Project Manager Life: I Belong Here—And I Earned It

What does it really take to build a career in STEM—and know you belong in every room you walk into?

In this episode, BGDE founder and CEO Kara Branch sits down with Nasha Ross, a Senior Project Manager, engineer, entrepreneur, and leader with over 20 years of experience navigating and leading in STEM spaces.

Through real conversation, Nasha breaks down what “Project Manager life” actually looks like—from managing complex projects to leading teams and making decisions that impact real people and communities. She also shares her journey of growth, resilience, and faith—navigating spaces where she was often one of the few, while continuing to rise, lead, and create impact.

This episode goes beyond the title. It’s about earning your place, building confidence over time, and showing up with purpose—even when the path isn’t easy.

Nasha also speaks on the importance of representation, workforce readiness, and why it’s critical for young girls—especially Black girls—to see themselves in STEM and leadership roles.

If you’ve ever questioned whether you belong in STEM, this conversation is your reminder: you do—and with preparation, consistency, and belief, you can earn your place and lead.

🎧 Tune in for a real look at leadership, growth, and what it means to walk in purpose.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Welcome back to Black Girls Do Engineer podcast. I'm Cara Branch, chemical engineer, and founder and CEO of Black Girls Do Engineer. Now, today we're getting into one of my favorite series, Stay in the Life. Because a lot of people talk about STEM careers, but don't really show what it looks like day to day. So we're fixing that. I'm sitting down with Nasha Ross. She's a senior project manager, engineer, leader, entrepreneur, and somebody who really has been doing this for years. And when I say doing it, I mean navigating rooms where she didn't always see herself, but still showed up like she belonged there anyway. This conversation is about the real day-to-day, the pressure, the growth, the wins, and what it takes to walk into spaces. And say, Yeah, I'm supposed to be here. Let's get into it. So, hey, Nasha, welcome. Hey, thank you for having me. I'm truly excited. I am so excited to have you on. We've had the pleasure to do so many great things through Black Girls Do Engineer. You've been a fantastic volunteer with us over the years. So it feels so great to take the time to have a conversation about all the greatness you do as an engineer and for sure in a community and all the great endeavors you're working on. So happy to have you here. Thank you. So this is our day in a life series. We're kicking this thing off. We have some amazing lineups for my listeners. And with this series, it's really just as the names say, really taking a walk in the day of your life in these career spaces. Because one of the problems I always encounter when I go into rooms is typically I'm either the first black woman, chemical engineer basement, or just the word engineer in general. People just don't know what it is. So it's like, how do we get people into this space but they don't even know what these careers are or what people do in this space and what that looks like? You know, we follow what's the believing philosophy. But if we don't know what these things are, you really can't get interested or intrigued into doing any of this stuff. Exactly. I agree. Yeah, so that's why I have you here to for sure give your perspective and tell the people about yourself and what you do in your role currently. So I'll pass the floor over to you.

SPEAKER_00 3:31

All right. So again, as she said, my name is Nasha Ross, and I'm a senior project manager, electrical engineer. So I wear many hats. But at Core, I've always been that person that's been curious about how things come about. And as Cara mentioned, people don't know everything in the world. Some form of engineer has touched it, designed it, created it, programmed it. And a lot of people don't know that. And so actually working in the field and even doing this job is where I really got to see and have a full understanding and a greater appreciation, I would say, for a lot of things that we use every day. And so that's what I actually get to do now. And it's making an impact. And I love what I do.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Yes. And so all great things. I feel like that was like a summary of who you are, but you're so much more greatness. So when you walk into your role currently, well, let's start a little bit before that. Like, how did you even know that you wanted to go into engineering, right? Um, like what was that spark or what was that exposure moment for you to even say, hey, I want to do that?

SPEAKER_00 4:39

Yeah, that's a good question. So I didn't know at first. That's what people don't know. So I went to Prairie VAM University and I got there and I was like, I'm gonna be a nursing student. And so when I got there, I realized in the engineering building, I did not see a lot of people that look like me. And I have uncles that came out of prayer view, cousins that came out of prayer view, they're engineers. And I noticed their life was always pretty comfortable and everything. But for me, I had a fear, to be honest with you. And so at some point I just said, I had that aha moment, I was taking courses and I was like, this is not really your passion. And the reason why I say that is the way my brain operates like a challenge. And so I felt like engineering was going to be the challenge. Now, nursing would have been a challenge too. Salute to all the nurses, but engineering was the challenge that I needed so that later on down the line I could show others. And again, it's not everything you do, it's not about you. Let me say that first, it's about someone else. And so, really, my decision honestly was like, I want people down the line, way down the line, to see someone that looks like them and know that it can be possible, all things are possible, and to have that hope and that encouragement, even if it's just one person or thousands of people, somebody to see that and be encouraged. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

That was fine. Like not everything you do is about you, you know, and all that's the whole community part of the view for sure that we'll get into. So a lot there to unpack. You know, I went to Purview as well. Yes, Purview has an amazing nursing program and amazing nursing school. So you were on the right track for sure with whatever path you chose. Purview had prepared you for it, and having that legacy there. So, a funny part about me at Purview, you know how they always have like the numbers behind your name, how many people went there for your pants or tracks. And so I was like, Well, I don't know who all these branches were before me. So it turned out I learned as a student there that majority of my father's side had gone there since Purview first started. So yeah, I learned that. But I'm thinking I was just there, right? Right. So you also had that. I call it legacy. So you had that legacy too.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

My grandma even went there, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

Yeah, with your family. So a lot of people don't know that it's that history of why people choose to go to purview, also, and that you had at least that exposure of seeing your parents and and family members go there to pursue something. But to switch from nursing to engineering, I'm sure was a tough decision. Oh, yeah. To go that path. I know that wasn't an easy decision, but I'm happy that you were able to do that. Was there any like guidance counselor or or just like you feeling like doing more hands-on as far as like from an engineering realm? Because nursing is very hands-on too, right? That really helped you understand that the engineering program was for you.

