Ladybug Podcast
Episodes
The Hard Parts Of Engineering Management
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Engineering management can look glamorous from the outside — but behind the scenes, it’s often a mix of tough calls, emotional juggling, and const...
Becoming An Engineering Manager Without A Technical Background
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore how to become an effective engineering manager—even without a technical background. We’ll unpack what the role truly e...
Performance Management As An Engineering Manager
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’ll dig into how managers can balance output, impact, and quality, set meaningful goals, and coach engineers toward growth — no...
Interviewing And Hiring Engineers
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hiring great engineers is one of the most important—and difficult—parts of an engineering manager’s job. In this episode, we break down the full...
Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Remote work is here to stay—but managing a distributed engineering team comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. In this episode, we ...
Working With Product Managers and Stakeholders
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode Notes Engineering managers sit at the intersection of tech, product, and people—which means collaboration is key. In this episode, we explor...
Project Management As An Engineering Manager
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode Notes As an engineering manager, project management isn’t just a skill—it’s part of the job. In this episode, we unpack what effective p...
Your First 90 Days As An Engineering Manager
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode Notes The first 90 days in any new role are crucial—but as a new engineering manager, they can make or break your trajectory. In this episod...
The Transition From Engineer To Engineering Manager
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode Notes Stepping into management for the first time can be both exciting and overwhelming. In this episode, we explore the critical shift from i...
A Brief Introduction To Engineering Management
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode Notes 02:52 What is engineering management? 05:27 Why are we qualified to discuss this? 12:20 What are EMs responsible for? 14:38 The differ...
A Day in the Life of a Software Engineer
04 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is a typical day in the life like for a software engineer? To close out Season 6, we thought it’d be a great idea to give you some insight into...
What is an API and How do You Use One?
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
APIs are part of our daily roles as software developers, but what are they? What different types are there? And how can you design a good one? Show No...
All About Agile
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The definition of Agile is the ability to create and respond to change. Ultimately dealing with and succeeding in an uncertain or turbulent environmen...
Getting Started with Java
13 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Java is a high-level, class-based, object-oriented programming language. It’s a general-purpose programming language designed to let app developers:...
How to Start a Company
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you’re looking to start your own side business or create a lifelong career, the process of starting a new business can be overwhelming. This...
Diving Deep on Databases
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you have data for your application, you’ve probably used a database to store it. There are so many types of databases, NoSQL, SQL, graph, etc. Le...
How to Create Great Documentation
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s easy to overlook documentation when building an application, but documentation can make or break a consumer’s experience. Today we’re divin...
Getting Started with TypeScript
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
TypeScript is an open-source programming language built on JavaScript that provides static type definitions. It has taken the front-end development co...
How to Create a Study Plan
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is it about sitting down building a good study plan that... kinda sucks? Is it the planning? The execution? The Time commitment? Are we committin...
How to Choose a Tech Stack
02 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the 6th season of the Ladybug Podcast!! In this episode, we’ll be chatting about choosing a tech stack for your project is one of th...
So You've got a Job Offer, Now What?
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You studied a bunch, landed the interview, passed the whiteboarding exercises, nailed the behavioral interview, and finally got the job. Congratulatio...
Getting Hooked on React Part 2
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces and is one of the most widely used libraries to date. Last season we discussed the basics o...
An Introduction to E-Commerce
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
2020 was one of the biggest years in the history of e-commerce. In fact, the pandemic spurred such a growth in e-commerce that the industry as a whole...
Cryptography
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cryptography is a method of protecting information and communication through the use of code so only those for whom the information is intended can re...
Financial Planning
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s no secret that a major perk to working in development is the salary. Developers are often paid higher than the average salary, and as you move ...
Getting Started With The Cloud
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode Notes You may have heard about the Cloud and thought, what do the fluffy things in the sky have to do with computers? Today’s episode is all...
Writing Ebooks
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last season we discussed the broader topic of creating digital content. This week on the podcast we’re doing a deeper dive into e-books: our experie...
Get to Know Your Co-workers: Non-Developer Tech Roles
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are a bunch of people you’ll work with as a software engineer -- many will be other developers, but many have other jobs as well. In this epis...
Web Security
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s more important than ever to build secure web applications, but many developers forget to account for web security. In this episode, we’re joi...
Coding Bootcamps: What You Should Consider Before Signing Up
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode Notes Coding bootcamps aim to help students gain the skills they need to land their first job in web development in months instead of years. T...
