

[00:00:00] Cecelia Taylor: [00:00:00] Welcome to the TinT Podcast--that is to say Thriving in Technology. Your hosts are Sam Moulton and Cecelia Taylor, friends and colleagues at NetApp. Today we're going to be talking about GHC 20, this year's Grace Hopper Celebration and the impressive lineup of speakers from NetApp. We'll also be talking about the whole process of creating a GHC worthy presentation.
[00:00:22] We have a number of amazing guests today. Frequent TinT flyers, Mercedes Adams, and Phoebe Goh. Plus, we'll be hearing from first time guests, M J Schmitt and Kim Weller. 
[00:00:33]Welcome. Let's start out by having you introduce yourselves to our listeners and let us know how we can find you on the social sphere.  The Twitter, the internets. So let's start with MJ. Hi everybody.
[00:00:47]MJ Schmitt: [00:00:47] My name is Mary Jane Schmitt, otherwise known as MJ and I work in NetApp's, public sector team in the DC area. I am the business development lead for our civilian agency team. And you can find me at Mary Jane Schmitt. Very novel. 
[00:01:03] Sam Moulton: [00:01:03] They're the best though. Easy to find you. 
[00:01:05]Cecelia Taylor: [00:01:05] Easy to remember. And Kim.
[00:01:07]Kim Weller: [00:01:07] Hi, my name is Kim Weller. I manage the tech team enablement office at NetApp, which is a function that helps our SEs be more effective. And you can find me at Twitter. underscore Kim, but LinkedIn is probably the better place. 
[00:01:22]Cecelia Taylor: [00:01:22] And our returning guests, Mercedes Adams. 
[00:01:25] Mercedes Adams: [00:01:25] Hi, I'm Mercedes Adams. I'm part of the NetApp learning services team. I'm responsible for employee education and you can find me on Twitter at Mercedes underscore Adams. 
[00:01:38] Cecelia Taylor: [00:01:38] And of course the lovely Phoebe. 
[00:01:40]Phoebe Goh: [00:01:40] Oh, thank you.  I'm so glad to be back. so I am part of Kim Willis tech team enablement office. she's my boss. So I can only say nice things about her, but she's fantastic.
[00:01:51]yeah, so I support our technical team, especially in our new. cloudy portfolio, which is the most exciting to me. And I love talking about it. so you can find me on Twitter at Phoebe, go on one word. And I'm also on LinkedIn as. Phoebe card. 
[00:02:08] Sam Moulton: [00:02:08] You really looked confused there for a minute.
[00:02:12] Thanks. Thanks to all of you for taking the time to join us today. GHC is a big deal for NetApp and I've now participated for the past couple of years. I'm always impressed by how much goes into preparing for this event and how willing everyone is to jump in and do what needs to be done. we're specifically talking about speaking sessions today and Mercedes and MJ have been very involved in the, the development and then providing guidance and assistance. And, we want to start by outlining a real at a real high level. NetApp's kind of history with GHC and I understand there's something called the origin story. So who wants to share that? 
[00:02:59] Mercedes Adams: [00:02:59] Why don't I'll start a little bit, I'm going to throw this to MJ for the origin story, and I'll say I'm, I'll talk a little bit about NetApp's. Involvement with Grace Hopper celebration. And I'm looking around the table. I know we've been participating as a company for probably more than 10 years, and the event has grown and grown to be diverse inclusive of 25, 30,000 attendees every year.
[00:03:23] And NetApp has continued to increase its investment in the event I'm sending, dozens of people and then hundreds of people to where we are today as a diamond sponsor with I think. 300 attendees and it actually takes about 50 volunteers to get us all ready to go. and that's where MJ and I have been, partnering in that volunteer group, really focused on helping NetApp, bring more voices as speakers to the event.
[00:03:52] And this is where I'm going to ask MJ because she and I came to this together and we've been walking arm-in-arm for a few years. as far as speaking at Grace Hopper. And, helping our employees and some of our customers, partners and alumni get ready to speak. 
[00:04:08]MJ Schmitt: [00:04:08] Yes, no, I have to say that it's been a fun ride and, and with great success this year, but it was several years ago when Mercedes and I and a number of our colleagues were in a session, that was called hidden figures and influential, people in your career development and in your workspace. And it was led by him number of our NetApp colleagues. And we were really impressed and we walked out saying, how do we do a paper and what paper are we gonna do? And at that same, I'm pretty sure it was that same, Grace Hopper conference that. Melinda Gates spoke about how many pathways.
[00:04:42] There were two women in tech and between that, and, the inspiration from our NetApp colleagues that presented that paper. And the fact that Melinda Gates originated the small serif fonts, which was my personal favorite memory or a talk. We decided that we were going to submit a paper ourselves.
[00:05:01] So that's how it started. And I don't know, Mercedes, if you want to weigh in, a little bit more on that hidden figures, presentation. 
[00:05:09] Mercedes Adams: [00:05:09] I was so inspired. So there were three, three women at NetApp. I think it was a GHC 17 and M J and I were going from session to session. so it was, Tamara Helms and Liz herring who had the, discover your organization's hidden figures panel session.
[00:05:26]th the room was packed. We were thrilled. We were leaning in, it was, the year that the movie was released, based on, is that right? Lee Shetterly's book. So we were in there. It was amazing. And also, I want to highlight Nikki Willoughby, who was speaking as an air force veteran about hiring more vets.
[00:05:45] Into tech. and, she had flown in from our insight event. Like it was a crazy year and MJ, you and I were just like, wow. This event is amazing. The speakers are amazing. I wonder what we could do to get ready. And so we left there thinking up. I would love to see a session.
[00:06:05] And we focused ours. It was a career conversation panel where for GHC 18, we came back, and had an amazing, group of women who were ready to talk about how they got into their leadership roles. 
[00:06:19] But going through that gauntlet, that approval process to become a speaker. I think we were naive. We didn't know then when our GHC 18 paper was accepted, that they have a 20% acceptance rate because they get thousands of papers every year.
[00:06:37] Sam Moulton: [00:06:37] So the first paper you submitted got accepted that's right. Wow. you're struggling, but that's pretty impressive. My goodness. 
[00:06:47] Mercedes Adams: [00:06:47] We didn't know then what we know now. I think it was like rolling the dice on the craps table in Vegas and being a beginner. 
[00:06:54] Sam Moulton: [00:06:54] So let me ask you, did that, you're saying you didn't know, then what you don't know now is what, now more helpful or, I know we're going off on a tangent here, but that's an interesting thing for you to say.
[00:07:07]MJ Schmitt: [00:07:07] Yeah, I think when we submitted, I have to say, I think when we submitted a Mercedes and I are both pretty good at following instructions, at least I know I am, I do a lot of proposals. And so Grace Hopper has a lot of instructions for how you submit a paper. And so we were very meticulous counting our characters and making sure we have the right spot size and the right  jPEG, format in everything we did. and so I think that maybe helped us because we learned along the way actually, after the fact that hopper doesn't even review proposals, that don't meet those formatting criteria. And so we decided that was probably our first thing that we learned after the fact.
[00:07:53]I didn't know, Mercedes, what do you think? that's what, that's one of the things we learned. 
[00:07:58]Mercedes Adams: [00:07:58] and I think we didn't know at that time, as MJ said, we followed the rules and we did the best work we could. And the paper was accepted. What really shocked us is when we realized we were the only paper that year accepted from NetApp, because there were a lot of women who had worked just as hard as we had.
[00:08:18] And I think that surprised us. that somehow our paper managed to navigate that approval process and be selected when so many equally and even better and amazing sessions were turned down. And that's where we said, okay, now we've been inspired by people like Liz and Nikki and Tamara. Now we had our chance.
[00:08:43] What could we do to build a community so that more women are successful through what is really a challenging process 
[00:08:52] Sam Moulton: [00:08:52] Before you go there I am coming into this. I don't know anything about that paper that was accepted. And I have to know now I have to know a little bit about it. who presented? Who, what was it a panel? tell me about it.  
[00:09:04] MJ Schmitt: [00:09:04] it was a panel and, the origins of it were Mercedes. And I both tried to think of a different women that had a different career paths. So either started differently or had a different route to, their leadership role. And interestingly enough, the first set of women, we came up with.
[00:09:23] We're all NetApps or NetApp Alumna. So that was pretty interesting. And so we went from there to, reaching out through our network to develop a list of a panelist that met the very important criteria that you cannot have two people on the panel from the same organization. 
