Back after a two-year hiatus, engineering leaders Emma Bostian and Kelly Vaughn return for Season 7 of the Ladybug Podcast, giving you a deep dive into all things engineering leadership.
With nearly 1 million total listens, Ladybug Podcast covers tech, career, and code, bringing unique viewpoints from a variety of guests and co-hosts.
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Engineering management can look glamorous from the outside — but behind the scenes, it’s often a mix of tough calls, emotional juggling, and constant context switching. In this episode, we’re diving into the hard parts of being an engineering manager — from staying technical and handling conflict, to managing up, balancing expectations, and keeping your own sanity along the way.
06:04: Feeling productive
09:25: Staying technical
10:21: Handling conflicts
18:47: Balancing stakeholder expectations
21:30: Career growth
25:59: Isolation and pressure
27 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT
Becoming An Engineering Manager Without A Technical Background
In this episode, we explore how to become an effective engineering manager—even without a technical background. We’ll unpack what the role truly entails, how to leverage your strengths in communication, strategy, and people management, and ways to bridge technical gaps with curiosity and trust. Whether you’re transitioning from another field or stepping into your first EM role, this episode will help you lead confidently and earn the respect of your engineering team.
06:52: Why technical expertise is helpful but not essential
11:18: What is the role of an EM?
13:50: Non-technical strengths
17:19: Bridging the technical gap
21:21: Earning respect from engineers
25:02: Learning / Growth strategies
28:48: Impostor syndrome
20 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT
Performance Management As An Engineering Manager
In this episode, we’ll dig into how managers can balance output, impact, and quality, set meaningful goals, and coach engineers toward growth — not just manage them. We’ll also tackle how to handle underperformance, keep top talent motivated, and build teams that stay engaged without burning out.
02:04 - Why do we measure engineering performance?
03:40 - How to measure engineering performance
11:08 - SMART goals
18:39 - Handling underperformers
27:00 - Motivating and retaining high performers
Inside a recent episode
The Hard Parts Of Engineering Management
Published 3 Nov 2025 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Like we talked about setting really strict boundaries on work and personal life. And that's the one that I also have to do is like I can be a little bit frustrated with you on a professional level. But I still love you. A lot is a friend like and it's not going to affect either way. Yeah. So that's not only a delicate balance. You need to walk also. I also like this is why I don't like working with friends. And I don't mean like I make friends when I'm working. That's that's great. I don't like necessarily bringing outside friends into the company when they're going to report to me. I like keeping that line because it can get really hairy. […]
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