{"id":25490,"date":"2015-09-08T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-08T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=25490"},"modified":"2018-06-05T12:18:16","modified_gmt":"2018-06-05T16:18:16","slug":"the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/","title":{"rendered":"Ep. 3: The \u2018Rain Woman\u2019 Behind a Digital Detective Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"player_container player-25490\" ><div class=\"spp_player_textabove\"><b>Listen to the Episode  <\/b><\/div><div id=\"sm2-25490\" class=\"sm2-25490 playercontent sm2-bar-ui compact flat full-width full-width-player\"><div class=\"bd sm2-main-controls\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-inline-element sm2-button-element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-button-bd\" style=\"background: transparent url(https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/app\/uploads\/2021\/05\/podcast_channel_artwork.jpg) repeat scroll 0% 0% \/ cover ;\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"spp-player-background\"> <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#play\" class=\"sm2-inline-button play-pause\"><\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"loader\" style=\"display:none;\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"eq\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bar bar-1\"><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bar bar-2\"><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bar bar-3\"><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bar bar-4\"><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"sm2-inline-element sm2-inline-status progressbar\">\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-button-bd\" style=\"display:none;\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"playerpitch0\" style=\"display:none;\">0.75x<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"playerpitch1\">1x<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"playerpitch2\" style=\"display:none;\">1.25x<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"playerpitch3\" style=\"display:none;\">1.5x<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"playerpitch4\" style=\"display:none;\">2x<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-button-bd\" style=\"display:none;\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"secrewind\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-playlist\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-playlist-target\"><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-progress\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-progress-bd\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-progress-track\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-progress-bar1\" style=\"display:none;\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-progress-bar\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-progress-ball\"><div class=\"icon-overlay\"><\/div><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-row timestamp timetext\"><div class=\"sm2-inline-time timestamp\">0:00<\/div><div class=\"sm2-inline-duration timestamp\">22:33<\/div><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-inline-element sm2-button-element sm2-volume\" style=\"0\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t   <div class=\"sm2-button-bd\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"sm2-inline-button sm2-volume-control volume-shade\"><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#volume\" class=\"sm2-inline-button sm2-volume-control\" style=\"\"><\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t   <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"bd sm2-playlist-drawer sm2-element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-playlist-wrapper\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"sm2-playlist-bd\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/thestoryexchange\/TSE-Podcast_Alison-Chung_FINAL.mp3\">Ep. 3: The \u2018Rain Woman\u2019 Behind a Digital Detective Agency<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"sppbuttons\" style=\"\"><a class=\"button-itunes\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-story-exchange\/id1036000689?ls=1\">Apple Podcasts<\/a><a class=\"button-g-play\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly90aGVzdG9yeWV4Y2hhbmdlLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz\">Google Podcasts<\/a><a class=\"button-embed\" rel=\"modal:open\"  id=\"button-embed\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"#ex1\">Player Embed<\/a><a class=\"button-share\" data-target=\"btnshare\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"#\">Share<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"btnshare\" class=\"webui-popover-content share-buttons\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"facebook\"><i class=\"fa fa-facebook\"><\/i><\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Ep.