June 5, 2025 • 9 mins
In this episode, host Rachel Foster concludes the second season of the Imperfect Genius podcast, discussing the significance of innovation and iteration. Rachel shares her summer plans to reimagine the podcast and community, urging listeners to embrace their unique journeys and the process of refining their ideas.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:06):
Welcome to Imperfect Genius, the podcast that provides technical advice on effectivelynavigating the business development journey and offers advice on building successful
careers in the tech industry.
I'm your host, Rachel Foster, a tech professional, educator, and entrepreneur.
Hey, everybody.
So we have reached the end of season two.
You may remember back in February when I first announced that we were doing seasons, Isaid that I was going to do episodes through the end of May and then I would take a break
(00:33):
for the summer and come back.
in the fall with season three.
And so we have reached that point in time where we're gonna take a break for the summer.
um Our community theme for June is innovating and iterating.
And that's exactly what I'm gonna be doing.
I'm gonna use this time as a moment of reflection, but also as a moment of vision.
(00:54):
Over the next couple of months, I'm gonna be re-imagining both the podcast and our onlinecommunity.
So, know.
Before I depart for the summer, I just want to leave a couple words of wisdom aboutinnovation and iteration, as well as just talk about what I'm going to be working on over
the summer.
(01:16):
So the power of innovation.
We embrace imperfection here at Imperfect Genius.
And innovation doesn't come from having the perfect idea perfectly executed.
We celebrate the mess and the trials and the not quite there yet.
That's where our genius lives in the act of trying again and of reworking, of showing upwith new ideas.
(01:37):
Even if we still haven't figured things out, that is what we're all about here atImperfect Genius.
And so that's what I'm embracing for the summer.
Again, iterating and innovating with regard to the podcast and the community.
So, know,
How does this resonate?
How might this resonate with you?
Whether you're building a business, navigating tech spaces as a woman or juggling both,you're innovating.
(02:02):
And you know what?
Iteration is your secret weapon.
Your ability to revise and restart and refine is what makes your journey powerful.
And I think it's also important to be reminded of why you're on the journey and what youwant to achieve because the journey is long and it can be exhausting.
And there are times when you're just like, I don't even know what I'm doing, why I'm doingit.
(02:27):
Maybe I should just do something else.
And you know, that might be a valid question.
Whether or you should be doing something else is a valid question, but you know, I thinkit's helpful to be reminded of why you're on the journey that you're on.
At the time of this recording, I just celebrated a birthday over the weekend and spentsome time with friends and family talking to, you know, talking to friends and family.
(02:48):
had multiple conversations.
And in several of those conversations, I was reminded of what my goals are within PerfectGenius.
And it was perfect timing.
I knew I was getting ready to take this break for the summer, break from the podcast, notbreak from the business, but I knew I was taking the break from the podcast for the summer
and that I wanted to sort of reimagine the podcast.
(03:11):
So I was like, ah, do I want to keep going?
And it was a good reminder of, wait, no, I remember why I'm doing this.
I remember what I want to do.
So with regard to the podcast, like I said, I'm over this hiatus.
There's not going to be new episodes over the summer, but I'm going to be working on itbehind the scenes to reimagine it.
(03:31):
I'm not really sure what that future is going to look like just yet.
I've mentioned before that I want to see a better integration between the podcast and thecommunity activities.
So basically what you hear
can be turned into what you do.
So you hear it on the podcast and you do it in the community and you share in thecommunity.
So I just really want more synergy between the podcast and the community.
(03:52):
And I'm, know, at the time that I'm recording this, I don't know what that looks like.
So I can't say what that's going to be.
I'm just something I'm going to spend some time thinking about and figuring out how tomake that work.
Another thing that I've mentioned before with regard to the podcast is I always intendedthis to be a conversation.
I don't like talking at people.
I like talking with people.
I like having a conversation.
(04:13):
like the back and forth.
I like having my mind changed.
um So I'm really interested in having listeners share their voices and their stories andtheir take on different things.
So I'm trying to figure out ways to make that easier to make it easier for people to sharetheir stories, whether that's maybe that's instead of calling in, maybe it's a webpage
(04:36):
where you can record a voice note or something like that.
um Maybe it's some things that I can do on social media to encourage people to share theirstories and things like that.
So I'm still trying to figure out that aspect of it.
I definitely want there to be a back and forth.
I want there to be a conversation.
I want there to be like Q and A.
I love answering questions.
I'm going know it all.
(04:58):
So I'm still trying to figure that part of it out.
And also, you know, I love having guests.
I've got some great guests lined up for the fall.
But I feel like I'm gonna do less guest episodes, maybe do more of like a mini seriesformat.
I love the short episodes where I do, where I give you a challenge or a task or somethingto work on ah with regard to your career goals or your business goals or whatnot.
(05:23):
So I'm just sort of thinking about what that format might look like so that I'm notoverwhelming your feed with a bunch of noise, but not that any of it is noise.
I'm just saying.
I like those small digestible episodes.
