12min read
Two posts in one week(!) – one must think something special is happening this month. But, here at she will viz, my aim is to celebrate women all year round. In this mini spotlight, let’s shine the light on seven incredible women in the data viz community.
Natalia Kiseleva
Is there a quote or saying that you live by?
History will judge us.
What does a day in your life look like?
I get up early, I want to sleep, I wake up a 2-year-old baby, dress her in kindergarten and escort her or hand her to my husband to see her off. I have breakfast, give a lecture online for the university on data visualization and BI, then I work – I write a dataviz article, I help in organizing a dataviz conference or other work matters. Then I do personal data art projects, handmade and vector, post posts to my dataviz and data art blogs, write materials to a group of data art practitioners with assignments and useful information, prepare for the next lecture, upload all materials, come up with interactive for students, I read, draw, if I have time, walk or meet with a friend, pick up a child from kindergarten, play with her, then rest for a couple of hours – I do my own data art projects, draw or walk – then play online D&D with friends, put the child to bed, pass out!
What are you most proud of about yourself?
I am very proud to have found something that is so interesting to me (dataviz and data art) that I do it both for work and for hobby, and I also like to teach! My days are busy, and although I don’t have much rest, and I’m always sleepy, I’m glad that my professional activity is so interesting! And I’m raising a beautiful baby girl who is just adorable and very smart!
What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?
I hope it’s still ahead. I am interested in very different areas, but it is difficult for me to say that there are great achievements there. I have done several interesting projects, raised my daughter to almost 3 years old, held several interesting lectures, run quite popular blogs, communicate with interesting people, conduct broadcasts on data art. I’m probably especially proud of the latter, because this kind of thing has always been especially difficult for me.
How do you recharge your battery?
I walk, read paper books, just lie down and sleep (which doesn’t come out often, but I really like it), meet with friends and chat with them about everything, I want to chat with them more often!
What does Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day mean to you?
I am always very worried about various injustices in the world, about inequality and about the harassment of different people because of some of their qualities. I am incredibly proud of how much the women of the past have achieved, what we can use now – to vote, to work, to earn, to give birth or not to give birth, to create, to be free, to travel!.. And yet, this is a reminder every time – that the problem has not been solved, there are still difficulties, not everyone is still free, not everyone is still evaluated fairly. And you need to always remember this.
Do you have anything you would like to promote?
Natalia’s website
Desireé Abbott
Is there a quote or saying that you live by?
Work to live, don’t live to work.
What does a day in your life look like?
I’m a freelance data viz consultant so it varies very widely! I’m currently in between clients, but when I’m on a project, I get up by 7, tend to the pets (dog and two cats), work out, and then start the work day by about 9am. I’m usually all-in on work stuff until about 5:30pm, when I normally have an early dinner and indulge in something fun (D&D with my husband and friends, pottery class, binge watching something, etc) for a few hours before wrapping up the day.
What are you most proud of about yourself?
I’m really proud of my weird career path. In a nutshell (maybe a coconut rather than a peanut): I started college as a photography major, dabbled with a business major for a couple quarters, got an associate’s degree in office management, tried (and failed) to sell real estate for about a year, went back to school for a bachelor’s in physics, went to grad school intending to get a PhD in physics, left with a master’s instead because grad school is awful, got work as a product analyst, transitioned to focus on data viz development and later design, and then made the leap into consulting, shortly followed by getting laid off from a big firm and finally becoming a freelancer.
What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?
Though I am pretty sure nearly no one will read it, I’d say that my greatest accomplishment is writing a data viz book, due to be published sometime in Spring 2024.
How do you recharge your battery?
I love listening to audiobooks (cozy fantasy is my latest obsession – Legends & Lattes, The House Witch, A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, etc) and crocheting.
What does Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day mean to you?
I am proud to be a strong, capable, and independent woman, and I’m eternally grateful for all those who’ve gone before who made that possible.
Do you have anything you would like to promote?
My company website and my impending book titled Everyday Data Visualization, published by Manning.
Do you have any contact links that you want to share?
I don’t typically connect with people I don’t know on LinkedIn but you can follow me there and/or on Twitter.
Nicole Edmonds
Is there a quote or saying that you live by?
There isn’t really – There’s lots of great quotes of course, but I sort of live my life organically, and I can’t think of a quote that hits quite right.
What does a day in your life look like?
It really depends on the day, but I start my days early. I’m a weirdo in this respect, as I’m not a morning person, but I like having a good 3 hours of focus time before meetings and people-ing. Workdays I’m usually working on client work, building dashboards, etc, meetings. I’ll then go for a run midday, work some more, and theoretically end my day before 4pm. Evenings are either watching my stories, making music, or reading. Some evenings I may hit a gig, or meet up with friends. Pretty standard stuff. Weekends I try and hit up galleries, art stuff, and again, gigs if there’s anything good going on in London. (Who am I kidding, there is always something on in this city).
What are you most proud of about yourself?
That I’ve managed to make it this far in my career, that I’ve managed to adult (to a certain extent), considering my less than linear way of getting there.
What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?
I don’t know if this is my greatest, because that implies “ok, no more accomplishments for you”, but so far I’m pretty proud of getting my Master’s Degree in art history with Merit (UK system), whilst working full time, managing a daughter, in the middle of the pandemic.
How do you recharge your battery?
Making music, and running.
What does Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day mean to you?
This is a difficult question, especially in light of the genocide we see unfolding before our eyes around the world, whilst the erosion of women’s rights continues at pace; I find it difficult to take a celebratory stance. Everything that corporations etc do during this month has a similar feel to greenwashing to me. Why just a day? or a month to acknowledge our humanity, which should be implicit? I hope that the fight for women’s rights isn’t something that occurs on a single day in the year.
Do you have anything you would like to promote?
Just that I’m so grateful for all the Women in Dataviz – this is an incredible group of women.
Do you have any contact links that you want to share?
Happy to share my LinkedIn.
Sarah Pallett
Is there a quote or saying that you live by?
Trust Your Practice.
What does a day in your life look like?
Mom job – day job – mom job, with a healthy mix of sunshine, exercise, cooking & reading.
What are you most proud of about yourself?
Establishing a new career after several years as a stay-at-home parent.
What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?
Raising two kids — now in their teenage years!
How do you recharge your battery?
Sleep
What does Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day mean to you?
We are stronger together.
Do you have anything you would like to promote?
Tableau Public
Do you have any contact links that you want to share?
LinkedIn
Kate Brown
Is there a quote or saying that you live by?
Be yourself, everyone else is taken.
What does a day in your life look like?
My workdays are filled with data, it could be anything from analysis, to developing & updating ETL packages, to dashboard & report building, to meeting with my business partners. My non-workdays are spending time with my family, friends, dog, and at the golf course.
What are you most proud of about yourself?
That I stopped trying to fit into the mould of what people expected me to be and started being myself.
What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?
My greatest accomplishment is trying my best to be a good human.
How do you recharge your battery?
Walking, restorative yoga, travel, time with family and friends, and playing with my dog.
What does Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day mean to you?
I have mixed feelings about Women’s History Month. It is fantastic that we uncover, share, and celebrate the numerous contributions women have made to society during Women’s History month.
But we’re still not represented in corporate executive leadership, female athletes make a fraction of what their male counterparts make, and it feels like we have to constantly fight to maintain the advances we’ve made.
Do you have anything you would like to promote?
Tableau Public
Do you have any contact links that you want to share?
LinkedIn
Michelle Frayman
Is there a quote or saying that you live by?
No artificial shortages! Also don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
What does a day in your life look like?
Get up before dawn to exercise, hopefully swimming and taking a walk with my husband, get started on work early and check in with the boys before they head off to school, put in a day of work barely leaving my chair :(, cook dinner for the family. We eat together almost every night though the kids schedules occasionally make that more challenging. After dinner we usually watch TV with whichever boy is home and done with their homework. Early to bed so I can get up early the next day.
What are you most proud of about yourself?
My ability to balance a successful career, happy partnership with my wonderful husband and raising two amazing teenage boys.
