#154 Breaking barriers and empowering the next generation with Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne, PhD
Release Date: 06/08/2025
Another Door Opens
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“Life’s been tough over the last couple of years not just for me, but economically, for a lot of businesses. If I can bring joy into business owners’ lives and make them feel better about what they’re doing, that’s brilliant.” Ever wondered how to reopen doors (or even build brand new ones) after life throws you a curveball? This episode is all about finding the spark of joy, even in your darkest moments, and building communities that thrive on play, experimentation, and authentic connection. I’m joined by brand strategist, author, and accidental entrepreneur Sapna Pieroux, who...
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“It’s not a tick box exercise. It’s a genuine need to care for people and other human beings. Ultimately they’ll thrive again given the right support…and bring a whole new level of compassion and empathy if they’re nurtured the right way.” What happens when your life changes in an instant, not by choice but by tragedy? In this episode I’m with Caroline Roodhouse, who shares her incredibly moving story of losing her husband to suicide, the surreal aftermath, and the slow journey of rebuilding identity, family, and hope. Caroline opens the door on grief: the shock, the vividness...
info_outline“I want to frame my journey to be an example, to be a road map, to hand the baton to somebody else, to the next generation.”
In this episode, Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne, PhD, a product leader, and technologist, shares the inspiration behind her new memoir “For Such a Time Like This”.
From her childhood in Cameroon, dreaming of going to the moon, to leading teams at Meta, Amazon and Yahoo, Marie-Ange’s journey is a powerful testament to following your heart, staying strong, even when everything around you suggests you should be doing something completely different.
Marie-Ange includes a brilliant framework , PURPOSE, to help others navigate challenges. Her book is an incredible memoir about her life, but also a great inspiration and lessons for those following her path.
Here are the highlights:
03:49 Closing a door in tech and how it opened a door to writing
07:34 Why technology is in her DNA, and what’s next
13:00 That vivid childhood moment of ambition
19:46 “Pioneer, not troublemaker” the importance of being a trailblazer
28:13 The meaning behind her book, “For Such a Time Like This”.
32:14 Using the “PURPOSE” framework to help others
41:01 A tribute to her mother, and three generations of women breaking barriers.
Things that helped Marie-Ange navigate change:
Music: “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran
Book: The Bible
One piece of advice:
“Take risk. Take more risk. Don't be afraid to fail. If you never fail, it means you never tried. Every experience prepares you for such a time like this.”
About Dr. Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne, PhD
Dr. Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne is a global technology executive, product strategist, coach, mentor and speaker whose journey from hardship to hope has inspired audiences around the world. She has a deep passion to empower the next generation of leaders, especially women and underrepresented minorities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics) fields. Born and raised in Cameroon (Central Africa), she came to the U.S. as an international student as a teenager and has since built a thriving career in Silicon Valley while raising a family and serving on multiple boards. A passionate advocate for faith-work integration, Marie-Ange speaks widely on leadership, resilience, and legacy.
She holds a doctorate degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from University of California, Berkeley. And has spent over two decades in product management building consumer electronics products that have impacted the lives of billions of users around the world at big tech companies such as Meta, Amazon, Yahoo, and Intel. She is passionate about redefining success and dismantling barriers. She uses her story to ignite purpose and faith in others.
Connect with Marie-Ange:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-ange-eyoum-tagne/
About your host Eleanor Tweddell:
Eleanor supports individuals, teams and organisations through change. Whether it’s 121 coaching or large scale organisational change through communications and training. Eleanor’s work centres around how we, as humans, work through change, embracing the messy bits, the role of playing, with the aim to see opportunity. “Too often we get stuck in the change happening to us, when just through that next door is an exciting next chapter.”
Eleanor is the founder of Another Door Opens - a 5 step programme to navigate change and the author of Why losing your job could be the best thing that ever happened to you.
Connect with Eleanor:
Instagram:instagram/anotherdooruk
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-tweddell/
Website: www.another-door-opens.com
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk