AGL 094: Beating Imposter Syndrome with Heather Downing

About Heather

Heather is a passionate coder and entrepreneur. She has experience working with Fortune 500 companies building enterprise-level voice, mobile and C#/.Net applications. She focuses on external thought leadership, encouraging fellow programmers to present on topics outside of the office and in the community. She is an international technical speaker and co-host of the YouTube channel “The Hello World Show” — a weekly video series that interviews software masters and teaches the audience something valuable in less than 10 minutes. 

Heather encourages those with nontraditional backgrounds to enter the world of software development, as she changed careers at 27 and does not have a degree – yet has built a reputation as an early adapter of new tech. She is an advocate of women in tech, and part of Kansas City Women in Technology. When not coding, Heather spends her time as a competitive equestrian and learning the art of mounted archery.


Today we talked about:

  • Technology Beginnings
  • Imposter Syndrome
  • Overcoming fear
  • Speaking internationally
  • Surrounding yourself with people you respect
  • Networking
  • Developer PTSD
  • Getting broad experience
  • Perspective
  • Introverts and networking
  • Passion and Inspiration
  • How tied are you to what you do for a living?
  • Tain people how to treat you
  • The value you provide is your output

Connect with Heather:


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