One of mechanical engineer Josephine Hack‘s most prominent character traits is curiosity — along with a high degree of self-reflection that applies as much to her career at Brooklyn startup Terra Kaffe as to her philosophy on beauty and fashion. Josephine can usually be spotted walking her rescue dog Eli in their local Greenpoint parks or, more recently, venturing out in a newly bought kayak. In this conversation, she talks to us about the effects of nature on her mental health, working in a male-dominated industry, and why she likes to wear dresses on hikes.
♫ Listen to josephine’s playlist | ⌨ josephine’s last google search
on her morning routine
On weekdays, my dog Eli wakes me up and provides structure and consistency to my schedule. Then I go to the gym — I do boxing and some other strength training. When I come back home, Eli and I walk to a coffee shop or make coffee on my Terra TK-01, and sit in the backyard. I try to keep cell phone use to a minimum then. It’s more just a quiet, peaceful time before I start work. On weekends, I usually leave the house by 4:00 am to be on a trail outside the city by sunrise. I used to backpack a lot and go mountain biking, but, to adapt with Eli’s stage of life, it's changed a little bit. I just bought this kayak, so we're trying that out to have a different way to go out and still see everything.
on her upbringing and how going to college influenced her personality
I grew up mostly in Redondo Beach, California. I would say I had a pretty rough childhood without a lot of support from adults. I didn't have any particular role models and didn’t spend much time at home. One of the reasons I tried for college was to get off the track I was on. I wanted a job that felt like I would have some kind of stability in my future — just kind of hoping for better.
When I was young, I was very isolated and often felt like an observer of the world rather than part of it. Sometimes my friends would joke about me being hostile or distant, but I was just always suspicious of people’s motives when they wanted to talk to me. It made accepting support from others difficult, even though I recognize it in retrospect. That changed my freshman year of college. Being out of my home and living in the dorm was a really significant change. My whole world view flipped on its head — I suddenly felt like, oh, people are pretty nice after all. It really affected my personality and how I acted towards others.
““Get hands-on experience. I don’t think you can just study it. You really need to go out and do things and ask a lot of questions. A mistake I see a lot in young engineers is to want to be right and control the answer. In practical applications, there’s different methods you can go through and different solutions that work. So if you’re too close-minded, you’ll miss a lot of learning opportunities.””
on what sparked her interest in engineering
I've always been really interested in how things work in a mechanical sense. As a kid, I loved my pets and had a lot of interest in their behavior and the specifics of how they moved around (how a bunny hops vs. the cat, the difference in how cats, dogs, humans, drink water, etc). Growing up, my family primed my brother to be more of the future engineer; they would buy him legos and robotic toys. In fact, the only goal my family had in mind for me was more akin to caregiving.
In senior year of high school I started taking calculus and physics, and I just loved those classes. I grew up not really having any access to computers, and when I went to college I felt very behind because it seemed like the other students were already coding. All I had was a really strong interest without anything to really back it up. But then I went to an animal rights conference in high school and met somebody who was a mechanical engineer volunteering at Sea Shepherd. I asked if I could come shadow him at work where he was working with solar panels — he made me feel like I can be this caring person who advocates for animal rights while still leaning into my passion for engineering. I also did a lot of extracurricular engineering activities which really helped, along with asking a ton of questions.
on being a woman in a male-dominated industry
I don’t think the industry overall is sexist, but there's definitely individuals who are, and sometimes the workplace can be dominated by men. I've definitely experienced some sexual impropriety. I used to work in places full of men when I was starting out, and it felt easier to laugh it off off as a lot of young women will often do, because sometimes the proper channels will either underreact or overreact. Truthfully, I found that the best way I've ever handled those situations is just to just elbow people if they touch me.
““I got Eli seven years ago, in college. I was going through a tough time and wasn’t planning on getting a dog, but just fell in love with him at the shelter. I had an internship lined up, but then a lot of life stuff happened all at once. My grandmother had a stroke and then my grades dipped and I lost my full ride scholarship along with that internship. It was one of those times in life where things were just snowballing like crazy and it felt like such a low point.””