+3%3A+The+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%98Rain+Woman%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99+Behind+a+Digital+Detective+Agency -&url=https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"twitter\"><i class=\"fa fa-twitter\"><\/i><\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><a class=\"button-sppreview\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"http:\/\/getpodcast.reviews\/id\/1036000689\">Leave a Review<\/a><a class=\"button-spplisten\" style=\"display:none !important;\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"javascript:window.open('http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/thestoryexchange\/TSE-Podcast_Alison-Chung_FINAL.mp3','','width=500,height=250')\">Listen in a New Window<\/a><a class=\"button-download\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/thestoryexchange\/TSE-Podcast_Alison-Chung_FINAL.mp3\">Download<\/a><a class=\"button-soundcloud\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"\">SoundCloud<\/a><a class=\"button-stitcher\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/s?fid=72717&refid=stpr\">Stitcher<\/a><a class=\"button-sppandroid\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"http:\/\/subscribeonandroid.com\/thestoryexchange.libsyn.com\/rss\">Subscribe on Android<\/a><a class=\"button-spprss\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.libsyn.com\/rss\">Subscribe via RSS<\/a><a class=\"button-spotify\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"\">Spotify<\/a><a class=\"spp-button-custom1\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.prx.org\/series\/34510-the-story-exchange\">PRX<\/a><a class=\"spp-button-custom2\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/music.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLaK2UyNCu2g2_preGI12R4z2iRXjIH3ah\">Youtube Music<\/a><a class=\"spp-button-custom3\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/5lJgdFK8g9WWXLBYjWytyn\">Spotify<\/a><a class=\"spp-button-custom4\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/pca.st\/B094\">Pocket Casts<\/a><a class=\"spp-button-custom5\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"\"><\/a><a class=\"spp-button-custom6\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"\"><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25452\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25452\" style=\"width: 980px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25452 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/24164036\/Page-Banner_03_Alison-Chung.jpg\" alt=\"Alison Chung, TeamWerks\" width=\"980\" height=\"500\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25452\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alison Chung, TeamWerks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Chicago businesswoman parlayed a phenomenal gift for numbers into a successful computer-forensics firm called\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.teamwerks.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">TeamWerks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"transcript-box\" style=\"float:none !important;\">\r\n<div class=\"accordion-container\">\r\n\t\t<a href=\"#\" class=\"accordion-toggle\">Read Full Transcript<span class=\"toggle-icon\"><i class=\"fa fa-angle-double-down\"><\/i><\/span><\/a>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"accordion-accordion_content\">\r\n\t\t\t<p><p>Alison Chung: I have friends who call me the inspector, the detective. My family members will not allow me to be in the presence of their digital devices. When I visit, everybody locks everything up. <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Welcome to The Story Exchange, featuring the stories and strategies of entrepreneurial women around the world. I\u2019m Colleen DeBaise, an editor at The Story Exchange, and we\u2019ll be joined later by our co-founder, Sue Williams.<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: All of us have special gifts that we bring this world, some more useful than others\u2026.For instance, I know how to juggle (as in, three balls up in the air, all at the same time) but that doesn\u2019t particularly help me in my career as a journalist.<br \/>\nToday we are looking at Alison Chung, an entrepreneur in Chicago who has not just a special gift, but an incredible gift \u2014 she has superb numerical recall, the type of thing that could get her in a lot of trouble, say, in Las Vegas, where she could probably make a tidy sum if she were to try her hand at counting cards, which of course, is frowned upon. Instead, Alison Chung has funneled her phenomenal talent for numbers into her own successful business, called TeamWerks. She\u2019s hired by big companies to dig for digital evidence in cases that involve fraud, theft or corruption. That often entails searching through thousands of pages of dense computer code, filled with numbers, symbols and characters. And then she uses her remarkable memory to testify in court as an expert witness. Here\u2019s how Alison describes it\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: Teamwerks is a full-service technology consulting firm with a particular focus in computer forensics\u2026So anytime somebody asks a question, \u201cWho did what when?\u201d it is probably on some digital device, ready for somebody like me to dig and find what exactly happened, and to tell the truth about it.<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Now, the flip side of having an incredible gift (especially something like numeric recall) is that it often makes one stand out \u2014 and sometimes, not in a good way. As we\u2019ll hear later, Alison is not wired like most people. She is funny, she is exceptionally smart...but she sometimes behaves in ways that are different or eccentric or just plain odd. But somehow she has managed to turn all of that into a competitive advantage.<br \/>\nWe wanted to find out more, so we headed to the Windy City. If you go to our website, TheStoryExchange.org, you can watch a video we produced, which shows Alison at work. Today, we are going to share snippets of that conversation. This is a good story to listen to if you yourself have an unusual gift, or maybe you know someone who does, or you\u2019re simply interested in the stories of people with exceptional talent. Sometimes, being different is an asset\u2026and we hope Alison\u2019s story inspires others who are \u201cdifferent\u201d to find their own successful paths in life.<\/p>\n<p>Musical Interlude<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Our story begins in Hong Kong, where Alison was born and raised. She was a quiet kid, always inspecting and investigating\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: When I was naughty and my mother would say, \u201cGo to your room,\u201d I was thrilled because behind closed doors I would be doing puzzles and\u2026I really liked that. I mean, I always liked to work on puzzles and pretend to solve crimes and things of that nature. I read every detective novel in English and Chinese that was available. All of them were female sleuths.<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: You could say that Nancy Drew was one of Alison\u2019s earliest role models. It was during those childhood days that she noticed her head was just full of numbers.<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: As a child, I used to scan people\u2019s license plates and then I couldn\u2019t get it out of my mind. I mean, at this point, I still remember a license plate that I saw in Hong Kong. It was AF4052. It\u2019s useless. It\u2019s not particularly\u2026I mean, it serves no purpose and to me is like holding a space in my brain for no reason and I can\u2019t purge it. It\u2019s terrible.<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Eventually, Alison\u2019s parents sent her to a boarding school in England, and from there, she went on to Wellesley College in Massachusetts. <\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: I went from being extremely structured in a very programmed environment starting at 6am to 10pm, to complete freedom. It was very, very different. I felt a little bit lost in the beginning. I felt a little bit lost at the beginning...but I adjusted, and I found my games. <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Now, the games she\u2019s referring to involve numbers, of course. Or at least...numeric strategy.<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: Every weekend I would take the bus to MIT, and I would participate in three-dimensional tic-tac-toe tournaments. Whilst other people were going on dates I could not wait for the week to end, so that I could get into the competitive games. <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: So, competitive tic tac toe\u2026.that\u2019s probably not what most people remember about their college years, but then we already told you, Alison isn\u2019t like most people. She went on to Stanford, where she got a master\u2019s in math, and then she began her career at IBM. By that time - it was around 1984 - computers had become the next big thing. <\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: Those were the days of the mainframes, and the 360s. The computers were massive, they took over, like, entire rooms. During my lunch hour, I would go into the computer room and just look at these magnificent machines in awe. Some people might have gone out to the yard, to the garden and smelled the flowers, and I was just looking at the machines, thinking, \u2018\u201cWow, I wonder who created and designed all of this.\u201d I loved it. I really loved it.<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Computers -- Alison had found her calling. She was good at working with computer systems, and headhunters soon heard about her reputation. She went to work at PriceWaterhouse Coopers, her first big assignment was installing computer systems in Illinois prisons, to manage how inmates were paid for prison jobs. She didn\u2019t interact with inmates but\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: I did get all their Social Security numbers. That was exciting. I had all of their Social Security numbers. I was like in Social Security heaven.  <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: And after that, she was recruited by a big Chicago law firm. <\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: The managing partner of the law firm approached me and said, \u201cWe like you. Why don\u2019t you come join us?\u201d And I said, \u201cAnd what would I be doing here?\u201d And he said, \u201cYou would be creating and running all the computers that we\u2019re gonna buy.\u201d I got really excited about that. I said, \u201cThat sounds interesting. I think I\u2019d like that.\u201d So I joined the law firm and I was there for almost ten years.<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Alison loved the job -- but after a while, the stress of working for a law firm took its toll.<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: They were very very billing oriented. That\u2019s fine. It is a business. But the litigators were very challenging to work with. I mean, they\u2019re very temperamental. There were people who would throw things around; I mean literally throw phones at you because they were so stressed out. And that environment to me was not a positive environment.<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: By 1997\u2026.she was ready to start her own consulting firm. And that\u2019s when TeamWerks was born.  <\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: I\u2019d like to say that I had a business model, but I didn\u2019t have anything that formal. I just didn\u2019t. I mean, I knew that what I wanted, which was I wanted a firm that had the core values that matched my personal and professional values. And that was a time during the tech boom, so there was a lot of business to be had.  So I knew that we could get business, and I just thought that we would start small and see what happens.<\/p>\n<p>Musical Interlude<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: So that\u2019s the first part of Alison\u2019s story, and we\u2019ll continue in just a bit with how she got into computer forensics...by the way, she\u2019s been hired by dozens of clients at this point, and while she wouldn\u2019t disclose annual revenue, we do know that she typically bills $300 - $500 an hour...so she\u2019s making a very good living as a digital detective.<br \/>\nBut first, let\u2019s take a step back and look at Alison\u2019s unusual gift for numbers. At the Story Exchange, we always look at the unique pieces of a woman\u2019s background that make her an exceptional entrepreneur. If you\u2019ve never checked out our site, please do so\u2026.It\u2019s TheStoryExchange.org. We\u2019re a nonprofit media company and we produce articles and videos about women business owners .I am being joined now by Sue Williams, co-founder of The Story Exchange, who spent a day with Alison in Chicago and produced a video profile of her for our site. Hi, Sue. <\/p>\n<p>Sue Williams: Hi Colleen.<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: So, Sue, I\u2019m so curious, what\u2019s Alison like in person?<\/p>\n<p>Sue Williams: Well, Alison is fascinating and Alison is complicated.  I first met her a number of years ago at a business lunch and I- I was just completely fascinated by her. She told me about her obsession with numbers and how they stayed in her head and that at times it was distracting, almost painful. But there is more to Alison than numbers, she is very focused and centered. She meditates for a couple of hours every morning, she\u2019s a Buddhist, and when we went to film her at her home she played the piano for us and she is very gifted- it was quite beautiful. It\u2019s a way for her to relax. And she also sees that she is a bit different and she\u2019s actually very funny about it and she certainly doesn\u2019t try to hide it. <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Yeah and you know, some of the music that we\u2019re hearing in this podcast is actually Alison playing her piano. So, when we were talking about her working in the Illinois prisons, I was so struck that she said she was in \u201csocial security heaven\u201d....<\/p>\n<p>Sue Williams: Well it\u2019s even worst than that. So, listen to what she told me about meeting new people. <\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: I do like to ask people what their Social Security numbers are because I tend to forget their names. And so during social events, I\u2019ll say \u201cI\u2019m sorry I\u2019ve forgotten your name, would you mind if I just had your Social Security number?\u201d And I tend to remember numbers a lot easier than I do people\u2019s names.  <\/p>\n<p>Sue Williams: So then you\u2019d be at a cocktail party, and you would say, \u2018Hello, 1-1-2-9-7-4-1\u201d? <\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: I used to. It got a lot of attention. It was just easy for me.<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Wow, I could never do that. <\/p>\n<p>Sue Williams: Me neither. Actually, Alison says she doesn\u2019t do it anymore either, because people now are so worried about identify theft. So more recently, when she meets people, she starts to imagine in her head what\u2019s on their digital device -- what files, or photos or music. Although that can be problematic, too. <\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: I\u2019ve since stopped that. I mean, it got in the way. I mean the look kind of got in the way. People said, \u201cWow. Why are you staring at me with bulging, penetrating eyes?\u201d I said, \u201cOh no reason. It\u2019s because you\u2019re dressed so well.\u201d They said, \u201cNo, you\u2019re staring.\u201d I said, \u201cAll right.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Well she\u2019s very funny and seems, uh, self-aware. Is there a name for what she has?<\/p>\n<p>Sue Williams: No, uh, not that she knows of. <\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: Somebody asked me and said, \u2018Wow, you\u2019re really kind of eccentric and different,\u201d I said. \u2018Well, remember that movie, \u2018The Rain Main,\u2019 the autism. \u2018There\u2019s a little bit of analogy there. I just, I\u2019m in a different world.\u201d I think differently. I look at things differently. <\/p>\n<p>Sue Williams: She\u2019s never actually been diagnosed with any sort of autism and she certainly functions very well and she\u2019s very successful. <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Yeah I\u2019m wondering, how does this help her in her line of work?