Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap with Bethany and Brittany 🔗 **Source:** [Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap with Bethany and Brittany](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&list=PLtB6jHdGNyzd-GiAjcBjUXiuFxWeDwjjJ&index=2) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: [DevRel, Conferences, Goal-Setting] > author: [MISSING] > source: YouTube > reference: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ] > date created: 2025-10-01 00:00 > > # 🏷️ Title: Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap with Bethany and Brittany > <!-- deep-read:sections start --> ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Draft primer on MCP + agents for web confs — context/YouTube @ 02:54. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=174 #articleseed - [H2] Build demo: remove WordPress plugin tech debt with Copilot agent — context/YouTube @ 03:12; GitHub docs. https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/use-copilot-agents/coding-agent #articleseed - [H3] Add note: GopherCon 2025 ran in NYC — confirm venue and dates. https://www.gophercon.com/ #xref - [H4] Create “Go modernization” checklist for LLM prompts — context/YouTube @ 05:28; MCP docs. https://modelcontextprotocol.io/ #articleseed - [H5] Pitch talk: newsletter curation boosts engagement signals — context/YouTube @ 11:24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=684 #articleseed - [H6] Start weekly co-working habit pilot with calendar holds — context/YouTube @ 21:05. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=1265 #share - [H7] Map AT Protocol ties to OSS community-building — context/YouTube @ 31:45; docs. https://docs.bsky.app/docs/advanced-guides/atproto #xref - [H8] Align The WPOCC fellowship messaging with “community health” theme — TWPCC pages. https://www.thewpcommunitycollective.com/ #addendum ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) - [📚 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#️-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🛡️ DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### 🔗 References - Include links cited in or relevant to the article. ## 📝 Summary - Two hosts recap CascadiaJS and GopherCon experiences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ - Themes shift toward AI, MCP, and agents across talks. https://modelcontextprotocol.io/ https://docs.github.com/copilot :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0} - GopherCon 2025 ran in New York City at North Javits. https://www.gophercon.com/ :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1} - CascadiaJS positions as “Web + AI” with ~500+ attendees. https://cascadiajs.com/2025 :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2} - Bottom line: AI agents and MCP now shape developer conference content. https://github.blog/news-insights/product-news/agents-panel-launch-copilot-coding-agent-tasks-anywhere-on-github/ :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3} ## 📖 Main Content - The episode centers on Q3 reflections and conference learnings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ - CascadiaJS talks targeted general web development, not just JS specifics. See H1. - MCP is an open protocol connecting models to tools and data. It now anchors many demos. https://modelcontextprotocol.io/ :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4} - GitHub’s Copilot coding agent features in “tech debt removal” stories. It runs tasks and drafts PRs. https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/use-copilot-agents/coding-agent https://www.theverge.com/news/669339/github-ai-coding-agent-fix-bugs :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5} - GopherCon 2025 located at North Javits in NYC, August 26–28. https://www.gophercon.com/agenda :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6} - The hosts plan Q4 goals: newsletter cadence, movement, and weekly co-working. See H5 and H6. - AT Protocol and Bluesky appear as community rebuilding vectors. https://docs.bsky.app/docs/advanced-guides/atproto :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7} - Uncertainties: exact CascadiaJS 2025 attendance vs. “most ever” claim needs a source. https://cascadiajs.com/2025 :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8} ### 🗒️ Notes #### ⏱️ [00:02:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=142) Conference scope trend ### [H1] Conference talks tilt toward general web topics > [!quote] [Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ) by [[Overcommitted Podcast]] via [[YouTube]]. Published [MISSING]. Accessed 2025-10-01. > “It was more just like general web development than super JavaScript specific.” Broader scopes increase relevance across stacks; track this for DevRel proposals. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=142) #xref #articleseed ID:rw_H1 #### ⏱️ [00:03:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=192) Agents for tech debt ### [H2] Copilot agent appears in tech-debt removal talks > [!quote] [Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ) > “I gave a talk on removing tech debt with agents, specifically the GitHub Copilot coding agent.” Map to WordPress plugin maintenance and docs debt. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=192) #articleseed ID:rw_H2 #### ⏱️ [00:03:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=234) GopherCon venue ### [H3] GopherCon 2025 runs in New York City > [!quote] [Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ) > “It was in New York City this year.” Confirm against official agenda and venue pages. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=234) #xref ID:rw_H3 #### ⏱️ [00:05:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=301) Topic shift ### [H4] AI, MCP, and ML dominate talk tracks > [!quote] [Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ) > “The themes were around AI, MCP… mostly AI.” Use MCP definitions for audience baselines in slides. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=301) #xref #articleseed ID:rw_H4 #### ⏱️ [00:05:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=334) LLM “modernization” ### [H5] Go community pushes LLM modernization guidance > [!quote] [Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ) > “LLMs recommend practices that aren’t really in place anymore.” Propose “modernize Go prompts” checklist for Copilot users. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=334) #articleseed ID:rw_H5 #### ⏱️ [00:03:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=209) Attendance claim ### [H6] CascadiaJS attendance reaches a new peak > [!quote] [Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ) > “Around 600 attendees… the most ever.” Treat as anecdote until confirmed by organizers. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=209) #xref ID:rw_H6 #### ⏱️ [00:09:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=560) Burnout and pacing ### [H7] Intentional rest improves sustainability > [!quote] [Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ) > “I took a step back… now I’m feeling more refreshed.” Add burnout-prevention guidance to contributor onboarding. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=560) #articleseed #xref ID:rw_H7 #### ⏱️ [00:21:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=1265) Social routines ### [H8] Weekly co-working supports connection > [!quote] [Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ) > “I want to work at a co-working space once a week.” Test as a retention and wellness lever for distributed teams. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ&t=1265) #articleseed #share ID:rw_H8 ## 📚 References - Overcommitted Ep. 27 (YouTube). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ - CascadiaJS 2025 overview. https://cascadiajs.com/2025 :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9} - GopherCon 2025 NYC. https://www.gophercon.com/ :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10} - Model Context Protocol site. https://modelcontextprotocol.io/ :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11} - Claude docs: MCP. https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/mcp :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12} - GitHub Copilot coding agent docs. https://docs.github.com/copilot :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13} - GitHub blog: Agents panel. https://github.blog/news-insights/product-news/agents-panel-launch-copilot-coding-agent-tasks-anywhere-on-github/ :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14} - The Verge on Copilot agent. https://www.theverge.com/news/669339/github-ai-coding-agent-fix-bugs :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15} - Anthropic announcement of MCP. https://www.anthropic.com/news/model-context-protocol :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16} - AT Protocol docs. https://docs.bsky.app/docs/advanced-guides/atproto :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17} - The WPOCC site. https://www.thewpcommunitycollective.com/ :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18} ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - The hosts compare conference themes and note AI’s dominance. MCP and agents appear frequently in talks. - They review Q3 goals, highlight rest and community, and set approachable Q4 routines. ## 📰 Newsletter - AI agents now feature across dev conferences. See MCP’s spec and Copilot’s agent docs. https://modelcontextprotocol.io/ https://docs.github.com/copilot :contentReference[oaicite:19]{index=19} - GopherCon 2025 happened at North Javits, NYC, Aug 26–28. https://www.gophercon.com/ :contentReference[oaicite:20]{index=20} - CascadiaJS brands as “Web + AI” with 500+ peers and 40+ speakers. https://cascadiajs.com/2025 :contentReference[oaicite:21]{index=21} - Community tip: co-working days boost morale for remote teams. See H8. ## ✅ Action Items #### DevRel - Publish “MCP for web devs” explainer and 10-minute demo. - Ship agent-driven “tech-debt PR” walkthrough for plugins and themes. - Track Q&A on modernization pitfalls; add examples. #### OSPO - Document agent usage policy and repo permissions for Copilot agent. - Add MCP server security checklist and audit cadence. - Record license implications for generated changes and attribution. #### Community - Run “co-working Wednesday” pilot with check-ins and retro. - Facilitate burnout-prevention clinics for maintainers. - Launch short-form reading clubs over long tech books. #### WordPress - **Core Program Team:** align on agent PR review guidelines and safe defaults. - Plugins: draft “agent-ready” issues; include reproduction and tests. - Themes: define modernization lint rules for Go-powered backends. - Docs: add MCP + agent terms to a glossary entry. - Training: publish 90-minute lab on MCP integration with Playgrounds. - Meta: prototype CI that flags outdated LLM code suggestions. - Accessibility: schedule quarterly audits on new agent-generated UI. #### The WPOCC - Programs: fund “operator agreements” clinics for maintainers. - Projects: sponsor agent-assisted docs sprints. - Funding experiments: pilot milestone payouts tied to measurable PRs. ### FAIR - Publish governance scorecards for agent deployments in OSS. - Add transparent ledgers for microgrants and milestone payouts. ## 🧪 Hypotheses - MCP-backed demos raise talk adoption by 25% over non-MCP. - Newsletter curation boosts open and reply rates vs. essays. - Weekly co-working raises contributor retention by 10%. - Agent-seeded PRs resolve tech debt faster than manual tasks. - Burnout training reduces churn among maintainers by 15%. ### 📊 Methodology - A/B talks with and without MCP demos; collect CFP acceptance. - Compare newsletter metrics over eight issues. - Run a 12-week co-working pilot with control cohorts. - Measure PR cycle time for agent vs. human baselines. - Track contributor retention and survey burnout indicators. ### ❓ Questions - Which MCP server patterns serve WordPress best today? - How do we audit agent changes for security and provenance? - Where does AT Protocol help community coordination most? ### 🔮 Future Research - Map MCP to WordPress Playground workflows. - Explore agent evaluation sets for plugin ecosystems. - Study social graph portability effects on contributor discovery. ### 💡 Implications - DevRel should prioritize applied MCP demos. - OSPO must define agent governance early. - Community health strategies need rest and co-working rituals. ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment - Reading level estimate: Flesch-Kincaid Grade ~8–9 (approximate). #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: timestamped highlights and links. - Improve: add sequence diagrams for MCP flows. #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: podcast audio format. - Improve: 3-minute narrated recap per episode. #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: glossary stubs for MCP and agents. - Improve: compare agent vs. chat modes plainly. #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: suggested labs and pilots. - Improve: step-by-step MCP server tutorial. #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: hypotheses and metrics. - Improve: decision trees for agent approvals. #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: co-working pilots and book clubs. - Improve: moderated AMAs with maintainers. #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: notes and references. - Improve: self-check quizzes in docs. #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: community sustainability themes. - Improve: lifecycle and footprint analyses. ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: clear headings. - Improve: alt text and captions summary. #### Keyboard navigation - Present: link targets are sequential. - Improve: add skip links in docs. #### Contrast and readability - Present: readable body text. - Improve: enforce minimum contrast tokens. #### Text resizing and reflow - Present: mobile-friendly sites linked. - Improve: verify at 200% zoom. #### Media and captions - Present: YouTube captions available. - Improve: downloadable transcripts on site. #### Forms and interactions - Present: simple subscribe flows. - Improve: inline errors and ARIA live regions. #### Standards reference - Map gaps to WCAG 2.2 AA criteria. ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: global conference references. - Improve: multi-locale examples and links. #### Inclusive language - Present: neutral phrasing. - Improve: add plain-language callouts. #### Neurodiversity support - Present: chunked bullets. - Improve: icon+text patterns and predictable layout. #### Representation - Present: varied speakers noted. - Improve: publish speaker demographic stats. #### Psychological safety - Present: supportive coaching vibes. - Improve: share code of conduct ops and escalation paths. ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - Inductive trend claim: AI/MCP dominates talks [H4]. Links support this. :contentReference[oaicite:22]{index=22} - Causal claim: co-working boosts engagement [H8]. Present as a testable hypothesis. - Operational claim: Copilot agent reduces tech debt [H2]. Treat as conditional; cite docs. :contentReference[oaicite:23]{index=23} #### Fallacies - Potential hasty generalization in “most ever” attendance [H6]. Rephrase to “reported increase” until verified. - Survivorship bias risk in personal productivity wins [H7]. Note individual variability. #### Tone of voice - Conversational, reflective, and pragmatic, with light humor. ### 🛡️ DARVO Analysis - No denial tactics observed. - No attacks on critics present. - No reversal of victim and offender present. - Tone remains collegial and supportive. ## 🎯 Conclusion - Conferences skew toward AI agents and MCP. Evidence appears across events. :contentReference[oaicite:24]{index=24} - Treat modernization and governance as near-term work. - Pilot co-working and burnout supports to keep contributors thriving. ## 🧱 Refactor Appendix (append after 🎯 Conclusion) ### 📚 Literature Split Pad - Purpose: Stage Konik CEE units that become per-source Literature notes. - Split level: **H3**. - Include verbatim quotes under 25 words and a [view highlight] link. ### [H1] 5–10-word present-tense claim > [!quote] [Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ) by an unnamed author via [[YouTube]]. Published [MISSING]. Accessed 2025-10-01. > “Short quote, verbatim, ≤25 words.” Two lines: context and use. Cite data if relevant. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ#H1) #xref #articleseed ID:rw_[MISSING] ### [H2] 5–10-word present-tense claim > [!quote] [Ep. 27 | Q3 Goals Recap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ) > “Short quote, verbatim, ≤25 words.” Two lines: context and use. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ#H2) #xref ID:rw_[MISSING] --- ### 🔖 Atomic Split Pad (Zettel Candidates) - Purpose: Promote reusable claims into Atomic notes. - Split level: **H4**. - Each item: one idea, present tense, specific, testable. #### [Z1] 5–10-word present-tense claim - Scope/condition in one line. - Pointer to page/time or dataset. - Links: [[Parent-Concept]] [[Related-Idea]] #### [Z2] 5–10-word present-tense claim - Scope/condition in one line. - Pointer to page/time or dataset. - Links: [[Parent-Concept]] [[Related-Idea]] --- ### ✏️ Fleeting Queue (Extract by Selection) - Purpose: Capture quick actions or sparks for Fleeting notes. - Extraction: **Select one line** → “Refactor: Extract selection to new note (content only).” - Keep each line short and self-contained. - [F1] Short action — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ #fleeting #inbox - [F2] Short action — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ #fleeting #inbox - [F3] Short action — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ #fleeting #inbox --- <!-- deep-read:sections end --> ## 📺 Video ![](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ) --- # 📄 Full Transcript *Auto-generated from YouTube captions · timestamps roughly every 30 seconds · [watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCkKiVE3HQ)* **[00:00]** Welcome to the Overcommitted podcast where we discuss our code commits, our personal commitments, and some stuff in between. I'm your host this week, Bethany, joined by I'm Britney Ellik. We are a group of software engineers. I guess it's just two of us today, but we initially met working on a team together at GitHub and found a common interest in learning and building cool things. We continue to meet to share our learning experiences and discuss our lives as developers. Whether you're pushing code **[00:31]** or taking on new challenges, we're happy you're listening. All right, so since it's just us today, I figured we just kind of do casual chat and then some like quarter retrospectives and looking forward at the last uh quarter of the year. One thing I just wanted to chat with you about. You just got back from Cascadia JS, right Britney? And I recently got back from GoFon, so I thought maybe we'd take a moment to do a little conference recap if there's any like trends you're **[01:03]** picking up on, any highlights, any low lightss, and things like that. Um, do you want to go first since it's probably fresh on the brain? Yeah, absolutely. Yes, I'm excited about this. I think this quarter I attended one conference which was CascadiaJS and it was a very cool conference. I feel like it was more just like general web development than super JavaScript specific. Most of the code examples were in JavaScript but I think a lot of the stuff was really applicable to pretty much anybody which is nice. I feel like I see that a lot **[01:33]** more in conferences these days because the actual specifics of languages are a little bit less important that there's just, you know, it's hard to have a lot of news