C
CSKaron
Guest
HackerNoon editorial team has launched this interview series with women in tech to celebrate their achievements and share their struggles. We need more women in technology, and by sharing stories, we can encourage many girls to follow their dreams. Share your story today!
I'm Haviva, a mother of two incredible kids, and I've been navigating the content marketing landscape for over 14 years. Back in 2011, I took the leap and started my own content strategy consulting business while also working in-house. Over the years, I've published my first eBook, and I'm currently deep in the process of drafting my second.
Most recently, I built and launched Quiet Cost, which is a diagnostic tool built specifically for early-stage SaaS founders and revenue leaders. It helps them spot quiet financial leaks and pinpoint their exact root causes before they destroy runway. Users can get a free diagnostic with zero sign-up required, and complete data privacy is guaranteed. I also run a live pilot program where founders register for a free, 20-minute live audit of their setup.
Behind the scenes, though, my journey hasn't been a smooth linear curve. Raising two kids with special needs while navigating brutal stretches of unemployment with minimal financial or emotional support completely altered my trajectory. When you're sitting in the quiet after putting your kids to bed, realizing the safety nets aren't coming, something shifts inside you. That pressure didn't crush me; it stripped away my hesitation. It forced me way out of my comfort zone to build something sharp, real, and undeniably valuable. Quiet Cost was born out of that absolute necessity to survive, build, and take total control of my own future.
I was drawn to tech and marketing because it sits right at the intersection of psychology, problem-solving, and leverage. Content strategy allowed me to take complex, messy technical ideas and translate them into human value. Building an app was the natural next step, specifically creating direct tools that fix tangible business pain points.
I’m genuinely excited about lightweight, accessible tools that allow non-traditional founders to build functional software quickly. Building Quiet Cost forced me out of my comfortable lane of pure strategy and directly into product design. The ability to spin up real, impact-driven software without waiting around for permission or a massive engineering team is liberating.
I'm not inherently afraid of AI technology itself, but I'm deeply concerned about how organizations are deploying it to automate hiring. The widespread reliance on unrefined Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and AI screening tools is creating massive, systemic barriers for talented people.
These algorithms are often tuned in ways that reinforce historical biases, filtering out qualified candidates - especially women re-entering the workforce or balancing non-traditional career paths- before a human ever sees their name. When companies use AI purely to cut corners on recruitment, they don't just put good people out of work; they create a cold, broken job market where skilled professionals get lost in an algorithmic void.
When I step away from my desk, I love baking sourdough bread from scratch. There's something deeply grounding about a process that requires patience, precise timing, and simple ingredients. Beyond that, I spend my time reading, working out, getting outdoors whenever the weather behaves, traveling when life grants a window for that, enjoying a bit of retail therapy (which woman doesn’t?), and above all, grounding myself in quality time with my family.
The double standard in business and funding is very real. Generally speaking, men are frequently judged and funded on their potential, while women are rigorously audited purely on their past metrics and proven skills and simultaneously warned not to come across as "too confident" or aggressive.
Add being over 35 into the mix, and you suddenly find yourself pushed to the margins of mentorship networks, career guidance, and funding conversations. Investors and mentors often look right past experienced women.
I deal with this by not waiting for an invitation to the table. I also realized that if the traditional avenues weren't going to offer straightforward support, I had to build my own proof of concept so clearly that it couldn't be ignored. I channeled every bit of frustration into output, building Quiet Cost independently and proving its value directly through real user audits rather than relying on permission from traditional gatekeepers.
In my experience, it rarely shows up as outright hostility but is usually masked as quiet condescension. Earlier in my journey, during pitch and strategy discussions, I experienced moments where male colleagues or advisors would rephrase my exact points five minutes after I made them, receiving nods of agreement while my initial input was treated as invisible.
Or worse, having my deep focus and sharp business posture interpreted as being "difficult" or "overly emotional," whereas a man displaying the exact same intensity was hailed as a decisive leader. I learned very early on to document my work relentlessly, claim my ideas firmly in real time, and let my execution speak so loudly that the subtle disrespect became completely irrelevant.
The most difficult period of my life was facing sudden and unexpected prolonged unemployment while simultaneously managing the intensive care, therapies, and daily needs of my two special needs kids, all without a strong financial safety net or emotional backing. There were days when the sheer weight of logistics and bills felt suffocating.
I managed it by breaking survival down into micro-steps. I couldn't fix everything in a single day, but I could write one cold outreach email, fix one line of logic in my strategy, or complete one client task during late-night hours. That brutal period killed my fear of failure. Once you've survived your hardest days on minimal support, pitching a room full of skeptical investors or launching a product into an uncertain market doesn't intimidate you anymore.
