Balancing Work and Family with Nina and Barry Jennings

In today's episode, I speak with Nina Jennings, who is the Manager of UX Research in Core UX at Google, and her husband, Barry Jennings, who is the Director of Commercial Cloud and Business Planning Insights at Microsoft.

Nina and Barry share their journey, both individually and  collectively, on how they got to where they are today. We talk about the balance of work and family, learn more about their adventurous sides, discuss their projects and travel plans outside of the workplace, and get the inside scoop on how they're spending the holidays.

More about Nina:

Nina Jennings is a highly accomplished technologist, creative, and coach. She has a background in engineering psychology and currently holds the position of Manager of UX Research in Core UX at Google. Prior to joining Google, Nina held significant roles in User Research at HBO (HBOMAX), Amazon (Device & Design Group), Dell Computer Corporation, Microsoft, Intuit (TurboTax), and Life Technologies.
Nina's expertise spans various technology sectors, including hardware, software, SaaS, IaaS, streaming, and Service Design. She has also provided consultancy services for cross-cultural projects in more than ten countries. In addition to her technological achievements, Nina is a prolific author, having written over 20 published works of fiction, three non-fiction books, award-winning films, and several plays, including the music accompanying them. Her literary works address important topics such as young adult internet safety, women's issues, and date rape within fictional contexts. An Avid community volunteer, she volunteers for STEAM efforts focused on Black Children and Design Thinking for Non-Profit Service Design.
Nina has been recognized with nominations for the NAACP Image award for Literary Excellence and short listed for A Doctorow Award in Innovative Fiction. She has received several African American Literary Awards. She is the curator of The Writing Sisters Summit and Unapologetic: The Retreat. These annual events provide participants with a unique opportunity to nurture their creativity in all aspects of their lives. Furthermore, Nina is a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) and teaches yoga and mindfulness both virtually and at conferences. In addition to terminal degrees in both Industrial Psychology and Writing, She is completing her training at the Hudson Institute of Coaching.

& More about Barry:

Barry Jennings is the Director of Commercial Cloud and Business Planning Insights for the Microsoft’s Research + Insights group. He has over 30 years of experience in market research, starting on the supplier side as a phone survey researcher while still in college. He later worked on international technology brand-related market research at Millward Brown/IntelliQuest. Barry spent 18 years at Dell in research roles that covered almost every product category the company offered in the consumer and B2B space. He then moved into the mobile space by joining BlackBerry, where he was the leader of market research and competitive intelligence focused on business-to-business solutions. At Microsoft, Barry and his team provide insights to drive the company’s cloud marketing and commercial business planning groups.                             

Barry’s research focus includes product marketing research for cloud computing, data platforms, artificial intelligence, developer tools, and business planning research focused on Microsoft’s IaaS, PaaS and SaaS businesses.