stuff going on in a lot of them to have a ton of different talks. But yeah, it was a fantastic meetup of the Cascadia community. There were actually fewer folks from Victoria, BC than there or from Vancouver, BC than there normally were. Cascadia is the region of North America that makes up Oregon, **[02:06]** Washington, and British Columbia. So, it's supposed to be a meet up of all the groups, but some folks in Canada didn't want to come down this time, understandably. So, they had their own separate meetup, I believe. And so, it was a lot of folks from Oregon and Washington and from just all over. Some of the speakers were from, you know, all over the place. Rachel Lee neighbors, they're from London. So, that was, you know, pretty far. I think that they were previously a Pacific Northwest native but now living in London so that's **[02:36]** pretty far away to travel. There was Brie Hall who I've met at two conferences this year and I'm probably going to see her at Universe as well. And she came over from I believe Atlanta. So yeah, there was a lot of folks from all over which was nice. Overall the talks were awesome. It was I think all my favorite ones were really about MCP, which was kind of cool because I think a lot of the MCP stuff I sort of paid attention to when it got really popular a couple months ago and then just didn't nearly need any of it. **[03:07]** So, it was neat to see how things are changing and evolving there. I gave a talk on removing tech debt with agents, specifically the GitHub copilot coding agent, and that was really fun. That's a similar talk that I'll be giving in universe in a couple weeks. And yeah, it was it was good. Overall, it was good. It's definitely a conference I could see myself going to year after year. I think we had around 600 attendees and it was the most people at a Cascadia JS ever. Not even since CO now. I think for the **[03:38]** last few years it's been the most since CO, but now it was the most ever. So, that was really cool. They already announced 2026 and it's definitely on my radar for next year. How about you? How was Gopher Con? >> Yeah. Um, yeah, Gopher Con was great. Um, it was in New York City this year, which is a first for Gopher Con, I think. Typically, they do swap between Chicago and San Diego, but really cool being in New York. Um, I loved being able to do some sightseeing as well as **[04:10]** attend the conference. So it was I feel like for once fairly balanced between for me for not just diving all in the tech space and getting quickly burnt out but also some just fun non- tech hanging out um which was great but um I think it was very interesting comparing it to my first go for con experience two years ago which Britney you were also at that one. It was it was wild because I think the that first one was everyone was **[04:41]** talking about was web assembly and that was really the the thing and this year there is no mention of it. I think I know the go team added support for it but I guess it's just like not on people's brain anymore. um quite potentially obviously the uh the themes were around AI, MCP, um some ML stuff, but really mostly AI. And so the keynotes that the go team **[05:12]** were delivering was largely on how do we ensure that LLM are giving quality content back for when they're suggesting go code which working on co-pilot API I thought that was a super interesting interesting talk on they called it modernization because LLMs have a cut off in their memory and a lot of times an LLM if you're coding go will recommend and practices that aren't really in place anymore or that there's more effective recent practices. Even if **[05:44]** you tell it, hey, use this way of doing things, it will still do the old way. And so they're thinking like doing a MCP server for for Go, ensuring that it's always using the latest Go SDK knowledge. They also want to make sure that llinters have modernization flags which I see in my editor. I've s seen it before even this conference. So I think they're already starting that. So really cool to to see how they're thinking **[06:15]** through things and I think honestly it's interesting to think about but probably it's a huge help for your language if LLMs know it and can program in it well. So I I wonder if this is a thought for other languages, but it was kind of a fresh take that I haven't seen yet in the coding space. So really cool. Um highlights for me. I spoke. Yay. It was fun. It was a lightning talk which I think was perfect for my first time talking. And I talked about BIM because **[06:48]** I really enjoyed them. And I had a lot of really great feedback. Really people were fairly excited. I only messed up once and I don't think people realized I messed up. So that was great. But that was super one of my highlights, low lightss leading up. I was like super nervous for it. So that was all I could think about and I wasn't necessarily engaged or plugged in with the rest of the conference just because my anxiety was like but it was it was still fun. Yeah, I think um that's that's basically **[07:20]** it from my experience. But I guess we can pivot now and talk about how did Q3 go? I guess when did Q3 actually end? Like September 1st. No, I think it ends in it'll it ends on at the end of September. So it'll end next week, but this episode will come out next week. So it's it's good timing, but there's still time to finish something if >> there's something you're really passionate about. >> That's good. That's good. Yeah. Um, for **[07:51]** those listening, Britney actually suggested doing this. Um, and I was like, "Wow, I have not thought about my goals since we did the first episode." So, I think this is a really good thing to to do a retrospective on, especially wondering like why that happened and and things like that. But, I don't know if you want to talk about what your your goals were first and how that went. Yeah, for sure. Hey, so looking at my goals for Q3, I wanted to continue writing my weekly newsletter, run three **[08:22]** times per week, read six books, do my daily drawing for one month on weekdays, and focus on reading and less on content creation. And so that is sort of what I what I did. I was really pivoting because I think earlier this year I was doing a lot of my own writing for my newsletter and that kind of got pretty I wanted to make sure that I was like regularly writing things and it got a little bit too much for me. So I pivoted **[08:54]** my newsletter to be more about sharing existing resources and I actually really like that. I feel like it gives me an excuse to read more and learn from other