The STEMINISTS Podcast

Imagine getting that call you’ve ALWAYS DREADED – Your company is under attack. Ransomware has locked down your systems and cybercriminals are demanding a ransom.  In those first frantic moments, what do you do? All those conversations about resilience and data recovery are suddenly real.  To kick off 2026, The STEMINISTS brings you an unfiltered, firsthand account of a ransomware attack from Katherine Schwarzauer, Senior Windows Server Engineer at the Port of Seattle. She lived through the chaos:- every second, every decision, every lesson learned. She takes us deep into the forensic reality of a major cyber-attack at a major international airport.  If you’ve ever wondered what happens after the worst-case scenario hits, this is your chance to learn from someone who’s been there. But make sure you stick around for part two of this conversation when we hear what happens next. When Katherine and her team had to rebuild nearly everything, from storage to backups to security controls and all the lessons in-between that allowed them to build back stronger. As always, make sure you tune in weekly and to hit follow for more STEMINIST conversations.    Protect your workloads:  https://www.netapp.com/cyber-resilience/   Connect with us!  https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoebegoh/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mekkacodes/ 

This week on The STEMINISTS Podcast, there’s no formal episode as Phoebe and Mekka take a holiday break. Instead, they’re here to wish everyone a joyful holiday season and share a sneak peek of their 2026 kickoff episode on surviving a ransomware attack. Happy holidays and see you in the new year!

Cut through the AI buzz and get to the real story of what’s shaping tech! In this special year-end episode of The STEMINISTS Podcast, hosts Phoebe Goh and Mekka Williams take a reflective look back at the transformative year of 2025 and cast their expert predictions for what lies ahead in 2026.  Join us as we share highlights you might have missed in a year defined by rapid innovation and critical learnings. Mekka shares her "eye-popping" realization about the massive scale of the partner ecosystem, and Phoebe breaks down why 2025 was when we finally understood the true purpose of AI—not just as technology, but as a tool to augment human creativity.  We dive deep into the data-centric perspective that drives our conversations, exploring the urgent need for better data management and the rising importance of security in AI pipelines. And looking forward, we’ll be tracking the rise of Edge AI, ultra-specialized models, and spotlighting data sovereignty as the next big territory where the smartest players will stake their claims.  And ICYMI, Phoebe and Mekka share their favorite episodes. But before we get into things, a huge thank you to all our listeners and followers. Your support, shares, and feedback have fueled every episode—this show simply wouldn’t be possible without you!    Connect with us!  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mekkacodes/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoebegoh/ 

Sick of shuffling data around just to get your AI going? Let’s learn how to crush those roadblocks with STEMINISTS hosts Phoebe Goh and Mekka Williams, as they pull back the curtain with some exciting news straight from AWS re:Invent. It will upend how you handle cloud storage, making AI and analytics not just easier, but ruthless in efficiency.  We sit down with Vidhya Nagarajan, Senior Product Manager for AWS FSx for NetApp ONTAP, and break down the new groundbreaking integration that allows FSx for NetApp ONTAP to serve as direct storage infrastructure for AWS S3-based services. Vidhya explains how this new feature solves the massive headache of copying data to S3 buckets, eliminating data duplication, reducing costs, and ensuring data consistency.  Whether you’re in Electronic Design Automation (EDA), looking to speed up chip design or in Healthcare managing sensitive EMR data, this episode reveals how you can now leverage more than 50 AWS AI and analytics tools—like Bedrock, Glue, and Athena—without ever moving your data.  Plus, stay tuned to the end to hear about Vidhya’s "Cool and Current" activity, where she shares how her home has turned into a Lego engineering lab for Formula 1 cars with her son.    Read the official AWS News Blog for more on FSx for NetApp ONTAP: https://www.netapp.com/blog/data-access-s3-access-points-fsx-ontap/     Connect with Us!  https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhyanagarajan/   https://www.linkedin.com/in/mekkacodes/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoebegoh/ 

How much Hollywood movie magic and great stories are we missing because the right technology is locked away? In this special episode of The STEMINISTS podcast, recorded live at NetApp Insight, hosts Phoebe Goh and Mekka Williams shine our spotlight on Lisa Watts, CEO of Cree8 and CEO Monthly's “CEO of the Year.”    Lisa tells us how Cree8 is shattering the "glass walls" of movie and video production by democratizing access to enterprise-grade tools. This shift is enabling a "disaggregated Hollywood," empowering a global workforce of creatives. Lisa also dives into the critical role of data infrastructure and integrated security, which unlocks opportunities for smaller studios to work with major players like Disney.  She explains how their award-winning platform simplifies incredibly complex cloud workflows—turning a 244-page manual into a single click—so storytellers can focus on what they do best. Discover how clients like LATV accelerate their World Cup coverage and how emerging sports like Women's Elite Rugby can produce professional broadcasts affordably.   If you're passionate about technology, innovation, and the future of storytelling, you don't want to miss this conversation. Tune in, follow, and share with your friends.    Unify your data like no other:  https://www.netapp.com/hybrid-cloud/      Connect with us! https://www.linkedin.com/in/mekkacodes/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoebegoh/