Scaling Startups, Reviving Nuclear Energy, and Solving Important Problems with Julia DeWahl

Julia DeWahl is a talented entrepreneur with a fascinating background in startups. Her roles at companies like Opendoor and SpaceX gave her a wealth of experience in growing companies and solving hard problems. She is currently the Co-Founder and President of Antares, which focuses on making and distributing small modular nuclear reactors. She is a passionate advocate for nuclear energy, which she talks about on her podcast, Age of Miracles.

This week, Barrett talks with Julia about her diverse career trajectory, the nuances of transitioning between major roles, the challenges of shifting from software to hardware, and the exciting potential of nuclear energy. They also discuss leading organizations through massive growth, working with polarizing figures, how creative pursuits shape our careers, and the impact of family and friendship on work and life.

In this episode:

00:00 - Intro
02:14 - Julia's experience traveling after college
08:49 - How Julia’s creative interests fit into her career path
19:25 - Julia's path into startups
25:33 - Choosing the right problems to work on
31:50 - How financial freedom impacts what projects we work on
43:19 - The transition from software to hardware
51:12 - How family and becoming a parent changes your work
01:08:24 - Joining SpaceX
01:14:32 - Leadership lessons from SpaceX, Elon Musk, and Gwynne Shotwell
01:25:58 - What pulled Julia into the world of nuclear energy
01:32:15 - Why writing in public and launching a podcast is a "Bat Signal"
01:37:03 - Learning more about nuclear
01:42:20 - Launching a nuclear energy startup
01:48:42 - Julia on who she is becoming

Key Takeaways

Moving between roles and sectors gives you the expertise to tackle complex problems.
Empowering experts is crucial to organizational health. It lets you leverage their specialized knowledge and drive innovation.
The ability to impact and influence society comes from pursuing meaningful work that aligns with your values.
Positive reinforcement is an important part of work life. It builds the necessary resilience that allows you to cope with and overcome challenging situations.

Quotes

“Impact is like the butterfly effect, the ripples you have, the way you carry yourself, the way you treat someone else shapes them and then they shape someone else to do things in this maybe more beautiful way, and that is so important to society.” ~ Julia DeWahl

“I think what people misunderstand, or the reason for the irrational level of fear, is you can't see [radiation] and people are afraid of things that they can't see.” ~ Julia DeWahl

“I also want people to feel like it's okay to [raise a family] too, because there's so much societal messaging towards women, especially if they have had a successful career, like, you better keep going. And I actually think that it's really meaningful work to raise a family too. Not everyone needs to go be the next Elon.” ~ Julia DeWahl

“There's this climate doomerism threat out there that is really unproductive. There's actually a lot of things we can be doing. Nuclear just rocked my world. We have this incredible technology that produces energy, carbon-free, extremely energy-dense, and we're not building any more of it.” ~ Julia DeWahl

Links