April Wensel: “Better People”

April Wensel has a powerful message for engineers about how to improve your own lives as well as the lives of your coworkers and the users you serve. April is the founder of Compassionate Coding, an organization that teaches emotional intelligence to software dev teams. If you’re already nodding, you’ll love this episode. If you don’t think it’s a problem, just listen to April’s perspective. She tells us two reasons why people resist becoming more compassionate—and one thing she sees that gives her hope. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Pair Programming and Mob Programming Start Where You Are by Meera Lee Patel Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Hugh MacLeod It’s Time to Retire “RTFM", from the Compassionate Coding blog MUSICAL INSPIRATION FOR THIS EPISODE ON SPOTIFY: “Better People” by India Arie  ABOUT THIS PODCAST Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Timeshare CMO, a digital marketing intelligence firm, based in San Francisco. We really appreciate your reviews, shares on social media, and your recommendations for future guests. And check out our Spotify playlist for all the songs we refer to on our show. 

Om Podcasten

The tech industry is great at talking about the future, especially on podcasts. What we're not so great at is taking the time to understand our past. And that's what this podcast is all about. From the Noyce and Fairchild Semiconductor generation through the founding of social media, the history of Silicon Valley has many lessons for us. And we'll be interviewing the people who lived through these experiences to bring their knowledge to you. You'll get explanations for how we got where we are, which can also suggest where the future might be; along with a few laughs and inside stories from those who lived through it. So pull up a seat and listen to the tales of the past, in which may lie seeds for our future. New Episodes twice a month on Thursdays.