Empowering Women in STEM

Sanya Mathura is the Founder and CEO of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd, based in Trinidad & Tobago. She works with global affiliates in the areas of Reliability and Asset Management to bring these specialty niches to her clients. She has a BSc in Electrical & Computer Engineering and an MSc in Engineering Asset Management from the University of the West Indies. Sanya has worked in the lubrication industry for over a decade and assists various industries with lubrication-related issues. She is the first person (and first female) in her country and the Caribbean to attain an ICML MLE (International Council for Machinery Lubrication Machinery Engineer) certification, as well as the first female in the world to achieve the ICML VPR & VIM badges. Presently, Sanya is also the only female instructor globally for the Mobius Field Lubrication Category I course and sits on multiple technical boards. She can always be found supporting and advocating for women in the STEM field.

• Section 1: Work-Life-Parent Ecosystem. 1. Learning to Thrive as a Woman in STEM. 2. Prototyping the Future: What STEM Gives You as a Parent. Section 2: Imposter Syndrome & Confidence Gap. 3. When Competence Isn’t Enough: Imposter Syndrome and the Design of Authority. 4. The Fraudulence Paradox: Beyond Self – The Systemic Roots of Imposter Syndrome. 5. Be Bold, Be Brave, Be Visible. Section 3: Being The Only One. 6. You will always Stand Out, So Stand Up!. 7. The Journey is Better Together: Cultivating Connection in Your Career. Section 4: Gender Stereotypes. 8. Dismantling the Gender Stereotype. Section 5: Guiding Lights: How Mentors and Sponsors Shape STEM Careers. 9. The Importance of Female STEM Role Models for Diversity and Inclusion in the Future of STEM. 10. Improving the Visibility of Both Male and Female Role Models. 11. Courage and Trust, The Foundation for Mentorship. Section 6: Handling Harassment (Hostile or Unwelcoming Work Environments). 12. When Silence Becomes Complicity: Harassment, Power, and the Cost of Being “Professional.” 13. More Than Me Too. Section 7: Advocating for yourself (or the “Prove it Again” Burden). 14. Embracing Detours and Moving Forward. 15. The Invisible Weight of “Prove it Again.” 16. You Are Your Best Advocate: Claim your Space with Confidence. Section 8: Cultural & Societal Expectations. 17. Breaking the Mold – Changing Cultural Expectations by Lifting Others. 18. The Changing Roles of Women in Food Systems. 19. Where Mathematics Meets Humanity: Redefining STEM Through Border, Culture & Courage. Section 9: Authenticity. 20. Authentic by Claim, Inauthentic by Data: The Everyday Impact of Unconscious Inauthenticity. 21. Authenticity: Coming Home. Section 10: Burnout. 22. Weathering the Storms: What Burnout Means for Me. 23. Befriending Dragons – From Burnout to Confidence. Section 11: Unconscious Bias in Recruitment & Evaluation. 24. Identifying and Extinguishing Bias in Recruitment and Evaluation. 25. Fight or Flight: Navigating the Minefield of Unconscious Bias in the Workplace. Section 12: STEM Survival Kit: Tools for Navigating and Thriving in Your Career. 26. Career Pivots are Where Growth and Self-Discovery Align. 27. Navigating a Vibrant Career Journey. 28. How Embracing Change and Creating Opportunities Helped Me Find a Place in STEM. 29. From Molecular Biology to Balloon Artistry in STEAM Education. Section 13: How AI Can Reinforce or Break Gender Bias. 30. The Algorithmic Glass Ceiling: How Objectivity Becomes Architecture. Section 14: Financial Empowerment. 31. The Personal Sides of Financial Empowerment. 32. Towards Financial Flourishing: A Call to Courage and Change. Section 15: How to Better Engage Male Allies. 33. Creating the Shift from Passive Observers to Purposeful Allies. 34. Beyond the Perception of Gender .