Unbothered with Laura Kalbag

Writing a book is hard. Writing a book as a woman in tech is even harder. So what happens when some mansplainer comes along to rain on your well-earned parade? Laura Kalbag tells us about how she found the courage to write, why listening to women reminds her of what’s important, and how she keeps her cool even in the face of jerks.

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Laura is a designer and the cofounder of Ind.ie, a not-for-profit that works on protecting people’s rights in the digital age — and the author of Accessibility for Everyone. She works tirelessly to champion web accessibility — that is, making websites and apps usable for as many people as possible, including those with disability — and believes the best online experiences are ethical and inclusive.

When she wrote her first book, she embarked on a journey: from doubting whether she could do it, to gracefully handling a high-profile mansplainer, to getting the attention of J.K. Rowling and Roxane Gay. All before publication day.

Laura Kalbag, cofounder of Ind.ie + author of Accessibility for Everyone

I don’t care about impressing little men. That’s not my job. I care about trying to reach the right people with the messages that I care about. I care about trying to make the web more inclusive, trying to make the web more ethical, and if people aren’t bothered about that, then I’m not bothered about them, quite honestly.

We talk about:

• Cofounding Ind.ie, which focuses on building technology to protect people’s privacy and rights online.
• What it’s like to run a company with your partner when you have wildly differing work schedules, and why respect and trust are key.
• The Ethical Design Manifesto: a guide Laura created to help folks make more sustainable design choices.
• How she navigated the book-writing and publishing process — from self-doubt to self-promotion.
• What it’s like to be on the receiving end of some of the worst mansplaining we’ve ever seen — and how to keep on being awesome, anyway.

Follow Laura: Twitter | Ind.ie

Plus: Sara and Katel share their adventures from Werk It, a women’s podcast festival, where they learned tons and got to spend two days surrounded by amazing women and non-binary folks in excellent outfits.

☞ And there’s always a full transcript.

This episode of NYG is brought to you by:

Shopify, a leading global commerce platform that’s building a diverse, intelligent, and motivated team — and they want to apply to you. Visit shopify.com/careers to see what they’re talking about.

Harvest, makers of awesome software to help you track your time, manage your projects, and get paid. Try it free, then use code NOYOUGO to get 50% off your first paid month.

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