Many Ways of Living and Loving with Ada Powers
#### Today\u2019s episode is all about showing up as your most authentic self at work\u2014and about finding a space where you\u2019re supported and respected to do that. It\u2019s also about the challenges of taking risks, the joys of personal growth\u2026 and skydiving.\n\nOur guest today is one of the coolest, most totally _herself_ people we know, Ada Powers\u2014a writer, user researcher, community builder, and badass trans woman based in San Diego and currently working at a software company called Tealium. You\u2019ll love her.\n\n> Being able to come to work as myself means that I get to come to work _as_ _myself_. I get to think about, \u201cWhat would make me happy in this context? What would make me happy and feel fulfilled doing this work?\u201d Ok well maybe it means suggesting this initiative, maybe it means taking on this project, maybe it means changing my responsibilities a bit. It means I get to show up and be engaged with how I actually feel and how that looks.\n> \n> \u2014[Ada Powers](https://twitter.com/mspowahs), writer, researcher, and community builder\n\nShe tells us about:\n\n- How and why she told her company she\u2019s trans before she came in for the interview\n- Why she wants her coworkers to know she\u2019s poly\n- Why sharing pronouns helps more than just trans folks\n- How to take criticism and feel your feelings without being a jerk\n- What to do when activism leaves you burnt out\n\nGo be friends with Ada already:\n\n- [On Medium](https://medium.com/@mspowahs)\n- [On Twitter](https://twitter.com/mspowahs)\n\n### Also on our agenda:\n\n- Uncovering Katel\u2019s past life as a skydiver\n- Reliving our [Vancouver live show](/podcast/s3-bonus/)\n- Recreating the Kate and Leo _Titanic_ bow scene on stage\n- Unlearning the habit of immediately gendering strangers\n- Celebrating the besties of yesterday, today, and tomorrow\n\n## Sponsors\n\nThis episode of NYG is brought to you by:\n\n[](https://www.shopify.com/careers)\n\n_[Shopify](https://www.shopify.com/careers), a leading global commerce platform that\u2019s building a world-class team to define the future of entrepreneurship. Visit [shopify.com/careers](https://www.shopify.com/careers)\xa0for more._\n\n[](https://www.getharvest.com/)_[Harvest](https://www.getharvest.com/), makers of\xa0awesome 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._\n\n[](https://www.awaytravel.com/shop?utm_source=nyg&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=nyg)