How I Taught Millions Of Women The Most Important Skill: Girls Who Code Founder: Reshma Saujani

In this episode, Reshma Saujani discusses her journey from being a child of immigrant parents to founding Girls Who Code, one of the world's most influential non-profits. Growing up as an immigrant instilled in her a sense of responsibility and drive to create opportunities for others who felt excluded from mainstream success paths. She describes her early career in law and politics, including her run for Congress, before pivoting to focus on the gender gap in technology. The decision to start Girls Who Code emerged from recognizing that millions of women were being left out of the fastest-growing industry in the world. Reshma shares the substantial challenges of building the organization from scratch, including fundraising difficulties, scaling operations, and maintaining mission focus while growing exponentially. She reflects on what she would do differently, emphasizing the importance of seeking mentorship earlier and building stronger support systems. A central theme throughout the conversation is her philosophy of fixing the system rather than fixing women. Rather than encouraging women to change themselves to fit into broken corporate structures, Reshma advocates for systemic reform that addresses root causes of inequality. She discusses her own mental health struggles while running a high-pressure organization and the importance of acknowledging that even founders need support and vulnerability. The conversation explores her decision-making framework for what opportunities to pursue and what to decline, emphasizing that clarity about personal values and long-term vision is essential. Reshma discusses practical approaches to empowering women economically, including equal pay advocacy and her book Pay Up, which addresses compensation equity in the workplace. Looking toward the future, she envisions continued expansion of Girls Who Code's impact while also advocating for broader systemic changes in how women are valued and compensated in the tech industry and beyond. Throughout the episode, Reshma's passion for creating lasting change and her commitment to lifting up millions of women comes through clearly in her thoughtful reflections on both personal and organizational challenges.