people. So, I feel like I got both of the weekly newsletter and the focus on reading more goals done. I did end up reading three time or running three times per week for most of it because I had the Spartan race in Seattle a week and a half ago, I think. Uh, and I finished it, which was exciting. I **[09:24]** survived slightly under the average time even, which was cool. a lot of the things that I I just couldn't do like the monkey bars and stuff, so I had to do a little bit of extra running for that. But that was fine. Overall, it was super fun and I'm considering doing that again. It was just a nice way to keep myself running over the summer. Reading six books. I don't know if I did that or not. I listen to a few audio books, but I feel like when I'm doing digital like e-reading or listening to audio audiobooks, I have a really hard time **[09:55]** actually tracking what I'm reading because I don't it's not like I'm holding a physical book and able to be like these are what this is what I finished. So, I might have done that. I probably did like three or four books. I'd have to go back and look. Daily drawing for a month. I stopped halfway through August. Actually, I was doing that and it was really fun, but I kind of got burnt out between the yard project we have going on right now and just work getting a little bit crazy and stuff. So, I also took a step back for about a month this quarter and I **[10:27]** recognized that I needed it and it felt really good. It was nice to step away and notice that I was feeling starting to feel a little bit burnt out and just doing less things and now I'm feeling more refreshed and ready to jump back into more things. So overall good quarter. I don't think I've reached every goal, but you know, I think that having a focus on goals this year has been really nice. And it's I'm glad that we're coming back to recap and see where we're at. Um because it's really easy over the course of a year to forget what **[10:57]** it is that you wanted to do. >> Oh yeah, definitely. I I agree. Even when you're not achieving those goals, and I think it's good to review, okay, well, why? and being empathetic with yourself, but it sounds like you hit more or less a good portion of your goals. Um, I'm curious with the weekly newsletter, did you see any changes in engagement with it from the change or has it been roughly constant? I think there were quite a few unsubscribes early on because I mean the **[11:29]** entire all the content changed so totally understandable, but since then everything's been after the first week or two of the change, it's been pretty steady. I think a lot of that is likely that you know some well actually no I think I've actually gotten more engagement because now I'm tagging folks that I have you know read something and then I'm sharing the things that they're writing which also feels better to me than just like putting all of my own stuff out into the void of the internet and it's kind of more fun for me to celebrate some of the things that somebody else wrote and did and that I **[11:59]** thought was really good than just trying to share my own thing that I wrote. So, I would say it's probably been a positive. Overall, I think most of the newsletters I'm subscribed to are like a, you know, something written each week where they, you know, it's either like a an accumulation of links that they're sharing or it's like a thing that they write every single week. And I think I've just realized sort of the niche that I'm in is sharing lots of different things. I don't actually know. This is one thing that I'm not totally sure I'm going to keep doing next year, but I do **[12:30]** want to finish it for the year and see like was this worth it or do I just want to go back to writing the occasional blog post when I have something really exciting to talk about. But we'll see. >> That totally makes sense and I think that's a really good experiment to have and just seeing what sticks. Seeing what feels good to you though is I think so important. So, I'm glad that you've kind of pivoted and done things that feel true to what your goals are and what you're you're wanting to put out in the world. So, really cool. >> Yeah. Thank you. **[13:00]** >> How did your quarter go? >> Yeah. Um, it was it was fine. So, I think um you helpfully pulled my goals, which was good to be reminded about because I think before this I could not even remember what I said. Um, so my Q3 goals were to get back to creating blog content. Um, which AI probably messed up a little because I never wrote blog content. So, um, I I have not done any **[13:33]** of this honestly. I haven't done the design course or anything like that. I've really fallen off of this and eventually I do want to get back on it, but I think I've just put so much into work. it's been hard to think about engineering or doing big brain stuff outside of work. So, it um that that kind of fell off, which I'm okay with. Um read regularly. I still have done that. I will probably end up reading about 12 books um this quarter. Um it's **[14:07]** just it almost doesn't feel like a goal because it's just something I I enjoy and I I like doing. I probably haven't done as much tech reading as I typically do just because life's been crazy, but um always have a have at least one fiction book and one uh tech book in progress. So that's been that's been really good. Um I also mentioned integrating movement into my routine. Did not happen either. So I'll get back **[14:38]** to that maybe later, but um yeah, that did not happen. stop using all my energy at work. Also did not happen. I have been a workaholic. But um I do think in general when I think about how this last quarter went um I I feel like I've been better at developing a community outside of work. So investing in friendships a lot in people that I care about and people that care about me. And so I I **[15:08]** feel very lucky about that. And I think it has been a super positive experience this quarter. Just getting out there and doing more things. I've been to a couple local concerts, hung out with friends like fairly consistently and maintain those friendships. So that's been really good and I I'm proud of myself for that. So I think um that's been definitely a a net win. And then lastly public speaking efforts. I did talk at GoCon like I mentioned earlier, so I **[15:41]** consider that a win. Um, and yeah. Yeah. Um, but so overall really the things I accomplished weren't because I was tracking goals. So it almost feels like cheating to mention that. I do think I've had it's been a positive quarter. I don't think it's been a bad