SPEAKER_00 7:40

I really honestly did not have any mentors. So I moved here from a military town and I didn't have family in the city, so I came here by myself. My parents were like, Are you gonna come back home? And I was like, No, like I knew that I had purpose and I had to go get it done. And again, that comes back to that part about liking to be challenged. So uh my son's at prayer, you know. And what I tell him is that you have to meet the people and network, and that was my fault, my first exposure to networking. So, like in those classrooms, I met those people, and those are my lifetime friends, those are my family. And so I had to just open up. I was more shy than honestly. I didn't like to speak, especially in public. And so we would have study groups and we would have tutoring sessions, and engineering was a challenge, so we had to pull our brains together in certain courses. I mean, we had some that were like, you know, a breeze, I would say. And you also dealt with language barriers too. So they taught me that you cannot use that as an excuse to say I don't understand what someone's saying, their dialect. And again, I'm a military brat, so you know, I'm my family's a rainbow. I've been exposed to everything. I was born out of the country. So it just again, it gave me a different level. Like now I'm taking instruction from someone that sometimes I did not understand. So you had to be creative. Back then we had the recordings to record the notes. But again, if you don't understand it, it's different. So, what that meant is going home and putting in extra time at home to study, to read, to watch videos, to do whatever, because you unfortunately cannot get it all in the classroom. And so that's pretty much my strategy. I didn't have a mentor. We just pulled in as a circle and we collaborated and we made it through.

SPEAKER_01 9:13

Yeah, no, I completely understand. I talk about that quite often too, about not having a mentor. And I hope any young girl who's listening right now can hear us say, who have made it over that bridge to become STEM professionals, the lack of mentorship that we had to know that us having this conversation and just giving back in general is is helping them. Oh, yeah. Um, and we didn't have that, so I completely understand what it feels like to not have a mentor. I call it creating your own roadmap guidebook for yourself, and that's very hard to do. So completely understand that. And even having the structured background as a I don't want to call you a military kid or but structure, yes. Very structured, I'm sure. Yes, um, you still had to navigate some of those paths on your own to find your way to engineering. Um so very amazing background, but you did it. So now you have your degree now. So, how did you get to the space of okay, going into industry and into the whole project management world? Let's talk a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_00 10:31

Let's talk about it. So if it didn't happen overnight, let me tell you that first. It's a process and it's levels to this. And so I love the title of this podcast. I earned this seat, I belong here because what I did is I put in the work. So I started off in the field as field engineer, different companies. And a lot of times I came in in positions that were whether I was the token or I came in as a sinker swim. And if you don't know what that means, that means we're gonna bring you in, knowing you have no knowledge of any of this, and we're gonna see if you can actually sink or if you're gonna swim. So, you know, my mom was like, I'm gonna swim. Not much I can't swim in real in real life, but I swam, and I and that's pretty much my philosophy and how I made it. On top of working in the field, earning that respect, earning those different titles and all that good stuff, you know, different certifications and all that. Then it came to a point where it's like, now you've done all of that. It's time for you again. Well, I was doing that, I was pouring into others, but now it's like, okay, now you can have a different type of a seat and a different role in leadership as to where you're now mentoring and guiding others, instructing others. And all of that was happening, it still is a different level of it. So I'll just say putting in the work and man, I had no idea what I was signing up for, I'll be honest. And there were several days and nights that I did cry. There was stress, there was anxiety. So I always say you don't look like what you've been through. There was discrimination. There was, you name it, I've been through it. And so my motivation was my children. I knew, like, for whatever reason, when I didn't do nursing, it had to be destined when I went into engineering. It was a reason for that. And I recently just spoke about that at the University of Houston. You don't know your destiny, and everything happens for a reason because I didn't know that at some point I would be raising two children and need to have a job where I can handle all my responsibilities and have a good life for them. And so, way back then, somebody knew that this is what's going to happen and what's going to be needed and necessary. So that plan really had nothing to do with Nasha changing her mind about nursing. That was God saying, Look, I have a different path for you. And I'll be honest, I didn't understand it at times. You question things at times, but it all comes full circle. And so now I'm at that full circle moment where I can say, I really fully understand it. And then when I mentor people, because mentoring is my passion, I can really tell them, like, don't get discouraged, don't give up, don't, you know, what you're looking at, don't let that dictate your future. So that's pretty much my journey. And so, like I said, a lot of years, um, different companies. And then for one of the uh for four and a half years, I actually contracted myself out. I took a risk, and who takes a risk like that? It says I go from a permanent to contracting. But what that did is give me different levels of exposure to all different industries. I mean, stuff that you know nothing about. When you go to school, you're given the basic foundation of electronics and engineering. When you get to these different jobs, you have to be trainable. Every role is different, every responsibility is different, every company does something different, their systems are different, processes are different. And so for four and a half years, I let myself bounce around to different companies and work on vessels, on ships, cruise ships, in the aerospace, all these different industries, just to get the exposure. And that alone showed me my strength. Because you know, you're walking into territories and working on this is remote, mind you. Some of these companies were in the way other countries and stuff. They did not respect women to be working. I'll be honest. A woman is to be at home, is what I was told at some of the places. Some will not want to speak. So in those situations, there, when someone says, I don't want to speak to the woman who's the leader, I'll talk to someone else. We've got to communicate through WhatsApp and stuff. What do you do? You now have to take that hat and think differently and say, How can I still be successful in this role with someone that I know doesn't respect me, doesn't even want to talk to me, and still take this from a vision to execution. So that's what I did, and that's how I got to where I am today. And it, I think it's an ongoing thing. You never stop learning. I'm an electrical engineer, I work with a civil engineering firm. And I told them I'm not a civil engineer, but they said because of what you know and your experience, we believe that you'd be a good fit for this. And so, again, know that the basic foundation is what you want to get. Sky is the limit. That's not just something people say, it really is. From there, it's on you as to where you go and what you do.

