Something shifted for us this year: the more we commit to doing less, the more we’re actually building. Nikki, Courtney, and Allie get together for a real catch-up on work, life, and what’s next for Automation Ladies, with stories that range from bigger robotics and better work-life balance to a brand-new view outside a bayou window in Louisiana.

We also dig into OT SCADA CON and why it keeps feeling more like a community than a conference. OT SCADA CON runs July 22-24 at the Endress+Hauser Houston Campus in Pearland (south of Houston), and we share what’s new this year: fresh speakers, updated sections, the same 30-minute talk format, and the kind of fun that makes people stay late (taco trucks and karaoke included). If you care about operational technology, industrial automation, controls engineering, and modern data skills, you’ll especially want the part about databases and process historians and why that knowledge still runs so much of industry.

Then we get practical about AI in manufacturing. No hype, no magic: we talk about where tools like Claude and OpenAI Whisper are finally saving real time, from generating documentation and polishing write-ups to building a custom raffle app that runs the way we want. We also lay out the guardrails we take seriously: review everything, don’t leak sensitive information, and follow your company AI policy.

We wrap with where you can find us at Automate and other events, how we’re expanding the show with more correspondents, and our push for more live demo episodes (including a PID loop tuning software demo). Subscribe, share this with an automation friend, and leave a review so more people can find women-led conversations in industrial automation.

Support the show (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2053051/support)

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🎙 About Automation Ladies

Automation Ladies is an industrial automation podcast spotlighting the engineers, integrators, innovators, and leaders shaping the future of manufacturing.

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🎤 Want to be a guest on the show?
https://www.automationladies.io/guests/intake/

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👩‍🏭 Connect with the Hosts

Nikki Gonzales: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-gonzales

Courtney Fernandez: https://linkedin.com/in/courtneydfernandez

Ali G: https://linkedin.com/in/alicia-gilpin-ali-g-process-controls-engineering

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🎟 The Automation Ladies Community Conference: https://otscada.com

Learn more about the hosts’ industrial automation conference OT SCADA CON attended by 100+ automation professionals, engineers, integrators, and technology leaders for hands-on learning, real-world case studies, and meaningful industry connections.

🎬 Credits

Produced by: Veronica Espinoza
Music by: Sam Janes

P.S. - Help our podcast grow with a 5-star podcast review (https://www.podpage.com/automation-ladies/reviews/new/) if you love us!