quarter or anything. just things have been busy and I haven't really been organized and focused on okay well what do I want to do? Um so I **[16:11]** end up getting pulled a lot of different directions and so when I reflect back I think that's like a large theme of of this past quarter is I'm kind of like doing a lot but it's not necessarily aligned with or focused in things that I'm trying to progress in necessarily. That makes sense. Yeah, I think that's one reason why I like, you know, pausing every quarter or so just to think about what it is you're doing just to make sure that the things it's I think it's really easy to sort of get stuck into **[16:44]** I'm going to keep doing the things that my work asks me to do or keep doing these things that I know are on on my plate that I need to get done. And it's kind of nice to stop and think, okay, like am I am I spending my time in a way that makes me happy so that you know at the end of the year you don't look back and you're like, wow, this entire year sucked. I didn't do anything fun. So I think I think that's nice to do. Even if you don't end up accomplishing things that you originally set out to do, I think it's still good to reflect and think about what it is that you're working on. And with respect to the blog **[17:15]** content and stuff like that too, I feel like you know wanting to do those things and not actually doing them like that's fine. Oh yeah, you have a podcast, you did a public talk, you're working on like one of the coolest things in tech right now. So, you know, I think that you're you're doing a lot for like visibility and all of that stuff. So, I appreciate that. Yeah. I I would like to have **[17:46]** spend more time writing organized thoughts down for things that I believe in, like things that I I think about. But I agree it's not something I necessarily need to urgently do or rush to do. I like if I really want if the blog was really the thing I wanted. There's frameworks, there's like easy ways to do that, I could do a Substack or whatnot if that was really the thing. But I just **[18:18]** I really want to create something that I'm proud of. Um, and I think learn a new stack and become um a little more proficient and empathetic for front and friends and things like that. Yeah. I think it's largely learning related, so it's nothing that I need to rush to. But yeah, I agree with wanting to reflect on goals. I think you can definitely go very far in the planning **[18:48]** direction, too. And I think it's important to make sure that there's there's opportunities for like those serendipitous moments and you're trying a lot of new things. But it's there's got to be kind of give and take there. So, it's good to be a little structured and also good to recognize when things are just a little too intense and you're like, "No, I don't have to do this today. I can enjoy the nice weather or like hang out with a friend or things like that." So, I agree that **[19:19]** coming back to this every quarter has been just so really nice for resetting and being like, "Well, I didn't do this, this, and this, and that's okay, but also how how do I do those things? Do I still want to do those things? So, in that vein, um I guess do you want to chat through what our goals for Q4 are? Yeah, I'm trying to think about what it is that I'm focused on right now to figure out what is worth doing. I do think I'm going to continue the newsletter that I'm working on. I kind of agreed with myself at the beginning **[19:49]** of the year that I was going to try to do it for a year and see what I thought of it. So, this will be the last quarter that I try that first year and see if it's something that I actually really enjoy doing or if it's something that I don't want to do quite as much. I really like the focus now on sharing other pieces of content because I think that that's just a good way for me to make sure that I'm reading things and like trying to stay a breast of information out there. Um, so I'll probably continue that one. One of the other ones that I want to do is I want to do more movement **[20:22]** in general. I think I'm really considering taking this yoga instructor course next year. Not because I'm planning to go start teaching yoga, but it's because it's something like I think it'll be helpful for me to like just focus more on like movement and stuff. I think I hit a point where I'm just like, "Wow, it hurts now to move in certain ways and in ways that I have never been like that before. Starting to get a little old, I guess. Not really, but feeling it. And I want to, you know, try **[20:52]** to make sure that I'm setting myself up for success as I do actually get old to have good routines for taking care of my body and things like that. And then I think the other one that I want to do is I want to work at a co-working space like once a week. My brother and I actually are going to do that soon. We found one in the area that we live and we're going to go together. He also works remotely in tech and so we're going to encourage each other to both go out and like at least go sit around other humans once a week. And I think **[21:24]** that that'll be really nice. I think I had this existential crisis recently where I was like, "Oh my gosh, I've been in my house for five years now." And that's a lot of time to be indoors and like away from other humans. And I'm kind of missing that connection. Especially after going to all these conferences this year, I'm like realizing like I do actually like to go see humans. So, I want to try to do that more. Um, and then I've got two talks planned for this quarter as well. So, I'm probably going to do those and then prep for next **[21:55]** year because doing the conference thing has been really fun and I'm really enjoying it and I want to do more of it. So, those are my goals. What about you, Bethany? What do you got going on? I love those and I might steal one of yours. Well, so brainstorming ahead of time. I wanted to be very aware that um I mean holidays are coming up. Um December is November and December are personally just a hugely busy time for **[22:26]** me. I mean between holidays and both me and my husband have the same birthday in December. So it's like chaos everywhere but fun chaos I guess. But anyways, it's I think it's always challenging to do to commit to too much, to overcommit, if you will. So, I want to be aware of that and not not be hard on myself if I don't achieve everything. But the things that I would like to do, um, and I tried to do more like fun things that will be fun **[22:58]** to do and beneficial, but one, I would