The Secret to Surviving Every Oilfield Downturn

The Secret to Surviving Every Oilfield Downturn

From Energy 101: We Ask The Dumb Questions So You Don't Have To by collide.

May 29, 2026 · 1h 6m · Episode 76

About this episode

Yogashri Pradhan shares her experiences and insights on navigating oilfield downturns and the energy industry.

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.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 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…

People in this episode

Guest: Yogashri Pradhan

Topics covered

  • oilfield downturn
  • career development
  • energy industry
  • AI in energy
  • mergers and acquisitions
  • petroleum engineering

Keywords

  • oilfield downturn
  • Yogashri Pradhan
  • IronLady Energy Advisors
  • Chevron
  • AI in energy
  • mergers
  • petroleum engineering

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IronLady Energy Advisors, Devon, Endeavor, Coterra, Chevron, OpsAI

Books & works: Fueling Impact

Places: Midland, Wyoming, UT

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