Today, on March 8th, the Skylab team joins the world in celebrating International Women's Day. As a company committed to innovation, we understand the importance of fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels empowered to thrive and succeed. Today and every day, we want to acknowledge and express our gratitude to all the brilliant women who are part of the Skylab family and beyond.

This year, we’re shining a spotlight on Olivia Barbieri, Skylab’s Ops Manager, who has been a huge player in Skylab Technologies’ success and your go-to girl for anything Skylab.

What was your journey to this position like? Was it something you had always planned?

While I was completing my BBA in Human Resources, I had the opportunity to pursue a co-op position with a mature tech company. I saw the function of “business ops” and how everyone worked together, doing what they are each best at to make the company run, and decided I wanted to continue to help shape processes and plans. I started working with Skylab in the early days and have loved doing a little bit of everything and being part of shaping the company and all of the learnings that come with being a part of a company at these stages of growth.

Is there a project/accomplishment that you’re particularly proud of in your career?

Our company merch. Being a tech company, the way we approach results and tangible examples of our work is unique. There is an entire data room full of work from the last four years, and in that, there are many things I am proud of, but it’s not something that you tell people at a dinner party.

From the beginning, Skylab has made merch. As time has gone on it has been something that I have run with. I love creating a tangible item from a specific time that only a few people have- it is pretty special. Our merch has no consistent branding; it is a snapshot of where we were then and is always the highest quality piece. I have had one of my oldest friends design our recent pieces which adds another layer of meaning to these projects. My goal is to make pieces that our team, friends, and family want to wear. There are people all over the world, quite literally, wearing our merch. That is no small feat.

Do you have any advice for young women aspiring to pursue a career in ML/technology?

Especially in the startup phase, be okay and willing to figure it out as you go. Googling is a skill. There is a concept called “Draw the fing owl” which says that in “how to draw” books, step one says to draw two circles for the body of an owl. Then step two, there is a fully detailed, drawn-in, and colored owl. No one tells you how to get from step one to two- you have to figure out how to draw the owl yourself. My advice, be willing to figure out how to draw the owl in pencil and accept feedback before doing a final copy.

We love you Olivia! Thanks for being a rockstar. Book a time to make a streamlined workflow your reality with Olivia here.

Here's to breaking barriers, challenging norms, and paving the way for a brighter, more inclusive future. Let's keep lifting each other up, today and every day.