We Are PoWEr Podcast

How A Software Engineer Turned Adversity Into Impact

• powered by Simone Roche MBE and Northern PoWEr Women

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In this episode of the WeArePoWEr Podcast, we’re joined by Asia Sharif, a Software Engineer, public speaker, mentor and all-round force of nature.

Asia shares the story behind the origin of her name, how identity has shaped her confidence and her honest experiences with imposter syndrome in tech. She reflects on building self-belief, navigating underrepresentation in engineering and the importance of mentorship in STEM, while also breaking down her path into coding and software engineering and how public speaking became a tool for impact and advocacy.

She also opens up about her battle with cancer, the challenges she faced and the mindset that helped her keep moving forward.

What to expect in this episode:

  • The story and meaning behind Asia’s name
  • Imposter syndrome & building self-belief
  • Mentorship in STEM and engineering
  • Coding, software engineering & tech careers
  • Public speaking and confidence
  • Asia’s cancer journey, resilience & recovery
  • Awards, achievements & success

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫

SPEAKER_01:

Hello, hello, and welcome to the We Are Power Podcast. If this is your first time here, the We Are Power Podcast is the podcast for you, your career, and your life. We release an episode every single Monday with listeners in over 60 countries worldwide where you'll hear personal life stories, top-notch industry advice, and key leadership insight from amazing role models. As We Are Power is the umbrella brand to Northern Power Women Awards, which celebrates hundreds of female role models and advocates every year. This is where you can hear stories from all of our awards alumni and stay up to date with everything MPW Awards and We Are Power. Welcome, and today I am joined by the glorious ASIA Welcome Award winner Northern Power Women Awards 2024 One to Watch, wasn't it? Yeah. And you weren't there. I know. I think it was our lovely Heather Waters who came and delivered to you. And we'll we'll come to that. But I a love and origin story because you are so accomplished. You are, I saw a um a reel earlier this week or a post earlier this week, which was all around you've what was it? How many trophies have you won in the last how many years? Over 20. Over 20. And you had it. And I love seeing the Northern Power Women one was right in the middle there. I love seeing that. And you are a multi-award-winning software engineer, but just take us back, way back, before the awards, before the job titles. What tell us about seven year seven-year-old ASIA? Uh, what did she want to be when she grew up?

SPEAKER_00:

I wanted to actually be a NASA engineer. So I've always had such big ambitious dreams. So I've always been like, one day I'm gonna work for NASA. And you know, that's still my dream, NASA, if you're hearing this. Okay, okay. Google alerts now, ASEA for NASA. Honestly, um, yeah, I always wanted to be like something, I guess I was I've always been ambitious anyway, but I've always wanted to be something that was like different than what other young girls at the time wanted to be.

SPEAKER_01:

So, who was your role models at that time? If you wanted to be and work for a space agency, who were those people out there that were going drawing your attention?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, my father, he was just really into engineering, hardware engineering, everything. And I used to think, like, how inspiring, surely, me as a woman, that I could do something similar, you know. Um, and then I would like constantly like research and talk about it because my father, he was really into space and everything. So we'd always speak about it, you know. He was doing aerospace engineering and aircraft engineering, so we'd speak about everything really. And one day I was like, Do you know what? One, I want to go to space, and two, I don't want to fix aeroplanes, but I wouldn't mind being an engineer with a NASA, like as a programmer, like some sort of software engineer that works with everything they work with. So that was my first inspiration. But then when the internet came about, and the more like I grew up and everything, I realized there wasn't that many women. So that dream got put aside because I thought, do you know what? I don't know how I'm gonna get there one day when the world's more advanced, and I guess I still have a lot of time to get there now.

SPEAKER_01:

So, what part, so that seven-year-old, what part still shows up now in your everyday uh how you work, how you lead, how you live? Because you're clearly ambitious.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, um I'm still really ambitious, and I guess I've always dreamt big. So even when I was such a young girl, I always used to think greater than the environment that I was in. So I always used to like, and I implement that now in my life that I don't believe that any goal is like unachievable. If I have something that I want to achieve, like I will go after it. So I guess having my ambition and my curiosity, I've always been very, very curious person. So even my name actually, my my parents changed my name because he said I was too strong-minded. Um, so my name, ASIA, it's the it's an Arabic name, it's a Muslim name, comes from the Quran. And Assia is actually the strongest woman in the Quran. She was Pharaoh's wife, and when Pharaoh uh tortured her, he kept saying to her that just say that I'm God. And she was like, No, I refuse to like admit that you as a human being is God. So I'm not going to, you can continue torturing me. And he did, and then she passed. But we say, like, you know, alhamdulillah, thank God, that she was a very strong woman, so she's the strongest woman in the Quran. And my name used to be Sarah. And then my dad was like, when I was like two, he was like, This girl, she's too strong-minded and way too furious. I'm changing her name to ASEA. So they changed it, and it makes sense now because my entire life has been built on like resilience. Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01:

