From Therapist to Innovator — Tech as a Space of Disruption, Activism, and Social Good
Valentina Calandra, Innovation Strategist at amatus GmbH
Techy Tools in Therapy
A little over two years ago, I was mourning my college relationship, living in a Dutch suburb, and like most lonely hipsters, dreamt of going to Berlin. I was a recent Master’s graduate with a license to practice clinical psychology, a desire to make an impact, and a series of closeted regrets about not having studied computer science. The tech world began to speak to me as my studies, even in the abstract and personal field of therapy, continuously reflected the rapid and quite frankly terrifying progress of emerging technologies. From electrode stimulation of nerves to treat chronic psychopathologies, to the development of apps to provide self-help and crisis management to a whole new population of people, it became evident that the advancement of the tools we use is indeed integral to every discipline.
I spent my studies and my clinical internship in closed circuit ecosystems: a minimally furnished Freudian-style office with ceilings high enough to hold the secrets shared, and confidentiality agreements ensuring progress was solely in the hands of a 24 year old clinician. How can I make a difference on a broad, sociological level when I am confined to over-priced conversations that more often than not ignore the rather immense impact of culture, time, and technology?
I am not writing off therapy. The study and practice of psychology has and continues to have an immeasurable impact on our understanding of ourselves, and undeniably alters and saves lives. Unfortunately, most contemporary practices lack a strategy and overview guided by greater scopes. I once had a professor who told me “it’s a miracle not all women have eating disorders, considering the cultural landscape”. Indeed, it was one of the many arguments that reflected my short handedness when attempting to treat pathology through the narrow lens of the clinic. I was keen to digest the world around me, to channel a multitude of disciplines and find the places where they intersect, where there is impact to be made; to catch up with technology and progress and hold it by its tail while trying to navigate it with justice, humanitarianism, and activism.
Beginnings in Berlin
Fascinated by the myriad machine movement and curious about Berghain, I packed my bags and hopped on the train to Berlin. I told myself I would reserve my thoughts on this city for another blog post, or this tangent would be endless. I do however want to mention that Berlin’s alternative culture is integral to its development into an innovation and tech hub.
This city attracts those who in one way or another are keen to disrupt — to shake up the status quo and reinstate a plethora of new ways of thinking. Simply the idea that there might be many ways, many paths to be taken, represents a millenial school of thought — the convention of the standard rules doesn’t seem to hold up here.
My first job in Berlin was at CareerFoundry, a young and bustling startup that designs online courses in various tech areas. I worked as a sort of online community advisor, mainly reacting to emails and queries and hoping to create a supporting network through which students could learn. There was the part of me that through this year felt under-utilised: I had graduated with Honours in both my Bachelor and Master’s degrees, always an avid academic. I was certain, however, that all us over-educated, overqualified, 20-somethings were in the same boat. I imagined the days of being truly intellectually stimulated were long gone for me, and like all millenials, I wondered when I would make enough money to ditch my job and study forever, cruising Berlin on free public transport, discussing Nietzsche and feminism with my quirky classmates, and finding satisfaction in our idealistic theories of changing the world.
Don’t be a Brand Brat When it Comes to Employment
When a job offer to manage community for a Product Design team came my way, I took the opportunity for a career upgrade. I was not immune to the allure of Berlin’s most famous e-commerce giant. Founded just 10 years ago, this start-up continues to grow exponentially, and I was sold at the prospect of a dynamic and versatile role. I was hired for a position that had never existed before, which seemed exciting and validating, but was ultimately neither. I ended up floating between two teams, without ever receiving a clear set of expectations from either. Instead, I spent most of my time coordinating the sub-par leadership I was seldom receiving from each end and feeling, quite frankly, like a kid sitting alone in the cafeteria; literally I was never offered a set desk, and could count on one hand the times I has invited for lunch with my colleagues. Like schools, companies often pride themselves on values they wished they had, that they use to attract talent, but ultimately never live up to. Startups, especially, founded on principles of morality, transparency, diversity and human development, rarely adhere to these as they grow. But maybe, most deplorable, is the absolute denial that these values are not being upheld. If I had to sum up my experience here in just a few words it would be these: no communication, no honesty, no feedback. You tell me how a company like that expects its employees to grow.
On the Up and Up
I spent the summer unemployed, basking in an unbelievably hot Berlin summer, reading life-changing books, like Yuval Harari’s Sapiens, and traveling here and there for some much-needed stimulation. Eventually, I networked my way into various opportunities, and I was all of a sudden faced with a multitude of unexpected coffee chats and possible paths — from culture assessment softwares, to apps that provide clinical therapy. Among these, was amatus.
I met with Morris and Clemens on a sunny April afternoon at the amatus HQ. It’s a small office, on the corner of a quiet street in Mitte. It’s floor to ceiling glass walls struck me as a physical representation of transparency. I felt from the moment I set foot in there, that no one had anything to hide. I hustled to the meeting room, trying my hardest to not let on I was going into cardiac arrest from my 10 minute bike ride (a summer of freedom and chain smoking did wonders for my lungs, highly recommend it). I was not nervous, though I should have been, because the hours I spent researching the company were still not enough to actually understand what they did. I hung onto to every word, finding myself incredibly interested and challenged for the first time since university. I realised that not only did I want to work here, but that I might even be qualified. Recently, Morris shared with me some company values that in retrospect were clear to me from the very beginning (a very good sign): collaboration over competition, personality over professionalism, and only hire the best.
Remember how I was saying that Berlin is the home of the unconventional? Here, too, traditional chronologies of studies and subsequent career paths are challenged. I thought of myself no longer as a series of select and separate experiences: clinical psychology background, community management roles, internal service and experience design, and a set of personality traits that I hoped would get me somewhere. Instead, I’m Val. I’m knowledgeable about human beings, about our motivations and our fears, I’m good at researching — at using numbers to measure behaviour and to analyse us as a species. I have experience with connecting people, with using community as a tool for change.
I am passionate about progress, about social justice, I am constantly angered by the incredible injustice that exists in our world, and though I am a die-hard hippy, I am not blind to the absolute necessity of using technology for good, and not going off grid to build a yurt. And so, I declined the other offers I had received, and confidently signed a contract with amatus as an Innovation Strategist.
Carving out Space
I cross the Berlin Wall’s memorial everyday to go to work, starkly aware of my privilege to do so, just 30 years later from the pinnacle moment of 20th century freedom. The symbolism is not lost on me. I circle back around to Berlin’s ability to break barriers, and to carve out new paths of inclusion, justice and equality — the tech boom happening here is no exception.
I laugh with my colleagues about how we explain what we do to others, and just the other weekend, I found myself in the same precarious hot seat, 3 beers in, contemplating if I should just say the sad but universal line: “I work in tech” (I wonder, is there anyone in Berlin who doesn’t?). But after many such questions, I’ve developed a decent answer. I work for a wonderful, small company, that develops ventures and provides consulting for other entrepreneurs and projects. I spend my days deep diving into material, resources, articles, news, books about blockchain for business, and chats about how we will change the world.
I work on ventures in which profitability is a secondary thought, and humanitarianism is a priority.
I find problems, mapping injustice and access issues: from the gender gap to poverty, to lack of proper identification for millions of people around the world. I work with sociology, psychology, technology, economics, and even law. Everything I have learned, academic or not, is applicable here. And maybe more importantly, I am greatly aware of how much I have yet to learn, and my brain spends 8 hours a day running rampant and curious through websites and one-pagers, seeking a place for impact. I find myself tossing around words like blockchain, token economics, incentive systems, and game theory as if nothing was — I genuinely cannot remember the last time I learned so much. I work mainly with men, as many women in tech have experienced, and being particularly engaged in the fintech world means an even narrower gender ratio. Much to my surprise, this does not bother me much: I have been consistently treated with respect and authority and space has been carved out for me (I write this with moisture in my eyes, moved by the fact that women before me have carved out space to make this possible at all). And now that woman is me: a disruptor, a mover and a shaker, a third culture kid with an eclectic background suited to an even more eclectic role, carving out space for the vulnerable amongst us.
Interested in joining us? We’re hiring. Find out more about what we do at amatus.com.