like to just be more organized. I mentioned like feeling like things are pulling me or directing where I'm going rather than me deciding to do a thing. So, I just want to be more organized, do weekly planning both for home life and work life and be more explicit about the things I'm committing to and the things that I want to do and how it relates to where I want to be. So really, if I can **[23:30]** just stick with weekly planning, I'll be happy in that case. Just get into the habit of doing that and then adjusting from there. And then I really I really do want to find enjoyment and activity and be more consistent with that. Um I keep accidentally paying for class pass, so I'll probably actually use those credits at some point. Um and then finding something I like to do. I've already already been to a couple classes that have been so fun, like an aerial class. I've done some kickboxing and and **[24:01]** stuff. So, just continuing with that and seeing what kind of movement feels good. I feel you on getting older and wanting to make sure that I'm set up for success and I'm like entering new chapters of my life um as prepared physically and mentally as possible. So, yeah, the one I want to steal from you is the co-working space. That is so good. Um, we have me and my husband pay for a co-working space and we send it sometimes and every time we attend it, we're like, man, we should do that more often. We just don't. So, maybe setting **[24:33]** a a goal or putting it in the calendar and saying, "This is the day I'm going to my co-working space just would be be helpful." So, I love that one. Yeah, that's a great Yeah, I'm excited. I think it's one of those things that I'm not going to do unless I'm like specifically setting a goal because it's just so easy to like be in your home when you work from home. But it's also just a great way to, you know, get involved in your local community, have some passive maybe eye contact with other humans, **[25:04]** just get out a little bit more. I'm mostly excited about lunch. There's a really great taco place next to the one that we're going to. So, I'm just going to get tacos once a week, and that's my reward for peopleing is tacos. >> That's amazing. Yes. What an incredible reward. No, it's similar. Um, our co-working space is in a part of Charlotte that I really really love. So, it's it's a cool space and just fun to fun to go to that area. So, um, I love the community aspect, too. That's that's **[25:34]** so important, like the local community and getting involved. So, I love that. I agree. I feel like that's one of the things that has been sort of consistent this year. For one, I've been more involved on Blue Sky and I feel like there really is a community there of people, but also going to all of these conferences. Like that is the fun part of engineering is the community aspect. And yeah, I think I just I want to see a little bit more of it cuz I think a lot of them are still sort of rebuilding and coming back after, you know, this weird **[26:05]** crazy fever dream we all had of 2020 and beyond. And so I'm excited to spend more time on the overall developer community, hang out with more people, get to know more people. >> Yeah. >> One thing that AI can't take away from us. >> Yes. Exactly. Exactly. I was thinking the same thing while you were saying that. I'm like, well, you can't really do that with AI. I mean, you can true >> talk to it, but I don't know if it's quite the replacement there. So, that makes sense. **[26:35]** Um, I don't know if you want to talk about the overcommitted book club or how that's been going at all. I I feel terrible that I have not been more plugged in there. I was super super excited and then I just got very overwhelmed by life and so I feel terrible about that. But do you think that's something that's working for us or do you think it's something that um was a a cool experiment or should we continue? I think I'd be interested in continuing it if nothing else just for like regular trying to read books. But **[27:06]** yeah, I also fell off reading it every I think reading a single chapter every week is really hard for me when it comes to book clubs because I prefer to do all of my reading in like one chunk and like get through a book in like two days and then I forget about it if I read it all at once and then don't come back. And then if I try to do it once a week, then it just it's it's harder for me to commit to. So, we'll see. We'll see. I think Erica has been the one like continuously sticking **[27:38]** with it, which makes sense because she also does that with our book club at work and she's just wonderful at, you know, being consistent with those sorts of things. So, see what she has to say once we get to the end of it. And I do I don't know. I'm kind of getting to a point too where I'm wondering if I really want to spend much more time reading more tech books. Like I feel like I've hit a lot of the big ones, you know, and they're getting to a point where they're starting to sort of repeat each other, repeat themselves. I think I **[28:09]** might have just like read them all. I might have gotten through all the content and now it's better to spend especially right now when you know things are changing so quickly that relying on a book might not be the best source of information now. So I don't know maybe that's just an excuse for my short attention span not wanting to stick through an entire book anymore. But yeah I think I'm kind of evaluating whether or not you know maybe a short form book club is a better fit or whatever. I don't know. What do you think? >> I love that. Yeah, that's such a that's **[28:41]** such a good thought. It really a lot of these books do repeat themselves, but I think also it's the nature of the books we choose. So, it this is not for the overcommitted book club specifically, but like work book clubs. Um, if it's difficult for people to be super plugged in and engaged when you choose a super complicated and niche book that might actually end up develing more insight. So, I think it's just it's tough to get general interest in there **[29:14]** when it's something super super niche or super granular. Um, and I think that's a really good point like how how do you solve for that? Do you choose this more narrow focus over engagement or do you choose more general content that's easier to follow and having more engagement? Super tough. But I agree that Erica is the goat, the greatest of all time for being consistent and I don't do not know what we do without her. **[29:44]** >> Mhm. >> Super super appreciative of her, especially with the