What if the most important parts of leadership never show up on a résumé?

In this episode of Leadership Variations: Unfiltered, Amy Blaydon sits down with Tara Hernandez, Vice President of Developer Productivity at MongoDB, for a candid conversation about what leadership in STEM actually demands—beyond credentials, titles, and technical brilliance.

With a career spanning Netscape, Mozilla, Pixar, Google, and MongoDB, Tara reflects on why leadership success is less about solving technical problems and more about navigating people, alignment, credibility, and influence at scale.

This conversation explores the invisible work of leadership:
• Developing others as your true legacy
• Transitioning from expert to people leader
• Navigating credibility and bias in senior roles
• Why sponsorship—not confidence—is the real accelerator
• What senior leaders should optimize for as scope and complexity grow

If you lead in STEM, manage senior talent, or are building leadership pipelines, this episode offers grounded insight into what actually moves organizations forward.

🎧 Available on YouTube and all major podcast platforms
📌 Subscribe for unfiltered conversations on leadership, credibility, and real behavior change

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Highlights

00:10 – About Tara

02:10 – From Technical Expert to People Leader

04:19 – Leadership Is a People Problem

08:41 – Aligning Smart, Opinionated Teams

10:57 – Credibility and Perception in STEM Leadership

15:29 – Mentorship vs. Sponsorship

18:07 – The Readiness Trap

20:11 – What Senior Leaders Should Optimize For

20:59 - Are You Ready Enough For The Role?

23:33 – The Leadership Legacy That Matters Most

Watch & Subscribe
🎥 Watch this conversation and explore more Unfiltered leadership content: www.youtube.com/@leadershipvariations

Work with Dr. Amy Bladen Shatto
📈 Tired of being underestimated? Partner with a coach who specializes in helping leaders in STEM break barriers and accelerate impact. Book a consultation → https://calendly.com/abladenshatto/30min
🌐 Learn more → https://www.leadershipvariations.com
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About the Host
Leadership Variations: Unfiltered is hosted by Dr. Amy Bladen Shatto, PhD, PCC, BCC — an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist with over 25 years of experience helping organizations make faster, smarter leadership decisions. She specializes in science-based assessment, executive coaching, and leadership development strategies that deliver measurable business outcomes.

Leadership Variations: Unfiltered | Series 1, Episode 4

Leadership Challenges & Growth with Dr. Natalie Crawford, DVM, Veterinary Pathologist, Operations EXEC, & Coach

In this powerful episode of Leadership Variations: Unfiltered, Dr. Natalie Crawford shares the unfiltered truth about leadership growth, identity, and resilience as a woman of color in STEM. With 20+ years across animal health, pharma, and medical devices—and a rare blend of scientific rigor, operational leadership, and DEI expertise—Natalie reveals what real leadership looks like behind the résumé.

She opens up about:

• Shifting from subject-matter expert to global leader
• Learning to lead without being the “expert in the room”
• Navigating identity, visibility, and underrepresentation in STEM
• Why feedback, coaching, and a personal “board of directors” changed everything
• How she overcame self-doubt, isolation, and high-stakes leadership pressure
• And the one undeniable truth for women ready to rise into senior roles
  
  
  

This episode is raw, insightful, and deeply grounding—a masterclass in leadership maturity for anyone advancing in STEM or navigating complex career transitions.

Podcast Chapters:

00:31- Meet Dr. Natalie Crawford

02:01 - Leadership Skills You Don’t See on Resume

03:54 - Leading During Difficult Moments

07:26- From STEM Specialist to People Leader

08:54 - The Identity Crisis of Leadership Advancement

12:17 - How to Advocate for Your Own Coaching

13:26 - Women of Color in STEM

15:21 - Holding Identity Strong While Breaking Barriers

18:20 - What She’d Do Differently (Or Not)

20:07 - The Undeniable Take

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🔔 Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@leadershipvariations
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🌐 Learn more: https://www.leadershipvariations.com
🔗 Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybladenshatto

🔗 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvarunfiltered/ 🔗Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadvarunfiltered

Watch & Subscribe
🎥 Watch this conversation and explore more Unfiltered leadership content: www.youtube.com/@leadershipvariations

Work with Dr. Amy Bladen Shatto
📈 Tired of being underestimated? Partner with a coach who specializes in helping leaders in STEM break barriers and accelerate impact. Book a consultation → https://calendly.com/abladenshatto/30min
🌐 Learn more → https://www.leadershipvariations.com
🔗 Connect on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybladenshatto

About the Host
Leadership Variations: Unfiltered is hosted by Dr. Amy Bladen Shatto, PhD, PCC, BCC — an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist with over 25 years of experience helping organizations make faster, smarter leadership decisions. She specializes in science-based assessment, executive coaching, and leadership development strategies that deliver measurable business outcomes.

Leadership Variations: Unfiltered | Series 1, Episode 3
Leading Through Change & Authentic Leadership in STEM

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Jennifer Webb, General Manager of the Biosolutes Business Unit at Ginkgo BioWorks, a pioneer in synthetic biology transforming diverse industries worldwide. With 7 years of leadership experience at Ginkgo, Jennifer shares her journey navigating massive organizational growth, restructuring, and the challenges and opportunities of leading in a high-change environment.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Jennifer leveraged her technical and leadership strengths to succeed in a new general manager role
• The complexities of guiding teams through disruptive change with empathy and excitement
• Strategies for rebuilding trust with new and existing teams post-restructuring
• The importance of authenticity in establishing leadership credibility and managing former peers who now report to you
• A candid look at a difficult plant closure abroad - the leadership lessons it offered and how those challenges were turned into growth opportunities for her team
• Career advice on embracing bold moves and recognizing that leadership trajectories are rarely linear
• Empowering words for women leaders who feel underestimated and need help “cracking the code” for senior leadership success
  
  
  

Podcast Chapters:

00:19 Meet Jennifer Webb
01:01 STEM Journey & Leadership Background
02:25 Company Restructuring & New Role
03:19 Navigating Change Management
05:29 Building Trust with New Teams
08:42 Authentic Leadership & Credibility
12:48 Managing Plant Closure Abroad
16:06 Empowering Teams Through Transition
19:29 Career Growth & Bold Moves
21:27 Advice for Underestimated Women Leaders

Subscribe for more unfiltered leadership stories and practical insights from women breaking barriers in STEM and beyond.

#WomenInSTEM #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveCoaching

Watch & Subscribe
🎥 Watch this conversation and explore more Unfiltered leadership content: www.youtube.com/@leadershipvariations

Work with Dr. Amy Bladen Shatto
📈 Tired of being underestimated? Partner with a coach who specializes in helping leaders in STEM break barriers and accelerate impact. Book a consultation → https://calendly.com/abladenshatto/30min
🌐 Learn more → https://www.leadershipvariations.com
🔗 Connect on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybladenshatto

About the Host
Leadership Variations: Unfiltered is hosted by Dr. Amy Bladen Shatto, PhD, PCC, BCC — an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist with over 25 years of experience helping organizations make faster, smarter leadership decisions. She specializes in science-based assessment, executive coaching, and leadership development strategies that deliver measurable business outcomes.