“Digital transformation” sounds exciting until you’re standing in front of a 30-year-old panel with missing drawings and a line that cannot go down. Nikki sits down with Carrie Brown and Krista Beyhaut from Wesco to get real about what modernization actually looks like across manufacturing, especially for plants that are stuck spending their entire budget on downtime instead of upgrades.

We talk career journeys that don’t follow a straight line and why that’s normal in industrial automation. Carrie shares how a mechanical engineering background and years in telecom and analytics led her into distribution sales, while Krista breaks down how early sales leadership training and deep plant exposure shaped her approach to automation strategy. Along the way, we dig into what it’s like to find community as women in automation when you care more about how things work than fitting a mold.

From there, we zoom into the plant floor: varying stages of modernization, the hidden cost of “black box” legacy systems, and the uncomfortable truth that AI in manufacturing can’t deliver much if you can’t reliably access PLC data. Carrie and Krista explain why an assessment or modernization health check is often the best first step, how Wesco brings the right specialists into the room, and how vetted partners like AI integrators can turn the right data into real ROI with predictive models. We also hit labor shortages, cobots, AGVs, Spot, and the rising curiosity around humanoid robots and AI copilots.

If you enjoy grounded automation talk with practical takeaways, subscribe, share this with a friend in manufacturing, and leave a review so more people can find Automation Ladies.

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________

🎙 About Automation Ladies

Automation Ladies is an industrial automation podcast spotlighting the engineers, integrators, innovators, and leaders shaping the future of manufacturing.

__________________________________________________________________

🎤 Want to be a guest on the show?
https://www.automationladies.io/guests/intake/

__________________________________________________________________

👩‍🏭 Connect with the Hosts

Nikki Gonzales: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-gonzales

Courtney Fernandez: https://linkedin.com/in/courtneydfernandez

Ali G: https://linkedin.com/in/alicia-gilpin-ali-g-process-controls-engineering

__________________________________________________________________

🎟 The Automation Ladies Community Conference: https://otscada.com

Learn more about the hosts’ industrial automation conference OT SCADA CON attended by 100+ automation professionals, engineers, integrators, and technology leaders for hands-on learning, real-world case studies, and meaningful industry connections.

🎬 Credits

Produced by: Veronica Espinoza
Music by: Sam Janes

P.S. - Help our podcast grow with a 5-star podcast review if you love us!

Getting laid off can either shrink your world or force it open. When we sit down with Yogashri Pradhan, she walks us through how she’s navigated the reality of a cyclical oil and gas industry and why she chose entrepreneurship anyway, building Iron Lady Energy Advisors and taking on fractional leadership roles that keep her close to real operational problems and real outcomes.

We talk about what it actually means to “choose your hard” and how discipline, grief, and career reinvention can exist in the same season of life. Yogashri shares how she thinks about staying marketable, why internships and hands-on experience matter so much in engineering, and how continuous learning becomes a professional safety net. Along the way we connect the dots between industrial automation, field operations, and knowledge management, including how teams can capture hard-won field context so it doesn’t disappear during shift handovers or retirements.

Then we nerd out in the best way: Yogashri’s Petro Papers podcast and her mission to demystify technical papers by interviewing the authors and elevating technical voices. We also touch on applied AI realities, the growing energy demand tied to modern computing, and her upcoming quantum computing symposium at Rice University, plus her book Fueling Impact on building a brand and credibility in oil and gas.

If you’re looking for practical career development advice, mentorship insights, and a clear view of how technical curiosity can turn into leverage, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave us a review with the biggest “choose your hard” moment you’ve faced.

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________

🎙 About Automation Ladies

Automation Ladies is an industrial automation podcast spotlighting the engineers, integrators, innovators, and leaders shaping the future of manufacturing.

__________________________________________________________________

🎤 Want to be a guest on the show?
https://www.automationladies.io/guests/intake/

__________________________________________________________________

👩‍🏭 Connect with the Hosts

Nikki Gonzales: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-gonzales

Courtney Fernandez: https://linkedin.com/in/courtneydfernandez

Ali G: https://linkedin.com/in/alicia-gilpin-ali-g-process-controls-engineering

__________________________________________________________________

🎟 The Automation Ladies Community Conference: https://otscada.com

Learn more about the hosts’ industrial automation conference OT SCADA CON attended by 100+ automation professionals, engineers, integrators, and technology leaders for hands-on learning, real-world case studies, and meaningful industry connections.

🎬 Credits

Produced by: Veronica Espinoza
Music by: Sam Janes

P.S. - Help our podcast grow with a 5-star podcast review if you love us!

In this episode of Automation Ladies, we step away from the technology and talk about something just as important: the people behind it.

From nonlinear career paths to the pressure of “doing everything right,” this conversation dives into what work really looks like in today’s world, especially in industrial automation and manufacturing.

Our guest shares her journey from engineering to technical writing and media, proving that careers don’t have to follow a straight line to be meaningful. Along the way, we explore how skills evolve, why curiosity matters more than rigid plans, and how combining different strengths can open unexpected doors.

We also get into the realities we don’t talk about enough at work:
– Managing stress while staying professional
– Balancing personal life with career demands
– Navigating uncertainty in a rapidly changing industry
– Learning to lead, grow, and stay human in the process

This episode is a reminder that behind every job title is a real person, figuring things out, adapting, and trying to make an impact.

If you’ve ever questioned your path, felt stuck, or wondered what’s next in your career, this conversation is for you.

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________

🎙 About Automation Ladies

Automation Ladies is an industrial automation podcast spotlighting the engineers, integrators, innovators, and leaders shaping the future of manufacturing.

__________________________________________________________________

🎤 Want to be a guest on the show?
https://www.automationladies.io/guests/intake/

__________________________________________________________________

👩‍🏭 Connect with the Hosts

Nikki Gonzales: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-gonzales

Courtney Fernandez: https://linkedin.com/in/courtneydfernandez

Ali G: https://linkedin.com/in/alicia-gilpin-ali-g-process-controls-engineering

__________________________________________________________________

🎟 The Automation Ladies Community Conference: https://otscada.com

Learn more about the hosts’ industrial automation conference OT SCADA CON attended by 100+ automation professionals, engineers, integrators, and technology leaders for hands-on learning, real-world case studies, and meaningful industry connections.

🎬 Credits

Produced by: Veronica Espinoza
Music by: Sam Janes

P.S. - Help our podcast grow with a 5-star podcast review if you love us!