Dr. Alaina Szlachta, Founder of By Design Development Solutions & Measurement Architect
- Left an unfulfilling corporate job in search of meaningful impact
- A transformative trip to Bali and a healer’s advice prompted her to start a consulting practice
- Goal: build something with purpose and the ability to employ others
Podcast
Overview
In this insightful episode of “The Brand Called You,” host Ashutosh Garg sits down with Dr. Alaina Szlachta, founder of By Design Development Solutions and a measurement architect specializing in data enablement. Dr. Szlachta shares her remarkable journey from academia to entrepreneurship, her passion for demystifying data, and concrete strategies for building more equitable and effective organizations through smart measurement.
Below, find a timestamped summary featuring key moments of the conversation, each posed as a guiding question to help you explore the topics that matter most.
00:01:02- What inspired Dr. Alaina Szlachta’s leap from academia to entrepreneurship?
- Left an unfulfilling corporate job in search of meaningful impact
- A transformative trip to Bali and a healer’s advice prompted her to start a consulting practice
- Goal: build something with purpose and the ability to employ others
00:02:53- What early challenges did she face moving into business, and how did she overcome them?
- Mindset shift required between academia/corporate and entrepreneurship
- Managing time and wearing “all the hats” as a founder
- Developed strong boundaries and prioritization, utilizing a “now, next, later” system
00:05:10- How has her background in communication and public health shaped her approach to data enablement?
- Early experience in debate and public speaking laid a foundation for effective marketing and communication
- Exposure to data-driven environments in her first job and throughout academia nurtured a data-centric perspective
- Brought these insights into nonprofits and public health, emphasizing program effectiveness and logic models
00:09:49- How does Dr. Szlachta encourage teams overwhelmed by data to use it as a tool for learning?
- Recognizes the variance in organizational “data cultures”
- Highlights dangers of punitive data use (e.g., performance metrics for layoffs)
- Advocates for fostering open, debate-driven, evidence-based cultures where data informs smart choices and innovation
00:14:55- What does culturally responsive teaching mean in today’s educational landscape?
- Discusses dissertation research on intercultural competence in educators
- Emphasizes self-awareness regarding one’s identity and assumptions
- Advocates for understanding and accountability in how educators perceive and engage with diverse student groups
00:18:07- How can educators use data to promote inclusivity and equity?
- Differentiates equity and equality, using the example of the FAFSA in U.S. education
- Suggests data should help identify and account for starting-point disparities among students due to socioeconomic status
- Calls for creating more equitable opportunities in educational programs
00:21:40- What are the top three indicators for evaluating educational program quality?
- Key question: “Did we do what we said we were going to do?”
- Looks at program goals, attendance/completion rates, and success metrics
- Stresses the importance of aligning data collection with initiative objectives
RESOURCES:
Learn more about Dr Alaina Szlachta: Linkedin
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- Left an unfulfilling corporate job in search of meaningful impact
- A transformative trip to Bali and a healer’s advice prompted her to start a consulting practice
- Goal: build something with purpose and the ability to employ others