Getting Started with Next.js
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the hottest new technologies in the frontend ecosystem is Next.js. Why is it so awesome? And what can you use it for? In this episode we’ll ...
21 Web Development Trends We're Watching in 2021
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Season 5 is finally here and we are so excited to kick it off with a new host, Sidney! We have finally said goodbye to 2020, so what can we expect to ...
Python
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Normally, we talk about frontend development -- but there’s so many other niches within programming out there. Today we’re going to talk about Pyt...
Creating Digital Content
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Blogs, YouTube videos, podcasts, e-books, and online courses are all types of digital content. If you’ve ever wondered how you can get started creat...
Productivity Tips and Tricks
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you often find your days spiraling out of control, you’re not alone! Ensuring you have a productive workday isn’t always easy. There are many w...
Git & GitHub
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Git is both simple and complex. You can usually get through your workday by memorizing a few commands, but under the hood there’s so much more to it...
A Beginner's Guide to Freelancing
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that over one-third of the world’s workforce freelances at least part-time? As freelancing becomes more popular, you may be considering...
Web Accessibility
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Accessibility is the process of creating applications that are usable by everyone, especially focusing on those with disabilities. As web developers, ...
Cross-Cultural Communication
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever worked on a team comprised of people from all over the world and wondered why you were having difficulty communicating and getting work ...
Getting Hooked on React
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
React is a frontend library that is in super high demand in the industry. But, it can be difficult to get up and running with. Today we’ll talk abou...
Junior to Senior Developer: Career Progression for Programmers
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the difference between a junior and senior developer? While there’s no distinct measure from one title to the next, you can measure your pr...
Get A < Head > Start With HTML
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re talking about everyone’s favorite programming language: HTML! Hypertext Markup Language is the structure of a web page and while it’...
The Traveling Dev: Move and Work Anywhere
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever dreamed about selling everything you owned and moving across the world to begin a new life? In this episode we’re chatting with Rachel...
How the Internet Works
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a classic interview question: what happens when you type a URL into the browser? To answer this question, we need to explore how the interne...
Systems Design
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Systems design interviews are becoming more and more prevalent and can indicate your ability to work with complex systems. Many engineers struggle wit...
Testing 101
06 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever written code to add a new feature that ended up breaking an existing feature? Or, have you ever written code that works in one scenario ...
Mobile Development
29 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One niche in development that we have no experience with is building mobile apps. Luckily, today we have an expert to teach us all about it: Timirah J...
Micro-Interactions & Animation Libraries
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Micro-interactions are small animations that delight our users and they are changing the way we design and build our applications. Micro-interactions ...
Hiring a Diverse Workforce
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve talked a lot about interviewing and getting hired in tech from the engineering perspective, and today we’re going to build on that. We have ...
Black Lives Matter
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Shortly after midnight on March 13, 2020, Louisville police entered the apartment of Breonna Taylor and Kenneth Walker using a battering ram to force ...
Outliers
27 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For the month of May we read "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. "Outliers" examines the factors which contribute to high-levels of success and while we o...
Networking
25 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're talking about routing and switching, starting with layer 1 of the OSI model. Let's dig in. JUST KIDDING I know nothing about that kind of ...
Building Developer Communities
18 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Developer community is centered around the idea of nurturing and amplifying community voices within a company and the head of developer community is r...
Level up with JavaScript
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
JavaScript is notorious for being one of the most popular, yet also one of the most despised programming languages to learn, so today we’re covering...
Advice to our Past Selves
04 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to season 3 of the LB podcast. This season we’ll cover topics ranging from advanced JavaScript to networking. We’ll chat about Git & G...
Web Developer Learning Path
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There are so many ways to learn to code, and so many things to know. Today we’ll give our perspectives on different paths you can take. Whether you’...
Learning How to Learn
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On our podcast, we talk a LOT about what to learn as a developer. But today we’re switching gears and talking about HOW to actually learn all this i...
Indie Hacking
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we have a super exciting episode, we’re chatting with Courtland Allen, the founder of Indie Hackers. We’re going to talk about what indi...
What's on Our Computers?
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re giving you all the details about our computer setups including our hardware preferences, browsers, desktop software, code editor and...
Behavioral Interviews
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show notes 1:43 - What is the flow of the technical interview process 6:50 - The salary conversation 15:25 - Behavioral questions 27:32 - Interview pr...
Engineering Management
02 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In one of our previous episodes, we talked about different jobs within tech, one of which is engineering management. Today we’re joined by the wonde...
Invisible Women
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine a world where your phone is too big for your hand, where your doctor prescribes a drug that is wrong for your body, where in a car accident yo...
