v1.0.4 - Anemari Fiser

Tech lead, coach, author, and the person 500+ engineers called when they needed someone who actually got it.

Anemari Fiser burned out in a role she loved. And then she built something better. After a decade in tech - starting as a software engineer, becoming a tech lead at 26 (the youngest on her team, a detail she quietly kept to herself for years) - she left her full-time role, got her coaching certification, and built a practice that's now shaped 500+ engineers and 400+ tech leads across companies of all sizes.

Based in Barcelona and working globally, Anemari helps teams navigate the messy middle of tech leadership: the part where your title changes but nobody hands you the manual. She helps companies scale by empowering tech leads through leadership training, coaches tech professionals on performance and confidence, and frequently speaks at conferences about the lessons, challenges, and successes she’s encountered throughout that journey.

And most recently, she captured those lessons in her first book with O’Reilly Media, Leveling Up as a Tech Lead: Growing as a Technical, Project, and People Leader.

The title "tech lead" is used frequently and it means something different at every company. What stays consistent is the pressure: you're suddenly accountable for your team's technical outcomes, your people's growth, and the business side you may have ignored before.

Anemari has seen this story hundreds of times. She knows what actually helps. In this episode, she gets honest about hiding her age early in her career, what burnout really looks like when you love your work, and why motivation is the wrong thing to rely on - whether for writing a book or for growing as a leader.

In this episode, we'll talk about her path from software engineer to tech lead to full-time coach, navigating age and experience in tech, the one burnout strategy that actually works (redistribution), what a tech lead actually is and why every company answers differently, writing a technical book with O'Reilly and what consistency really requires, accountability as the real engine of progress, how AI is reshaping the tech lead role, and why intentional growth beats motivation every time.

Your call to action? → Make a plan for where you want to be and how you want to get there. Build small steps along the way because motivation is not what's going to keep you there. Consistency is.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Tech Leadership and Coaching
03:03 Navigating the Journey from Engineer to Tech Lead
05:50 The Impact of Age and Experience in Tech
09:13 Transitioning to Freelancing and Coaching
11:59 Understanding the Role of a Tech Lead
14:54 Burnout in the Tech Industry
18:02 The Writing Process of a Tech Leadership Book
21:12 The Importance of Accountability in Growth
23:52 Current Trends in Tech Leadership and AI
26:52 Final Thoughts on Intentional Growth

The Good Stuff - Links & More

• 📚 Leveling Up as a Tech Lead (book)

• 🎓 Soft Skills for Tech Leads (course)

• ✉️ Substack

• 🌐 Website

• 🔗 Anemari on LinkedIn

Thanks & Gratitude 🙏

The background music in this episode was created by the amazing Sarah Garlock.
You can also find Sarah @sarg_makes_beats on Instagram and TikTok!

To support the show and keep the [WIP] community free:

Want to be - or recommend - a guest for the show?

Connect

You can find Mindi Weik on these platforms:

mindi@wip-podcast.com

© 2026. All rights reserved.