There are many challenges for women to succeed in STEM careers.

The problem of power dynamics and gender discrepancies has never been solved.

In this episode, I am joined by the brilliant Xu Simon, COO of Ezone. Xu shares her experiences from her prolific career in STEM and as a female leader of a STEM company.

She highlights the importance of mentorship and role models, noting that while more women are entering STEM, the problem is not fully solved. It is one thing to state what the problem is, but quite another to do something about it.

Xu advocates for champions who see potential and provide opportunities, and she shares how mentors, good and bad, can shape us for the better.

We also discuss the need for transparency and continuous improvement in addressing gender disparities in STEM.

This conversation shows changes are happening but there is still much work to do.

“The problem is not solved just because it's articulated.” - Xu

You’ll hear about:

00:00 - The Importance of Women in STEM

01:05 - Xu's career in science

04:48 - The feelings women in STEM evokes for Xu

07:20 - The invisible problem of women in STEM

10:16 - Xu's experience as a woman in STEM

15:21 - Xu's experience as a senior leader in STEM

27:12 - Going beyond identifying the problem

30:32 - How to find out what really needs to happen

33:41 - How important has mentorship been to Xu

38:49 - How have things progressed for women in STEM?

45:36 - Xu's advice for young women coming into STEM

Xu’s resources:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/xufits/

Enozo - https://enozo.com/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nXBcFQLw5c

My resources:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/martina-n/  

Keywords:

 women in STEM, PhD journey, STEM education, mentorship, confidence in STEM, System organization, community building, role models, career development.