workbook club. I I ended up taking off this this book just because it it has been a lot to uh keep keep up with uh with work and everything. So, um, yeah, super appreciative of her for leading and taking ownership of of that. But yeah, we'll have to see. But if if anyone listening has any thoughts, please let us know. Any suggestions, any if you've led any successful book clubs or have **[30:16]** any dream book clubs you'd like to be a part of, please please leave it in uh, I guess, do we have a comment section? I don't know, but drop it somewhere. We'll probably see it. Tag us on Blue Sky. Um, >> join the Discord at overcommitted.dev. You can go join our Discord. >> Tell us there. >> Mom and dad Snapchat me. Just let me know there. Yeah. Well, great. I think this was this was a good discussion on looking forward, looking back, all that **[30:47]** stuff. Um, so going on to our fun stock. Um, this was super inspired by my college roommate. Shout out Lily, who asked me this freshman year, and I cannot stop thinking about this question, but she asked me, "If you could give a TED talk on anything, what would it be?" So, I'm going to pivot it to be more tech focused. So, if you could give a conference talk on anything, it can be non as serious or as non-serious as you want, what would it be? Good question. I think that okay if **[31:19]** it if it is tech related it would be probably something that has to do with the way that social media has been built and the way that it's impacting humans. Had a we just had an episode about this and the way that I think it can be done better giving us hope because I've been doing more and more reading about at proto and blue sky recently. I think that this is the spot where I finally want to like get deep into open source commitments and things like that. Um, probably that. Um, that's **[31:51]** a really good question. If it's not techreated, I could probably give a decent talk about earthquake preparedness because I'm just very interested in reading about the Cascadia subduction zone earthquake potential and how to prepare for it, which is completely not techreated at all because we won't have technology at that time. D. What about you? >> I mean, that's a good thing to be knowledgeable about. I think um you could there's good dividends there for **[32:24]** being prepared for natural disasters. So >> kudos to you and I am glad that I don't have to worry about that. At least that I know about stranger things have happened. But yeah, I did not I came up with this question and did not prepare for it at all. But uh so this is off the dome. Um I think um tech-wise kind of tech-wise I would love to give a talk about like identity at tech and like finding your identity. **[32:54]** It's been something that I've been thinking about a lot. I think early in my career I definitely code switch a lot in terms of maybe acting more masculine or acting a certain way to be heard. and it's not necessarily a way that is authentic to me or that I'd want to be perceived as. So, um I think it's been definitely a journey of finding who I am, how I want to express myself **[33:25]** and also not be seen as weak, not interpret, oh, feminine equals weak, um or anything like that. Um, yeah, it's just been an interesting journey and I'd love to kind of talk through uh things that I've learned about myself or questions I still I still have, things that are not fair about the industry or just aren't solvable yet we we continue. Yeah. Yeah. Just things like that. I'd say for non tech **[33:58]** things, um I would love to give a um a talk on why Sir Per is the best mascot in the NFL. And I only have one one aspect of evidence, but it is the only mascot in the NFL with an actual record because he did a punt return and actually accidentally touched a live ball, jumped on a live ball in uh in regulation. So that he is the best though and very fun. So that is that **[34:31]** would be my talk for stuff that is completely unserious and but very serious. >> Yes, I'm convinced. Uh yeah, you've already got me sold on that. So >> yes, I mean it helps that Oregon doesn't have a a football team, I guess. Well, Washington does. >> Yeah, it's not it's not very big over here. Everybody's into soccer, I feel like, on this side of the country, more so than football, but maybe I'm just making that up and it's just the tech people on this side of the country. >> I mean, soccer has been like really big **[35:02]** in Charlotte recently. Um, I just love sports. I I know people get on it a lot and I understand, but also I just like like getting behind something with a bunch of other people and being excited about stuff. Um, which I guess Panthers maybe haven't had much to be excited for for a long time. But I still it's just it gets me every time. Can't help like there's a win I'm like yes we are going to the Super Bowl. So >> that's awesome. >> Yeah. It's so fun. **[35:35]** >> Yeah. The community behind sports is awesome. There are very few things especially right now with streaming being so popular. You can go watch any show like ever created whenever you want. So there's very few things that are happening in real time these days. And I feel like soccer or sports in general, that's one of them. And that's a great way to have community. One of the only other things that's happening in real time is like current events and politics. And that has done nothing but like divide people. So sports all the way. I don't watch a lot of sports, but I am pro sports. Yay. Yeah, completely **[36:06]** agree. All right. Thank you so much for tuning in to Overcommitted. If you like what you hear, please do follow, subscribe, or do whatever it is you like to do on the podcast app of your choice. Check us out on Blue Sky and share with your friends. We do have a plug for a conference happening soon. Our friend Abby Pirini wanted us to let you all know about Magnolia Conf 2025, which is right around the corner. So, grab your tickets and be part of the excitement in Jackson, Mississippi. Our catering isn't **[36:38]** just feeding your body. It's possessing your taste buds with flavors that will haunt you long after the conference ends. Come hungry and leave spiritually transformed. Don't miss out on the spookiest tech event of the year. Grab get your tickets for Magnolia Comp 2025 today. These tickets aren't just disappearing, they're being consumed by the void of regret that follows people who miss good conferences. Don't become part of the void. The void is lonely and smells like instant coffee. Get your tickets for Magnolia Comp 2025 **[37:10]** today. All right, until next week.