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#### 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\u2019s important, and how she keeps her cool even in the face of jerks.\n\nLaura is a designer and the cofounder of [Ind.ie](https://ind.ie/), a not-for-profit that works on protecting people\u2019s rights in the digital age\u2014and the author of [_Accessibility for Everyone_](https://abookapart.com/products/accessibility-for-everyone). She works tirelessly to champion web accessibility\u2014that is, making websites and apps usable for as many people as possible, including those with disability\u2014and believes the best online experiences are ethical and inclusive.\n\nWhen 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.\n\n> I don\u2019t care about impressing little men. That\u2019s 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\u2019t bothered about that, then I\u2019m not bothered about them, quite honestly. \n> \u2014 **Laura Kalbag** , cofounder of [Ind.ie](https://ind.ie/) and author of [_Accessibility for Everyone_](https://abookapart.com/products/accessibility-for-everyone)\n\nWe talk about:\n\n- Cofounding Ind.ie, which focuses on building technology to protect people\u2019s privacy and rights online.\n- What it\u2019s like to run a company with your partner when you have wildly differing work schedules, and why respect and trust are key.\n- The [Ethical Design Manifesto](https://2017.ind.ie/ethical-design/): a guide Laura created to help folks make more sustainable design choices.\n- How she navigated the book-writing and publishing process\u2014from self-doubt to self-promotion.\n- What it\u2019s like to be on the receiving end of some of the [worst mansplaining we\u2019ve _ever_ seen](https://mashable.com/2017/08/19/jk-rowling-write-a-text-not-book/#S42hwQ_EoaqN)\u2014and how to keep on being awesome, anyway.\n\n**Follow Laura** : [Twitter](https://twitter.com/laurakalbag) | [Ind.ie](https://ind.ie/)\n\nPlus: Sara and Katel share their adventures from [Werk It](https://www.werkitfestival.com/), a women\u2019s podcast festival, where they learned tons and got to spend two days surrounded by amazing women and non-binary folks in excellent outfits.\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/)