Frontend Interviews
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Programming interviews are terrifying. There’s so much to learn and nobody enjoys answering technical questions in front of a complete stranger. In ...
Building a Resume
17 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you’re seeking your first developer job or you’re looking to move to a new company, your resume is the first thing employers will see. Hav...
Game Development
10 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re talking all things game development! Joining us today is Arianna Rudawski, a software engineer with a super cool job. We’ll be dis...
Data Structures and Algorithms
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Computer science concepts like data structures and algorithms can be super intimidating, especially if you’re cramming the night before an interview...
Book Club: Atomic Habits
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're so excited for the first-ever Ladybug Podcast book club episode! This is a bonus episode which will occur at the end of each month. This month w...
Personal Branding
27 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Every day we see companies market to us with a specific brand voice, and we can recognize the differences from one brand to the next. But what about p...
Design for Developers
20 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Design for Developers One of the biggest things that developers struggle with is design. It’s easy to look at an application and know that it looks ...
20 Tips for Developers in 2020
13 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
To kick off our new season and a new year, this week we’ll be discussing 20 tips to start off strong in 2020. From mentorship to debugging to strate...
Speaking At Conferences
25 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever watched or attended a conference and been in awe of the speakers? How do they know so much information? How do they prepare a talk? How ...
Web Performance
18 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re talking about web performance. Did you know that 40% of users abandon sites that take more than 3s to load? Turns out making your sites ...
Debugging 101
11 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How often have you encountered a problem and struggled to figure out where to start? Or maybe you aren’t super familiar with the browser tools avail...
Working Remotely
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In recent years, working remotely has become a more popular office perk not only among startups but enterprise businesses as well. Some companies even...
Shopify & E-Commerce
28 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever seen Kelly’s Twitter account then you’ve probably heard of Shopify, an E-commerce platform that gives you everything you need to ...
All About Technical Portfolios
21 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're talking all things portfolios. What can a portfolio do for you? How can you build one? Do you even need a portfolio to be successful? ...
React, Vue, && Angular, OH MY!
14 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You've probably heard about some of the JavaScript frameworks that dominate the front end ecosystem. And this week's podcast we'll be discussing the p...
Hacktoberfest Pt. 2
10 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
October means it's time for Hacktoberfest. We're talking with Shannon Crabill about what open source is, how to get involved with Hacktoberfest, and t...
Hacktoberfest Pt. 1
07 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
October means it's time for Hacktoberfest. Hacktoberfest is an awesome event where you can get involved in open source whether it's your first time co...
Design Systems
30 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Design systems are in the world around us from the signs on the side of the highway to the setup of a grocery store and our products are no exception....
Teaching Code with Angie Jones
23 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be an effective teacher in the tech industry? Well wonder no more! We had the pleasure of chatting with Angie ...
What The Heck Is GraphQL?
16 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
GraphQL has taken this industry by storm, but what is it exactly? In this special episode of the Ladybug Podcast we’ve invited 14 GraphQL experts fr...
Career Paths in Tech
26 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are so many different paths your career can follow in the tech industry. There's frontend, backend, or even full-stack development. You could al...
Ask Kelly about Entrepreneurship
19 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today we are doing a deep dive about entrepreneurship with our in house business owner, Kelly! Everyone can benefit from thinking entrepreneurially, e...
Level Up with CSS - Part 2
15 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In our first part of our CSS episode, we discussed the foundations. In this special bonus episode we'll continue the conversation by covering some mor...
Level Up With CSS - Part 1
12 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We all know that Peter Griffin Family Guy gif of him unable to work some blinds. This gif is always associated with the frustrations of CSS. Something...
Impostor Syndrome
05 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever been scared to contribute to a conversation or publish a blog post because you were worried you weren’t qualified enough? Wondered how...
How the Ladybugs Got Their Spots
29 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we're getting to know the ladybug hosts, both on technical and non-technical topics. Listen in to learn about our favorite tech stack...
Web Technologies We're Excited About
22 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The landscape of technologies you can learn in the development world can be overwhelming if you don't know where to go next. In this episode, we discu...
Blogging 101
15 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most popular outlets for programmers is through blogging. In this episode, we discuss why each of us got into blogging, the pros and cons o...
Side Project Balancing Act
08 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Side projects are an excellent way to express yourself creatively and build up your tech stack. But how do you find time to work on your side project ...
New Career, Who Dis?
01 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are several different ways you can learn how to code. In this episode, we discuss computer science degrees, bootcamps, and self-directed learnin...