Guest Title: Julia Duran, Founder and CEO, South Geeks

What happens when you’re outvoted on naming your own company?

When you’re Julia Duran, you roll with it, because you trust that your team delivers such high quality work that it doesn’t matter what your name is. On today’s episode, we talk with Julia about what it’s like to work in an international space, how she became a solo CEO, and why she believes things are shifting, for the good, in the AI and technology spaces. We also hear about the routines, practices, and habits that have helped her build a company where she is not the only one working hard for its future.

Julia Duran is the CEO and founder of South Geeks, a technology company focused on building high-performance teams and long-term partnerships. With a background that includes roles at IBM, Verizon and Hewlett Packard, Julia combines enterprise-level rigor with a people-first, pragmatic approach to leadership. Originally from Argentina and shaped by years working in the United States, she is now based in The Netherlands, bringing a global perspective to her work connecting top tech talent with forward-thinking companies worldwide.

Guest Title - Michele Colucci, Founder & Managing Partner, DigitalDx Ventures

“It’s the inspiration to move mountains that moves mountains.”

Michele Colucci has always been a woman moving mountains, from being a single parent raising four children to building a venture capital firm with a focus on the intersection of AI and healthcare, she believes that inspired work is work that pays off. In this episode, we talk with Michele about how the current financial environment is impacting her business, the mentality needed for sound investing, and how we can pull more women into investing.

Michele is a venture capital thought leader, lawyer, investor, serial entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She has authored five patents in the technology space and founded companies in the legal, technology, retail, and entertainment spaces. Her extensive experience operating in highly regulated verticals has focused on issues from management to legal. As a venture capitalist focused on med tech, Colucci is committed to impacting the health field by investing in companies that enable doctors to make better diagnostic decisions through the application of AI and big data.

Guest Title - Helen McKeon, Founder, I’m All Out

Burnout. According to a McKinsey report, 43% of women leaders experience burnout compared to just 31% of men. Now, the fact that at least ⅓ of the population is experiencing burnout is a serious issue. But, for women, it’s becoming an epidemic.

Our guest today has experienced the fallout from burnout. From her time at lululemon in multiple markets across the globe to her experience in several start ups, she’s seen the impact of no boundaries, no compassion, no mercy. And she thinks there’s a better way.

Helen McKeon spent over 15 years leading culture, people, and community strategy at companies like lululemon, Rivian, and Rally Pickleball before founding I’m All Out—a consulting practice and evolving movement reimagining how we work, lead, and sustain ourselves. She’s passionate about helping women navigate high-performance environments without losing themselves, and about rebuilding how we work and live—through breathwork, connection, and creativity.

Guest Title - Dr. Lesley Northrop, Founder, LDGI and Host, Diagnostic Guru Podcast

Wait! I recognize her. Isn’t she the host, not the guest? Normally, yes, but not today. On an all new episode (and Season!) of Diagnostic Guru, we take a step back to fully introduce you to our host, Dr. Lesley Northrop.

In the current economic environment, it’s tough being an entrepreneur in biotech and no one knows that better than Lesley. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Laboratory Diagnostics & Genomics Innovation, LLC and the Founder and Host of the podcast, Diagnostic Guru. Voted as a Top 100 Innovator in 2025 by Redwood Media Group, Dr. Northrop is an expert at helping companies take their diagnostic products from ideation to implementation, leveraging her clinical and scientific expertise as well as her business acumen to drive commercial success.

On the show today, Lesley gives her perspective on how the biotech industry has changed over the last 10 years, what scares her most about the current state of affairs, and what advice she would give anyone looking to invest. Oh, and she shares her own good, bad, and ugly. You won’t want to miss that!

Well, that’s a wrap! Season 2 of Diagnostic Guru has come to a close, and there’s SO. MUCH. TO. TALK. ABOUT!

On today’s bonus episode of Diagnostic Guru, Host, Lesley Northrop, and Producer, Jess Greenwood, hop on with each other to talk through their favorite moments of Season 2, what surprised them from each guest, and where the show is going for Season 3. If you’ve been listening week by week, consider this the final exam cram, where we put all the pieces together and start to see the big Diagnostic Guru picture.

Guest Title - Stephanie Espy, Writer and Executive Director, STEM Gems Book

Astronaut? Doctor? Engineer? These are the generalized career paths we often hear about when programs are pushing young girls to consider a STEM path, but what about a Social Robotics Engineer or an Atmospheric Scientist? Real jobs held by real women. That is one of the goals of our guest today, to highlight the full range of roles that are available to women through the STEM path and to represent all of the many different women who fill those roles.

Stephanie Espy is the originator and writer of the STEM Gems book. A Chemical Engineer herself, and graduate of MIT, UC Berkeley, and Emory University, Stephanie’s approach with this book is to share the inspiring and diverse stories of 44 women in STEM, the challenges these women faced, their tremendous accomplishments, and actionable steps that girls and young women can take to set themselves up for success. She believes that STEM isn’t a special brain, and it doesn’t come from a life of privilege. STEM is simply an exposure to what is possible and an internal belief that anyone can be a STEM Gem.

Stephanie Espy is the Founder and CEO of MathSP as well as Founder, Writer, and Executive Director of STEM Gem. Through her work, she aims to empower the next generation of STEM leaders. Her for-profit company, MathSP, transforms the lives of its students by unlocking their potential, imparting a methodology that centralizes problem solving and critical thinking. STEM Gems is a nonprofit organization committed to excellence in STEM education by building a stronger, more inclusive STEM pipeline where girls and young women of all backgrounds are empowered to explore, pursue, and excel in STEM. Core programs include the STEM Gems Club, STEM Gems Summit: Women Empowering Girls, and the STEM Gems Summer Camp.

To find out more, visit www.MathSP.com and www.STEMGemsBook.com

Guest Title - Megan Scherer, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Worth the Wait

COVID turned the world upside down for all of us, but not all of us decided during COVID to turn our personal experience into a business. But that’s exactly what Megan Scherer and her husband, Mike, did when they leveraged their experience of infertility following Mike’s testicular cancer into the basis of a new non-profit organization, Worth the Wait.

Megan Scherer is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Worth the Wait. Megan advocates for patients and oncofertility nationally as a speaker and patient advocate. She enjoys the personal relationships she forms with young patients Worth the Wait assists and loves providing hope and inspiring others with her story as a caregiver, infertility patient, and mom to son Elliott. Before co-founding Worth the Wait in 2021, Megan held marketing communication leadership roles in the health insurance industry.

On today’s episode, Megan shares what it was like to move from the corporate world to her own non-profit and some critical advice she learned along the way. She also talks about the “ugly” of working with her husband, a new venture for both of them.

Guest Title - Barbara Zehentner, COO, Molecular Testing Labs

When you start your career with a “No” in the 4th grade, what do you do with that? If you’re Barbara Zehentner, you turn all of the No’s in to one big fat “Yes” and bet on yourself.

Dr. Barbara Zehentner is the COO of Molecular Testing Labs, with over 25 years experience in molecular diagnostics and clinical laboratory management. She holds a PhD in Molecular Biology and an MBA, and is a certified high-complexity clinical laboratory director. Her leadership experience includes roles at Roche, GSK, HematoLogics and Adaptive Biotechnologies, and she’s come a long way from that dairy farm in Germany.

On today’s episode, Barbara shares why it's so important for us to take gender out of science and math, to pay attention to the little things we say and do that communicate to our next generation of women that they can’t or shouldn’t. Barbara also takes us through her own journey of “No’s” and how she broke through that to become the scientist and leader she is today.