[00:09:43] Sam Moulton: [00:09:43] Oh, okay. Did not realize that. Okay. 
[00:09:47] Mercedes Adams: [00:09:47] So we were creative, so I owe a lot to MJ and her sales strategy here. because when we sat down and we started to think about who could fill up this panel, we knew the topic. We did a lot of workshopping. I think we ended up, we actually started out with more people than you could fit on a panel.
[00:10:04]and it turned out just right, but women like Laura Quintana, who's a VP at Cisco, Regina Conkle, Megan, Steele, at NetApp Y Wiley, who, is, entrepreneur, chairman of the board, for not going to say the name of the company. So we had, we, and I think I'm forgetting somebody, 
[00:10:24] MJ Schmitt: [00:10:24] Francesca Vasquez. Who runs the solution architects at Amazon web services. 
[00:10:30] Mercedes Adams: [00:10:30] So we ended up with this amazing set of speakers. So MJ and I effectively became, we were managing their stage presence in a way we went through, we submitted the speaker proposal. We coordinated, we did the dry runs and we helped them be fantastic on stage.
[00:10:48] And so they. that group, were the presenters. I think what MJ and I really appreciated was that, that platform and that opportunity to participate through their voices. 
[00:11:01] Sam Moulton: [00:11:01] So you were about to go in a different direction and I'm honestly not sure what that was. Do you remember Mercedes?
[00:11:12] Mercedes Adams: [00:11:12] Yeah, because that was our next step. Coming back is. We wanted more people to feel fantastic and have that same opportunity. and this is where we sat down and actually had the plan. I think it was the events in October and by November, we were already recruiting the next crop of potential speakers.
[00:11:33] Sam Moulton: [00:11:33] Wow. that's, your sticktuitiveness, your willingness to see that through. especially after what I, I would imagine was a hectic busy, attending an event like that. It takes, it takes a lot out of me because I, there's a lot of people and you have to do with these things.
[00:11:50]but you, it sounds like you got right back on it and, had a vision for.   what you wanted to do with earth, for NetApp speakers, for women, right? Who have, like you said, they have voices that need to be heard.  
[00:12:03]Mercedes Adams: [00:12:03] MJ. And I we'd worked together on some initiatives to try to change the world in the past.
[00:12:08] And so I think. in partnership MJ, when we came back, I want to give you some credit for inspiring me to do more than just saying, Hey, let's start working on next year's paper because I think we were still at the Grace Hopper celebration, maybe walking the show floor, the expo hall floor. When you were like, let's do this, let's build something. 
[00:12:28]MJ Schmitt: [00:12:28] No, it was fun. And I have to admit, it's great to have an excuse, to have a regular meeting together. So that's part of it, but also we felt like we could help because we could help, other, women navigate some of the process that we really didn't understand what we went into it.
[00:12:45]One of the reasons that Mercedes and I were incented to start our speaker series is not just because, we think it's a great thing that women have this opportunity to develop proposals, but also we wanted to help them decipher and make it a little easier on the Grace Hopper process. It's a bit arduous, it's a lot of detail. And we thought if we could help with that, and then we could encourage the, potential presenters to come forward with great ideas and build their networks and just make it more fun for them than having to go through the.
[00:13:17] The boring details. So that was one part of the inspiration. And also candidly, we just wanted more NetApp proposals. we want it to go from, Tamara is, and Liz is to Anne and Nikki's too hours to something more than one. so that was really the biggest motivator, I think.
[00:13:35]Sam Moulton: [00:13:35] and you have accomplished your mission. I don't know if one of you wants to lay out   or just quickly describe the content behind the sessions that were accepted this year, I think, we have Phoebe go and Kim Weller who are two of those, presenters this year.
[00:13:50]so we can let them speak to theirs, but there's a number of others who would like to cover that?
[00:13:54]  MJ Schmitt: [00:13:54] We're really excited this year for virtual Grace Hopper, 2020, we have, five speakers from NetApp that were selected,  as well as a NetApp alum, 
[00:14:06]Sam Moulton: [00:14:06] more than any year. Am I right? Am I right? Let's highlight that. 
[00:14:10] MJ Schmitt: [00:14:10] Yes, absolutely a big, super big win. And, and actually in a very trying time, because the date kept shifting the requirements were, a little bit more arduous because they had to resubmit looking at some of the more topical, themes that were.
[00:14:26] In the middle of such as a pandemic and diversity and inclusion. And so the papers that were accepted were largely mentoring circles, which was a really popular format, last year at Grace Hopper. And so in addition to Kim and Phoebe, who we're going to hear from. we also had Purnima Varma who is presenting on the first job conundrum. It's is an excellent topic for, during the middle of a pandemic, and a new Anusha Perumal who's presenting be wise when everyone around you is smart. And Anusha actually started  her paper, when she was with NetApp and then moved to Salesforce. So she's an, an official alumna. And then we have another series of presenters.
[00:15:06] That are doing my personal favorite, a poster Amy Vargas, and Tracy Cummings are going to present on combating the costing complexity of cloud storage. So super excited about these topics. 
[00:15:18] Cecelia Taylor: [00:15:18] So what is a poster session and how is it different from a regular session? 
[00:15:23]MJ Schmitt: [00:15:23] I don't know if anyone of you has ever been to a scientific conference, but, I cover a number of agencies in my job like NOAA and NASA.
[00:15:34] And when you go to their conferences, they're always poster sessions. In fact, number of years ago, my colleagues and I presented a poster at one of the meteorological conferences. But in any event, it's exactly that. It's a poster physical that, the presenters present their hypothesis, their findings, their observations.
[00:15:54] And they basically do that in a much smaller format. Say a couple of people walking around to hear them then a presentation, which is typically in a larger room, several hundred people. So this year will be a virtual poster. 
[00:16:09] Sam Moulton: [00:16:09] I still don't get it. I don't. I don't, I can't like, imagine what you're talking about.
[00:16:13] So is it like a science fair where you're standing there with your Oh, okay. Okay. So we'll walk around and they listen to what you have to say.  
[00:16:22] Mercedes Adams: [00:16:22] that internship, in RTP, in Sunnyvale at the end of the year where all the interns are standing in front of a poster board with here's the project I completed that also ha so MJ and I are a fan of the posters because we've walked through them on the expo hall floor in the past when Grace Hopper was a physical event.
[00:16:41] And this time I know. our poster champions, Tracy and Amy, they actually had to recreate everything in a new technology landscape. Like from Friday to Monday, I think they put theirs together. So quick turnaround, new tech. 
[00:16:56] Sam Moulton: [00:16:56] So what does that mean? so it's not a poster anymore. It's not a physical poster. It's some other medium? 
[00:17:03] Mercedes Adams: [00:17:03] Digital. digital. Okay. Excited to see it. 
[00:17:06]MJ Schmitt: [00:17:06] Yes. I can't wait cause I haven't been to a virtual poster session yet. 
[00:17:10] Sam Moulton: [00:17:10] so we do have, speakers, with us. We're privileged to have speakers with us, I should say. Phoebe, you partnered up with Kim. So tell us how, how you two came up with this idea and what made you want to submit. And, maybe you can even talk about how MJ and Mercedes helped you. 
[00:17:32]Phoebe Goh: [00:17:32] I'd say Kim partnered up with me because, she actually, I suggested that we submit something together. It's something that's really topical for us.
[00:17:40] I think diversity in, in technical teams, especially technical presales is something that I think, a lot of tech companies, a lot of companies are struggling with. Trying to find that diversity. And that's something we hear a lot is, I'm trying to find a candidate who's diverse. How do I do that?
[00:17:56] Like w do you know anyone like we know all the female technologists in the world can you I'd like to, but it was. Almost, it was this topic that we've talked about on and off, not just as out in our jobs, but just when we're sitting around having a drink. And I think it was, Kim has submitted by, before for Grace Hopper and I've always wanted to, so I thought, Oh great.
[00:18:23] I'm going to team up with somebody. Who's got that. And, and hopefully, with the two of us, we can provide a really rounded, perspective. And we just existed. So that was awesome. 
[00:18:35]Sam Moulton: [00:18:35] Phoebe was talking a little bit about how you two partnered on this, presentation and you got accepted. what was in your mind, Kim, when you, reached out to Phoebe?
[00:18:47] Kim Weller: [00:18:47] Oh yeah. I submitted thanks for the question I submitted the prior year at Grace Hopper to do a panel presentation. which the topic of that was really related to how different people in the organization perceive data. And how we need to understand each other there's language, but that was not accepted. And I got some good feedback, but, so this year, As you heard from Mercedes and MJ, there are a lot of different ways that we can participate in Grace Hopper. So I decided to submit a mentoring circle instead. 