That's amazing that your parents at the age of two thought, Sara, let's bring on, let's bring out the alter ego that is now ASEA.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And how have your you're it seems to me you talk about your dad and his passions about space and engineering. Your parents have clearly been role models for you.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, they have. Like my mother, she honestly, she's always been my inspiration. She actually had a a stroke and a coma, and she was in a coma when she was 45, which is really, really young to go through something like that. But now, like seeing her like seven years later, this woman, she's so strong and inspiring. And I'm like, you know, how can I like they're my motivation to do anything in this life because seeing my father take care of her and how how everything that she went through and everything they went through, and they still like stuck together and you know, just got through all of that? I just think that's so inspiring. So I should I they motivate me every day to get out of bed to do something with myself so that I can give back and help them one day.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow. And so, how would you so you say you're at a uh a networking event or you're on a train talking to a stranger, how would you describe your role and what you do to them?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so um, as a software engineer, in the most layman terms I can think of, is I use technology, so different technologies and for example, programming languages. Um, just how we have languages like English, Arabic, Spanish, we also have programming languages like Python, SQL, and so on. And I use such technologies like Python to build software applications which help, I guess, yeah, the future and help us advance in technology and help human beings to basically advance, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And you made a massive shift into tech, didn't you? You really did. What in and it was a really short space of time, isn't it? That you know, but what so going from seven-year-old SIA to this this put in time, at what point did you what sparked that move where you went, right, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go the tech route?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so it was lockdown in 2020 and just around 2019, 2020, and I've always been curious into coding, but I never like I didn't have the umph at the time because I was in sales and fundraising and really enjoyed it. And I also was one of the only women in sales and fundraising, and I've always for some reason been in like male-dominated industries where I want to prove a point that women can, you know, be at the top. And at the time I had my uh goal was okay, a my own sales and fundraising company and recruit women and people from minority backgrounds and represent those, and then lockdown happened, so sales kind of became redundant, and I remember being like, Well, I have 24 hours in the day, and I want to do something that is going to upskill me, but also allow me to still do something for the greater good, and still my passion and goal, which is to help women and people of colour and people from underrepresented backgrounds. So during lockdown, I remember like just googling literally like what's the hardest thing to learn, and it just kept coming up like programming, and then I was like, Oh, let me see how many women are in programming. And then when I seen there was like at the time 0.1% of people code, and out of that, I think it was only about less than five percent were women and women of colour. So I was like, Great, what a great motivation. So I just started learning to code like one to two hours a day, every single day, and I was like, Let me learn one language, focus on that. Um, that's what I did like throughout lockdown, and then I managed to get onto a bootcamp called Code First Girls. Yeah, CFG degree there, amazing, and that kind of like got me my current role in fintech at the moment, um, because it was a four-month program. You do but a couple of exams, bunch of homework, learn so much about software engineering, and it's like a cramped degree. Um, and yeah, it really helped so much and upskilled me. And on the side, I would do a lot of like mentoring and coding instructing because I wanted to become better at my problem solving and communication and leadership skills. And I knew that just learning and doing exams might not be the best way for me to learn. So I was like, okay, if I teach other people and I can see, and I'm also teaching them and I'm learning with them as I go along, and that really did help as well.

SPEAKER_01:

So other people were making banana bread and sourdough and stuff like that, and you were learning a whole new language currently. But not just that. What strikes me about you is that you have a sense of like agency to want to help others, and so you've mentored over 70 probably more now, actually, um, um, women and and girls, um, and helping them. What do you think is the thing that has has and does continue to hold women back?