SPEAKER_01 14:47

Oh, all great things. So I love that you talked about the tears because a lot of times we don't be that vulnerable and cheer all those tears that was crying. Like it goes back, like when you're trying to figure out that route, and then you get into industry and you still try to figure out that route, and you spend a lot of time crying in silence to make it through just to the next day. So people don't talk about that enough. Because we always are taught to be strong and be that superwoman, which is great. Yeah, you gotta take the we have to take it off. You have to sometimes sit in it and deal with it. So I'm good to hear you share that. Because a lot of people don't talk about that part of it.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

Unless your children watch you on that journey. And I remember a time where I would shield certain emotions, and then I realized that's not teaching them what life is about. So on certain days, I let them see how stressed I was when my anxiety went up, when my body tapped out because it couldn't do anymore, you know, when I had to cry. And so I think it's important that I got to a growth point where I was like, they need to see all aspects of this so that when they get to this level in their life and career, they understand every day will not be peaches and cream, and you're gonna have a lot of tears, and you have to still press through it. And so that was um that that's my motto. Press through it, pressure makes diamonds. So yeah. Oh, yeah, it sure does.

SPEAKER_01 16:15

And the other thing I love that you mentioned outside of just the whole conversation around shedding those tears, that's needed, was it took you a while to get there. A lot of times, especially like when I work with youth, or sometimes the college students that are studying, they always say, I want to be a project manager, but they don't understand it takes some time to get there. Like you don't go from graduation right into project management. It is a process, mostly because you have to have so many skill sets and be well-rounded to be able to lead a team at that level. So it does take many, many years. I worked as a project manager myself, and one thing I always said was uh, I'm gonna be honest, I did not like being a project manager, I was just good at it. Um what is what is your stance on that as a project manager? Is that something you live and breathe and you just have that love for it, or it just makes you tired?

SPEAKER_00 17:21

It depends on the day and the hour, I'll be honest. Project management is not the same from day to day, it's not the same from hour to hour because now you're managing cross-functional teams, you're managing tasks, you're managing budgets, you're managing personalities, you're managing all these different groups of people and personalities, and then you're still having your technical expertise that you're having to keep that hat on. And again, a lot of times your audience doesn't understand the technicalities of things, so you have to make sure that you're relaying that message. And if you're not, you have a subject matter expert on your team that can explain that information enough for the customer or whoever the audience is to understand. So I'm gonna say that I love it, but I think it comes natural for me to manage multiple tasks and people. And a part of that is being able to understand personalities and that everyone is not moved for the same way. And I say it all the time as I mentor. Sometimes you don't have to even know the position to be successful. I've had positions, and that's why I say when something's meant for you, you'll get it where I didn't even have the qualifications at times, but because of what I did in other roles and stuff, they said, we believe you can do this, and we even created positions for you. And so just trust that that can happen. And when you get in there, because of everything you went through all those other years, those tears and all that kind of stuff, it's preparing you for the level now that you're at, because knowing how to deal with people and be respectful, respect goes a long, long way. What I tell them all the time is I don't believe in all this, you're at the top bottom, all this stuff. No, because if you're not effectively communication, communicating or appreciating your team, they can make you sink. They are really the meat and the the root of the project and the success of it. And so all of you're up here, you're delegating responsibilities and you're talking and you're the face, they're doing the work, they're doing the design, they're doing this. And again, I've worked both sides where I've went to the field half the day as a project manager and came home and did the schematics and designs at home the other half of the day. But I'm saying now where I sit, where I'm not going to the field, you have to first of all understand everybody's roles, responsibilities, and how they impact each other and make sure that they understand that. But the biggest part of that is understanding the impact on budget. If you can keep it within the budget, be transparent, you can get way more work. So it's just again, personality. I'm gonna just I can't emphasize that enough. Personality and knowing how to deal with people and dealing with people in diverse backgrounds will carry you a long way. And if you don't have that skill set, if you don't know how to talk to people, and again, you have to know when to cut it on and when to cut it off. The field is different than in the in the office. Uh, you probably know that I'm sure. So you talk different in the field. So I but I remember having a group of managers that were new from the field, and they said, we want you to train them to be managers. That's a totally different environment. People talk totally different. You're now a different face of the company. And so you have to know how to identify who that person is, what's their personality, what moves them? Do they need to be recognized? Do they want to just work and not have any recognition and just make their numbers and their KPIs? Do they want to have some leadership responsibilities to take on? Do they want to lead a call? What is their career path? When you know the career path, you know what they're working towards, so you can help them work towards that. So I say that to say there's so many hats that you wear. It's so much pressure because now pressure is at a different level. You have all these different people that you're taking pressure from, and also having to make sure that the project is again from vision to execution. So it's not an easy process. I'll definitely tell you that.

