Bring Your Full Self to Tech | Heather Darring

DESCRIPTION

What if the part of you that does not fit the old picture of a technology leader is exactly what the room needs?

For Episode 4 of 2026 Indiana Women in Tech Week, Jason Padgett sits down with Heather Darring, Chief Information Officer at Kappa Alpha Theta Headquarters and president of the Indiana CIO Network. Heather's path did not begin with a traditional computer science plan. She studied oil painting, found her foundation in technology at Ball State, and started at the help desk before growing into executive leadership.

Heather explains why technology is broad enough for many kinds of talent, why teams improve when people bring different experiences to the problem, and why leaders must build rooms where nobody has to carry the weight of being the only woman or minority. Her message to women in tech is direct: be yourself. Bring your gifts, perspective and full self into the room.

Jason and Heather also discuss career changes, welcoming people from other industries, and a better way to think about imposter syndrome. Feeling off balance can mean you have reached a place where growth is possible. You can learn the next thing, ask for help and keep going.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to Episode 4

00:33 Heather's start at the help desk

01:43 From oil painting to technology

04:11 Why girls still need deliberate encouragement

06:44 Technology, ethics and human flourishing

10:06 The many ways natural talent fits into tech

12:31 Creating rooms where no one is the only one

15:01 Why nontraditional career paths make teams stronger

18:07 Bring your full self into the room

20:47 Turning imposter syndrome into an opportunity to grow

23:21 Closing message for Indiana Women in Tech Week

CONNECT WITH HEATHER DARRING

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-darring-100/

CONNECT WITH JASON PADGETT

Jason Padgett | AI Solutions Architect | Co-Founder, Wooden Boy Industries | Host, AGI Podcast | AI Adoption, LLM Systems & Human-AI Workflows

AGI - Advance Grow and Innovate with AI Podcast Network

🌐 https://schoolsout.agipodcast.ai/

CoFounder, Wooden Boy Industries

🌐 https://woodenboyindustriesai.com/

Chief Solutions Architect, Chakra AI Solutions

🌐 https://chakrasolutions.ai/

📧 jason@agipodcast.ai

#IndianaWomenInTechWeek #WomenInTech #TechLeadership