Fatima Bey: Welcome to Mindshift Power Podcast, the only international podcast focused on teens, connecting young voices and perspectives from around the world. Get ready to explore the issues that matter to today's youth and shape tomorrow's world.

Fatima Bey: I'm your host, Fatima Bey, the Mind Shifter.

法蒂瑪貝：歡迎大家！今天我們邀請到了來自加拿大安大略省的Poonya Singh。

Fatima Bey: She is a data engineering leader and she has had 14 plus years in the field. She's also an author.

Fatima Bey: And we're going to be talking about stem, but we're going to talk about a little bit differently today than what you typically hear. So how are you doing today, Punya?

Punya Singh：我很好。你好嗎，Fatima？

Fatima Bey: I'm good. I'm looking forward to this conversation.

Fatima Bey: So let me first off start by asking you, what is stem? We use that term a lot, but not everybody in the world knows what it means. So, so if you.

Punya Singh: Sure. So stem, let's start off with what was it stand for? So STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. So STEM careers are any careers that are tied to any of these disciplines or a combination of the disciplines.

Fatima Bey: All right, so can you give us some examples of what industries are included with stem?

Punya Singh: Sure. So STEM can include.

Punya Singh: It could be data science, it could mean engineering, it could be technology, it could be science being a researcher. There's an infinite number of different roles that it, that it can encompass. But I guess while why we're here, majority of STEM careers positions are filled by, by men. So In North America, 2/3 of stem positions are filled by men and only one third by women. So women and, and minorities are unfortunately very underrepresented. But, but that's why we're here and we're hoping to see that change.

Fatima Bey: That is why we're here. And we're on an international stage right now. So this is. You're talking about North American numbers because North American. So that's what you know. But I know that it's not just true here, it's true in the world and in general. And I, I too agree that that should definitely change. And I would say, I think that. What do you think? Do you think engineering is a larger portion of that?

Punya Singh: I would say engineering is probably the ratios in engineering. There are a lot less females in engineering than some of the other fields. So, you know, I know in science, you know, we'd have, we have some female researchers still underrepresented, but within stem, engineering seems to be an area that's even less represented by women in the other areas.

Fatima Bey: So definitely requires breaking things down into parts and putting them back together, which women do all the time, because we do it to men. So we should be doing it in the field of stem too.

Fatima Bey: As a seamstress.

Fatima Bey: You know, my past is being a professional seamstress. And you know, I made and designed wedding gowns for decades at this point.

Fatima Bey: And what most people don't realize is that I'm an engineer. Because sewing is engineering.

Punya Singh: Absolutely.

Fatima Bey: I noticed that when I used to teach sewing and those who have an engineering background always make excellent sewers.

Fatima Bey: And I noticed that I'm like, oh, well, I guess because it's the same brain, because it is engineering. Even understanding the sewing machine is engineering. And so women out there, girls, young girls out there, if you're sewing, you are an engineer too.

Fatima Bey: Absolutely.

Punya Singh: If you're cooking, you're, you're a chemist. So you know what?

Fatima Bey: That's true. I had thought about actually. True.

Punya Singh：你是個領導者。你管理家，管理日常生活，管理一切的運作。所以一切都是相互關聯的。

Fatima Bey: It's that transferable skill. You know, you're taking your skill and, and, and it depends on which way you use it. But engineering is the way to use it, make money, so, and get put in magazines. Because now you're important.

法蒂瑪貝伊：現在。

Fatima Bey: Punya, tell us about your background.

Punya Singh：好的。我想先從我出生和成長的地方說起。我出生在加拿大多倫多，在那裡長大。

Punya Singh：我的父母來自印度，40 多年前移民到加拿大。

Punya Singh: But I was. So I'm kind of a blend of, you know, our Canadian culture, but also our East Indian culture as well.

Punya Singh: Apart from that, I currently still live in the, in the Toronto region.

Punya Singh: I am married and I also have a two year old son.

Punya Singh：兩歲小孩真是太可怕了。我是一位母親、妻子，同時也是資料工程領域的領導者之一。很高興能和大家分享我是如何應對這一切的，以及身為母親和妻子的心路歷程。

Fatima Bey: Now in talking to you off air, I found your career background very interesting. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Punya Singh: Sure. So in terms of my academic background, I started off with my bachelor's in biology and psychology and I love the combination of the two. Then I proceeded to do my master's and PhD in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience.

Punya Singh: And the program that I was in was very stat heavy, very mathematical, very technical.

Punya Singh: So when I graduated I was pulled into a lot of the data roles. So then when I graduated I moved into market research, more on the data side more on the technical side and the research side. I then moved into banking and now more most recently I'm now in the pharmaceutical industry. So I've always been connected to data. So on the technical side so tend to tended to be more, more male dominated and also a lot of the roles that I've been in have been leadership roles. So also as you move up in the corporate career there seems to be less and less women, so often the minority and a lot of the lot of these different positions that I've had and I've been working for almost 14 years and I'm loving my career in STEM.

法蒂瑪貝：太好了。現在告訴你，你是資料工程師。

Fatima Bey: Leader, Sorry, data engineering leader. What does that mean? What does that entail?

Punya Singh：當然。基本上我的團隊裡有一個資料工程師團隊。我大約有22個直接下屬，所以這更像是一個領導角色。所以，在我的職業生涯早期，我不太專注於細節，也不太擅長處理數字，做了很多這方面的工作。但現在，這更像是一個領導角色。所以我不需要做很多數據工程或數字運算的工作，雖然我在職業生涯早期就做過這些。我現在的職責更多的是領導我的團隊，支持他們、指導他們、激勵他們，確保他們達成目標。很多工作都與資料工程領域的企業策略有關。

Punya Singh: And then most recently when I joined this company a year ago, the pharma company, I was approached by one of my managers to start a women in tech group where we want to support women in, in tech roles. So I started an initiative at the company and it's been very well received. So we have a lot of senior leaders come in and talk about their, the challenges that they've faced as a women and a female in the tech industry and how they've overcome those, those challenges. And it's been very inspiring.

Punya Singh: And I started off, I started off these, these initiat more and more I got into it, the more passion, the more, the more passionate I've become and it just became an area that I, that I'm super excited about and I guess that's why I'm here.

Fatima Bey: So you mentioned that it can be difficult to be a female in the tech industry and instead of, I'm just calling it, instead of saying stem, I'm just saying tech industry.

法蒂瑪貝：對於那些認識到這一點的人，請更好地解釋這意味著什麼。對於那些沒有這方面經驗的人。

Punya Singh：我想說，在加拿大，每個人的視角都會有所不同，這取決於你來自哪裡，以及你是如何成長的。但我想說，當我還不是媽媽的時候，我從來沒有覺得自己和男人有什麼不同。對。我從未聽過任何關於身為女性、少數族裔或類似身分的評論。我個人聽過。但這並不意味著其他女性沒有聽過。

Punya Singh: But I think when I became a mom, that is where some, you know, I started to see some of the, I guess the discrimination or the questions come up and some of, you know, some of some of the challenges.

Punya Singh: So I've overcame them though.

Punya Singh：不過我記得我兩年前剛生小孩的時候，休的產假很短，只有六個月。在加拿大，產假最多可以休18個月。所以，在我們這裡，對於沒有產假的人來說，產假就是產假。基本上，產假就是生小孩時休的假。也就是說，你可以休假18個月。對我來說，我愛我的孩子，也愛工作。所以我只休了六個月的產假。

Punya Singh: And that's sort of very unconventional, right in Canada to take. I know in the US I think you guys don't get, you get maybe six weeks off. So it might be like normal to just be, have your child and you're.

法蒂瑪貝伊：開始工作吧，五分鐘就完成了。

Punya Singh：是的，但在這裡，這很不正常。你至少需要一年半到一年半的時間。對吧？

Fatima Bey: That makes sense to me.

Punya Singh: Once I wanted to be back at work with accommodations, you know, I was still with my son and had had support networks. But when I came back to work, wanted to come back to work, you know, I was often questioned, how are you going to manage your job and your, and your, and your son?

Punya Singh: How many minutes is it going to. Because I was on a very high profile project. How many minutes is it going to take you to nurse your child? Because I would need an accommodation and I can't take a meeting when I'm nursing my child. I would just been asked these very personal questions and you know, and I never felt like, like, like I was any different than a man until I became, that, became a mom.

Punya Singh: So for me that really, you know, got me really passionate about this area and you know, I don't think anyone should have to answer how you're going to manage your career and your job. If you Want to come back to work. That's your decision. Right. You should not be undermined or questioned about how you're going to do your job. Right. A man wouldn't be. So why was I.

Punya Singh：這些就是你想知道的問題。這大概就是我和這個領域產生連結的原因。我在這裡想談談女性在科技、領導力以及母親身分等方面的感受。

法蒂瑪·貝伊：那麼我想針對您剛才所說的內容發表一些我的想法。

法蒂瑪貝：我通常不常這樣做，但是。現在我要說的是……根據您剛才的解釋和您剛才舉的例子，我認為其中一些問題是合理的，因為無知是許多此類問題背後的主要因素。

Punya Singh: Absolutely.

Fatima Bey: Well, you're not like everyone else I've ever known who's a woman and had a child come out of them. So therefore, why are you different? You know that. That's what I heard. And people ask those kind of questions that seem silly to.

法蒂瑪貝：對你來說，對我們其他人來說，因為他們真的無知。所以我覺得有時候有些人會冷漠地認為，你是女人，這就是你該做的。然後就出現了這樣的人。

Fatima Bey: And then there are those people that genuinely just. They're just clueless. They just don't know that you. You. That it's been ingrained in them to think of you differently because you don't have a penis, you know, and. And they, they don't read. They genuinely don't. And. But those questions are still annoying.

Fatima Bey: But there are people who genuinely. They're just genuinely ignorant. And I think sometimes we have to be mindful of how we respond because it's very easy to respond with, I would like to punch you in the face right now. Please don't actually do that. But, you know, you don't actually do that. But you. That's what you're thinking inside your head. Like, you know, I just want to smack you. You're so stupid. But.

Fatima Bey: But then you have to stand back and like, they've never seen anything but one thing. That's all they know.

Punya Singh: Right.

Fatima Bey: And think about how true this is with many other factors within the.

Punya Singh: Absolutely.

Fatima Bey: It's been dominated by men.

Fatima Bey: So all they know is testosterone comes in and runs the show.

Fatima Bey: And, you know, a woman who's much more multifaceted in our thinking by nature comes in and disrupts that because we're different.

Fatima Bey: And also. But we do think a little bit differently. Sometimes. And both are needed. That's why God created us both.

Fatima Bey: I just wanted to add that in not so much for you, but for the listeners.

Punya Singh：對吧？絕對對。

Fatima Bey: So let me ask you this. So in a moment ago, we, we were talking about STEM careers that need more women.

Fatima Bey: Can you give, give us a few, like maybe three to five very specific careers that you would like to see young women get into? Very specific positions. I would say.

Punya Singh：對。我當然會說，就像我之前提到的，在工程領域，看到更多女性參與其中是件好事。但有一件事我也很希望看到，我認為，我的意思是，這也可以與工程領域聯繫起來，但人工智慧領域，你知道，我知道這是一個很大的領域，有很多機會。所以，看到更多女性參與其中，並發揮她們自己的女性特質，或有機會探索如何利用人工智慧，以及如何讓女性和男性都受益，這將是件好事。但如果人工智慧領域有更多女性，能夠從中汲取不同的視角，那就太好了，因為我認為這是一個很棒的工具。

Punya Singh：除此之外，我當然希望看到更多女性擔任領導職務。所以，我想說，你知道，很多入門級的STEM職業仍然以男性為主，但你會看到，女性佔了三分之一。但隨著你在職涯中不斷晉升，女性的身影卻越來越少。所以，我希望在STEM領導崗位上，看到更多女性的身影。

Fatima Bey: That would be beautiful.

Punya Singh: Yes. Yeah. And then also any kind of job related to like coding, computer science, you know, a lot on the technical side of things, I would say that there's, there seems to be more of a disparity, disparity between. So it'd be good to see more, more women in, in some of those.

Fatima Bey: Areas, coding is still going to be necessary.

Fatima Bey: No matter how far AI gets, we still need coding.

Punya Singh: Absolutely. Definitely human intervention.

Fatima Bey: So coding and AI are probably the two biggest things in the future that we know aren't going to go away.

Punya Singh: Absolutely.

Fatima Bey: They're absolutely certain kinds of engineering might go away as technology improves, you know, and increases. And we don't need this machine anymore. We don't need that kind of whatever anymore, that kind of system. But a, but AI, and, and yeah, that's encoding. Those are never going to go away because coding is still used in AI.

Punya Singh：我正在跟我的資料工程師聊，我問他們，你們擔心人工智慧嗎？人工智慧確實提高了他們的工作效率，但這並不意味著他們不再被需要。對。所以，仍然有機會。領導力也一樣。對。你永遠不會讓機器人來領導你，制定公司策略。對。

法蒂瑪貝：所以我希望不會，因為那會成為一部電影。

Punya Singh: You never know anything's possible. But.

法蒂瑪貝伊：這樣的事永遠不會有好結果。

Punya Singh: Right.

法蒂瑪貝：但談到未來，由於我們這期節目是專門針對這些年輕女性進行的，那麼您會如何與她們交談呢？

Fatima Bey: Where do you see the future in, in tech?

Punya Singh: Right.

法蒂瑪貝：你能對他們說些什麼嗎？

Punya Singh: I would say, I would say that it's a bright future.

Punya Singh: It's great to see more and more companies really promoting women in tech. Women in stem.

Punya Singh: I think the company I work for, they have a lot of support networks. There's a lot of push towards encouraging more women to be in stem. And I think in the past that was non existent or never heard of.

Punya Singh: I think with all these support options and networks, I think it's a great place to be.

Punya Singh: And also I would say, you know, as, as a female, you know, whether you're in Africa or you're in India or wherever you may be sitting, you know, in your community, you might be that first female in your, in your, you know, in your city or your village or wherever you are that no one knows how to code you. Don't be afraid to stand out, right? It's okay to stand out. You should be proud to stand out.

Fatima Bey: Absolutely.

Punya Singh：所以，如果你對 STEM 職業充滿熱情，而你所在的地區卻沒有這樣的機會，那就不要害怕嘗試。你應該為自己有機會激勵其他女性追求她們的熱情而感到自豪，如果她們對 STEM 職業充滿熱情的話。所以，不要害怕脫穎而出，也不要因為可能面臨的挑戰而感到疲憊或沮喪。你可能會有很多支持者，這很好，但也可能有人反對，對吧？

Fatima Bey: Yes.

Punya Singh: And don't let them dishearten you. So keep moving along, keep striving for your goals.

Fatima Bey: And yeah, that segues right into what I was going to ask you next. I'm going to give you a scenario.

Fatima Bey: There's a young woman who's just getting into a STEM field. It's engineering, some sort of engineering, and she's got some great ideas that could really advance the company, some great ideas that could really advance the mechanics of a particular machine that they reliant, right? And she wants to come to corporate and say, look, I have this great idea to make this more efficient and make it more, make it more efficient and have more output and basically make you more money. That's what they all want to hear, right? So she's got this great idea and she tries to come to. And she's only 23 years old, so she's a kid to them and she wants to come and she's got this idea. Hell, let's just say she's 19, she's real young. She comes in and she's got this idea and she comes to the authority figures within her company because they all hold different titles or whatever those are, and she, she says, you know, I have this great idea. But then they kind of listen to her obligatorily and treat her like, yeah, yeah, little girl, go back to work. They don't say those words out of their mouth, but their actions and their body language and everything else says that to them, right? What's that? What should that girl do? She just cower back, put their tail between her legs and go back to work and be a good little girl, right?

Punya Singh: Absolutely not.

Punya Singh: So, you know, I know as, you know, I think as women, not all of us, but you know, we tend to be people, we don't, we don't want to stir the pot, right? We want to, you know, go along with the flow and not offend anyone and you know, you know, but, and studies have shown that men are more open to rock the boat and doing, saying, saying their opinion. And if people don't agree. But you know, as females we tend to sometimes not all females in general, you know, we tend not to want to rock the boat. But so no, I would encourage her to Keep, keep, don't, don't back down. Keep, keep, keep using logic. Keep using your technical knowledge to convey how this idea may be beneficial to the company, right? So show them how you, what you've, what you've done or what you've thought about or your thought process. You know, try to use logic, facts, math if applicable, or science or any of that, because they may not listen to emotions, right? Oh, there's a young female approaching me. She might be emotional and she's just being right, not practical. Show them with concrete facts and that will, will hopefully would, should make them listen. And if they're not, then that's on them. But I would highly encourage you to to that a female in this situation to, to talk technical, talk science, talk math and not back down.

法蒂瑪貝：我想用一個不同的比喻來解釋你剛才說的話。把它當成一個法庭。證據A，證據B。這就是你需要這樣做的原因，這是事實，這是原因，這是可能的結果，這是所有相關的數據，這些讓對方認真對待你。但這並不總是那麼容易，因為如果你不那麼自信，你就會顯得不那麼自信。

Punya Singh: Right.

Fatima Bey: So I mean, they could role play in the mirror, they could role play with a friend, even if it's virtual online, whatever it is. That I think helps too because if you show up like you ain't better than me, listen to this and you have on that kind of attitude, people take you differently than if you come as a timid. Well, I know I'm just little, but I hope you listen because a lot of these big wigs, men aren't, aren't going to listen to you for come at them like that.

Punya Singh: That absolutely, absolutely woman that you actually are. That's another challenge. You know, imposter syndrome. You know, a lot of women feeling, you know, I'm not good enough to be in a stem career, you know, but all these men, men, they're just, it's a male dominate. Maybe I shouldn't be here. Or they, they, even if they are very successful, they, they question themselves.

Fatima Bey: Yes.

Punya Singh：他們覺得自己能力不足。我想，即使你和我，我也會覺得，我不知道，別叫我作家。等等，我做著我所說的事，感覺自己像個冒名頂替者，或是你知道的。

Fatima Bey: Yes.

Punya Singh：所以，這又是另一個挑戰。我認為女性必須真正克服它，這就是原因所在。

Fatima Bey: We need people like you, because it can you, you encourage other women and not just young women. I'm just talking about any age to be themselves and to go ahead and stand up and let what's inside their head comes out come out. Because there's so many women out there who are sitting on great intelligence. The only reason there is no cure for cancer is because the cure has been born over and over and over again. And it went to the grave because somebody was too afraid to let it out. And there's so many women not just in the field of stem, but there's so many young women out there who are sitting on a gold mine because they don't believe that they. What they have is valuable. And that is just never true.

Punya Singh: Absolutely.

法蒂瑪貝：我希望看到更多年輕女性崛起，掌控這個領域，或至少我們不必掌控這個領域。我也不希望看到男性退出這個領域，由女性主導。我希望看到這種情況。我只是希望看到男女之間能夠保持平衡，讓那些聰明能幹的女性真正開始展現這一點，並且讓她們的銀行帳戶也能體現出來。你明白我的意思嗎？

Punya Singh: That pay negotiation. Yeah. And I think that happens. You know, it's not confident. She's not going to negotiate her salary. She's going to be grateful she got the opportunity in the job.

Fatima Bey: Yep, $2. I'll take it. No, it should be $200,000. What are you doing?

Punya Singh: Right.

法蒂瑪貝：還有。但當你沒有信心的時候，你就會拿走那2美元。

Punya Singh: Exactly.

Fatima Bey: Because you don't realize that you actually deserve more and can ask for it.

Punya Singh: Exactly. And that's actually why there is that pay disparity. It's not that we're any less capable. It's because we don't negotiate. And I don't know, maybe tight confidence may be part of it, but I remember going last, negotiating the set my salary. I've always been a negotiator.

普尼亞辛格：她很驚訝。她說，我真的很尊重你提出這個問題。我心裡想，這怎麼不正常？但我想應該不是吧？這本來就不正常。所以她在談判前就感到驚訝。所以，是的，你剛才重申了。

Fatima Bey: What I said earlier. This is the norm. Quote, unquote, norm.