SPEAKER_01 20:58

Yeah, it's it's not, but it does give you those great skills. I feel like if you master it, you can do anything with it. I think for me, I'm just an innovator at heart. Like I always love innovation in companies. And I got the opportunity to innovate what during some of my projects, but because I knew how to execute and get things on time, it was just like looked at like, oh, this is your role. This is right, you're voluntary. Like it was like maybe I was a little too good at it, right? And so, but I was like, my my heart was my purpose is most definitely innovation, but it is most definitely a well-rounded skill set. I agree. Most definitely a people part. I love that you spoke on uh the fact of the person you are in the office is you have to be somebody different in the field. I learned that myself, and mostly what I've learned from is you get a lot of respect when you look people where they are, and then just be your authentic self because sometimes it's Engineers, we can get a better rep when you work in the field. Oh, yeah. Just wanting to show up and just know it all. Instead of really connecting with your people and being there for them and supporting them. And that's something I feel like I've learned in industry that can be done better. Oh, yes, definitely. But no, all those things make you well-rounded. I feel like that is most definitely one of the top of the top roles in industry. And you can do that anywhere. So like for you to get to that level and also have that respect. Seems like you've worked for some great companies too, where they've created roles for you. And that doesn't hold happen a lot for us in this space. So that's kind of great to hear all those great things. So you've kind of given our listeners like an overview of what project management is and the skill set. Do you do you mind sharing like maybe something you've worked on just so we can kind of get like a glimpse of what your day-to-day look like? Like those moments when you may come in joyous and screaming by one o'clock. Like stuff like that, you know? You better walk through your day, what it looks like.

SPEAKER_00 23:10

Well, how about by eight o'clock? I might be screaming. But no, day to day, I mean, it depends. Like the previous projects that I've had, I've had teams that I've managed in the Philippines. So one thing you want to always be mindful of is time zones. When you accept jobs, different things, know the time zones or projects. Because you can be with a company and have 10 different projects, and your team will be in different time zones. So you have to be ready and accessible. So I had calls that started at 5 a.m. for about almost two years. And my team was from the Philippines. So again, language barrier. We're doing cutovers in the middle of the night and early mornings to a lot of different places and stores. And uh it's POS systems, a point of sale system. So if you're a shopper, there's someone behind the scene that you never see that's working on all the cutovers and upgrades and stuff. So that was a fun project. Some of those stores after working that, I was like, I don't even want to shop in the store because I at 5 a.m. every day I'm up dealing with those stores. And then going on a cruise ship, um, being able to go on a ship with my with my kids and say, you know, you have internet on this ship because your mom's work, you know, it's nothing better than being able to say that. So I'm like, you see that though? That's a VSAT, that's an FDB, those are the antennas. There's gonna be a CAP C at the bottom, probably 18U, which you don't know what none of that stuff means, but that's getting your signal and all that stuff. And so I got to work on that. And then um, the biggest thing that I love too, everywhere in Houston where I drive, I'm like, every apartment, the MDUs, I actually left my house and walked to the apartments, wheeled it off, measured it out, determined where to drop the cables from the telco room. And I came home and I did the schematics. And I even went back with the teams as far as executing, installation, and delivery. So I could tell my kids, like, all these apartments have fiber. Who doesn't like to game and all this different stuff and stream? So that's another one. During COVID, a lot of people could not afford internet services. Surprisingly, you wouldn't know that, right? When COVID hit, everything got shut down. A lot of people have been raised by their grandparents and stuff. So I got to work with T-Mobile and do some hot spots and different things. And so, with that company, it was great, just getting out in the field on the towers and all this different stuff, driving around and measuring the strength of the internet services and different spots, and then actually seeing it executed, where now they're saying, Hey, here you can get our hotspot. So, again, someone doesn't know that someone like it's a little person, little on me that's behind the scenes with a team of other people, of course, that's actually in the field in a car on top of roofs and different poles and antennas and stuff, out there, rain, sleet, or snow, just doing that work. So the last one I'll give you is a company that everyone sees. Whenever you have a weather advisory going on, you get that blue line that goes across the screen. And nobody knows that's controlled by ASAW sensors, which detect rain, sleet, and snow. So for pilots and everyone, even us, that's how we know, you know, we get those warnings. So I had to go out there and I had to climb 150 feet in the air to go my first day of work to go climb up there and calibrate every all the sensors and antennas and stuff. I went to the field, several fields that had all types of snakes and other animals. And you have that tiny hut that's your tail called box in the middle, and we had to go out there and we had to work and terminate and do different things. And so when people see that, I'm like, man, if you do not know how much work that took, you know, that was a lot of work. Working, if you ever have surgery, the medical equipment, in order for people to get surgeries on camera, there's some equipment that you see in these rooms. I won't say the name of the company, but you'll see that equipment. I climbed through floors and ceiling towels and ran those cables. Because again, let me say this as a leader, although I was the leader then, because I went, I started as an engineer, three months went to the lead over those. That doesn't mean that you don't get out and get dirty. What I said is I said get in the mud. So I was climbing on the floors and up in ceilings and stuff and pulling cables. Back then we used like baby powder and stuff to make sure they slid through, you know. But we we went out there and did that. And so when you see people at universities that are watching the surgery in medical school from here to Virginia or in ORs talking, ORs to OR and stuff while they're doing surgeries, that's because someone out there had to go really sit there and do that. So just to like, even when I go in the rooms now, you know, it's never good when you're going to the hospital. And I'm like, this equipment, you know, you get excited because you just never realize like what kind of stuff really has an impact. And so, like, say now I'm working in the power industry. So, you know, you look at work with civil, environmental, it's all these different components that are to it. That's like I drive by this stuff every day. And so now it just gives you that full circle moment to be like, it's the aha, wow moment, to be honest with you, you know.

