In this episode of The Art of Imperfect Adulting, Amy Stone speaks with Joanne Gates about navigating motherhood, career ambition, and the realities of working in the male-dominated tech industry. Joanne, joining from Scottsdale, Arizona, recounts her move from Boston to Seattle, her nearly 30-year career at Microsoft, and the pivotal choices she made as both a mom and a leader. Listeners will discover how Joanne carved out success in corporate America, confronted workplace bias, and now channels her expertise into coaching women to thrive at work and at home.

About Joanne Gates:

Joanne Gates is a certified executive life coach who helps professional women in tech and male-dominated industries unlock their career potential with clarity, confidence, and purpose. After a 30-year career at Microsoft—rising from entry-level to executive—Joanne now empowers women to overcome imposter syndrome, people-pleasing, and perfectionism while building authentic leadership presence. She’s especially known for helping women get promoted into senior leadership roles and then kick ass once they’re there—navigating high-stakes environments with emotional intelligence, strategic influence, and unapologetic power. Joanne blends deep empathy with sharp business acumen to help her clients lead boldly, drive impact, and rewrite the rules of leadership.

Main Topics Covered:

1. The life-altering impact of motherhood on career paths, especially for women in tech and male-dominated corporate environments.
2. Facing and overcoming gender bias and assumptions about working mothers in the workplace.
3. The challenges and family dynamics of being the primary breadwinner and having a stay-at-home dad partner in the late '90s and early 2000s.
4. Navigating pivotal career decisions, missed opportunities, and the trade-offs of prioritizing family vs. pursuing senior leadership.
5. Advocating for oneself in corporate hierarchies, especially when faced with unfair evaluations or lack of managerial support.
6. The evolution (and limitations) of maternity leave policies and the importance of workplace systems that genuinely support parents.
7. Joanne’s transition from a senior leader at Microsoft to executive and life coaching for women, with a focus on helping others define and achieve their own success.
8. Practical tips for protecting your career trajectory, handling performance reviews, and knowing when (and how) to escalate workplace concerns.

Quote from the Episode:

"I felt like I had to, like, shake him by the shoulders… How many guys have to have this conversation? That just pisses me off. We have to because, obviously, it’s pretty apparent that we’re having a child." — Joanne Gates

Timestamps: [00:00:04] Welcome, Joanne’s location, and adjusting to life in the desert [00:00:46] Childhood winter activities and chasing the sun [00:01:37] Introducing today’s topic: balancing motherhood and career [00:02:29] On generational change—and how much (or little) has shifted for working women [00:03:19] The Covid reset and women leaving corporate roles; Joanne’s new passion for helping women succeed [00:04:24] Joanne’s career start, move to Microsoft in the dot-com era [00:07:21] Early influences, engineering in college, and professional aspirations in a male-driven world [00:11:19] On early career choices, family...