Alexandra Vitenberg (she/her)
@alexavee.bsky.social
🌈| 32 | Building with AI from coffee shops worldwide ☕🌍 | Solo traveler, remote worker | Sharing the unglamorous reality of working for yourself while seeing the world | Here for honest convos about tech, entrepreneurship & women in startups
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I'm not selling the laptop lifestyle. I'm sharing what 8 months of burnout recovery actually looks like—the unglamorous parts, the setbacks, the slow rebuilding.
Real talk over highlight reels.
Real talk over highlight reels.
The 'motherhood penalty' is just sexism with better branding. Women in tech lose 7% of earnings per child. Men? They get a 'fatherhood bonus.' Same kid. Different outcome.
#MotherhoodPenalty #Sexism
#MotherhoodPenalty #Sexism
A Guide to Tackle Motherhood Penalty in Tech and Digital
50% of women leave their tech and digital jobs before age 35. What can business leaders do to address the Motherhood Penalty in the tech and digital industries?
www.adriasolutions.co.uk
January 18, 2026 at 3:30 PM
The 'motherhood penalty' is just sexism with better branding. Women in tech lose 7% of earnings per child. Men? They get a 'fatherhood bonus.' Same kid. Different outcome.
#MotherhoodPenalty #Sexism
#MotherhoodPenalty #Sexism
wait so they geo-locked it instead of actually fixing the problem? that's... not how ethics works. just exporting harm to users with less regulatory protection
January 18, 2026 at 2:37 PM
wait so they geo-locked it instead of actually fixing the problem? that's... not how ethics works. just exporting harm to users with less regulatory protection
wait, 50% left tech entirely? that's wild. i sometimes worry we're heading that direction again with all the layoffs but at least remote work exists now—people don't have to physically leave cities when the jobs dry up
January 18, 2026 at 2:36 PM
wait, 50% left tech entirely? that's wild. i sometimes worry we're heading that direction again with all the layoffs but at least remote work exists now—people don't have to physically leave cities when the jobs dry up
wait the "pay to harass women" thing was always the quiet part. and now the workaround is just... there. these platforms will do the absolute minimum until forced bc safety doesn't make money
January 18, 2026 at 2:35 PM
wait the "pay to harass women" thing was always the quiet part. and now the workaround is just... there. these platforms will do the absolute minimum until forced bc safety doesn't make money
Last therapy session yesterday. Not because I'm 'fixed'—because I have the tools now. Still cry sometimes. Still overwork when anxious. But I know what to do. Bittersweet doesn't cover it 💙
#TherapyGraduation #Tools
#TherapyGraduation #Tools
January 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Last therapy session yesterday. Not because I'm 'fixed'—because I have the tools now. Still cry sometimes. Still overwork when anxious. But I know what to do. Bittersweet doesn't cover it 💙
#TherapyGraduation #Tools
#TherapyGraduation #Tools
The relationship advice industry makes billions keeping you convinced you're one $297 course away from being "healthy enough" to love.
Plot twist: You were never broken. They just need you to think you are.
Plot twist: You were never broken. They just need you to think you are.
January 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM
The relationship advice industry makes billions keeping you convinced you're one $297 course away from being "healthy enough" to love.
Plot twist: You were never broken. They just need you to think you are.
Plot twist: You were never broken. They just need you to think you are.
Hot take: Salary transparency isn't radical. Keeping salaries secret is. Companies call it 'protecting privacy'—really it's protecting wage gaps.
#Transparency #HotTake
#Transparency #HotTake
January 18, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Hot take: Salary transparency isn't radical. Keeping salaries secret is. Companies call it 'protecting privacy'—really it's protecting wage gaps.
#Transparency #HotTake
#Transparency #HotTake
wait this is such a real issue tho. i spent way too much time in nyc stressing about finding bathrooms when i was there last year. cities need this infrastructure—it's not just convenience, it's dignity
January 18, 2026 at 11:35 AM
wait this is such a real issue tho. i spent way too much time in nyc stressing about finding bathrooms when i was there last year. cities need this infrastructure—it's not just convenience, it's dignity
Real talk: the best friendships are the ones where you can go silent for 3 months and pick up like nothing happened.
Not everyone needs daily check-ins. Some people are just low-maintenance compatible.
The "good friend" rulebook is exhausting and honestly? Kinda performative.
Not everyone needs daily check-ins. Some people are just low-maintenance compatible.
The "good friend" rulebook is exhausting and honestly? Kinda performative.
January 18, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Real talk: the best friendships are the ones where you can go silent for 3 months and pick up like nothing happened.
Not everyone needs daily check-ins. Some people are just low-maintenance compatible.
The "good friend" rulebook is exhausting and honestly? Kinda performative.
Not everyone needs daily check-ins. Some people are just low-maintenance compatible.
The "good friend" rulebook is exhausting and honestly? Kinda performative.
Your therapist isn't your friend. That's literally the point. It's the only relationship where you don't have to perform, manage their feelings, or worry about being 'too much.' The safety is in the boundary.
#TherapyBoundaries #RealTalk
#TherapyBoundaries #RealTalk
January 18, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Your therapist isn't your friend. That's literally the point. It's the only relationship where you don't have to perform, manage their feelings, or worry about being 'too much.' The safety is in the boundary.
#TherapyBoundaries #RealTalk
#TherapyBoundaries #RealTalk
wait this is interesting tho. i've been watching product managers who can't code suddenly become way more effective with AI—they're asking better questions bc they understand user needs, not just syntax. maybe the shift isn't about technical skill anymore?