SPEAKER_00:

I think imposter syndrome, definitely. I think a lot of women, even myself, suffer suffer with imposter syndrome. I remember when I first went into tech space and I was um applying for roles, I would turn up to interviews and I would literally be the only woman there. And sometimes I won't would want to run out and just go home because I thought, you know, the imposter syndrome would get hold of me and come into my thought like a negative thought that okay, maybe I'm not good enough. There's like 10 other, you know, there was one time where there was literally 10 guys, and I was just the only woman, and I remember just standing there thinking there's no way I don't have a degree, um, because I dropped out of university, I studied law, and also like some of these guys when I was speaking with them, some of them had like Cambridge degrees and computer science degrees and all sorts, and I just thought to myself, right, you know, I don't think I can do this. But I had a mentor at the time called Philippa Rodney, and I remember running out and I rang her and I said, Philippa, there's no way there's 10 other guys in there, one of them's gonna get the role. I'm definitely not going to to this interview. And she like shook me. She's one of the only women in engineering and at the time, and honestly, it was so inspiring to have a mentor, someone who could talk sense into you, give you, you know, like wisdom in that moment. Because from that day on, I was like, Do you know what? So what if I'm always the only woman in the room, I want to make a change, and I just I didn't, I I didn't end up pursuing that I did continue with the interview, but I didn't end up pursuing that role. However, I from that day forward I did make it like my motivation and goal to show up all the time and overcome imposter syndrome so I could help others. So I do think that's what really holds a lot of us women back is the imposter syndrome and just feeling that we're not good enough, which it again I think was something that helped me was realizing that feeling is an emotion and it's temporary, and to accept it and acknowledge it, but continue, you know, with the action.

SPEAKER_01:

And I think that's where the mentoring really comes into play, and it must be amazing for you to see the ripple effect because I know many of the women that so you've been mentored by Philippa, you have now mentoring other people, those people that you've mentored and now mentoring, that must feel amazing that ripple effect that it causes, right? Yeah, you know, and um because it just takes one conversation, doesn't it? Yeah and I think you talked about imposter syndrome along a lot. Um and I think it's are there any just for because there'd be people watching and listening out there that just think, yeah, that's me, that's me. But just one top tip to kind of really navigate that sort of lacking self-belief or confidence. Is there one top tip that you would offer?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, like I think the most important thing is like in that moment take a breath and accept the feeling. But also, for me, that really worked was actually um saying over in my head or in the moment with uh either if I had a notepad in my in my hand, if not in on your phone or in my head, all the accomplishments and the actions that I've done so far to get to where I was in that moment. So, for example, in the moment of the interview, I mean Philippa were going through the fact that I'd spent six months learning to code. I'm not a fraud, I'm not an imposter. You know, I've spent six months doing um um one-to-ones with Philippa and brainstorming activities and all sorts of quizzes and problem solving so that I could show up to that interview as my best self. And you know, prior to that again, I'd spent I think at least three months building projects on my own and doing so many different tests. Um, so I knew I was worthy of it. So it's just again going over in your head, you know what? I've actually done everything I can to show up today, and I can do this, and whatever outcome happens, that just wasn't meant for me. And I always believed that you know, when one door closes, another door opens, and a million doors closed for me before I even got here, you know.

SPEAKER_01:

And why do you love so much going to speak at schools? Because that's a passion for you, isn't it? What's the reaction that you get when you go in that room?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, you know, I actually went to my um childhood school, St. Hilders shout out to St. Hilders High School. Big shout out to St. Elders. Um and you know what? I was actually labelled always a troubled child, but it was quite funny seeing some of my teachers. They were absolutely gobs. It's not my dad's fault. And you know, and you know, some of the teachers were so gobsmacked because they were like, there's no way this is the same child that I thought that I would constantly kick out of the classroom. Honestly, I could see some of their faces. Um, it was so funny. But seeing a lot of you like it, it was all girls' school. Um, so seeing a lot of girls just look look at me with so much like hope and happiness, honestly, that is so motivating. And then since I the reason I go to schools is because I come from an underrepresented background and I also come from, you know, like my family, we're immigrants, and going to I always go to like schools where I want to represent women women or people of colour or who come from underrepresented or minority backgrounds because I want to give them hope that anything's possible and that you of course do your education and that's amazing and great, but don't let just the certificate define your future because for me I dropped out of university and I used to think, oh my gosh, I'm never going to be anything else for just a short period of time. But then I guess one day I just snapped out of it and I thought, do you know what? If Elon Musk can be Elon Musk, I think I can I can do whatever. And you know, Elon walks around doing whatever he wants to do. So clearly, I so that's really that was motivating enough for me. So I was like, surely I can too, right? And yeah, that's what I thought. Let me go and give that same wisdom to other people because I also did. I woke up one day and thought, you know, I'm not gonna let a no-degree define me or you know, my education or anything like that. I can choose to be whoever I want to be.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I have to say, it's absolutely amazing to see you so looking so phenomenally healthy and well because you've gone through a year and a half of stage four Hodgkin lymphoma. Uh, and you've also had stem cell transplant as well. And you're well?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I had um a PET scan in earlier in January at Hamdelah. Was it January, yeah, or December? Can't remember. Okay, just the last couple of weeks. It's a black. I know. Um, but yeah, PET scan all clear, and I'm much better now. It was, you know, a couple of years of fighting stage four cancer, relapsing quite a few times. Um, finally managed to get into remission to get a stem cell transplant in April 2025, and um I didn't find a donor in the end, so I they were looking for a donor um for a long time, but because of my mixed heritage, and I do come from a minority background, like it was extremely rare to find a donor because I'm half Somali, half Moroccan, so they'd have to be from not only the same mix, but like somehow the same genetic, you know, background. Um, but the whole goal of doing your own stem cell transplant is to try and get you in remission, and they did finally, and I would just remember literally as soon as they got me into remission, like the month after they were like, let's get on with the stem cell transplant. And so far, so good. But I do I did have resistant disease, so you have to give it at least two years. But once you surpass two years, the chances scientifically um of it coming back is really low, especially after your own stem cell transplant. But yeah, all is well now. But yeah, it was it was a crazy journey. I've been battling cancer, I think, my entire career. Oh wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