I am immensely proud of bringing Quiet Cost to life completely on my own terms. Right now, the app is in its pre-revenue stage, and I'm actively entering hackathons and pitching to VC firms to raise the capital needed to acquire our permanent domain name and scale operations.
Taking an abstract diagnostic concept, building it out, launching a live pilot program, and delivering immediate value to software founders, all while managing a household with complex needs, is something I hold my head high about. I have absolute confidence in its ability to break into the market and scale.
The gender gap persists because our systems are still designed around traditional, uninterrupted career tracks that don't account for the realities of caregiving, combined with deep-seated biases in how venture funding and leadership roles are allocated. Women are routinely asked to prove themselves twice over while managing significant domestic responsibilities without adequate structural backing.
To reduce this gap, we have to change how capital flows. We need more female partners in VC firms, more transparent and objective hiring processes free from biased ATS filtering, and real structural support for parents. Furthermore, we need to actively sponsor - not just "mentor"- women over 35 who are building high-impact tech solutions.
I really look up to Ashley Faus. Her career trajectory and principles resonate with me deeply. She started college as a musical theater major, but after a vocal cord issue forced a change, she walked into a Marketing 101 class. The very first line of her textbook read, "Marketing is about people." She shut the book and declared her new major that same afternoon.
Over fifteen years later, she has built an incredible career spanning product marketing, content, and demand generation, including serving as Head of Lifecycle Marketing for Portfolio at Atlassian. She taught a course with Stanford CES, authored Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI, and constantly advocates for keeping humans at the center of technology. Her emphasis on building bridges between technical specialists and keeping marketing human-focused is an absolute blueprint for modern leaders.
My advice is simple: just start. Do not wait until you feel 100% prepared, because you will always feel both ready and unready at the exact same time. The "right time" doesn't exist; you have to create it.
Build your foundation on mindset and action as success is roughly 80% mindset and 20% relentless execution. Leverage modern AI tools to help you prototype, learn, and launch your ideas faster than ever before. Reach out and build a strong, supportive community, and don't hesitate to seek out mentors who are already standing where you want to be.
Finally, protect your peace fiercely. It is entirely fine to trim away relationships or environments that don't contribute positively to your life or vision. Keep moving forward, trust your capability, and build with confidence even when it feels like you're pushing against the grain.
Tell us about yourself!
I'm Haviva, a mother of two incredible kids, and I've been navigating the content marketing landscape for over 14 years. Back in 2011, I took the leap and started my own content strategy consulting business while also working in-house. Over the years, I've published my first eBook, and I'm currently deep in the process of drafting my second.
Most recently, I built and launched Quiet Cost, which is a diagnostic tool built specifically for early-stage SaaS founders and revenue leaders. It helps them spot quiet financial leaks and pinpoint their exact root causes before they destroy runway. Users can get a free diagnostic with zero sign-up required, and complete data privacy is guaranteed. I also run a live pilot program where founders register for a free, 20-minute live audit of their setup.
Behind the scenes, though, my journey hasn't been a smooth linear curve. Raising two kids with special needs while navigating brutal stretches of unemployment with minimal financial or emotional support completely altered my trajectory. When you're sitting in the quiet after putting your kids to bed, realizing the safety nets aren't coming, something shifts inside you. That pressure didn't crush me; it stripped away my hesitation. It forced me way out of my comfort zone to build something sharp, real, and undeniably valuable. Quiet Cost was born out of that absolute necessity to survive, build, and take total control of my own future.
Why did you choose this field in the first place?
I was drawn to tech and marketing because it sits right at the intersection of psychology, problem-solving, and leverage. Content strategy allowed me to take complex, messy technical ideas and translate them into human value. Building an app was the natural next step, specifically creating direct tools that fix tangible business pain points.
What tech are you most excited/passionate about right now and why?
I’m genuinely excited about lightweight, accessible tools that allow non-traditional founders to build functional software quickly. Building Quiet Cost forced me out of my comfortable lane of pure strategy and directly into product design. The ability to spin up real, impact-driven software without waiting around for permission or a massive engineering team is liberating.
What tech are you most worried about right now and why?
I'm not inherently afraid of AI technology itself, but I'm deeply concerned about how organizations are deploying it to automate hiring. The widespread reliance on unrefined Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and AI screening tools is creating massive, systemic barriers for talented people.
These algorithms are often tuned in ways that reinforce historical biases, filtering out qualified candidates - especially women re-entering the workforce or balancing non-traditional career paths- before a human ever sees their name. When companies use AI purely to cut corners on recruitment, they don't just put good people out of work; they create a cold, broken job market where skilled professionals get lost in an algorithmic void.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of tech?
When I step away from my desk, I love baking sourdough bread from scratch. There's something deeply grounding about a process that requires patience, precise timing, and simple ingredients. Beyond that, I spend my time reading, working out, getting outdoors whenever the weather behaves, traveling when life grants a window for that, enjoying a bit of retail therapy (which woman doesn’t?), and above all, grounding myself in quality time with my family.
