138. Science the Hell Out of It: Career Pivots & Unicorn Jobs with Amanda Mavropoulis
Episode Summary In this inspiring and deeply human episode, Kathy and Linda sit down with Amanda Mavropoulis, a global project and portfolio management leader in technology including 15 years in the electric utility space, and one extraordinary career pivot. Amanda shares her unconventional STEM journey—from early days taking apart alarm clocks, to working in IT as a student worker, to a long career in utilities, and ultimately into her “unicorn job” at a major tech company. Along the way, sh...
Episode Summary
In this inspiring and deeply human episode, Kathy and Linda sit down with Amanda Mavropoulis, a global project and portfolio management leader in technology including 15 years in the electric utility space, and one extraordinary career pivot.
Amanda shares her unconventional STEM journey—from early days taking apart alarm clocks, to working in IT as a student worker, to a long career in utilities, and ultimately into her “unicorn job” at a major tech company. Along the way, she opens up about her unexpected breast cancer diagnosis, navigating treatment after leaving a longtime job, and the clarity and boldness it brought to her next steps.
This conversation is filled with humor, wisdom, honesty, and plenty of laughs as Amanda, Kathy, and Linda reflect on career longevity, teamwork, life detours, and why sometimes you just have to “science the hell out of it.”
Topics We Cover
- A full-circle reconnection: How Linda and Amanda met during a massive utility system conversion—and why team culture matters.
- Life in a global tech environment: Agile management, nonstop meetings, time zones, boundaries, and protecting heads-down time.
- Finding balance: Hybrid work, maintaining work–life separation, setting expectations, and empowering teams.
- Career pivoting after 15 years in utilities: What it’s like to be “new again” in a fast-paced tech company.
- Breast cancer survival and perspective shifts: How Amanda approached treatment, resilience, and redefining what she wanted out of life.
- Unicorn jobs: Applying for stretch roles, building confidence, and not letting fear stop you.
- STEM pathways that aren't linear: Environmental science beginnings, early IT work, accidental opportunities, and embracing unexpected journeys.
- Hiring challenges today: Entry-level roles requiring experience, the impact of layoffs, and navigating the job market as a new grad.
- Diversity of thought & representation in tech: Why it matters and what Amanda sees in her new workplace.
About Amanda Mavropoulis
Amanda is a technical project and portfolio management leader with a BS in Environmental Studies from Texas A&M, an MS from Walden University, and three decades in the IT and utility sectors. She’s known for her leadership, empathy, ability to build strong teams, and her passion for mentoring women entering STEM fields. She’s also a breast cancer survivor whose resilience fueled her leap into a dream role in global technology.
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- Email: ordinarilyextraordinarypod@gmail.com
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Music by Kay Paulus
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