Fatima Bey: What is typical is not always what's right, what's good, or what works. And when we're used to seeing something as typical, we don't know anything outside of it. So for some young. And I'm talking to the young women listening right now, sometimes these men are just genuinely freaking ignorant. They. They don't really understand anything outside of what they've experienced, just like we all humans in any area of life. So seeing women take over or seeing women actually be equal to them in this area is not something they're used to. You have to show them and yourself that you can do it. Now, let me ask you this, because there's a. This is an international podcast. There are women, young girls listening to me all over the world. Not now Canada and America. We have, we're Western society, we have different mentality. There are women, young girls who might be listening to me right now in Uganda or Guatemala or in the hills of Mongolia. And they know that they want to be a wife and a mother one day. Should they get into stem?

Punya Singh: Absolutely.

Punya Singh：我想說，如果是的話，確實如此。沒有什麼比從事自己熱愛的職業更棒的感覺了。沒錯。

Punya Singh：你知道，當你對某件事充滿熱情時，你就能克服那些障礙。所以我會說一切都會一帆風順嗎？不會。但只要你下定決心，就沒有什麼是你無法應付的。身為一名從事 STEM 領域的女性，我認為對我幫助最大的就是設定界線。這意味著在工作中，也意味著在家裡。所以在家裡，在工作中，這意味著有時候，你知道嗎，我必須在下午 5 點或 4 點 30 分出門，因為我要去托兒所接孩子。對。所以有時候在家裡設定界限，你知道，我需要完成我的書。所以我，我丈夫可能不得不，你知道，在家裡站出來，因為我必須完成我的書。所以有時候我的事業不得不退居次要地位，因為我必須支持我的丈夫；有時候我丈夫的時間也必須……你知道，他必須承擔更多的家務等等，因為這週我的事業很重要。所以，在個人生活和工作中表達自己的觀點非常重要，同時也要讓自己周遭有正向的支持網絡。我認為，擁有一個願意在你的職業生涯中支持你的伴侶非常非常重要。對。我最敬佩的男人，莫過於一個為他妻子或女兒的成長或技術進步感到自豪，並且不為此感到畏懼的男人。我認為這非常重要，尤其是那些正在尋找伴侶的女士。年輕的女士們，如果你正在尋找你的丈夫或妻子，無論你如何選擇你的伴侶，擁有一個能夠一路支持你、支持你的人，並且不會被你的成就所嚇倒的人，是非常非常重要的。

Fatima Bey: That is very important. If you're a young woman listening right now and you're not married yet and you're in a country like India or may some Nigeria, those are two popping my head up top my list. But where, you know, you are expected to be a wife, you are expected to start a family.

Fatima Bey: Okay. There's nothing wrong with that. However, if you can make a Choice. Because in different cultures, women don't have choices. But if you are out there and you can make a choice, what Punya just said is very critical.

Fatima Bey: Is he strong enough to allow you to be yourself? If he is not, that will get in the way of your advancement in any area, not just stem.

Punya Singh: Absolutely.

法蒂瑪貝：所以，年輕的女孩們，如果你們現在正在聽，並且你們可以選擇結婚對象，一定要試探他。確保他能承受你的追求。因為如果他不能，那他就太弱了，配不上你。因為有些，有些，有些擁有男人身體的男孩，也就是我所說的，你知道，他們的內心還是個小男孩。他們外表可能像個男人，但內心的小男孩，他們不知道該如何處理事情。所以你不要這樣的人，因為她們最終會對你施暴。她們最終會阻礙你，因為她們不想讓你比她們更進一步。我只是在實話實說，對現在所有的年輕女孩說。我說這話不是針對美國人或加拿大人，因為我們生活在不同的文化中。我指的是世界上其他地方的人，實際上是世界上的大多數人，他們追求這種生活，他們的文化認為結婚是理所當然的，等等等等。他們就是這樣的。確保你做出明智的決定，因為Punya剛才所說的話非常重要，確保你選擇的人是真正支持你的人。這種相互支持，我的意思是，所有的一切。

普尼亞辛格：你剛才說了，這對雙方都很重要。你知道，我們也想支持我們的男性。這很好。

Punya Singh: It's not an inequality. Is that, is that what we're, we're targeting here? Doesn't mean like, I'm the women and I, I need, I'm only, I'm going to be supported. No, it's both ways.

Fatima Bey: Yes, absolutely. And that's so important that you said that too, because some people do think, unfortunately think that way. Well, the man should work hard and support me, and I should just be pretty and clean the house and that's all I got to do, right? No, you need to support each other. And how you support each other is going to look different everywhere you go. They're not always going to look the same, but supporting one another is very important. And again, this goes beyond stem. This goes beyond getting into a tech field. Just with any career, if you want to get into something that you're really passionate about.

Fatima Bey: So, Punya, is there anything right now? Just going to give you the floor to say anything you want to all the young women who are listening right now.

Punya Singh：我想說，弄清楚你的熱情所在。

Punya Singh: I would say, you know, it's.

Punya Singh：我的意思是，可能不是STEM（科學、技術、工程和數學）專業。對。你不必覺得，STEM領域女性比較少，所以我必須去做一些女性比較多的事情。弄清楚你真正熱愛什麼，你的熱情所在。如果是STEM，那麼請你考慮一下我和Fatima談過的一些事情。別怕。你可能是唯一的女性，但沒關係，對吧？研究表明，女性學習數學、科學或技術的能力並不遜色。對。我們也不遜色。所以，如果這就是你想要的，那就去爭取吧。不要害怕挑戰。

Punya Singh: And, and you should be proud that if, if you do decide to go into stem, that you can be a mentor and an inspiration for other women. Because if we have women that go into stem, you'll have more, more other women that maybe go into STEM because they have more support networks and it becomes a domino effect. So, so I would say keep your eye on the, on your, on your dreams and, and don't be afraid of any of the challenges that may come your way.

Fatima Bey: Thank you for saying that. Now you are an author, can you tell us a little bit about that?

Punya Singh：當然。我最近寫了一本書，名叫《重拾生活，打破社會期望的枷鎖》。這本書主要講的不一定要遵循社會對你的期望。可以是事業，可以是不想結婚，可以是不想生小孩。可以是任何我們社會認為的非典型人生選擇。

Punya Singh：這本書也談到了一些不同的觀點。其中有一章確實討論了STEM，以及男性在歷史上如何主導STEM職業，以及為什麼女性應該對STEM持開放態度，並被鼓勵從事STEM職業。所以，是的，如果有人有任何疑問，請隨時聯繫我們，並諮詢這本書。

法蒂瑪貝：我可以告訴大家，我和普尼亞在電視之外聊過不少，她有很多話要說，而且我們的興趣愛好也有很多重疊，這一點你們可能在談到她所特有的STEM領域時有所耳聞。但如果你聽我說過，我熱愛推廣我們的年輕人，尤其是年輕女性。

Fatima Bey: I strongly advise that you would reach. Just go ahead and take a look at her book.

Fatima Bey: She has a lot to say. So I know that she didn't just write this book out of because she was bored. She. She wrote this book because she has a lot within her that the rest of us need to hear. So some of you young women might actually benefit by hearing some of her words, her experiences and some of her wisdom. You only heard a tiny, tiny little crumb today.

法蒂瑪貝：那麼他們在哪裡找到您的書呢？

Punya Singh: It's on Amazon. So if you look me up, if you type in the, the title and my name, it should, should pop up.

法蒂瑪貝：我會把連結放在播客節目說明的節目筆記裡，方便大家查看。嗯，桑尼普尼亞，我剛剛看了個不同的名字。抱歉，普尼亞。

法蒂瑪貝：感謝您今天的到來，我非常感謝您抽出時間與觀眾交談。

普尼亞·辛格：我很榮幸。謝謝你的邀請，法蒂瑪。

Fatima Bey: And now for a mind shifting moment, I want to plan a thought seed in your head right now.

法蒂瑪·貝伊：我希望你思考一下這事件背後的原理。

Fatima Bey: If you are a young person or a parent of a young person, I want you to listen. Are you going into a field just because everybody else has gone into it? Are you seeking after a career position because you think you have to instead of what you actually want to do, instead of pursuing your actual dream? I want you to think long and hard about that choice. It is easier to go with the flow of everybody else, but you are the one who lives in its miserable aftermath because you'll be unhappy. I want every single one of you to pursue the career path, the business, whatever it is that you want to. Because why not? The only thing that can stop you is you.

Fatima Bey: Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Mindshift Power podcast on any of our worldwide podcasts platforms. So you too can be a part of the conversation that's changing young lives everywhere. And always remember, there's power in shifting your thinking.