SPEAKER_01 27:41

Yeah, I love that you said aha, because that's what I always tell people. That's how I sum up engineering. Like it takes a while to do these things, and sometimes it does not most of the time it does not happen the first go round. Right. Uh just like you know, they teach you in science, trial and era. And so when you do get it to work, it is an aha. It feels good. And when you start thinking about the longevity of your work and the impact it's gonna make it feels fantastic on the other end of that. And uh great things you said that I want to dive into most definitely all the projects. So, like you speaking on all the projects you worked on. I hope our listeners is understanding the impact of engineers, how we change the world with everything that we do. So, if you are like a change maker, you want to put leave your footprint on the world, this is most definitely the way to do it. You get to do all kind of cool stuff. At the moment, it may feel like a it can be a little frustrating because there's a lot that you have to go through to get to that end result, but it's all well worth it. The climbing. Oh boy, I don't think engineers talk enough about how much climbing we've done, how many pieces of equipment we have been in. Yeah. We've done a lot of stuff, right? Yeah, talk about that. There's some fun in the job. My fun for project management was like I did a lot of construction. Okay. So, like the cranes, like with my adrenaline. I used to get so excited about the cranes.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

And just being a woman leading the I'm with you. We we did the uh the cutover at uh one of the uh centers at the airport, one of the major airports here in Houston, and we had to schedule the crane for like 3 a.m. Cause you know you can't shut down the airport in all these different ways, and so we had to have all these different entities that you're familiar with if you live in the city of Houston. Everybody that is a not just politically, our safety, everything had to be on site. We all had to come together to say when we deep when we detach this, this, and this at this time, how's it gonna impact? What's our fellover? And now it's time for that crane moment, like you said, and you're looking up there above the road, and you're seeing this crane drop this big, huge generator that's bigger than your whole bedroom, and you're just like, Wow! And that's like a moment, it's not that good with like 20 people, and you're like, We're really doing this because now cranes are very dangerous, by the way. So there's a lot of safety first. So safety is always on site, always on site first, and it's a whole process to it, but it's just the details of seeing how it comes together. Like we try out the airport every day. I never even knew they had certain office buildings and staff and people, and now here I am sitting at a table of 20 people, and the table's like extremely long. And I'm like, I'm sitting here making decisions with some some pretty big people, you know, yeah, about you know, some serious stuff that's like it's liability, you know. And so they're they're relying on us for safety, whether it's communicating with the airplanes, our equipment communicated with the airplanes, also with 911 and different emergency personnel and response. And so if our equipment didn't work, you already know that's the problem. And so there was no room for error. It's just like when you were working, when I was working in the ORs, surgery may have been happening in like two hours. So it's times I got flown into places, and I'm like, all right, surgery starts in an hour, and I'm like, Oh my lord, you know, like what am I gonna do? What if it doesn't fix, you know, in an hour? And so a lot of times you got staff standing behind you, literally, not just because of what you're doing and they're about to have surgery, but I'll be honest, I had several that sat there and be like, You're actually the boss. Wow, yeah, engineer. And sometimes it was a distraction because they would sit in the office doors and like watch to see me, like she's really on her knees, terminating cables and doing this, and then I'd be like, All right, let's test it out. And they're looking like I look like they think I look like a little girl, first of all. And I'm like, I'm older now, but back then I really look like a little girl, and I'm like, but I think about a surgeon trusting a little girl to do this stuff and then perform surgery. So uh, like I say, pressure for sure, but yeah, it's that pressure.

SPEAKER_01 31:57

That's probably that P in project, that pressure because like that's all it ever was. Those big turnarounds and those requirements, but it felt good when you did it for sure. Oh, yeah. I do remember those moments, but it is a job. I do want to remind the listeners where, like, once you figure it out and understand every part of it, it can turn you into a great, amazing beast to go out there, and there's always gonna be a place for you within some.

SPEAKER_00 32:29

It builds your confidence and it sets you up to be ready to be approached with any job and in any room. And that's how I was able to step away and contract for four years because by then I was like, I've been through the war and back. So hey, bring it on. But had I not gone through that, just think I would have never even stepped out of my comfort zone. I wouldn't have even known my worth, to be honest. It took a recruiter to say, Do you realize how much you've done? And I was like, To me, I just felt like it's just what I do. And he was like, Do you know what your worth is? And I was probably 30, I don't know, it was in my 30s, later 30s, when I realized what my worth really was. And I was like, Wow. And then the person that told me they didn't look like me. And so that was even more like a wow moment. Like, you took the time to like tell me because a lot of times people try to make things where it's a race thing. You know, me being a military, I don't really see it that way. Sometimes I say it's a you thing, it has nothing to do with race. But that person called it out and said, Do you really know your worth? And they didn't look like me. Was like, I was honored, I was humbled, and I was like, Okay, I need to realign some things and you know, change how I think about myself.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

So don't be afraid that I need my favorite word, it's mindset. So a lot of times it is like those things are in our head. Yeah, we're feel like we're trying to prove ourselvesly, yes, in the workforce, and we're looking for validation quite often, but you kind of have to start with the fact that you deserve to be there. So let's dive into that because this is a great setup for where we're going next. So it's great to hear that someone took the time to validate you. That is one of my biggest things for women, especially when we are vulnerable. Um, I feel like people don't validate our vulnerability, and so that's why a lot of times I choose not to be as vulnerable unless someone is going to validate it and or make sure I was hurt. So it gives someone to the time to do that for you. So I want to ask you a question about when did you find you know your space in the room? So, like, how did you get to that moment to know that I belong here?