What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?
Sometimes it is the little things that all add up. I love all the wonderful people that I have connected with along my journey. I am proud of my accomplishments but more proud of the genuine connections I have made with people who have enriched my life.
How do you recharge your battery?
Exercise and interacting with friends. In the best world I get to do both at the same time.
What does Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day mean to you?
An opportunity to highlight amazing women who shouldn’t need a special day or month to be recognized.
Do you have anything you would like to promote?
Tableau Public
Do you have any contact links that you want to share?
@maf2k (Twitter, BlueSky) , LinkedIn
Christina Gorga
Is there a quote or saying that you live by?
“What some folks call impossible, is just stuff they haven’t seen before.” – What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson
What does a day in your life look like?
Organized chaos. I don’t like living my life flying by the seat of my pants because it sets my generalized anxiety into overdrive but I do love some schedule and expectations in my day. I’m usually up by 7 am most days getting my girls ready and trading mornings with my husband to bottle feed my little one, Athena. On a good morning, the girls are out the door with Tony or me to daycare and preschool by 8 AM. I usually open my laptop around 8:15 and launch into my day. I try to use some of the existing Outlook calendar features to build in focus blocks to my day, otherwise it gets taken over by others. I noticed that I am happier if I have purposeful breaks during my day to walk my dog and get some Vitamin D. I often do a 15 minute tea break mid-afternoon as a sugar and energy boost before I finish out the day.
If I had my way, I would definitely not be an early riser but I need to pack a lot into my online hours in order to spend time with my family. I somewhat dread the 5 pm – 8 pm pickup-dinner-bedtime routine as it is often the most rushed and stressful part of my day, especially juggling two under 5s. However I love reading to my oldest daughter Emma and wouldn’t trade that for anything. Athena is in bed from 7 pm to 7 am so I don’t get nearly as much time with her now during the workdays which is tough. I try to catch up on reading books at night, laundry, and hanging out with my husband watching our Detroit Red Wings hockey team or listening to vinyl.
What are you most proud of about yourself?
I got through a lot of bullying when I was younger, a lot of it related to looking different than other kids because of some congenital quirks I was born with and had to have a lot of surgeries under the age of 3. I think being able to get through those tough periods of loneliness and feeling like I didn’t fit in, really sticks out to me. I have a lot of natural grit and toughness underneath my happy-go-lucky personality. A lot of my adult friends wouldn’t know that at first glance, but getting through those periods of my childhood and being able to be comfortable with myself I am most proud of.
What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?
Giving life to two wonderful girls, being with a husband in a marriage of equal partnership and respect, as well as being able to live my life generously with others.
How do you recharge your battery?
Spending time with friends in person, even after months apart like time didn’t pass we pick up where we last dropped our conversations. I also love to take advantage of living in Virginia where we have lots of cute historic areas to wander around and explore. I live near a town called Leesburg that has many original 18th century buildings that’s fun to go grab a coffee, get some books over at a local shop, window shop for vintage clothes, and just generally laze about.
Another way I like to feel more like myself is doing community volunteering through the Junior League of Washington, a women’s community organization. I’ve been an active member there for 7 years and counting. I do a lot of historic preservation and tour support at our Alexandria, Virginia historic properties, including George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Museum. I’ve done everything from hand out wine glasses for their biannual wine festivals to doing historic interpretation where I get to wear 1790s accurate clothing. It’s like getting to play dress up for history nerds!
What does Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day mean to you?
It means that our work is not done yet to secure women’s rights and equality in society. Having a month or day once a year to make it part of the public conversation is important, but it is only a small step in the direction to make sure our voices and bodies are protected.
Do you have anything you would like to promote?
Yes, if you’re new to the community and you’re a working parent, please reach out to the #MomsWhoViz group. It’s a smaller group that makes it easier to get to know others in a no pressure zone on Slack. Reach out to me or Kimly if you are interested.
Do you have any contact links that you want to share?
You can reach out to me on both Bluesky and X/Twitter at @StyleSTEAMed.
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Kimly
she will viz 