On how being in a co-op program prepared her for a career
While studying at Purdue University in Indiana, I did this cooperative education program where you work for a full semester at a company, like an extended internship. It’s one of the best things I ever did because I got a lot of hands-on experience early on. By the time I graduated, I had already spent two years working in the real world. I had a couple of great mentors at Boston Scientific and Toyota who taught me all kinds of really important lessons in engineering and also about how to work with other people. Part of the reason I stayed for two years after graduating was because of my team there. My boss and I were really close. He would encourage me and help guide me while still allowing me to take ownership of my work.
on moving to NYC for a job at Terra Kaffe
I moved here about a year and a half ago when I found the job at Terra Kaffe on AngelList, a website for startups looking to hire. I wanted to go to a smaller scale company because places like Boston Scientific and Toyota that I had worked at before felt very established and you could only affect minor changes at a time.
When I started at Terra Kaffe, I was the first full time engineer and the whole company was less than 10 people. I thought that was so cool to try to come from the beginning and help build this company. Being an engineer is actually a really creative field. I’ve had to learn a lot about project management in this position, which I wouldn't have said was one of my skills before. I have sought out all kinds of different opportunities in my career and not worried too much about staying in my comfort zone. It's been a fine line of having the confidence to just try, but also knowing when to seek mentorship. I have been able to live in all kinds of interesting places I wouldn't have otherwise thought to visit that way, and work with so many incredible people that have taught me much more than just engineering skills.
““I spend a lot of time alone in nature. I think that’s very healthy, especially for anyone with trauma. Being able to take care of yourself in the woods alone for a few days counteracts helplessness, gives you strength, and time to think in peace with no distraction. You can’t be like, oh, I forgot to answer that email or start cleaning. It’s been a huge contributor to try to get on top of my mental health.””
on what the women in her family have taught her
My mom and I aren’t very close. I had this idea that our relationship might change when I went to college, but at some point I realized that I was trying to a create a bond with a person that didn't exist instead of fixing the one we had. We’re estranged now. She did give me some good lessons, though — like having pride in what you're doing. I do feel like that's something I carry on. She used to get really excited for these big road trips and we'd get up extremely early to pile in the car and I'd stay up super late talking to her while she drove. I think of her a lot when I go on my own road trips now. She taught me a lot of cool practical life skills that I don't think most people learn these days, like putting snow chains on a car.
My grandmother only lived two miles from us, and I would walk there all the time as a kid. She studied chemistry. I think she demonstrated a mindset of always trying to improve yourself and learn new things. But even with her, I had difficulties opening up. It’s something I really wish I could go back and do. She died when I was 20, so we never really had a more mature relationship.
on her favorite books
I've always been terrible at English class, but I really love to read. I usually read one fiction and one non-fiction book. I've been reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy for quite a while and am on an animal language studies kick, so I just finished Nim Chimpsky by Elizabeth Hess and started How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger. Some other favorites are Wish Me Home by Kay Bratt, The Innovators by David P. Billington, My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.
on her style & beauty routine
I don't spend much money on clothes or pay too much attention to brands. Growing up and through college I only wore clothes passed on from friends. The jeans I wear all the time are Levi's Denizen — I just buy a few pairs of the same color from Target and wear them until they are completely done. My dresses I have picked up from all over; the one I’m wearing here is from eShakti. Sometimes, I'll wear a dress for hikes, because I like that it's kind of flowy and fun. Shredly is a great brand for women's mountain bike apparel. I bought some pants and a jacket from Dovetail to wear when I am doing activities that normally would rip my clothes. So far, they’re lasting really well!
I don't use many products at all, but I wear alba Botanica sunscreen every day. The most important thing I look for whenever I do buy personal care products is that they're biodegradable and cruelty-free. I put coconut oil on my face, hair, and skin if it's dry in the winter, and most days I apply Nature’s Bounty E-Oil. I only wash my hair once a week with shampoo from Seaweed Bath Co. A vegan and healthy lifestyle overall is the most important to me. My fitness goals are based on feeling able to do the things I want or need to do (like carrying Eli). I don't have a full-length mirror and I don't spend time trying to put on makeup. It sounds cliché, but I think people who are looking at you with love will notice beauty, and people who are looking to bring you down will find something ugly no matter what.
Josephine’s favorite spots in nyc
Café: Greenpot, 787, Terms of Endearment & Devoción (the Williamsburg location specifically is beautiful inside). Bars: Lucky Dog or Black Rabbit. Parks: McCarren and WNYC Transmitter Park. Nature escapes: Pelham Bay, Fort Tilden, and Palisades Interstate Park. (My tip for longer trips: a Kelly Kettle. It's a really cool oven where you have a little dish on the bottom and a kind of vessel on top with a chimney through the middle.)
images and interview by clémence polès