The Secret to Surviving Every Oilfield Downturn

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.Click here to watch a video of this episode.Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.ioClick here to view the episode transcript. 0:00 Intro from Midland0:46 The full career timeline6:42 Studying petroleum at UT8:00 University Lands explained11:30 Devon and the Ivory Tower14:38 What a downturn really means20:00 Raising money in oil and gas22:30 The Endeavor and Diamondback merger24:35 Meeting Autry Stevens26:12 Wildcatters worth knowing27:33 Devon and Coterra coming together30:41 Inside Chevron34:24 Advice for picking the right company36:11 Going back for a master's and MBA39:00 Starting IronLady Energy Advisors43:16 Her connection to Wyoming45:52 Why she stays in Midland50:01 Working with OpsAI51:06 Where AI fits in energy54:34 Collide and the energy community56:19 The book Fueling Impact1:01:50 Sushi night with Chuckhttps://twitter.com/collide_aihttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.iohttps://www.facebook.com/collide.iohttps://www.instagram.com/collide.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_iohttps://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai