Technical Rigor

Technical Rigor

by Lizzi Neelsen

Society & Culture Technology

Season 1

Tayler Nowak Is (Not) A STEM Girly

Tayler Nowak has A Beautiful Mind that is full of words, not math equations. In this episode, Lizzi and Tayler cover career cobwebs*, writing to think, and building worlds that don't exist yet — all before diving into the debate Lizzi's been sitting on since the first part of their conversation. What follows is a volleying exploration of hard science versus soft science, where the humanities actually belong, and why even astrophysics is, at its core, an art and a science. Also: how a trip to the arcade seeing Ataris and pinball machines in action led to the invention of Apple’s Lisa Mouse. *Also also: career lattice is the term we meant but could not remember in the moment! That's a wrap on Season 1 of Technical Rigor! Don’t worry, we’ll see you this fall for Season 2!!

Tayler Nowak Is Business Adjacent

Tayler Nowak didn't know design thinking existed until one professor's mentorship showed her it was the epicenter of everything she wanted to do. In this episode, Tayler and Lizzi talk about the culture shock of trading semester-long academic studies for two-week sprints, the specific vulnerability of asking for help when you're new somewhere, and why Tayler thinks being unheard usually comes down to people listening to respond instead of listening to hear. Also: the research participant who told Tayler a box of tissues might be needed—turns out no one ever reached for the tissues. Shout outs from Tayler: Dr. Dee Warmath: fcs.uga.edu/people/bio/dee-warmath More mentions: M.S. in Design + Innovation: MDI program @ UW-Madison

Dr. Franziska Haydanek Does Her Own Research

Dr. Fran spent her early college semesters dodging every science class she could find before landing on going to med school — and now she is a board-certified ObGyn who moonlights as Paging Dr. Fran fighting medical misinformation online. In this episode, Fran and Lizzi dive into the origin story behind Fran's own podcast, I Did My Own Research, what it felt like to not get into medical school on the first try, and why stepping away from a profession doesn't undo who it made you. Also: hear which mean internet comment Dr. Fran turned into merch. All things @PagingDrFran: TikTok YouTube Instagram / Facebook / Threads Podcast: Apple / Spotify / YouTube Website Merch

Miranda Degg Hates Boxes

Miranda Degg became an industrial designer by accident: she got sent down the wrong hallway and never looked back. Miranda and Lizzi dig into universal design — not as an accessibility checkbox, but as a way of designing with people instead of for them – her belief that the boxes people get shoved into at work are not even real, and multifaceted individuals are assets to embrace rather than stifle. Also: Miranda's answer to burnout involves homemade drinks and blasting Britney Spears in her backyard. She calls it "dopamine farming." Shout outs from Miranda: The Universal Designer (UD) - link Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA): idsa.org/ IDSA Design Advocacy: Universal Design

Megan Shimon Gets It Done Without The Drama

Megan Shimon is a senior electrical engineer who has spent most of her career generating signals that she could not see, feel, or touch. Now she's writing code that animates an MRI patient table, and she's not going to pretend that isn't kind of great. In this episode, Megan and Lizzi discuss asking for what you’re worth (and more!) at work, why becoming a Mom made her a better engineer, and what she'd say to a friend that’s thinking about leaving engineering — including what to do when the problem involves someone being a word-that-rhymes-with-creole. Shout outs from Megan: Society of Women Engineers (SWE): swe.org Gardening – inspires her Southern soul Star Trek Discovery — seriously, watch it!

Lizzi Neelsen Wants to Talk About It

Before there was a podcast, there was a (near) death by a thousand cuts. In this episode, Lizzi is interviewed by Michael Neelsen — husband, documentary filmmaker, and seasoned interviewer — on the origin story of Technical Rigor. Together they explore patterns of vague feedback, insulting job offers, and the slow burn of realizing it wasn't just happening to her. Also: what it means to feel less alone and the impact that has on whether someone stays.

Natalie Olsen Does Art & Spaceship Math

Natalie Olsen is a senior mechanical engineer currently designing CT detectors on the scale of a tenth of a micron. In this episode, Natalie and Lizzi talk about never letting yourself be the one to say no, why being personable has gotten Natalie further than her technical chops ever have, and what sewing your own clothes has to do with sheet metal design. Also: what it looks like to have a life that makes room for both hemispheres of your brain. Shout outs from Natalie: Alexandra McNamara (@built.pretty) — a trades worker and tool literacy educator who breaks down the difference between every screw, bolt, and driver in language that's actually digestible, all while being unapologetically herself on the job site.

Sara Feuling Knows How to Zipper Merge

Sara Feuling didn't plan to be an engineer — she just never stopped building things. In this episode, Sara and Lizzi talk about the unwritten rules that get lobbed at you (and turn out to be rubbish), Why the arts and engineering aren't in opposition with one another, and how changing one kid's mind about construction ripples further than you think. Also: The Midwest has a zipper merge problem and we're not letting it go. (Yeah, no, sorry not sorry!) Shout outs from Sara: STEM Forward (Milwaukee): stemforward.org Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee: bbbsmilwaukee.org ASCE Wisconsin (Southeast branch): ascewise.org

Welcome to Technical Rigor

Welcome to Technical Rigor, a new podcast where women+ in STEM+ can embrace our multitudes, enforce why we belong, and ensure that we stay here together. Officially launching June 2026! Subscribe now to get new episodes automatically added to your feed.