EuroSTAR Community Podcast

Tester Well‑Being: Isabel Evans and the Changing Landscape of Quality & Community

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the EuroSTAR Community Podcast. In this episode, we sit down with the legendary Isabel Evans, a long‑time contributor to the EuroSTAR community with over 20 years of involvement. Isabel reflects on the enduring value of in‑person conferences, the power of shared experiences in testing, and her extensive research into people, usability, and the emotional landscape of testers. From her memories as a EuroSTAR chair to her thoughtful perspective on AI, societal change, and the future of testing, Isabel offers deep insights, humility, and inspiration for both current and future generations of quality professionals.

Top 3 Takeaways

1. Conferences build community, confidence, and shared learning.

Isabel emphasises how events like EuroSTAR create essential spaces where testers realise they’re not alone—others face the same challenges, and real conversations lead to collective problem‑solving and growth.

2. The future of testing requires continuous learning and adaptability.

With technology evolving rapidly and unpredictably, Isabel encourages testers to stay curious, keep challenging themselves, and embrace change throughout their careers.

3. AI’s impact is complex and societal—not just about jobs.

Instead of optimism or pessimism, Isabel questions whether we even understand what “AI” truly is. She stresses that automation should be evaluated through a societal lens, focusing on equality, purpose, and what makes a healthy community—not just cost savings.

[add_promo]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI-Powered Testing: Jonathon Wright on Automation and Open-Source Trends

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Jonathon Wright and Leandro Melendez explore the integration of AI-driven tools into modern testing frameworks, emphasizing their role in improving efficiency, predictive analytics, and continuous delivery. The conversation also touches on open-source innovation, and the importance of collaboration in DevOps pipelines.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cyber-Secure Testing: Sara Martinez Giner on Quality Evolution

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT

In this episode, our community host Leandro Melendez interviews Sara Martinez Giner about her path from analysing software releases to becoming a strong advocate for quality across the entire development process.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robot Framework and Test Automation: René Rohner on Open Source, Community Power, and the Future of Automation

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, our community host Leandro Melendez interviews René Rohner, who shares how Robot Framework evolved from a simple testing tool into a powerful open-source automation ecosystem. Discover why community-driven innovation matters, how keyword-driven testing empowers teams, and what’s next for automation in a world beyond code.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mentorship and education: Rafaela Azevedo on empowering the next generation of testers

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 06:00:57 GMT

In this episode, Leandro and Rafaela talk about: Career Path and Leadership- Discover how Rafaela transitioned from QA and test automation into entrepreneurship, and how she now mentors emerging talent through The Chaincademy YouTube GitNation. 2. Engagement Through Storytelling & Testing: Learn how she connects with audiences through engaging narratives, real-world challenges, and interactive elements.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Communication and Testing Teams Growth – Rick Tracy on changing the "Swiss Army" approach on testing

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the Eurostar Community Podcast. For over 30 years, we have been bringing the global testing community together to share knowledge, connect, and grow. Check out EuroSTARConferences.com for our in-person conferences and access to online testing resources. Thank you for listening to this podcast.

In this episode, you will hear from Russell Craxford from the UK Department of Work and Pensions and Rick Tracy, Test Pathfinder and EuroSTAR 2024 Speaker who works for Hapalion Consulting improving testing teams.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shift-left and shift-right approach: Szilard Szell and Staying curious about new tech

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 09:00:06 GMT

In this episode, you will hear from Russell Craxford from the UK Department of Work and Pensions with guest Szilard Szell, recognized tutorial and talk presenter as well as DevOps Transformation Lead and Quality Coach at Eficode. Russell and Szilard talk about keeping your team positive, the keys to quality service, and AI, among other interesting topics.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chatbots and AI: Valli Senthilnathan and the Metaverse of Testing

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 09:00:13 GMT

This episode was recorded LIVE at the EuroSTAR Conference in Stockholm.

Thank you to our Community Hosts for Season One, Russell Craxford from the UK Department of Work and Pensions, and Gek Yeo of AIPCA.

On this episode, Gek and Valliamai chat about Chatbots and AI, the passion behind being a tester and Virtual reality as the future of software testing. We hope you enjoy!

Check out the current programme of talks on the EuroSTAR 2025 website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Language, Growing Your Career and the Tester’s AI Toolkit: Jakub Konicki & Adam Matłacz on Evolving Roles and Skills

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 08:00:11 GMT

This episode was recorded LIVE at the EuroSTAR Conference in Stockholm.

Thank you to our Community Hosts for Season One, Russell Craxford from the UK Department of Work and Pensions, and Gek Yeo of AIPCA.

On this episode,you will hear from Russell Craxford from the UK Department of Work and Pensions, Jackub Konicki - QA Manager at MakoLab and podcaster, and Adam Matłacz, CTO at Space To Grow, Poland, and EuroSTAR Speaker and tutorial lead. They talk about growing in your job with AI, the future of LLM’s and the complications from using different languages while creating with AI. We hope you enjoy!

Check out the current programme of talks on the EuroSTAR 2025 website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Empowering Testers: Willem Keesman on Embracing Change, Automation, and Community

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:00:04 GMT

This episode was recorded LIVE at the EuroSTAR Conference in Stockholm.

Thank you to our Community Hosts for Season One, Russell Craxford from the UK Department of Work and Pensions, and Gek Yeo of AIPCA.

On this episode, Geck and Willem talk about building chatbots, connecting with other testers and building strong communities. We hope you enjoy!

Check out the current programme of talks on the EuroSTAR 2025 website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Overcoming the imposter syndrome: Linda Van De Vooren

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 10:00:47 GMT

This episode was recorded LIVE at the EuroSTAR Conference in Stockholm.

Thank you to our Community Hosts for Season One, Russell Craxford from the UK Department of Work and Pensions, and Gek Yeo of AIPCA.

On this episode, Geck and Linda chat about getting over the imposter syndrome and making the right decisions, not only at work, but for your own life quality. We hope you enjoy!

Check out the current programme of talks on the EuroSTAR 2025 website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Music and AI: Bryan Jones and the complexities of testing AI systems

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:00:11 GMT

In this episode, you will hear from Russell Craxford from the UK Department of Work and Pensions, with guest Brian Jones, passionate QA professional and people centered quality leader working for 2i as QAT, as well as podcast host and popular conference presenter. Brian Jones talks about the complexities of testing AI systems and the need for new approaches and skills to handle the probabilistic nature of it.

Also, he talks about music and AI. We hope you enjoy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rethinking our Resource Usage: Sustainability in Testing

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 07:00:30 GMT

This episode was recorded LIVE at the EuroSTAR Conference in Stockholm.

Thank you to our Community Hosts for Season One, Russell Craxford from the UK Department of Work and Pensions, and Gek Yeo of AIPCA.

On this episode, Russell interviews Iris Pinkster O'Riordain, test advisor at Professional Testing and supporting organisations with complex testing issues since 1996. Iris talks about the importance of sustainability in the present and future of testing and AI.

Iris delivered many successful tutorials at EuroSTAR and was our 2017 Programme Chair. Check out the current programme of talks on the EuroSTAR website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Testers vs AI: Ajay Balamurugadas on Skills that Matter

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 16:12:38 GMT

This episode was recorded LIVE at the EuroSTAR Conference in Stockholm. Thank you to our Community Hosts for Season One, Russell Craxford from the UK Department of Work and Pensions, and Gek Yeo of AIPCA. Together, they introduce this season of the EuroSTAR Community Podcast then Gek interviews Ajay Balamurugadas of GSPANN Technologies, India. Ajay was a speaker at EuroSTAR and you can see more about his talk on the 2024 Programme.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.