And so I'm thinking of uh better ways to do that.
you know, hey, so if you've got ideas, questions or feedback, now's the time to chime in.
(05:45):
So I will give you the number again, you know, so you can call or text us at 404-425-9862,uh or you can um send us a message on social media at Ask Imperfect Genius.
You can DM me over there.
So that's what's going on with regard to the podcast.
For the community,
Again, I've mentioned on the podcast previously that I am completely revamping thecommunity.
(06:09):
Well, not completely revamping.
I'm going to revamp some spaces and redesign and consolidate and do some other things.
Because I mentioned that the platform that we're on has released some new features that Ireally want to take advantage of.
So um I'm looking to streamline some things.
I'm going to add some recognition features because I really want to celebrate not onlyoutcomes, we love to celebrate outcomes in the community.
(06:32):
But I want to celebrate engagement and I want to encourage engagement with things likestreaks and badges and rewards systems and things like that.
So I want to incorporate some of that into the community.
And there's some new self-service tools that the platform has released that's going tohelp for people to be able to manage their memberships and their preferences and things
(06:53):
like that.
And then the other thing that I want to do in the community is I recognize that umeverybody's really busy.
They've got
jobs and businesses and things that they're doing.
And then we also have people in different time zones.
And so not everyone can show up to a live stream.
And so doing things synchronously is not worked out uh in the past in the community.
(07:13):
So I want to work on doing more asynchronous prompts and challenges so that we're stillmoving forward.
We're still sharing.
We're still uh encouraging one another, but doing it in a way that we can, uh that peoplecan do it in their own time because everybody's working at different times.
so expecting everybody to show up for
say a live stream or something like that is not necessarily gonna work.
(07:34):
So these are some of the things that I am playing around with in terms of just sort ofinnovating and iterating for the Imperfect Genius community and podcasts.
And then I wanna give you a challenge.
As we close out this season, I'm gonna leave you with this.
You don't always have to have it figured out.
(07:54):
You don't have to have a perfect plan.
I mentioned earlier,
It's not about perfection, it's about iterating.
ah So you just need the courage to keep refining.
You just need the courage to keep going.
And like I mentioned before, you need to be reminded of why you're doing it.
ah So, know, innovation starts with an idea, but greatness comes from iteration.
(08:19):
So whether you're building, you know, whatever you're building this summer, whether it's anew product or a career pivot or a rebrand,
or even a vacation or just, you rest.
Just know that your process is valid and your pace is perfect.
And who knows, your next version may be just the best one yet.
So I want to thank you for being part of this season, this community and this movement.
(08:41):
And until next time, this is Rachel Foss to remind you, while your journey may not beflawless, it can be phenomenal.
Welcome to Imperfect Genius, the podcast that provides technical advice on effectivelynavigating the business development journey and offers advice on building successful
careers in the tech industry.
I'm your host, Rachel Foster, a tech professional, educator, and entrepreneur.
Hey, everybody.
So we have reached the end of season two.
You may remember back in February when I first announced that we were doing seasons, Isaid that I was going to do episodes through the end of May and then I would take a break
(00:33):
for the summer and come back.
in the fall with season three.
And so we have reached that point in time where we're gonna take a break for the summer.
um Our community theme for June is innovating and iterating.
And that's exactly what I'm gonna be doing.
I'm gonna use this time as a moment of reflection, but also as a moment of vision.
(00:54):
Over the next couple of months, I'm gonna be re-imagining both the podcast and our onlinecommunity.
So, know.
Before I depart for the summer, I just want to leave a couple words of wisdom aboutinnovation and iteration, as well as just talk about what I'm going to be working on over
the summer.
(01:16):
So the power of innovation.
We embrace imperfection here at Imperfect Genius.
And innovation doesn't come from having the perfect idea perfectly executed.
We celebrate the mess and the trials and the not quite there yet.
That's where our genius lives in the act of trying again and of reworking, of showing upwith new ideas.
(01:37):
Even if we still haven't figured things out, that is what we're all about here atImperfect Genius.
And so that's what I'm embracing for the summer.
Again, iterating and innovating with regard to the podcast and the community.
So, know,
How does this resonate?
How might this resonate with you?
Whether you're building a business, navigating tech spaces as a woman or juggling both,you're innovating.
(02:02):
And you know what?
Iteration is your secret weapon.
Your ability to revise and restart and refine is what makes your journey powerful.
And I think it's also important to be reminded of why you're on the journey and what youwant to achieve because the journey is long and it can be exhausting.
And there are times when you're just like, I don't even know what I'm doing, why I'm doingit.
(02:27):
Maybe I should just do something else.
And you know, that might be a valid question.
Whether or you should be doing something else is a valid question, but you know, I thinkit's helpful to be reminded of why you're on the journey that you're on.
At the time of this recording, I just celebrated a birthday over the weekend and spentsome time with friends and family talking to, you know, talking to friends and family.
(02:48):
had multiple conversations.
And in several of those conversations, I was reminded of what my goals are within PerfectGenius.
