My guest today, Ana Progovac, Ph.D., health services researcher and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard University, went through the full range of thoughts and emotions during her transition from student to independent investigator, leading up to submitting her first big research project grant. 

She experienced the same questions you have. 

How do I handle the transition?
How do I catch up with my peers who seem so much further ahead? 
How do you overcome the overwhelm and produce at the highest level? 

Listen in and hear her story!
 
Tune in to this episode to learn about:

• Finding support when you feel alone and overwhelmed
• The benefits of connecting with peers that understand your struggles
• Filtering feedback through your expert lens

And so much more!

Learn how seeking out expert help and community can become the catalyst for staying true to your purpose and taking a confident leap forward in your research career.  

You can learn more about Dr. Progovac’s research at https://www.healthequityresearch.org/

As a recovering high achiever, I know how important it is to give it your all and expect to get your first submission funded. But the reality is, when it comes to your R01, your high standards can set you up for failure.

In this episode, learn why lowering your standards and expectations can be the game-changers for improving your grantsmanship, becoming a better researcher, and getting funded faster!

Tune in to this episode to learn about:

• The unexpected consequences of having high standards
• Being okay with failing the first time
• The REAL goal of your first R01
• Keeping it simple

And so much more!

Learn how feedback can have more long-term value than the pride of being funded on your first try.

As coaching becomes more common in academic spaces, it’s easy to see it as a way to help you deal with “individual” issues like impostor syndrome and time management—but those issues are often institutional failures disguised as individual problems. 

Which means that coaching around those issues without considering the context of institutional and systemic failures in academia won’t get you anywhere. But when you can dig deeper on these issues by working with a good coach—or by coaching yourself—it can help you navigate institutional pressures and design a career that actually works for you. 

Listen in as I dive into how coaching becomes a tool for examining your mindset and building emotional resilience so you can clearly see and confront systemic biases, take control of your career, and effect change–all while growing professionally and personally on your road to creating impact with your research. 

Tune in to this episode to learn about:

• Old institutional failures that persist in academia today
• Why emotional resilience matters when you’re trying to succeed in an unjust system
• Recognizing the power you have to create change

And so much more!

Learn why managing your mind is an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to taking control of your career. 

A full year to write your R01 sounds like a burden for overachievers.

That’s a full year of prepping, planning, and writing. A full year of just getting started.

While some early career researchers might want to speed up the process with a super condensed timeline because they worry about “running out of time”, what I see over and over again is these same people start and then quickly become overwhelmed by the massive task of writing an R01. 

Learn how you can avoid being a victim of deadline anxiety and start to take control of your R01 writing with a realistic timeline that will get you closer to your research goals.

Tune in to this episode to learn:

• Why you have to slow down to speed up
• The difference between a deadline and a timeline
• Why you can’t assume you’ll get funded on your first attempt

And so much more!

Learn why slow and steady really do help you win the R01 race!

Revisiting the foundations of your research career doesn’t have to feel like a step backward. 

Your why, what, and how are not just tools to get you started on your K Award to R01 journey. They’re key parts of your identity as a researcher that will keep you grounded, confident, and focused on your North Star.

Listen and discover why establishing your first principles and using them as a barometer for your career is meant to be iterative and not a one-and-done. 

Tune in to this episode to learn:

• The origin story of my first principles
• Why grant writing isn’t your first priority as you build your career as a researcher
• The most important questions all researchers need to ask themselves

And so much more!

Learn why the foundations of your research career are the ones you want to revisit regularly.

The mindset shift from mentee to PI doesn’t always happen overnight. Sometimes it’s a progression where each step you take gets you closer to believing you’re enough to get the job done.

Kristin O’Grady joined my group coaching program after trying other grant workshops that left her with more questions than answers. In our community, Kristin started making slow but steady progress that created a big transformation. She did this alongside her peers, reminding her that she’s not alone in pursuing her career goals and writing her first big R01.

Tune in to this episode to learn:

• The limitations of institutional grant workshops
• Why writing your first R01 on your own isn’t easy
• How group cohorts inspire action and new ideas

And so much more!

Learn why choosing to invest in your grantsmanship can pay off in more ways than having a finished R01.

In this listener-inspired episode, I want to shed light on one of the parts of the grant writing process that’s not discussed often or openly as much as it should but has a significant impact on researchers at all stages of their career–the emotional challenges. 

Let’s discuss these very real challenges so you can begin to redefine success, be prepared for the inevitable tough times, and appreciate each moment of your career rather than become frustrated and overwhelmed by the failures and things that are out of your control. 

Tune in to this episode to learn:

• Why you need to rewrite the stories you tell yourself
• The value of feeling your feelings after bad news about your R01
• The benefits of staying focused on the work you care about

And so much more!

Learn the importance of embracing a long-term perspective for your research career!

Betting on yourself can feel like you're jumping off a cliff. It’s scary—and exhilarating. When you make that leap to bet on yourself, remember that you aren’t jumping without some reassurance that you’re going to land smoothly. That’s because you have years of experience that have brought you to this point in your career, and it will get you to your R01. 

If you believe in yourself and follow these three strategies in today’s episode, you can learn exactly what it looks like to say no, trust your abilities, and bet on yourself to win. 

Tune in to this episode to learn:

• To stay true to your North Star
• The high risk of not betting on yourself
• Why you always have a parachute with you

And so much more!

Learn what genuine trust in your abilities can help you achieve as an NIH researcher!

Aside from covering the absolute necessities to get their labs set up, plenty of early career faculty see their startup funds as a safety net to get them through rough patches when they don’t have the grant funding they need.
 
But what if you thought about startup funds differently? What if you thought about them as an investment in getting you started—more specifically, as an investment in your ability to secure grant funding? 

Let’s talk about why investing in your research career (and yourself) can give you a massive, unbeatable ROI—and why most early career researchers don’t see it that way.

Tune in to this episode to learn:

• The difference between saving and investing your startup funds
• Why taking calculated risks is the key to a long and prolific career
• How to see things from a long-term perspective

And so much more!

Learn why this stage of your career is where you want to go all in and bet on yourself!

Whether you’re ready to believe it or not, you’re the golden goose of your career. The quicker you understand that, the better equipped you’ll be to protect yourself from being spread so thin that you can’t operate at your best.

Women in research aren’t socially conditioned to treat themselves as the main character, even in their own story, but if you want your research career to reach its full potential, it’s time to create an environment that allows you to keep laying those golden eggs.

Tune in to this episode of the podcast to learn about:

• Protecting your capacity
• What PIs and small business owners have in common
• Creating conditions for you to be at your best

And so much more!

Learn why living with main character energy is the secret to protecting your time and health so you can keep producing insightful ideas and delivering extraordinary results