But ASEA being ASEA, you know, you you talked about the the underrepresentation in for particularly mixed heritage, global majority, and stem cell. And this is something you're really passionate about speaking up. In fact, so much so it was only the back end of last year that I saw you at the DKMS, which is a charity for blood cancer, where I was I was speaking at. Louise, who was hosted the event, she was one of our finalists last year. So it's interesting how the world comes up. But the you you really want to use your voice for good, don't you? You know, you you you have more hours in the day, I think, than most.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh but it's important, isn't it? That awareness piece and you passing on that knowledge.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, 100%. Like, you know, if anybody can sign up to stem cell register from any background at all, you should because it does save a life. And and it's easy, right? Yeah, it's literally 90% of people is just giving blood. They remove your stem cells through your bloodstream. Um, only about 10% of people go through the bone marrow um like surgery that I think a lot of people do fear and have this perception that it's going to be some gigantic procedure and they'll be knocked out and ill, but that is not the case. So it's about changing the perception that people have there and sign up to DKMS and Anthony Nolan because it's really, really important.

SPEAKER_01:

And the stories that we heard that day in that room were completely my my husband, aka Northern Power Man, Rob, was there that day and he was like, right, I'm gonna go and sign up, but unfortunately, he's he's he's uh he's too mature, shall we say, to sign up. He won't be watching this, it's okay. But no, he he can't, unfortunately. But but he since that point has become an advocate, and I think we can never you God pass that on. If you don't know, it's easy. You go, you give blood. I think it's just a slightly longer session of giving blood. About six hours, yeah, and then and that's it. You can change lives. Um, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, you literally save a life. Like if I relapse now within the next two years, I've got no choice but to find a donor. And you know, it gets as dramatic as you know, charities getting on a plane and going to Somalia and Morocco and hoping to swap people to find because people have done that, you know. It was a story of a guy who literally went back to his hometown and they actually managed to find like family members there who actually um ended up being a match and he got his stem cell donation. So for myself, it would be the case of again going back to your roots and trying to find somebody who is a match, which is so rare, but you know, but this is what we talk about.

SPEAKER_01:

Everyone can use that power, time, energy for good. This is something so powerful that we can all most of us have got the gift to go and do. So how has it been returning to work, into the public environment, speaking? How has that been like the the journey back?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's been it's been up and down, you know. With me, is you just never know what what day after being a cancer patient, and you still are for the next at least 10 years, but the first few years, it's you know, you have to watch your immune system. So a lot of things that I can't do, I wouldn't just be able to go into a giant crowd, for example, even though you know I'd love to go and have a nice festival holiday or something fun. But um, returning to like work has been great. Like, work have always been really supportive, um, which has been amazing. So I just came back um slowly. So I went from doing a couple hours a day, and then after a month, I was like, you know what? No, I want Mark if you're hearing this manager. I was like, let me come back. I could not do this, I need to be busy. Um, because I work from home, thankfully. So that was one thing, but coming back to the public setting was hard. Like I've had to go through a lot of therapy because um I had so much anxiety after spending two years literally in a room. Like, I can't, I hardly left my house, like I did not leave my room. I was just, you know, I lost a lot of my identity. It was a lot of things I had to deal with, like losing my hair, losing myself. I also gained so much weight, and I didn't realise that gaining that much weight at the time would um have such an impact on health from simple things like walking, things we take for granted like every single day. And I remember ha being like I physically like cannot leave this house, it was just too much. So I went through a lot of therapy, a lot of health um to get myself to where I am today, and I'm really grateful that I experienced that because you know, there's other young people out there who are battling cancer and also have loads of physical identity changes and may fear or fear the perception of them or feel that maybe they're not good enough and they should hide in the house and everything. But I'm so grateful that I went through what I went through to be here, so it's it's get I'm getting there. I mean, I suffer with a lot of side effects, like yeah, like even sitting here right now, I'm so much in pain in my joints, but um this is like a very normal um side effect that you have from stem cell transplant, which again it's why I advocate because you know people assume you go through treatment and that's it, like see you later, you're all well and great, and that is just really not the case. I mean, if that's the case with somebody out there, maybe the one percent, then obviously that's amazing for them, but it's really like so unrealistic.