SPEAKER_00 34:39

Okay. Let's see, what when I knew I belonged there, when I learned how to take my passion and make it work in any role. And I say that to say, like, you're not gonna like every role, you're not gonna like all the people, your bosses, and everything like that. But my passion is community, giving back, pouring and everything, pouring into others. And so to be able to companies have money, they have the money to do it. So, what I had to learn is like sometimes taking that energy when I didn't enjoy those roles and said, Let me put it somewhere else. So, for example, we we would order donuts for our meetings, tons of donuts, because you have hundreds and hundreds of people. And I would say, can we take these to Star of Hope? And then from there I said, now can we sponsor 300 families for Star of Hope? And then it's unheard of to bring anybody on site because you know how safety and security is everything safety first, compliance first. They actually got the approval, so anything's possible, and they got the approval for 300 families to come on site to get gifts and to do that with us. And so in that moment, I think each garage I had, there was like at least 100 technicians. If I went to smaller garages, maybe 50, to like know something about every single one of them, their families, how they're doing, their health, their passion, their purpose, whatever, and to see that even when I didn't know what I was doing, I learned from them. And I want to tell you, just because you have a title, you have to still learn from others. And so that showed them that I respect what they do, I value what they do, and they were willing to teach me. But not only that, in any role, because of being able to like have that influence, and I was like, wow, like I remember bringing a friend, they were like, You said you were a boss, but we didn't know you were a boss like this, because I don't ever tell how it looks, you know. When they got there, they were like, I'm overwhelmed. And I was like, Yeah, but again, it for me it's not overwhelming because I feel like that's my purpose. And then that's the way we got more contracts, more work because of personality and the respect to people. Like, even now, if I say, Oh, I got a problem here, I need this many jobs done or this and that, people have free time and not tell you, but because they respect me, you'll see hands going, what you need, what you need, Miss Ross, what you need, and they're willing to take on task, even when they're overloaded. So I think in that moment, there, and um, as I got different titles, and one of the positions I titles that I got, it took people like 20-something years to get there. And I got there in eight years. And I was like, I really didn't realize like until people started like retiring that I still didn't get there, that I was like, you've actually really, you know, you've actually like not gonna say you've arrived because I don't believe all that part, but you've actually made it to a different level that you didn't think. And that's where I said, I'm not second guessing myself. I know I earned a seat at this table, and nobody can tell me that I didn't. I know that I bring value because like it's like when you interview, interviewers ask you questions. I start going to interviews with my questions, you know, am I a fit for your organization? And that's whether it's professional or whether it's personal. It's not like, oh, we got to pick her. Do I want to pick you? You know, so once you know, like I have that pick, that's when you know, like, okay, I've earned this seat. Once I know I got I would stop a contract and I would see 15, 20 offers at one time and having to put them in spreadsheets and compare which one I wanted to do. I knew like people now recognize your value, but first I had to recognize my value. And that was my holdup. And I would tell you right now, if you don't know your value, you don't know what you bring, you don't put in the time, that will hold you up from the biggest blessings that you have no idea that will blow your mind literally.

SPEAKER_01 38:15

Oh no, all that is perfectly sad. I'm arriving at that space in my life, so it feels good. I can validate you all day. It's uh, and I feel like for you hearing you, it has to be self-taught and just going through the experiences because I don't feel like anyone really takes the time out of our day. Lucky for us having this conversation, we'll be able to help so many people. But to get to this conversation, it's just just like you having to for me go through a billion of yes, yes, yes to being able to say no. And it feels good to finally have to say no to things that don't serve you or your purpose once you know. I always tell people the best two two parts of life is one, the day you was born, and two, the day you know your purpose in this world. That part, right? Those are your your best two parts of life, and once you know that, and you can live life for sure to the fullest.

SPEAKER_00 39:19

Take your passion from the workplace, and like I say, even here we charter the ERG. Get in there, get involved, find ways to make your passion work for you in your workspace and let them pay for it.

SPEAKER_01 39:35

Yeah, it's okay to ask for people to cover that expense. I know it's not the easiest thing to do, but like you don't know until you ask. And I think a lot of times people just don't ask what's possible. And lucky for you, you've been able to, it sucks, prove yourself. That's the hard part, I feel like for us as black women, we always have to work so hard to prove ourselves. But once we have proven ourselves, those doors do tend to open because there's that trust developed there, and then you are then you're capable to be like, Hey, can I do this? Right. Um and to be honest, you you get the no still, but you know, once you get a few of those yeses, that means a lot, you know, that make a huge impact, like you did. You made an impact for those families in a major way by just having an axe. And a lot of times, people, especially in these industries, they don't even know how to help that help them understand how to do that, and so it seems like you've mastered that over a career, and that's beautiful. And now that you have gotten here, you know you belong. How do you feel?

SPEAKER_00 40:45

It feels great. Uh, it feels great. It's it's not about me, it's about others, and so like to be able to help others and mentor others and coach and develop others. Like I see most of them are like young engineers out of college that work with me, and I'm just like, it's the things that like seem basic to us that they don't know. And so to be able to pour into them, it's amazing. It's it's a good feeling. It doesn't mean that the job is perfect, but those things alone can overshadow anything that's negative. And then you're just seeing like the impact we're making in colleges, universities, and just interns and making opportunities to be able to even go back to prayer view and speak your prayer view and in university. That was a moment to have my son sit in the audience and see while he's at prayer view, his mother come speak, was like, this is what it's about. And so uh I set goals and I'm like, I'm gonna execute. I may get told no a few times. Those no's I do get told no sometimes. But after a couple of no's, like you said, the yeses come, you know. And so my goal is to see even more diversity. Uh, people say DEI has gone. I don't believe that. It's about the person that sits in the seat. And when you pray about certain things, I said I want to be put in a leadership role, not because I want a title, but because I want to be able to make an impact and have influence. And so that's where I'm sitting. And I'll, again, everything's not peaches and cream, but I would say it's a good feeling, it's a steady climb. And I do still have to earn my spot in my respect at times, but that's a part of it. But as long as we're making impact, I'm grateful.

