The AI Sisterhood Podcast brings you honest conversations with women building in artificial intelligence. Hosted by Arthi Rajendran, the show explores AI careers, founder journeys, real projects, and the human decisions behind technology.
Tejashwini Malge shares how a NEET drop year led her to change direction and begin engineering, where she earned a 9.5 CGPA in her first year. The conversation follows her as she balances learning, mentoring, and developing while thinking about AI beyond code. It also touches on the uncertainty of starting over, and how confidence can grow through an unexpected turn. Her love of conversation, poetry, and writing adds another layer to the episode, linking identity, creativity, and the search for a path that still feels open.
About the guest and conversation
Tejashwini Malge is an engineering student, mentor, developer, and writer. She is exploring where AI is taking us while balancing learning, sharing what she knows, and building.
A change in direction can become the start of a new academic path.
Learning, mentoring, and building can happen at the same time.
The episode looks at AI as more than just code.
Starting over can feel uncertain, but it can also build confidence.
Writing and conversation shape how she thinks about identity and career.
Esse Komlanvi joins a conversation about Nuse, a voice-first AI platform aimed at helping women entrepreneurs in emerging markets with bookkeeping, business insights, and financial education. The episode focuses on why speaking in a woman’s own language can matter for managing business finances, and on how listening to women entrepreneurs shapes useful AI. It also traces Esse’s path from Togo to studying mathematics and technology in Italy, then business analytics in Minnesota. Along the way, the discussion highlights barriers facing women founders, the role of community, and what “AI for good” should deliver for the people it is built to serve.
About the guest and conversation
Esse Komlanvi is the founder of Nuse, a voice-first AI platform supporting women entrepreneurs in emerging markets with bookkeeping, business insights, and financial education.
Voice-first tools are presented as a way to make business finance more accessible in a woman’s own language.
The episode centers financial education as an early priority, not an afterthought.
Listening to women entrepreneurs is described as shaping what the product should do.
Trust and local knowledge are framed as important ingredients in useful AI.
The conversation also looks at barriers for women founders and the need for community.
This episode centers on Christine Silva’s path from recovery to reinvention and how that journey shaped her work in wellness and AI. The conversation themes include turning a hiking accident and difficult healing process into the starting point for a new venture, creating a personal recovery method after traditional therapy did not work, and learning to use AI without a computer science background. It also highlights practical uses of AI for patent research and protecting ideas, while contrasting machine assistance with deeply human creative work. Another major thread is entrepreneurship later in life, along with advice for younger women about visibility, learning, and claiming space in an AI-driven workplace.
About the guest and conversation
Christine Silva is the founder of GenXFinity Media, a cinematic wellness company focused on how Generation X ages. Her work brings together recovery, resilience, human connection, and practical uses of AI.
A recovery journey can become the origin of a new venture.
Personal experimentation can lead to a recovery system that fits better than standard approaches.
Non-technical founders can still learn to work with LLMs.
AI can support patent research and help prepare for IP conversations.
Starting something new at 56 can require courage and resilience.
This episode follows Vanessa Mariveles, who describes a path from art school in San Francisco, DJing, and a decade in UX and product design to founding AI M0V1E, a streaming platform for AI generated vertical films and series. The conversation centers on how repeated layoffs and rejections pushed her to build her own platform instead of waiting for approval. It also touches on her self taught approach to coding and AI tools, her idea for an AI brand ambassador to reduce camera time, and her views on how AI is changing filmmaking without replacing real film. The episode also raises copyright questions around fully AI generated content and offers encouragement for aspiring filmmakers facing uncertainty about AI.
About the guest and conversation
Vanessa Mariveles is the founder and CEO of AI M0V1E, a streaming platform for AI-generated vertical films and series. Her background spans art school, filmmaking, DJing, and UX and product design.
She turned repeated rejection into a decision to build independently rather than wait for permission.
She says she taught herself coding and AI tools using online videos.
She is building an AI brand ambassador so she does not have to be on camera.
The episode argues that AI is changing filmmaking while real film still matters.
Copyright for fully AI generated content is presented as a key question creators should understand.
This episode centers on Rakshitha’s work as a solo founder and AI solutions architect building market validated green tech solutions. The conversation focuses on sustainability reporting for small businesses, the ESG landscape, and how green financing can connect to lower bank interest rates. It also covers the practical side of shipping a production ready AI CRM in four months, including the solo founder stack used to build it. A recurring theme is AI as a co founder, helping solo entrepreneurs balance time, bandwidth, and expertise. The episode also touches on the realities of being a “super solo” builder and the value of shipping over perfection.
About the guest and conversation
Rakshitha is a solo founder and AI solutions architect. She is building market validated Green Tech solutions and automating sustainability reporting for small businesses.
Green tech is framed as urgent work tied to sustainability and climate accountability.
ESG reporting is presented as a path for small businesses to access financing benefits.
A production ready AI CRM was built in four months with a solo founder stack.
AI can help solo entrepreneurs stretch time, bandwidth, and expertise.
Progress matters more than perfection when handling the “super solo” struggle.
