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Amanda Haverkamp is a Senior Program Manager at Amazon, where she has spent nearly nine years leading large-scale operational programs that have eliminated billions of dollars in preventable costs across North America's fulfillment network.

She currently leads Cross-Mile Continuous Improvement, a program that equips Amazon leaders with the Lean and continuous improvement tools needed to drive world-class operational performance.

Prior to that, Amanda built and led Amazon's NA Quality concessions and damage reduction programs from the ground up. With a team of just three program managers, she identified $4 billion in opportunity costs and delivered $1.4 billion in verified savings over four years — work that directly improved the experience of hundreds of millions of Amazon customers.

Before Amazon, Amanda served as Director of Operational Excellence at M&I Electric, where she owned engineering, quality, and program management for a $100 million business. She holds a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Indiana University Southeast.

Amanda's impact extends beyond the P&L. When she joined Amazon, she was the only woman on a team of 30. Within three years, the team reached 40% women — with 90% of those women personally mentored or identified by Amanda. She has mentored over 100 people throughout her career, with more than 35% earning promotions during their time working with her. She sponsored several women's organizations at Amazon, the Black Employee Network (BEN), a sustainability affinity group, and served as the manager of a DEI Program Management team for five years, creating employee-led groups that reached over 2,000 people. Amanda is a passionate advocate for workplaces where every person is free to be themselves.

You can connect with Amanda by reaching out to her on Linkedin here. Amanda shared the following resources for women who may be interested in becoming an Engineer:

1. Book Recommendation: “Emotional Intelligence 2.0” by Dr. Travis Bradberry and Dr. Jean Greaves.

2. Six Sigma Program

3. ASQ Program

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Alexis Robinson is a Principal Product Manager for Amazon in the DC area and Adjunct Professor for California State, San Bernadino, and her alma mater, University of Maryland.

For the past 15 years, she has served buyers of the cloud, retail sellers, policy makers, compliance organizations, engineering leaders, and security teams by developing and implementing security strategies, collaborating for thought leadership, solving problems, building products, and conducting cybersecurity, engineering, and financial assessments. She co-hosts the Resilience By Design Podcast on youtube with Dr. Cynthia Sutherland and has described it as a Podcast where Cybersecurity tech and mental health collide. appollonia-chronicles.com/ She graduated with double Bachelors of Science degrees in Accounting and Information Systems from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at University of Maryland, College Park and an Executive Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Quantic Program. She has worked at several companies including CGI Federal and Ernst & Young before finding her way to Amazon. She is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and a Project Management Professional (PMP).

You can connect with Alexis by reaching out to her on Linkedin here. Check out her YouTube channel, Resilience by Design Podcast. Check out the below resources if you are interested in a career in Tech product management:

1. Book Recommendation: “Inspire-How to Create Tech Products Customers Love” by Marty Cagan.

2. Learn the Software Development Lifecycle

3. Business Course Recommendations: Statistics and Strategic Leadership

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For over 15 years, Luna Battalia has been a Leadership Mentor and Business advisor.

She's the founder of Caru Creative, a full-service brand studio. Additionally, she created a psychology-driven approach to marketing, called Animist Branding™, which is shaped by her experience at the intersection of digital marketing and buyer psychology.

Luna partners with leading mission-driven women entrepreneurs who are building a personal brand world that reflects the depth and impact they lead with.

Through her messaging + AttractionBrand™ strategies, she helps clients transform their voice, build legacies over businesses, and communicate with bold, unignorable confidence. She does this through her 1:1 work and a suite of self-paced digital products.

Luna calls Austin and the PNW home, which feels so appropriate, given that Crystal lives in Austin, and I am in the Seattle area.

You can connect with Luna by following her on Instagram. Check out her company’s website on www.lunaloveleadership.com. Here are 3 tips that Luna shared on the podcast:

1. Get a Mentor!

2. Listen to your intuition (internal whispers).

3. Don’t take advice from someone who’s telling you what your journey should look like but, more someone who can help guide you towards making that decision on your own.

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Erica is the owner and creative force behind LUX Boards, a woman-owned charcuterie and grazing company based in Austin, Texas. Founded four years ago alongside co-founder, Brittni Johnson, LUX Boards was built on the vision of creating elevated, intentional experiences where luxury meets connection.

