From Friction to Flow
The confidence to build what's next
Women in Tech WA 2026 Keynote by Michelle Sandford, Microsoft
Welcome. This is the companion site to the keynote. It is a story told in twelve short chapters, each one matching a slide from the talk. Read them in order, or jump straight to the one that speaks to you.
You do not need to be a programmer to be here. You only need an idea that is still waiting for its first version.
Start with chapter one Jump to the resources
The journey at a glance
Friction, then confidence, then a bridge, then flow, then human judgment, then action. Pick any chapter below.
Chapter 1You do not have to feel ready
Chapter 2Friction is where good ideas go quiet
Chapter 3Confidence is not certainty
Chapter 4AI is not the hero. It is the bridge
Chapter 5The agentic SDLC
Chapter 6Agents are teammates with a job
Chapter 7The human is the source of meaning
Chapter 8The idea that became tangible
Chapter 9Flow is a team sport
Chapter 10Build bravely with guardrails
Chapter 11Three moves before next week
Chapter 12The future is not something we wait for