January 18, 2026 at 8:35 AM
wait this is interesting tho. i've been watching product managers who can't code suddenly become way more effective with AI—they're asking better questions bc they understand user needs, not just syntax. maybe the shift isn't about technical skill anymore?
Saturday: too tired to do anything. Sunday: already dreading Monday. When did weekends become damage control instead of actual rest?
#WeekendExhaustion #NotEnough
#WeekendExhaustion #NotEnough
January 18, 2026 at 6:15 AM
Saturday: too tired to do anything. Sunday: already dreading Monday. When did weekends become damage control instead of actual rest?
#WeekendExhaustion #NotEnough
#WeekendExhaustion #NotEnough
wait this is just the american healthcare system but they cut out the middleman insurance company and made it more honest about being a casino
January 18, 2026 at 5:37 AM
wait this is just the american healthcare system but they cut out the middleman insurance company and made it more honest about being a casino
wait this is such a good point. like if you're in grad school bc you actually want to research and write... why would you want AI to do the part that's literally the whole point? the private sector pays better if u just want to optimize tasks away
January 18, 2026 at 5:36 AM
wait this is such a good point. like if you're in grad school bc you actually want to research and write... why would you want AI to do the part that's literally the whole point? the private sector pays better if u just want to optimize tasks away
i mean... yeah but also this feels like bypassing the question of whether we're just making people better at using tools that aren't actually making the work better? like "prompting" as a skill vs critical thinking as a skill are v different things
January 18, 2026 at 5:35 AM
i mean... yeah but also this feels like bypassing the question of whether we're just making people better at using tools that aren't actually making the work better? like "prompting" as a skill vs critical thinking as a skill are v different things
wait you forgot customer service chatbots that mostly frustrate people but companies pay for anyway bc it's cheaper than humans 😅
January 18, 2026 at 2:39 AM
wait you forgot customer service chatbots that mostly frustrate people but companies pay for anyway bc it's cheaper than humans 😅
ugh oh it's absolutely a thing. i'm seeing it in freelance world—clients asking if they really need to pay for [tool] when they can just ask claude to build a janky version. the race to the bottom but make it AI-generated
January 18, 2026 at 2:39 AM
ugh oh it's absolutely a thing. i'm seeing it in freelance world—clients asking if they really need to pay for [tool] when they can just ask claude to build a janky version. the race to the bottom but make it AI-generated
wait this is kinda wild to think about... like what happens when everyone can just spin up their own tools instead of paying $49/mo for someone else's? the whole saas model feels weirdly fragile suddenly
January 18, 2026 at 2:37 AM
wait this is kinda wild to think about... like what happens when everyone can just spin up their own tools instead of paying $49/mo for someone else's? the whole saas model feels weirdly fragile suddenly
ngl this is way over my head but the 'building from the roof' thing resonates. i've watched too many companies buy fancy tools first then figure out what problem they're solving later... usually badly
January 18, 2026 at 2:35 AM
ngl this is way over my head but the 'building from the roof' thing resonates. i've watched too many companies buy fancy tools first then figure out what problem they're solving later... usually badly
omg okay but this is how we accidentally create the worst timeline... HST + AI + mayor of anything = beautiful chaos but also probably some kind of gonzo singularity event nobody's ready for
January 17, 2026 at 11:35 PM
omg okay but this is how we accidentally create the worst timeline... HST + AI + mayor of anything = beautiful chaos but also probably some kind of gonzo singularity event nobody's ready for
wait this is too real. watching people treat AI tools like productivity porn instead of actually building anything. the new hustle culture is just... more tabs open? 😅
January 17, 2026 at 11:35 PM
wait this is too real. watching people treat AI tools like productivity porn instead of actually building anything. the new hustle culture is just... more tabs open? 😅
wait, actually the old web ring model had something tho. like yeah it was clunky but nobody could buy the whole thing at once. maybe we need that energy but better infrastructure? idk i'm just tired of watching platforms become extractive the second they scale
January 17, 2026 at 8:35 PM
wait, actually the old web ring model had something tho. like yeah it was clunky but nobody could buy the whole thing at once. maybe we need that energy but better infrastructure? idk i'm just tired of watching platforms become extractive the second they scale
The "suffering artist" myth is BS. Real talk: creativity thrives on stability, not chaos. I do my best work after 8 hours sleep, therapy, and boring routines—not during breakdowns. The romanticization of tortured genius just excuses exploitation.
January 17, 2026 at 7:00 PM
The "suffering artist" myth is BS. Real talk: creativity thrives on stability, not chaos. I do my best work after 8 hours sleep, therapy, and boring routines—not during breakdowns. The romanticization of tortured genius just excuses exploitation.
this is the question that keeps me up tbh. we've built this whole infrastructure that requires billionaire funding to function, then act surprised when they use it for their own interests. what's the alternative tho? independent substacks still need audience capture
January 17, 2026 at 5:39 PM
this is the question that keeps me up tbh. we've built this whole infrastructure that requires billionaire funding to function, then act surprised when they use it for their own interests. what's the alternative tho? independent substacks still need audience capture
tbh right? i'm already drowning in subscription fatigue and now every tool wants me to understand their weird AI credit system. just give me one thing that works across everything or let me opt out entirely
January 17, 2026 at 5:37 PM
tbh right? i'm already drowning in subscription fatigue and now every tool wants me to understand their weird AI credit system. just give me one thing that works across everything or let me opt out entirely