SPEAKER_01:

What have you learned most about yourself other than being a strong warrior woman?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, that um I guess that I'm emotional, like I'm a very empathetic person, and that yeah, that not only that I have a lot of strength and resilience, but I feel like I've learned that I can I'm just I don't know, like somebody knew someone more inspiring, like the person that I was when I was young, I know would look at me now and be like, Wow, like you go girl, you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_01:

So and how do you feel about that? Are you comfortable in your own space as being a role model, which you clearly are?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I'm I I am comfortable. I I feel like it's important um to be secure in yourself so you can be not only a role model but like a leader for other people and for especially people I I honestly believe for women and people from similar backgrounds, like they need and they deserve it. And I know that when I had role models like certain mentors in my life, that really changed a trajectory of my life and my perspective, really.

SPEAKER_01:

And for people watching listening who are like maybe going through some troubles right now or ill health or just lacking self-belief, what's the one piece of advice that you would pass on?

SPEAKER_00:

To take it day by day, and that's what I focused on. I never focused on like a three-month or six-month or ten-year goal. I would always focus on my every single day. So, like today, I would have like a a tick a checklist that I had on Trello, and I would use Trello to map out my morning routine, my afternoon routine, and my evening routine, and as long as my day is done, um, and not even 100% done, but everything that I've wanted to accomplish that day, whether it be as simple as making my bed in the morning and you know, as simple as, you know, looking after myself, self-care, doing some movements, some stretches, some uh, you know, getting through work. Um and doing all these small goals has helped me be where I am today and as secure and as content as I am. And I feel like that is the advice I would give to somebody else. Like focus on your day-to-day. You can always have in the background, somewhere, whether it's on a vision board or in a journal, your six month or quarterly goals, that's totally fine. But don't look at them and think, oh, that's so far away. Like I have that I have no motivation and or anything like that. Focus on today.

SPEAKER_01:

How do you you're spinning plates, Chainverse, Tech Newbies, and also the day job at NatWest?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Is do you use the same mythology for that? Like your Trello board, do you use the same to kind of map out how you're gonna do it all? Yeah, like I'm seeing sponsored by Trello. Yeah, I'm gonna Trello now get you to NASA just say it. Literally mark your boss, no, it's a comment from NatWest.

SPEAKER_00:

Honestly. Yeah, Trello, I would recommend it to anybody who's struggling to use Trello for what they do today.

SPEAKER_01:

Now, you've won uh an a lot of awards as we talked earlier. Obviously, your favourite award, Northern Power Women Awards, because is the the the pièce de la resistance a beautiful? I mean, it is beautiful, isn't it? It's made by a female or glassblower, happens to be female, Gemma Truman has made all of our trophies every year from the Wirral, but now has a studio in Manchester. Shout out to our Gemma, but they are crafted and beautiful. What did it feel like to win that? Because our lovely Heather Waters, shout out to Heather, she used to work uh formerly of Nat West, came, she collected it for you on the evening and brought it to you in I think you were in hospital with you.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I was undergoing chemotherapy. Honestly, Heather is so adorable. Like, I really appreciate her for that. And just got married. Congratulations, congratulations.

SPEAKER_01:

I laughed, congrats, go Heather and Paul.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, no, um, she did. I remember seeing it. I was honestly so grateful, but I watched it also live and it was so inspiring. I couldn't believe it. I was like, wow, me getting a commendment. That's amazing. Like, I couldn't believe it. Honestly, I was genuinely shocked. It was it looked like a beautiful ceremony. I did go to the first one. You did, I remember. Yeah, and it was stunning. So I I know that that one was even better soon next time. Oh you've got one coming up, right? We have our 10th year. Can you believe it?

