

Underrepresented in Tech
Michelle Frechette
Underrepresented in Tech was designed and built with the goal of demystifying diversity. Fear of tokenization and awkwardness blocks many leaders from reaching out to diverse individuals. This roadblock prevents amazing people from finding amazing opportunities. We built this tool so that if you want to prioritize diversity, you can.
In our weekly podcast, creators Allie and Michelle discuss topics that are important to them as champions of diversity in the WordPress/tech community.
In our weekly podcast, creators Allie and Michelle discuss topics that are important to them as champions of diversity in the WordPress/tech community.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 4, 2023 • 23min
UIT Updates: The Webinar Series and Swag!
In this episode, Allie and Michelle catch you up on the two newest and biggest things happening with the UIT brand. Our new webinar series and our sticker launch!
Learn more about the webinar and how to sponsor here: https://www.underrepresentedintech.com/webinars/sponsor/
Grab yourself some sweet stickers here: https://www.underrepresentedintech.com/shop

Jul 28, 2023 • 31min
Youth in Tech (ft. Olivia Bissett)
In this episode, Michelle chats with young tech professional Olivia Bissett about her experience working in the industry, bringing people into WordPress, and finding and building community.

Jul 13, 2023 • 24min
The 100th Episode Retrospective
Show Notes:
Webinar Sponsorship Interest Form
New handbook page for WordCamp Organizers: WordCamp Speaker Selection (for content AND diversity)
All Podcast Sponsors:
Bet Hannon
Design TLC
Go WP
Human Made
Lockedown SEO
MasterWP
Ninja Forms/Saturday Drive
Stellar WP
The Blogsmith
WP Wallet
Yikes Inc.
Yoast SEO

Jun 30, 2023 • 26min
Community or Clique?
In this episode, Allie and Michelle try to dig into what makes a community a community, as opposed to being a clique or worse. They use their own personal experiences to determine that communities need to be much more intentionally inclusive in order to keep them from becoming toxic.

Jun 21, 2023 • 30min
Women in Tech Supporting Women in Tech
In this episode Allie and Michelle discuss the importance of women supporting, uplifting, and advocating for other women in tech. They list some methods and practices you can prioritize in order to make sure that everyone gets a seat at the table.

Jun 9, 2023 • 35min
Mental Health and Content Marketing feat. Lindsey Miller
In this episode Allie speaks with Lindsey Miller, owner and CEO of Content Journey. Lindsey has a unique approach to content marketing that truly puts people first
Visit Content Journey

Jun 6, 2023 • 24min
Investing in Women feat. Marieke van de Rakt
In this episode, Michelle chats with Marieke van de Rakt about her new venture - Emilia Capital - and how important it is to invest in women founders and business owners.

May 29, 2023 • 32min
Impacting the World with WordPress in 48 Hours (feat. Sima Parekh)
In this episode, Allie chats with Sima Parekh, the Executive Director of 48in48 - an organization which holds annual events focused on launching 48 websites for 48 nonprofits in 48 hours. Allie and Sima discuss Sima's history with the organization, how this build-a-thon works, and the impact that it's had so far.
Check out 48in48's website to learn more about their events and how you could volunteer for the next one.

May 19, 2023 • 36min
Diverse and Inclusive Event Speaker Selection
This topic has been such a long time coming! Today, Allie and Michelle take the time to discuss how event organizers - in tech, WordPress, and beyond - can ensure that the people they invite to speak as well as the people they select are diverse. Building a diverse, equitable, balanced, and inclusive program of content isn't an overnight process, but can be achieved through intentional planning and decision-making. We hope that event organizers from all types and sizes of events find this episode helpful!
We also hope you check out our past episodes that center around event organization and speakers.
Timestamps
[00:00] Introduction
[02:06] Speaker recruiting and outreach
[06:47] Speaker application pages and forms
[08:12] Diversity questions on speaker applications
[15:06] Ad
[15:26] Building a program of content
[17:21] Weighted speaker selection
[19:12] The myth of taking in order to give opportunity
[22:00] Putting the person before the topic
[24:09] The case for blind speaker selection (and it's pitfalls)
[27:24] Creating balanced programming after selection
[28:53] Announcing speakers all at once
[31:09] Diversity and inclusion must be intentional
[32:30] Outro
Places to Find Diverse Speakers
WP Speakers
HeroPress
WP Diversity
BlackPress
WordPress Women of Color
A Diverse WordPress

May 12, 2023 • 25min
Let's Get Ready for Pride Month!
June is Pride Month - and while we love to see rainbow merch, there are ways that companies can honor Pride both in great and not-so-great ways. In this episode, Allie and Michelle discuss examples of how to be a fantastic ally during Pride, as well as some ways to avoid performative marketing.