Let's talk about breaking the glass ceiling. What were the biggest challenges you faced as a woman in tech, and how did you deal with them?
The double standard in business and funding is very real. Generally speaking, men are frequently judged and funded on their potential, while women are rigorously audited purely on their past metrics and proven skills and simultaneously warned not to come across as "too confident" or aggressive.
Add being over 35 into the mix, and you suddenly find yourself pushed to the margins of mentorship networks, career guidance, and funding conversations. Investors and mentors often look right past experienced women.
I deal with this by not waiting for an invitation to the table. I also realized that if the traditional avenues weren't going to offer straightforward support, I had to build my own proof of concept so clearly that it couldn't be ignored. I channeled every bit of frustration into output, building Quiet Cost independently and proving its value directly through real user audits rather than relying on permission from traditional gatekeepers.
Any questionable misogynistic story/situation you faced/handled, and you want to share with the HackerNoon Fam?
In my experience, it rarely shows up as outright hostility but is usually masked as quiet condescension. Earlier in my journey, during pitch and strategy discussions, I experienced moments where male colleagues or advisors would rephrase my exact points five minutes after I made them, receiving nods of agreement while my initial input was treated as invisible.
Or worse, having my deep focus and sharp business posture interpreted as being "difficult" or "overly emotional," whereas a man displaying the exact same intensity was hailed as a decisive leader. I learned very early on to document my work relentlessly, claim my ideas firmly in real time, and let my execution speak so loudly that the subtle disrespect became completely irrelevant.
What was the biggest setback/failure that you faced, and how did you manage it?
The most difficult period of my life was facing sudden and unexpected prolonged unemployment while simultaneously managing the intensive care, therapies, and daily needs of my two special needs kids, all without a strong financial safety net or emotional backing. There were days when the sheer weight of logistics and bills felt suffocating.
I managed it by breaking survival down into micro-steps. I couldn't fix everything in a single day, but I could write one cold outreach email, fix one line of logic in my strategy, or complete one client task during late-night hours. That brutal period killed my fear of failure. Once you've survived your hardest days on minimal support, pitching a room full of skeptical investors or launching a product into an uncertain market doesn't intimidate you anymore.
What's your biggest achievement that you're really proud of?
I am immensely proud of bringing Quiet Cost to life completely on my own terms. Right now, the app is in its pre-revenue stage, and I'm actively entering hackathons and pitching to VC firms to raise the capital needed to acquire our permanent domain name and scale operations.
Taking an abstract diagnostic concept, building it out, launching a live pilot program, and delivering immediate value to software founders, all while managing a household with complex needs, is something I hold my head high about. I have absolute confidence in its ability to break into the market and scale.
In your opinion, why do we see this huge gender gap in the tech industry, and how can we reduce it?
The gender gap persists because our systems are still designed around traditional, uninterrupted career tracks that don't account for the realities of caregiving, combined with deep-seated biases in how venture funding and leadership roles are allocated. Women are routinely asked to prove themselves twice over while managing significant domestic responsibilities without adequate structural backing.
To reduce this gap, we have to change how capital flows. We need more female partners in VC firms, more transparent and objective hiring processes free from biased ATS filtering, and real structural support for parents. Furthermore, we need to actively sponsor - not just "mentor"- women over 35 who are building high-impact tech solutions.
Who is your tech idol? Why?
I really look up to Ashley Faus. Her career trajectory and principles resonate with me deeply. She started college as a musical theater major, but after a vocal cord issue forced a change, she walked into a Marketing 101 class. The very first line of her textbook read, "Marketing is about people." She shut the book and declared her new major that same afternoon.
Over fifteen years later, she has built an incredible career spanning product marketing, content, and demand generation, including serving as Head of Lifecycle Marketing for Portfolio at Atlassian. She taught a course with Stanford CES, authored Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI, and constantly advocates for keeping humans at the center of technology. Her emphasis on building bridges between technical specialists and keeping marketing human-focused is an absolute blueprint for modern leaders.
Do you have any advice for aspiring girls who want to join the field?
My advice is simple: just start. Do not wait until you feel 100% prepared, because you will always feel both ready and unready at the exact same time. The "right time" doesn't exist; you have to create it.
Build your foundation on mindset and action as success is roughly 80% mindset and 20% relentless execution. Leverage modern AI tools to help you prototype, learn, and launch your ideas faster than ever before. Reach out and build a strong, supportive community, and don't hesitate to seek out mentors who are already standing where you want to be.
Finally, protect your peace fiercely. It is entirely fine to trim away relationships or environments that don't contribute positively to your life or vision. Keep moving forward, trust your capability, and build with confidence even when it feels like you're pushing against the grain.