[00:19:22] And as a mentoring circle, you could actually have a, unlike some of the presentations, you can have two people from the same company.
[00:19:30] And so Phoebe and I have both had really extraordinary careers. As sales engineers. And, that is an unusual choice, I think sometimes for women in tech. And so what a great partnership for Phoebe and I, to be able to submit for a mentoring circle, to talk about that and to try to encourage young women, to actually look at that as a career choice and to help them understand how to be prepared to do that and how to look for those opportunities.
[00:19:57]Sam Moulton: [00:19:57] So I think Mercedes has a question for you, Kim. 
[00:20:01] Mercedes Adams: [00:20:01] Yeah, Kim. And there's two points I want to make first is that Kim has been amazing. And our speaker prep series after her session, wasn't selected last year, she came to the table to our speaker prep series to help empower everyone and walked us through the entire process. All the effort that she put in, because even though her data focused session, wasn't selected at Grace Hopper, it did become a session at our corporate, at our INSIGHT event for customers and partners. 
[00:20:32] And so that speaker proposal that she had put so much fun nights and weekends and working in coffee shops to build, she transformed that and took it to another conference. I think that's one of the benefits. And so I just, Kim, I want you to touch on that a little bit, and then how you also were one of the voices to inspire those who submitted this year. 
[00:20:52]Kim Weller: [00:20:52] Oh, yes. I think one of the things I would say too is don't, don't immediately dismiss something that you think, you don't have time to do or that you might have some trepidation.
[00:21:03]mercy, when Mercedes came back to me and said that my original Grace Hopper session had been selected for INSIGHT, that is a very different audience. And I had a panel of amazing women specifically who I had convinced to be on my panel because of Grace Hopper, who probably would not have been quite so interested to go to NetApp INSIGHT.
[00:21:24] So I actually had to pretty much reformulate that panel and that presentation, I actually had a customer, a couple of customers, as well as someone from NetApp to present a slightly similar, but mostly different panel at, at INSIGHT. So that was an interesting experience. And at first I, I did not want to do that, but through Mercedes guidance and coaching, I really said, you know what, let me take this opportunity.
[00:21:48]And then, certainly learning from the first experience at Grace Hopper, again of, not being successful. I certainly wanted to expand my horizons and, expand the options, to make sure that we could get as many papers or as many representatives possible from NetApp who were showing up in to do sessions at Grace Hopper.
[00:22:07]Sam Moulton: [00:22:07] So you mentioned INSIGHT. Will any of the presentations that got accepted at GHC also be presented at INSIGHT? 
[00:22:17] Mercedes Adams: [00:22:17] I'm going to jump in here because I have one data point, which is really interesting is that. I know a paper that was submitted to Grace Hopper that again was declined to Grace Hopper, however, was resubmitted to INSIGHT.
[00:22:30] And Bhanu Sundar is presenting a paper. I believe it's on, data security at our, at INSIGHT. And again, I think that's, we want more diverse voices speaking at all technical conferences and Grace Hopper, that celebration, that conference was the spark. And we are looking at other places where we can help support people.
[00:22:52] Banu is an amazing technologist, right? She's teaching people how to get certified for NetApp. And so I'm just, I'm really excited to say that, she wasn't selected for Grace Hopper, however, she'll have an INSIGHT platform. 
[00:23:05]Sam Moulton: [00:23:05] Yeah, it's nice that these people who have spent so much time developing these presentations have another venue or another opportunity to, be heard, to present them. So here's one thing I'm wondering, it's always been an in person event and now we're virtual. So how is that? How is that being done? So Phoebe and Kim you're presenting, what does that look like? 
[00:23:29] Phoebe Goh: [00:23:29] So when they made it virtual, the first thing they said was, Oh, you basically have to already submit, it was like, there's this kind of email that came out and we all went, what is this moment of we, we will go, we were so happy.
[00:23:43] We'd been accepted. And then they said, Oh look, things are going to be different because it's virtual and it turns out, okay, it wasn't that scary. It wasn't that much of a change. but they did ask us to. Consider our top pick in light of those kind of events. And I thought that was, it was thoughtful of them to two of the organizers of the conference to try and make it more, more relevant to the time.
[00:24:04] And so I think that has, it made us stop and think, okay, is this okay? But it's still the most important thing, the way that we were presenting it. And for Kim and myself, I think it, I'll speak for me, but it definitely is because, a lot of people I'm speaking to right now going, okay, so what happens with all working from home?
[00:24:22] How is your job? And I'm like, Oh, my job is fine. I always work from home. Like I'm not getting on planes as much. And I was like, Oh, This is a great career path for somebody who is looking for that kind of experience, where they're not worried about, something like this stopping their business.
[00:24:37] And a lot of my colleagues, a lot of the team are busier than ever. And I think that's really great, obviously for us. And so I think that's a really interesting, perspective that we bring. To a different kind of career than maybe, somebody else's thinking about it. And I can't speak to anything else than what I've done. 
[00:24:54] Kim Weller: [00:24:54] I think it's interesting because, the title is, building a lucrative and rewarding career as a sales engineer. And all I had to do is add a dash and say even remotely. Yeah, I know I said the title. So even just the nature of the role, I think is. And I hope this is something that would be appealing, certainly to the attendees that at Grace Hopper, that is one aspect that you can actually, do that right in this time. And it's certainly even if we're not dealing with COVID. 
[00:25:24] Phoebe Goh: [00:25:24] There's something else, is that as technologists, like we are in a kind of an area of. Technology that's maybe a little bit different to what other people are used to. I think that's one of the things that we, when I'm talking about my role is that, I'm not sitting at a computer programming I'm most of my day, I'm talking to people, I'm talking to customers, I'm talking to my team or I'm talking to other parts of our business.
[00:25:47] And I think it's, it's one of those things that I really want to get out there is that there's so much scope within the industry and Grace Hopper is a great place to go, Oh wow. it's not just this one thing that I thought technology was, whether it's hacking in a basement or whether it's working for, a huge multi, let's say a personal identity collecting company, it's, there's so many opportunities. And I think that's what we really wanted to talk about regardless of, current situation in the world. 
[00:26:18]Sam Moulton: [00:26:18] So Phoebe, you were a first time, essentially a first time a submitter, correct? 
[00:26:25] Phoebe Goh: [00:26:25] Yes, 
[00:26:25] Sam Moulton: [00:26:25] that's right. You got lucky first time out, just like MJ and Mercedes did, first time is the charm or whatever, but, what is your message for other women who would, who might be thinking about this? And they're finding that, they're feeling like it's too much that they aren't. they don't have what it takes to present or to share, their story essentially. That's what you're doing. You're sharing your story. So what tips would you give them or how would you encourage them to pursue this? 
[00:26:53] Phoebe Goh: [00:26:53] I have three tips 
[00:26:54] Sam Moulton: [00:26:54] then. Great, perfect. Yes. 
[00:26:56] Phoebe Goh: [00:26:56] So the FA one is that I think I'm coming up with a good idea and that takes a long time, like percolating, that idea.
[00:27:03] Maybe it's brainstorming it with friends or maybe it's just writing down like. I thought it went, when Kim came to me with this, I was like, Oh great. this is an idea. This is something I care about. And this is something I want to talk about. So that was good. That was awesome because I think it's going to be something you care about to be able to build a whole proposal and go through all the font changes and the numbers of.
[00:27:25] Sentences and all that sort of thing that you had to, 
[00:27:28] Sam Moulton: [00:27:28] yeah. It's hard to talk about something you don't care about. Who wants to do that? 
[00:27:32]Phoebe Goh: [00:27:32] Yeah. and so my second tip would be to. 
[00:27:35] Sam Moulton: [00:27:35] it's that last minute. You mean? Okay. 
[00:27:41] Phoebe Goh: [00:27:41] Oh, there, I'll let Kim talk about how our timing on that proposal, but yeah, I think giving yourself enough time and realizing that, they ask for the proposals to be due, but there's always these little things that have to be done. Like your bio. That was one.
[00:27:55]and then my third tip is. To either find or join a support group, like what Mercedes and MJ set up. And I speak at series had people who are not from NetApp, they had, just, it was so great to have this support network when we w when it was going through it going, Oh, do I really want to do this?