This episode centers on Jena Zang’s work leading enterprise-wide data and AI strategy in higher education. The conversation focuses on how institutions build AI systems they can trust, with attention to governance, ethical AI, adoption, and practical implementation. It emphasizes that trust is a real bottleneck, and that universities need to move beyond isolated pilots toward mature, responsible AI strategy. The episode also follows Jena’s path from data leadership into a Chief Data & AI Officer role, highlighting a human-centered approach and the importance of purpose over hype in real institutional AI work.
About the guest and conversation
Jena Zang is the Chief Data & AI Officer at the University of St. Thomas. The episode frames her work around enterprise-wide data and AI strategy in higher education.
Trust is presented as the main barrier to AI adoption in institutions, more than model excitement or experimentation.
Higher education AI work is framed around governance, ethical AI, and systems that institutions can actually use.
The episode contrasts early AI experimentation with the need for a more mature, institution-wide strategy.
Responsible AI leadership matters when the stakes are real, especially inside a university setting.
A human-centered approach and purpose are positioned above hype in AI leadership.
Sowmya Podila joins the conversation as a Senior Applied AI Scientist focused on making complex AI ideas accessible. The episode centers on simplifying AI for broader audiences, especially explaining agents in a way that actually makes sense. It also follows her career pivots, including leaving AWS to prepare for UPSC, then returning to AI after ChatGPT launched. A major thread is rebuilding a Gen AI career while navigating new motherhood, including starting an AI content path nine months postpartum. The discussion also touches on a career regret she wishes she had addressed earlier and reflects on the persistence it takes to return to work that feels aligned.
About the guest and conversation
Sowmya Podila is a Senior Applied AI Scientist who has spent years making complex AI concepts accessible. The episode also frames her journey around rebuilding a career in Gen AI while navigating new motherhood.
Clear explanations matter because many people still do not understand AI agents.
Career pivots can lead back to the same field with a new perspective.
It is possible to begin a new AI content path after becoming a parent.
Reflecting on earlier career regrets can shape later decisions.
This episode centers on building AI products that work beyond the demo and feel useful in everyday life. Tanya Coller talks about designing with empathy, spotting workflow friction, and using AI to remove steps rather than add complexity. The conversation also touches on vibe coding, a real product workflow pivot, and why many AI products fail when they are built to impress instead of serve. Tanya’s path from public health research to AI work also highlights how non-technical backgrounds can still shape meaningful contributions in AI. The episode closes with reflections on community and finding support while building in the space.
About the guest and conversation
Tanya Coller is the founder of Ayla and an AI product strategist with a background in public health research. She focuses on understanding people and designing AI products that remove friction in real workflows.
AI products should be designed for real life, not just for demos.
Empathy and workflow awareness can reveal where AI removes friction.
A non-tech background can still become a strength in AI building.
Building quickly can be part of exploring ideas in AI.
Many AI products fail when they are not grounded in usefulness.
This episode centers on Deb Haas’s move from a long corporate HR career into building her own path after a layoff. The conversation, as described, focuses on how women in mid-career can use AI as a practical career tool, rebuild work on their own terms, and approach technology with confidence rather than intimidation. It also highlights the mindset shifts that come with entrepreneurship, including emotion management, energy-led choices, and learning to speak to AI more directly. Alongside her professional reinvention, the episode points to Deb’s broader background as an AI educator and her unusual path from opera singing to teaching women 40+ how to work with AI.
About the guest and conversation
Deb Haas is officially titled Head of Human-AI Shenanigans and says her mission is to teach women 40+ to make AI their most powerful career tool. The description also notes her background in corporate HR and that she trained professionals across three continents.
The episode frames AI as a practical language tool rather than a purely technical one.
Deb’s layoff became a turning point that led to building a new career path.
A community can grow out of shared career disruption and reinvention.
The conversation emphasizes mindset, not just tools, money, or tactics.
The episode connects midlife experience with confidence in AI use.
Arthi is an AI educator, mentor, and founder of The Arthi AI Collective. She brings a builder's curiosity to conversations about technology, careers, and the people behind AI.
For women exploring AI, aspiring builders, career changers, and anyone who wants to learn from the people shaping technology.
Are you a woman building, researching, teaching, or finding your path in AI? Share your experience, the messy middle, and what you have learned with our listeners.
Choose a recording slot on Calendly. Preparation details follow after booking.
The AI Sisterhood Podcast brings you honest conversations with women building in artificial intelligence. Hosted by Arthi Rajendran, the show explores AI careers, founder journeys, real projects, and the human decisions behind technology.
Where can I watch and subscribe?
Watch the full video episodes for free on The Arthi AI Collective YouTube channel. Subscribe on YouTube and turn on notifications to hear about new conversations.
Who hosts the podcast?
Arthi Rajendran, AI educator, mentor, and founder of The Arthi AI Collective, hosts the podcast.
How can I appear as a guest?
Use the guest booking link on this page to choose a recording slot with Arthi on Calendly. Recording and preparation details are shared after booking.
Is the podcast on Spotify?
The podcast currently lives on YouTube. This page will link to additional listening platforms if they become available.