LUX Boards has had the opportunity to serve a wide range of organizations, businesses, firms, and private residences throughout the Austin area and beyond. The brand has also been featured in news outlets and magazines, highlighting its impact, creativity, and commitment to excellence. Erica is the face of LUX Boards and has represented the company through podcasts, panels, and community events, sharing the journey of building a woman-owned business rooted in passion and purpose. What began as a creative outlet during Erica’s time as a stay-at-home mom has grown into a thriving business that continues to touch and bring joy to so many. The unexpected growth of LUX Boards has been both humbling and rewarding, allowing Erica to merge artistry, entrepreneurship, and community engagement in meaningful ways. Erica received the Small Business Of the Year Award by the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce.

You can connect with Erica by following her on Instagram. Check out her company’s website on www.luxboardsatx.com. Here are 3 tips that Erica shared on the podcast to get started on your creative business journey:

1. Display your work on social media. Test your business ideas!

2. Networking & Join local Associations.

3. Don’t rush to start marketing your product and/or service. Allow for organic growth!

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Jeanne brings a unique perspective as an educator and mentor who teaches business to artists and designers at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where she helps ignite entrepreneurial thinking in the next generation of creative leaders. Through her company SuperGirlls LLC and her empowerment summits, she has inspired thousands of women and girls to step into leadership, own their voice, and build their own path to success. In her own words… “I believe in girl power first, God put me on this earth to cheerlead women into their boss queen selves, help them shine their crowns, and rule.” She is the author of “Be Your Own Hero. A girls guide to launching from College to life,” and host of the Podcast, PINK BALLS, THE GIRL POWER PODCAST, ON SPOTIFY. Jeanne holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BBA from The College of William and Mary, and is known for bridging the worlds of executive leadership, creative entrepreneurship, and academia.

You can connect with Jeanne McPhillips on LinkedIn. You can also check out her website here. Here are the 3 resources she shared on the podcast:

1. Book Recommendation: “Be Your Own Hero: Get Good, Get Girlls, Get Going + Get the Gig”

2. Business Model Canvas link.

3. The Strategyzer resource.

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Shali Reed is the COO of The Reeder LLC, a content strategy consulting and media company helping B2B brands and founders turn storytelling into revenue. She is also a former go-to-market and customer success leader who’s closed over $8 million in sales, and now blends business strategy with bold creativity to build brands that scale with soul. Known for her unfiltered takes on leadership, motherhood, and entrepreneurship, she’s redefining what modern growth looks like — equal parts operator, creator, and storyteller.

You can connect with Shali Reed on Linkedin and on Instagram. Also, check her out on her website here. Here are the tools to start your own business that Shali shared on the podcast:

1. Bob Iger’s Master Class.

2. Claude AI Tool to write a business plan, marketing resource, and legal guidance.

3. Honeybook for automated invoicing.

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Caroline Ruder. Caroline is a former Director of NA Quality at Amazon, where she spent over a decade leading large-scale operations, developing leaders, and driving customer-focused improvements across complex systems.

Throughout her career, Caroline became especially passionate about building strong teams and helping individuals grow into confident, capable leaders. Her experience spans fulfillment operations, inventory management, and quality systems, with a consistent focus on operational excellence and people development.

After 13 years at Amazon, Caroline made the intentional decision to step away from her corporate role to focus on her family and a new season of life in Montana. She is currently exploring how to apply her leadership experience in new ways, with a long-term interest in supporting organizations and individuals in building strong, effective teams.

You can connect with Caroline Ruder on Linkedin. Here are a few tips Caroline shared:

1. Develop strong communication skills

2. Bring your personal identity/brand into your day-to-day work day

3. Bring your creativity to your work! Fictional Leadership Book Recommendation: Enders Game

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Laura works with women returning to the paid workforce after a career break, helping them take control of their job search and find work aligned with their current goals. With over 15 years of experience in HR, along with her own journey of returning from a career break and changing careers, she understands the unique challenges women face as they reenter the workforce. Rather than viewing career breaks as a liability, she helps women see them as an asset and position them with confidence. She lives in Texas with her husband and son, but will always be a Midwesterner at heart!

You can connect with Laura Niebauer on Linkedin. Here are a few of the Career resources she shared on the episode:

1. The Ultimate Guide On Returning To Work After Your Career Break

2. Book Recommendation: The Power Pause

Follow Pave Her Way Podcast on Instagram @paveherwaypodcast. Subscribe to Pave Her Way podcast on your favorite streaming platform on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music. Also, you can follow Pave Her Way on Linkedin as well.