And it was perfect timing.
I knew I was getting ready to take this break for the summer, break from the podcast, notbreak from the business, but I knew I was taking the break from the podcast for the summer
and that I wanted to sort of reimagine the podcast.
(03:11):
So I was like, ah, do I want to keep going?
And it was a good reminder of, wait, no, I remember why I'm doing this.
I remember what I want to do.
So with regard to the podcast, like I said, I'm over this hiatus.
There's not going to be new episodes over the summer, but I'm going to be working on itbehind the scenes to reimagine it.
(03:31):
I'm not really sure what that future is going to look like just yet.
I've mentioned before that I want to see a better integration between the podcast and thecommunity activities.
So basically what you hear
can be turned into what you do.
So you hear it on the podcast and you do it in the community and you share in thecommunity.
So I just really want more synergy between the podcast and the community.
(03:52):
And I'm, know, at the time that I'm recording this, I don't know what that looks like.
So I can't say what that's going to be.
I'm just something I'm going to spend some time thinking about and figuring out how tomake that work.
Another thing that I've mentioned before with regard to the podcast is I always intendedthis to be a conversation.
I don't like talking at people.
I like talking with people.
I like having a conversation.
(04:13):
like the back and forth.
I like having my mind changed.
um So I'm really interested in having listeners share their voices and their stories andtheir take on different things.
So I'm trying to figure out ways to make that easier to make it easier for people to sharetheir stories, whether that's maybe that's instead of calling in, maybe it's a webpage
(04:36):
where you can record a voice note or something like that.
um Maybe it's some things that I can do on social media to encourage people to share theirstories and things like that.
So I'm still trying to figure out that aspect of it.
I definitely want there to be a back and forth.
I want there to be a conversation.
I want there to be like Q and A.
I love answering questions.
I'm going know it all.
(04:58):
So I'm still trying to figure that part of it out.
And also, you know, I love having guests.
I've got some great guests lined up for the fall.
But I feel like I'm gonna do less guest episodes, maybe do more of like a mini seriesformat.
I love the short episodes where I do, where I give you a challenge or a task or somethingto work on ah with regard to your career goals or your business goals or whatnot.
(05:23):
So I'm just sort of thinking about what that format might look like so that I'm notoverwhelming your feed with a bunch of noise, but not that any of it is noise.
I'm just saying.
I like those small digestible episodes.
And so I'm thinking of uh better ways to do that.
you know, hey, so if you've got ideas, questions or feedback, now's the time to chime in.
(05:45):
So I will give you the number again, you know, so you can call or text us at 404-425-9862,uh or you can um send us a message on social media at Ask Imperfect Genius.
You can DM me over there.
So that's what's going on with regard to the podcast.
For the community,
Again, I've mentioned on the podcast previously that I am completely revamping thecommunity.
(06:09):
Well, not completely revamping.
I'm going to revamp some spaces and redesign and consolidate and do some other things.
Because I mentioned that the platform that we're on has released some new features that Ireally want to take advantage of.
So um I'm looking to streamline some things.
I'm going to add some recognition features because I really want to celebrate not onlyoutcomes, we love to celebrate outcomes in the community.
(06:32):
But I want to celebrate engagement and I want to encourage engagement with things likestreaks and badges and rewards systems and things like that.
So I want to incorporate some of that into the community.
And there's some new self-service tools that the platform has released that's going tohelp for people to be able to manage their memberships and their preferences and things
(06:53):
like that.
And then the other thing that I want to do in the community is I recognize that umeverybody's really busy.
They've got
jobs and businesses and things that they're doing.
And then we also have people in different time zones.
And so not everyone can show up to a live stream.
And so doing things synchronously is not worked out uh in the past in the community.
(07:13):
So I want to work on doing more asynchronous prompts and challenges so that we're stillmoving forward.
We're still sharing.
We're still uh encouraging one another, but doing it in a way that we can, uh that peoplecan do it in their own time because everybody's working at different times.
so expecting everybody to show up for
say a live stream or something like that is not necessarily gonna work.
(07:34):
So these are some of the things that I am playing around with in terms of just sort ofinnovating and iterating for the Imperfect Genius community and podcasts.
And then I wanna give you a challenge.
As we close out this season, I'm gonna leave you with this.
You don't always have to have it figured out.
(07:54):
You don't have to have a perfect plan.
I mentioned earlier,
It's not about perfection, it's about iterating.
ah So you just need the courage to keep refining.
You just need the courage to keep going.
And like I mentioned before, you need to be reminded of why you're doing it.
ah So, know, innovation starts with an idea, but greatness comes from iteration.
(08:19):
So whether you're building, you know, whatever you're building this summer, whether it's anew product or a career pivot or a rebrand,
or even a vacation or just, you rest.
Just know that your process is valid and your pace is perfect.
And who knows, your next version may be just the best one yet.
So I want to thank you for being part of this season, this community and this movement.
(08:41):
And until next time, this is Rachel Foss to remind you, while your journey may not beflawless, it can be phenomenal.
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