Tara Jacola

Product Stewardship Principal

GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY

Pease join me in welcoming our WOTW, Tara Jacola. Tara, after receiving a degree in Biochemistry started her PhD, but feeling as though she was missing the people skills and human interaction that she thrives on, decided the lab wasn't for her. After teaching as a substitute teacher, she describes how she fell in to the product stewardship space. Tara still works with students volunteering today, while she works as a Product Stewardship Specialist Principal at Goodyear.

When asked about how we can be better allies to women in the industry, Tara shaed with us the importance of sticking together. We talked about how we can elevate female voices in meetings by welcoming our female colleague’s feedback and opinions during discussions. We also talked about how we can work with our male colleagues to ask for their feedback, allowing for males to be our advocates.

In closing, Tara shared with us her experience with two kids at home and how she manages though this with her career and volunteering. She gave praises to those that create understanding and flexible environments to allow for working parents to manage through both. She wrapped up our chat with a few book recommendations and a message that highlighted the importance of focusing on yourself and being present in the moment, because “when we feel good, we make others feel good.”

This week’s episode is sponsored by: