Everyday Wonder Women

Episode 8: Meet Jennifer - Educator, tech leader, and southern powerhouse

Stacee Santi Longfellow Season 1 Episode 8

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What happens when a high school English teacher accidentally becomes the Director of Technology at a school with over 1,200 students? You get a woman who knows how to lead a team, command a server room, and keep her cool in a sea of tech bros—and oh yeah, she just happens to be my sister-in-law...Dr. Jennifer Santi

In this episode, we dive into her unexpected journey from the classroom to the IT office, how she navigates being a woman in a male-dominated field, and the deep personal work it took to heal from a chaotic childhood. From calling out inappropriate behavior without losing her cool, to unlearning the pressure to play small, she drops wisdom that every woman needs to hear—especially if you've ever felt like an outsider.

Quotes from Jennifer we love:

  • "I think anytime that you are then leading people, guiding people or evaluating people or their performance, that becomes challenging because you have to learn a new way of speaking to someone. You have to have very courageous and fierce conversations that are, and that is not a skill most of us are innate with." 
  • "If there's a situation that is uncomfortable, intimidating, or frightening, even let's get to fear, then you need to know that you can say whatever it is that you need to say in any of those situations and do it and not feel that you have to diminish yourself the way that we always do."