About Reshma

I’m Reshma, founder and CEO of the non-profit Girls Who Code and author of Brave, Not Perfect. I’m also a serial failed politician (seriously, I lost two races in less than 3 years). Lifelong political activist and Democratic organizer. A former lawyer and alum of Harvard Kennedy School, Yale Law School and the University of Illinois. Proud New Yorker. Wannabe Bollywood Dancer. Wellness of body and mind are a constant work in progress. Wife to Nihal, mom to a four year old named Shaan, and dog-mom to Stanley;, she’s a beagle bulldog mix. But first and foremost, I’m a recovering perfectionist — and that’s why I wrote Brave, Not Perfect.

I know too many women who are running themselves ragged. We invest so much time and energy in doing everything in our lives perfectly. Since we were little girls, we’ve been conditioned to smile pretty and play it safe. Here’s the problem: it’s not working for us. All this perfectionism isn’t making us any happier, and it’s not helping us get ahead. We’re tired, we’re stuck, and we’re so afraid of failure that we don’t take any risks. It’s time to change that. Brave, Not Perfect is about understanding how we got here so we can navigate our way out — identifying our toxic thought processes and then using tactical strategies to rewire ourselves for braver, bolder, better lives.

I founded Girls Who Code in 2012 (without knowing how to code myself) because I saw where the jobs were headed, and that our girls were being left behind. Today, Girls Who Code is an international non-profit closing the gender gap in technology and changing the image of what a programmer looks like and does. We have taught hundreds of thousands of girls to date, and inspired millions more. And we are just getting started. To empower more young women in tech, we have to do more than teach them to code; we also have to teach them to check their perfectionism and choose the bravery to embrace failure, conquer setbacks and try again. To join the movement or learn more, visit girlswhocode.com.