[00:28:14] Do I really have the time? but then you getting that constant reminder and support and encouragement, and hearing from all the other people is really motivating as well. So I don't know if they, all those groups exist or if they can join ours. But I think that was really, yeah. Really helped.
[00:28:32] Sam Moulton: [00:28:32] It would be interesting to know if there were other groups out there that do what these two fabulous women do for others. Because they're, they are selfless and no, I have this now I'm passing on competence just for a second here. Okay. I am just everyday so impressed by, what I learn about Mercedes and MJ, I'm getting to know you better. I think this podcast was a great opportunity to do that. You have to have a real passion for wanting to help others and that comes through. You anyway. Oh, okay. I'll I'll stop.  
[00:29:06] Mercedes Adams: [00:29:06] I appreciate it. I appreciate this. And this is the perfect opportunity because as Phoebe saying, join a support group, collaborate.
[00:29:15] Don't do this alone. MJ and I. We started, a few years ago inspired by other women. And there are so many women and men who are now helping us that I need to have a call out to Jocelyn, to Tracy, to Diane, to Rochelle, to Julie, and also to Chris Wilcox, because we have men who have supported us in this journey as well.
[00:29:37] And so it's. It's become bigger than the two of us. And that's why I'm making the faces over here is because if we didn't say thank you to the whole community, to speakers like Kim, who was, or willing to share their story to our customers, to our partners and to people like Anusha who submitted many times.
[00:29:56] She worked late at night and she's even left NetApp and gone to Salesforce and is still part of our community. I think that says something about that, the power of connection. And, there, it takes so many people to review 35 speaker proposals. It wasn't just MJ. And I right? That was everybody together. So I'm just high five-ing all of them. 
[00:30:20] Sam Moulton: [00:30:20] And I'm high five and back, but I'm just going to say something you too started it, you are the Genesis of this whole support group. So come on, just like just, acknowledge that it was your brain child. And here we are today. I know for a fact that you helped, a friend of mine, a member of the NetApp A-Team, Becky Elliott, through all of her efforts to have a, as a session, accepted and she couldn't be more appreciative. You guys are heroes to her.  And so that's what I'm saying. I know people that you have really inspired and you have had an impact on their lives. This isn't just about  a presentation. 
[00:31:01]Kim Weller: [00:31:01] I would like to connect the dots on a couple of things there. Phoebe had mentioned submit early, as one of the things that's really important. I will acknowledge on our session I basically wrote it up and submitted it all in the day, like right before the deadline. And I was frantically like texting Phoebe, Hey, I need information for your bio. 
[00:31:22] However, one of the reasons you submit early is because of that amazing feedback, from that community that MJ and Mercedes has helped to build. and so that has been super valuable, for me, the first time round that I was a little more ahead of it.
[00:31:38]but also I think to everybody that's submitted. And so I think, cannot underestimate the importance of positive, constructive feedback to strengthen the submission and your message. Yeah, it's a huge, it's a huge benefit.
[00:31:51]Sam Moulton: [00:31:51] We've covered a lot of ground here, but any tidbits that we should throw in into the mix Cecelia, you've been quiet mainly because I haven't given. I know I haven't given you really much of a chance, but so anything that you want to add from your perspective?
[00:32:09]Cecelia Taylor: [00:32:09] I think this was really great to hear the process that goes into crafting presentation for submission to GHC. Knowing that, even if the presentation isn't accepted, it's still a learning and a journey for other conferences where a presentation may be accepted.
[00:32:26]There's a valuable community that has been built through this process. So I think that is maybe one of the best benefits, too, the team that's here, but also to those that are supporting it, those that are allies to the group. That is really wonderful. And I'm so happy to hear it.
[00:32:43] I think that's a wrap though, for this episode of  TinT. We'd like to thank Mercedes, Phoebe , Kim, along with  MJ for joining us today and to our listeners out there, we know you have a bunch of podcasts you could be listening to, and we appreciate the time you took to spend with us. 
[00:32:59]We know that you, have questions. So we want to hear them email us, let us know what you like, what you don't like. Tell us what you would like to hear us cover in a future episode. 
[00:33:10] Email us at  ng-tintpodcast@netapp.com with your comments and your questions, and make sure to follow us on Twitter.  Sam Moulton is @ SamMoulton and I'm @ CeceliaTaylor. Thank you until next time.