SPEAKER_01:

Come, please. I will, I will come, don't worry. Come, you come in as my guest. That's where you're coming in.

SPEAKER_00:

Wait, March the 12th. 12th. Okay, great. Oh, just in time when Ramadan finishes. See?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we've yes. But what does that recognition mean to you? Because there's a you and I I saw your your reel that you put out and you talked, you had lots of them in front of you, and you went, I want you to see this because it's important. It's important the recognition, because it's no point just having them in a cupboard, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, which they were on a cupboard, but um, yeah, the reason I finally put that out there was because it's not about um, you know, boasting or anything like that. It's about showing somebody, a woman, a person of colour, a person from maybe foster care or poverty or underrepresented or minority background, that you can actually get recognized for your work. And the the reason I started with the very first award is because I hadn't, I wasn't even a software engineer then. I was somebody who was just learning to code and had a lot of passion and would take on a lot of voluntary gigs like coding instructor or mentoring, and I was recognized as rising star by Globent for awards, and there was, you know, hundreds of people up for that award, and I just wanted people to see that you don't need a million accomplishments to be recognized, just be your authentic self, and that's what matters. And that's why I thought, let me actually go through each story for each award in such a three-minute reel to try and show people that it's about like what you've done, being your authentic self, showing up for yourself, and you can be recognized, you know. Half those awards, I I honestly don't even know who nominated me, you know.

SPEAKER_01:

But you know what? You're gonna need another cabinet, I feel. Um, I'm gonna ask you to delve into the power jar. Power jar? The power jar, even. So the power jar is a question that has been left by a previous guest, not for anyone specifically, so it's a bit of a lucky dip. Are you gay? Yeah, I'm gonna go. Okay, come on then. You delve into the jar. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, is that big anticipating? This is this is ridiculous, this is hysterical. So um it says, what your most useless hidden talent.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh yes.

SPEAKER_00:

I honestly don't have a hidden talent. I know a lot of people have hidden talents. You will have, but that's why I'm laughing so much because I genuinely don't have a hidden talent. What about what about the queen of Zara sales? I mean, yeah, I love Zara. But um, maybe it's not useless actually. Is a hidden talent something that you can do that nobody knows? Yeah. Well, I speak Arabic fluently. So it's not useless though. It's very, very useful. Absolutely. But useless.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm sorry. Cooking skills, gaming skills, music skills. Come on. I'm just gonna go Zar, I'm gonna go just best dressed.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I can, I can, I can um, what is this called? Gradient paint.

unknown:

Oh.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know if that's useful.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm now googling, I'm Googling gradient paint.

SPEAKER_00:

Like just, you know, gradients when like they blend.

unknown:

Oh.

SPEAKER_00:

So I can do that when I want to. There you go. There you go. So you just say you have no talent. Look at you. Monty award winning.

SPEAKER_01:

She's so useless. Yeah. Well, there you go.

SPEAKER_00:

It's really or he said, I don't know, but yeah. Um final question.

SPEAKER_01:

What would you say your superpower is?

SPEAKER_00:

Being my authentic self. Authenticity, I think, is really important. It's helped me get this far.

SPEAKER_01:

And because I can, final question part B what's next for you? What does this next? What does your trello board say for you? What does the long, what does what other than NASA? NASA?

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Keep an eye out. Um what's next is to inspire the world and hopefully do that with a TEDx conference this year. Amazing. In September. Amazing. Um which TEDx are you doing? TEDx Northern Quarter. Oh, amazing! I know. It's been a dream of mine since I was a child. Oh I I like I said, you always put a goal at the back burner, but focus on your daily goals. And then one day I got a phone call and said, We'd like you to um do TEDx Northern Quarter. And I was like, amazing, after applying for 100 TEDxes, by the way. So yeah, it's just inspire globally with my story, and hopefully that changes hundreds of thousands of people's lives. For me, that's what matters, and focus more on engineering, my future of engineering, AI. You know, I think I want to move more into like data science or an AI engineer in the future. So, Nat West, if you have any open roles. All about the pitching too.

SPEAKER_01:

Do not ask, don't get, be your authentic, confident, bold, exactly. Not Sara, ASIA. ASEA, yeah. ASEA. Thank you so much. Lovely human. Stay well, be well. See you at the awards. Thank you so much for joining me today. No, you're very welcome.

SPEAKER_00:

I really appreciate you are honestly so inspired.

SPEAKER_01:

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Simone Roche MBE

Host