
The Secret to Surviving Every Oilfield Downturn
About this episode
Getting laid off twice taught Yogashri Pradhan, founder of IronLady Energy Advisors, that staying visible matters as much as staying technical. She traces a career running from UT petroleum engineering to Devon, Endeavor, Coterra and Chevron, the downturns that reshaped it, and why she got married in front of a pump jack. There is also honest talk on the Diamondback merger, the wildcatters she looks up to, where AI fits in the field, life in Midland, and her new book Fueling Impact.
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0:00 Intro from Midland
0:46 The full career timeline
6:42 Studying petroleum at UT
8:00 University Lands explained
11:30 Devon and the Ivory Tower
14:38 What a downturn really means
20:00 Raising money in oil and gas
22:30 The Endeavor and Diamondback merger
24:35 Meeting Autry Stevens
26:12 Wildcatters worth knowing
27:33 Devon and Coterra coming together
30:41 Inside Chevron
34:24 Advice for picking the right company
36:11 Going back for a master's and MBA
39:00 Starting IronLady Energy Advisors
43:16 Her connection to Wyoming
45:52 Why she stays in Midland
50:01 Working with OpsAI
51:06 Where AI fits in energy
54:34 Collide and the energy community
56:19 The book Fueling Impact
1:01:50 Sushi night with Chuck
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