Hello World!

I just wrapped up writing my book, Brain Refactor. So now I'm starting a Substack!

Who are you, lady?

Hi! ​​My name is Dagna Bieda, and I am an Engineer turned Career Coach for Engineers (ICs to CTOs). Having been coding for 10+ years and having worked in various engineering roles, I'm the "I've been in your shoes" kinda coach for engineers in tech.

When I started in software engineering, I progressed very quickly from a junior to a senior position. Just in a little over two years. The guidance of my peers allowed for this rapid career advancement. That experience taught me that having a clear direction and following through on valuable advice are two critical contributing factors to exponential growth.

In this Substack, I'm here to share that wisdom with you, empowering you to unlock your full potential and accelerate your career trajectory.

Transform your professional self and unlock the full potential of your career

Join me as I explore topics aimed at individuals who sense they are the hidden gems but aren't sure how to unleash their full potential. If you’re solid on the technical side but still feel like you’re missing something, perhaps feel stuck under a glass ceiling, or maybe wearing golden handcuffs, and unsure of how to advance, this is for you.

Expect insights on effective communication, productivity hacks, career planning, prioritization, and even unconventional topics like neurofeedback training and psychedelics. I'm here to challenge your thinking and fuel your growth journey.

Here’s my story

In my career, I’ve had to adapt and adjust to various settings and environments. My career carried me through working across different domains - from programming microcontrollers in C, through LTE networks written in C++, through a distributed web app in Ruby on Rails, through the ins and outs of mobile apps development in Swift and Java and their deployment pipelines. I’ve worked for a small business, a corporate environment, a consulting agency, and a successful startup, on the three common OSes (Mac, Windows, Linux). I’ve also worked in European and American cultural settings, and as it turns out, cultural nuances can have a significant impact on career progression. 

Emigrating from Poland to the United States brought a lot of lessons. For example, some of the values I grew up with didn’t fully align with what was valued at my American workplace. The differences were subtle enough that initially, I didn’t grasp how that was holding me back in my career growth. Regardless of the initial fast track, I got to a point where I felt stuck in my engineering career.

And then a big crash happened. I experienced burnout at work, mixed with postpartum depression, and all that coupled with complicated grief after moving across the Atlantic.

This was a difficult period, but thanks to talk therapy and support, it was a time full of personal growth. I’ve emerged with a transformed mindset and new skills. All that personal growth showed at work! So much so that I got the offer to step into the next position. But I didn’t take it. I chose coaching instead of a promotion.

And so I’ve moved from programming computers to reprogramming human minds. 

My upcoming book, Brian Refactor, how I coach, and now this Substack are direct results of all those accumulated life lessons. I’ll be sharing these with you here, as well as what I’m learning along the way.

I hope you’ll join me.

I’ll see you on the inside!