<\/p>\n<p>Sue Williams: Well, she\u2019s hired to do things like dig through hard drives for deleted files, or to pour over boxes of printed documents with source code. The average person might not enjoy doing that, but for Alison, it\u2019s a complete joy. She also uses her amazing memory to testify as an expert witness...that\u2019s where it really comes in handy. TeamWorks has been hired in more than 35 cases, and her clients have won all but one. <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Wow, well that\u2019s impressive. And she likes to testify in court?<\/p>\n<p>Sue Williams: Not really, no. At first she was very intimidated by it. She\u2019s not an extrovert. But -- much like at parties -- she likes to show off her mathematical recall. Plus, she is addicted to the judicial process\u2026let\u2019s listen.<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: The thrill and the ecstasy affiliated with being able to tell the truth, being able to be helpful, being able to tell the story, and being able to be of service to the clients to me was like when people go to Las Vegas and they win the games. <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Well, sounds like she is in the right line of work. Any last thoughts?<\/p>\n<p>Sue Williams: Yeah, yeah, um, Alison has a strong moral compass. Often when she takes on a case she won\u2019t know what she\u2019s going to find and she\u2019s stumbled into cases of pornography and organized crime and as soon as that happens, she backs out, she refuses to work with that client. <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Good for her. Thanks for joining us, Sue.<\/p>\n<p>Sue Williams: Always a pleasure.<\/p>\n<p>Musical Interlude<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: Sometime people ask me, you know, \u2018when does it get busy?\u2019 And I say, you know, \u2018whenever there\u2019s lying, cheating and dishonesty, it\u2019s busy. And I\u2019m sorry to say, we\u2019re a little bit on the busy side.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: We\u2019ve been sharing the story of Alison Chung, who started TeamWerks, back in 1997. We wanted to take a look now at how -- a few years back -- she began to specialize in computer forensics. These days, when crime is committed, chances are - you can find evidence of it on an iPhone or an Android, a tablet or laptop or a desktop computer. It turns out that Alison Chung, with her love of computers and her years of experience at a law firm, was a natural fit for the field. <\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: We fell into the forensics. I received a call from some law-firm partners I had known and they said \u201cwe need somebody to go through more than 20 boxes of computer code. The client had written a one line $50 million write-off and the IRS is questioning whether or not that one line item write-off is valid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Needless to say, Alison was happy to take on the project.<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: I was really excited. And all the team members, we pored over it and looked at box after box after box. And after three weeks, I called the partner back and I said, \u2018OK, I have the answer.\u2019 And I told him what I thought had happened and he said, \u2018Oh, that sounds really good, Alison, and what are you doing tomorrow?<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Much to Alison Chung\u2019s surprise - and dismay - the partner asked her to testify as an expert witness in the case.<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: I said, \u2018whoa, whoa, whoa. You\u2019re talking to a woman who doesn\u2019t talk very much. I don\u2019t market well. I\u2019m not glib. I am not smooth.\u2019 I said, \u2018I don\u2019t know what this is about, but this is sounding a little bit on the unpleasant side. What if something goes wrong?\u2019 \u2018Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019re not going to blame you.\u2019\u201d Now, 15 years later I know better than that but that was like my first case. I said, \u2018Alright, I\u2019ll try my best.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: The next day, Alison hopped on a plane, and prepared to testify for the very first time.<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: And then we all marched over to the IRS offices, and then the door opened and I\u2019ll never forget this. There were five men in half glasses and they looked very stern. And they said to our legal team, \u2018Good morning. Who is that girl?\u2019 And our legal team, one of the attorneys said, \u2018Oh that\u2019s our expert.\u201d The five IRS lawyers started laughing and they said, \u2018How much do you wanna bet that we can break her down in one hour or two hours?\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Now, Alison says she heard this comment -- but she didn\u2019t really register it because her brain was more focused on the boxes of computer code she needed to testify about.  <\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: Well, of course I was in my numbers glory. And so the interrogation started and the first half glasses looked at me and said, \u2018Yes, Ms. Chung, our expert witness here, would you care to explain to use what happened in box number 78?\u2019 And I said, \u2018Yes, I would be delighted to.\u2019 And so the inquiry went on and on. It carried for several hours. And box after box, they would flip from 73, to 121, to, you know, back to number four. I think it was the end of the fourth hour there was a question: \u2018What happened to 97?