SPEAKER_01 42:16

No, all those things now. Normally I just keep flowing, but I feel like I have to do a quick rewind because I wanted to ask you this about you contracting on your own. Because I know it's some listeners, some women that listen that want to know how to take to do that, especially during this time. I think it's important to have those conversations. Yes. With so many black women who have been laid off and they're really trying to find their way. And so people are turning to owning their own businesses. Um, I feel like I can have a conversation about that for days. Um honestly it's a beautiful thing, but I also felt like we're walking into scary territory and people are not having honest conversations. And they were gonna have conversations many years from now about black women being affected because no one really taught them or showed them the way of how to do these businesses. So if you're not so sure about having your own business, there is an opportunity to contract. And I'm happy I'm having this conversation with you today, which is still a risk, but not as risky as taking on that full level ownership of a business. This is just taking your skill set as you've already built and developed and putting yourself out there to be hired by individuals. So I do want to talk a little bit about that. How did you step out on faith and really just said, I'm gonna contract for four years? And how did you go about doing that?

SPEAKER_00 43:42

Yeah, that was definitely a risk to take, especially having two children. But my faith is so strong, and it's so strong because I've been through so much. So I've seen what God can do for myself. When you see it for yourself, you approach things totally different. I'll say that. And I was just having this conversation two days ago And one thing I said is I learned not to talk about everything that you do with people because they will discourage you from your destiny. And if you tell somebody, even for instance, like now Robert said, I'm leaving a permanent role to take on a contract, they will say, Oh, it's crazy. What's going on in the world? They're gonna give you all these different negative things. You know, when I had investment properties, I had people that never own properties saying, Oh, you're so young, why are you doing that? That's scary. And so I would challenge you to learn how to be silent. You have to move in silence on some things, and that's with family, friends, people, because you know your vision, you know what God told you to do. And then you tell someone else, you hear all this stuff in your ear, now you're discouraged. So I would say keep that to yourself, just explore it and you'll see it's so much opportunity. It's not about the money because I will tell you in contracting, you make a lot of money. So some people do it just for the money. It's not about the money. You want to take it like I'm going to gain exposure and let people take a risk on me while I take a risk on myself because both of y'all are taking risk, you know. And then it's preparation. In your job, you already learned to prepare. No job is secure. You can be laid off the same day, and people don't care about your family. So you prepare. I mean, you go in, there's benefits you can get outside of the agencies that cost much less. You go in with your high rate and you say I need to save this amount for this many months, living expenses. So that's your planning phase, too. Because when that contract ends, me, I'll be honest, I would take a break for like a month and say I'm not available because if I ended on Friday, I already had offers ready to start that next Monday. But you got to give your mental time to calm down because again, you work in sometimes you're in Canada, here, there, wherever. I've even traveled. I give, I take that time to reset and I'll tell them I'm not available immediately, and then I'll start the next one. And again, you're starting with a whole different group, personality, people, everything. So it's a repetitive thing, but you'll see once you do that, you have more freedom, you have more flexibility. You don't have a lot of micromanaging if you're doing your work and you're doing your work the right way. So I would just say it's taking a leap of faith. If your faith is not there and you're scared and stuff, it's not gonna work. For me, I'm just like, hey, let's see what happens. And if it doesn't work, I already know that God has something else in store for me. It's already mapped out, and I don't worry about it, honestly. So I have a full-time job now, and I'm like, if the right contract were to come, I wouldn't have a fear at all because I've been through too much, and God has brought me through too much for me to have a fear to be like, oh mom scared. No, I don't judge the world based on who's in charge or who's the the leader of a company or anything. I know who I serve and I know what he's capable of.

SPEAKER_01 46:42

So perfectly said, most definitely, and all great advice. So I wanted to touch on that because I wanted women to understand. Look, you can be a contractor, you don't have to really invest so much into building something. Building a business is hard, trust me, have done it. It's a lot of planning, too, that goes into that. But there's a lot more understanding, I feel that's meaning where contracting, you know, your skill set, it's just about putting yourself out there, setting your price, and uh planning, like you said, and working and being able to have a break. I encourage that. Um, that's a way to still put money in your pocket and really pay yourself what you're worth too.

SPEAKER_00 47:31

And you can work multiple contracts. A lot of people, again, different time zones. So especially with a PE license, I don't have my PE, but the ones that have the P license, you can work even without it, I can work multiple contracts. Depending on the time zone, you can use your freedom to set how you want it to be. You can set what you want to earn. I started acting like I was at an auction when people would call one day, and one day I put it on speaker just to tell my friend, I was I want you to see this, and they throw out a rate and I say nope, and we would just go back and forth, and they go higher, higher, lower, lower. And I'm like, I've never seen something like this. And I'm like, That's God, because I remember years ago when it wasn't like that, you know. Also, I wanted I want to talk about the other side of this. Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forward. So I just stopped. I told you I did contracting for four and a half years, and I stopped contracting, which meant I that took a pay cut to come here. But I did that because my child was proportional senior year, it was a lot more hours I was putting in. So there are pluses and minuses to contracting, but I wanted to make sure I could be more visible, more present, although I was just more. And so you will sometimes have to go backwards, but when you go backwards, you have to still just generate a plan for that too, and know that it's not like a oh, it's woe is me or anything. Like you plan it out, you do what you have to do for your health, for your family, and all those decisions. So sometimes you will have to go backwards, and then again, you'll go forward again. But knowing how to negotiate those different benefits, skill sets, and all that kind of stuff, responsibilities, you got you gotta be the person to speak up for yourself. And if you don't ask, they're not gonna offer it. So you need to come prepare with your notes. So whatever you have to do, reach out to your mentor, have it mapped out as to what you want. And I would promise you, nine times out of 10, they'll give it to you. But if you don't say anything, they're gonna shoot you at the lowest. So just know it's two sides to it. And yeah, right now I would tell you some of the same contracts that I had four years ago are paying like half of what they paid. So don't be surprised with that, too.

SPEAKER_01 49:28

No, all great advice and all the things you said, it most definitely comes from your project management skills. It's being prepared and planning. Planning is most definitely the key. Knowing your worth is also going to be a huge play if you decide to go the contract route. I did not choose that route. I considered it because I wanted to take that time away from industry. I chose this route, but it's great to hear your story of how you chose that route for yourself. And I think a lot of women would be intrigued to know that's an option, but you also need the experience level. You have to put some game, some muscle in the game to be able to become a contractor because they're trusting you as an independent to deliver. And so that is something also to keep in mind.

SPEAKER_00 50:19

Um, they're not training you, so yeah, they're not training you. Think about language variance training. Uh, I remember having a person that didn't want to train me because I was a female. So imagine that's who you're assigned to, that's your trainer, and no, your boss doesn't even know this person doesn't want to train you. Like, what do you do? You have you have to make your work, so it's a lot too, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:40

That is a whole nother conversation. Like I talk about days and days of being trained. But all great advice, but hopefully, my listeners, you're taking notes, especially as we're going through a time, a big shift. I talk about the shift all the time. That is some great advice for you. So before we wrap, I do have one more question I want to ask, mostly because we are trying to encourage the the future of STEM with these conversations that we're having. And so the question I want to ask you if a young girl is watching this and thinking or listening to this, I don't know if I fit in STEM. What would you tell her?

SPEAKER_00 51:26

Let's see the young version. What I would first say is don't look to see if you fit. You have to be the first. And so there are gonna be a lot of positions where you're the first and you have to be okay with that. You're you're paving the way for others. So I would say go for it, be confident, know that you are gonna have to work a bit harder at some things, and that's a part of the process. But when you perform well and you do what you're supposed to do, that's the way to get people off your back. So, like I tell my team all the time, your goal is not to talk to me daily. It's not because I don't want to talk to you, it's because if you're doing everything you're supposed to, your work is correct. As I say, cross your T's and dot your I's, old school saying, if that's done, nobody can touch you. So when people don't even like you, if your work is good, they have to respect your work. They have to respect your work ethic, they have to respect if people again as a leader, the ability to influence. Everyone that's a leader cannot influence. It's a huge difference. And if you are a horrible leader with a nasty attitude and cutthroat, it will tank you. And you can influence, you can succeed and not know one thing. So I would tell you, go for it, be the first. Don't worry about everything else around you. You know, you got it, you got it.

SPEAKER_01 52:46

Perfectly said, be the first. There's so many roads that need a there that we are not taking up that space. So I agree, be the first and go take up that space. So that's why it's always so great to talk to you and have a conversation most of the time. We are just putting in the work on the ground, doing doing the work, you know, and that's what we aim to do here at Black Girls Do Engineer. But it's great to really just sit down and have a conversation with you about how you're more comfortable too.

SPEAKER_00 53:20

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:22

Like, yeah, just you know, hearing your story of where you started to go into project management, what all that looks like, and and so you are just like me, faith-driven. So, like jumping down on faith, trusting God, making it happen, and then you've been able to be phenomenal at that. So, this has been such an incredible conversation. And I thank you for really being on Black Girls Engineering Podcast today.

SPEAKER_00 53:47

I wish I had Black Girls Do Engineering when I was a child, because I tell you that that what you do alone, that's such a gem, and you're pouring so many seeds into others that you have no clue that they're gonna remember for a lifetime. And it's an experience. If you haven't gone there, been there, attended an event, it's a must-do, and it's necessary, and there's a need for it. So I'm just when I see you move, I get so excited, and I'm just like that right there, you just have no idea. I mean, you know, but the impact is green. So thank you.

SPEAKER_01 54:17

Oh, and thank you for the words. I take these words as encouragement because as you know, it takes a lot to do this work, but it's a joy. I tell people I am having a fall doing this, giving back to my community. So I'm very grateful to be able to walk in my path to do what I believe God has called me to do. So thank you for those nice, warm, kind words.

SPEAKER_00 54:41

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_01 54:43

See, this is why we do these conversations because now you can actually see what this looks like. Not just the titles, not just the degrees, the real work, the real journey. Nasha didn't wait for someone to tell her she belonged. She walked in, she learned, grew, and claimed her space. And that's what I want every girl listening to understand. You don't have to wait either. Thank you, Nasha, for keeping it real and showing us what this path actually looks like. And to everyone listening, this is your reminder. There is space for you in STEM. Thank you for tuning in to Black Girls Do Engineer Podcast, where we build confidence, community, and future in STEM. I'll see you in the next episode. To learn more about Black Girls Do Engineer, you can visit us on our website at BlackgirlsdoEngineer.org or email us directly at info at blackgirlsdoengineer.org.