You don’t become a PI after you get funded; you get funded after you start thinking and acting like a PI. In another one of our show's greatest hits, this episode unpacks the crucial mindset shift from mentee to independent leader: focusing on self-trust, clear decision-making, and protecting your research vision from well-intentioned but ultimately misguided advice.

We dig into the hidden forces that keep talented women researchers second-guessing themselves: academic hierarchy that rewards deference, gendered socialization that trains us to please and defer, and a review culture that can make bold ideas feel risky. Rather than vilifying mentorship, we reframe it: the K award is designed as a runway to independence, not a holding pattern. You’ll learn how to spot mentee habits—waiting for permission to submit, leaning on mentors to set direction, or endlessly tweaking aims—and replace them with deliberate practices that move your work forward.

Interested in joining the next cohort of K to R Essentials? Join the waitlist at https://sarahdobson.co/k2r