\u2019 I said, \u2018Oh that was an exciting time. 97 was a good box. 97 was when there was a change in the federal rules and regulations and the entire three modules had to be reprogrammed.\u2019 And then he said, \u2018Thank you.\u2019 I said, \u2018But you failed to ask me about box number 162, because that\u2019s the same thing.\u2019 And at that point I smiled to myself. I knew I had them. <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: About a month later, the ruling came down and Alison Chung\u2019s client was victorious.<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: And then when they said we won, I was screaming for joy and I said, \u201cGive me another one. Give me another one.\u201d So, that\u2019s how it all started. I mean, it\u2019s...I\u2019m not sure that I can even paint it in words as to what the thrill is.<\/p>\n<p>Musical Interlude<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Alison still does IT consulting -- this past year, she was hired by the City of Chicago for a long-term project involving traffic violations -- but computer forensics is truly her passion (plus, it pays more). Remember, she always wanted to be a detective...<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: I just didn\u2019t know that I was gonna be a digital detective. I kind of thought that I was gonna solve mysteries, the missing bonnet. Then it became digital. It\u2019s a lot of fun. I wouldn\u2019t trade this for anything.<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Since the recession, many of TeamWerks\u2019 cases have involved corporate clients who fear that top-level executives have stolen company secrets when they\u2019re fired or laid off. The first thing she advises clients: Keep every device that the executive has ever touched.<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: We investigate phones, smart phones. We can tell you the text messages that were sent and when they were sent, even if they\u2019re erased at times. iTouches, Macs, IBM Pcs, I mean everything that has a digital storage device. <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise:  While business has been good, there are of course some drawbacks. TeamWerks took a hit after the financial crisis, when clients dragged their feet about paying bills. But far worse, Alison says her identity has been stolen, and her home burglarized\u2026it goes without saying, a lot of people don\u2019t like her prying eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung:  I have thought that I might be in physical danger doing this job, only because of the robberies. But I\u2019m going to continue doing what I do, and I think when it is my time, that\u2019s when it will be. I\u2019m not fearful. No. I have taken the necessary precautions and I think that\u2019s enough.<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Alison now has 22 employees working for her -- and she likes to hire people who remind her of herself. In fact, she told me about one of her more recent hires, a young man who showed up 20 minutes late and shaky, nervous and sweaty. Against the advice of her team, he got the job. And, he\u2019s been one of her top performers.  <\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise:  So remember how we told you, back at the beginning, that Alison Chung loves competitive games? Well, she still does. A few years ago, she briefly became addicted to an international computer game, where she became No. 1 in only 3 days. She had to remind herself that she had a company to run. And Vegas? She does not go there. Too tempting. Fortunately\u2026.she can get her kicks out of her work. <\/p>\n<p>Alison Chung: I mean, sometimes we\u2019re on a case and we find the evidence and our client the attorney says, \u2018OK, Ok, Alison. That\u2019s more than enough. We have more than enough. We have the smoking gun. Please stop.\u2019 And I\u2019ll say, \u2018OK.\u2019 And I\u2019ll stop billing them but I won\u2019t stop in the office. In the end I say, \u2018You know what? There\u2019s this missing piece. I wanna know what happened here\u2019 and I will dig into it in the middle of the night, just for my own satisfaction.<\/p>\n<p>Colleen DeBaise: Join us next time to hear more stories about innovative and inspirational women doing the things you\u2019d never dream of. Or\u2026maybe you would. This has been The Story Exchange. If you like what you\u2019ve heard, visit our website at TheStoryExchange.org, where you\u2019ll find news, videos and tips for women entrepreneurs.  I\u2019m Colleen DeBaise. Editing help provided by Nusha Balyan. Production coordinator is Michelle Ciotta. Interview recorded by Sam Shinn. Executive producers are Sue Williams and Victoria Wang. <\/p>\n<p>#<\/p>\n<\/p>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<!--\/.accordion-accordion_content-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<br \/>\n<strong>Related Article:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/rain-woman-digital-detective-agency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The \u2018Rain Woman\u2019 Behind a Digital Detective Agency<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alison Chung parlays a phenomenal gift for numbers into a successful computer-forensics firm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":25451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":false,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[147],"tags":[20149,20119,19731],"class_list":["post-25490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-business-success","tag-technology","tag-women-entrepreneurs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.3 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ep. 3: The \u2018Rain Woman\u2019 Behind a Digital Detective Agency<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Alison Chung parlays a phenomenal gift for numbers into a successful computer-forensics firm.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ep. 3: The \u2018Rain Woman\u2019 Behind a Digital Detective Agency\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alison Chung parlays a phenomenal gift for numbers into a successful computer-forensics firm.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Story Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-09-08T16:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-06-05T16:18:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/24164038\/Alison-WebsiteThumb.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"525\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"336\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Story Exchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TheStoryXchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TheStoryXchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Story Exchange\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ep. 3: The \u2018Rain Woman\u2019 Behind a Digital Detective Agency","description":"Alison Chung parlays a phenomenal gift for numbers into a successful computer-forensics firm.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ep. 3: The \u2018Rain Woman\u2019 Behind a Digital Detective Agency","og_description":"Alison Chung parlays a phenomenal gift for numbers into a successful computer-forensics firm.","og_url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/","og_site_name":"The Story Exchange","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange","article_published_time":"2015-09-08T16:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-06-05T16:18:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":525,"height":336,"url":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/24164038\/Alison-WebsiteThumb.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"The Story Exchange","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TheStoryXchange","twitter_site":"@TheStoryXchange","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"The Story Exchange"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/"},"author":{"name":"The Story Exchange","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/person\/cc5cf7031d846ecfccbe8e4c026ec6f5"},"headline":"Ep. 3: The \u2018Rain Woman\u2019 Behind a Digital Detective Agency","datePublished":"2015-09-08T16:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2018-06-05T16:18:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/"},"wordCount":47,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/24164038\/Alison-WebsiteThumb.jpg","keywords":["Business Success","Technology","Women Entrepreneurs"],"articleSection":["Podcast"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/","name":"Ep. 3: The \u2018Rain Woman\u2019 Behind a Digital Detective Agency","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/24164038\/Alison-WebsiteThumb.jpg","datePublished":"2015-09-08T16:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2018-06-05T16:18:16+00:00","description":"Alison Chung parlays a phenomenal gift for numbers into a successful computer-forensics firm.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/24164038\/Alison-WebsiteThumb.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/24164038\/Alison-WebsiteThumb.jpg","width":525,"height":336,"caption":"Alison Chung"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/the-rain-woman-behind-a-digital-detective-agency-alison-chung-ep-03\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ep. 3: The \u2018Rain Woman\u2019 Behind a Digital Detective Agency"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/","name":"The Story Exchange","description":"Inspiration and information for women entrepreneurs","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization","name":"The Story Exchange","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24161459\/TSE-logo-web-e1525383604615.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24161459\/TSE-logo-web-e1525383604615.png","width":500,"height":180,"caption":"The Story Exchange"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange","https:\/\/x.com\/TheStoryXchange","https:\/\/instagram.com\/thestoryexchange\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-story-exchange","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/StoryExchange"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/person\/cc5cf7031d846ecfccbe8e4c026ec6f5","name":"The Story Exchange","description":"The Story Exchange is a global video project empowering women to achieve economic independence through entrepreneurship. By producing and promoting video profiles of successful entrepreneurs from all walks of life and sectors we encourage others to gain economic freedom, create the lifestyle of their choosing, and uncover their full potential.","sameAs":["https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/about-us\/"],"url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/author\/werock\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}