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When the Stakes Are Life or Death
Every scientist in a leadership position understands the delicate balance of communication, hierarchy, and data that this environment requires to thrive. Amer Mirza, VP of Disease Biology at biotech Septerna, has mastered this balance, scaling the company from 9 to over 100 employees and steering teams through inflection points of drug discovery.
In this episode of the Speak In Flow Podcast with Melinda Lee, he shares his human-centric framework for leading under extreme pressure.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
The Four Pillars of High-Functioning Teams
Amer shares the non-negotiable framework he uses to guide teams, establishing a common patient-centric vision, setting SMART goals, clarifying roles and responsibilities to avoid overlap, and creating systems to accurately measure progress.
Creating Psychological Safety in a Pressure Cooker
“Not every conversation can or should be a high-stakes conversation.”
How to foster an environment where team members feel safe to ask “crazy” questions, pressure-test ideas, and communicate openly without fear.
The Leader as a Facilitator, Not a Dictator
“It’s your job as a leader to be a facilitator of their aspirations.”
Amer’s mantra for empowering teams, delegating authority to those closest to the data, and investing in junior scientists by giving them ownership and a safety net to learn and grow.
Decision-Making Protocols for Divergent Opinions
How to avoid getting bogged down in endless debates by establishing clear strategies for conflict resolution and decision-making before tensions arise.
BLOG:
As 2026 approaches, all our goals and projections for the coming year are falling into place. But first, we should look back and ask ourselves, “How was my 2025?” Learn to build with intention and treat the next year as your greatest project yet.
Read our latest article, "Are You Intentionally Building Your Legacy? A Leader’s Guide for 2026"
About the Guest:
Amer Mirza is a biotech executive with over 20 years of experience leading therapeutic drug discovery and development in both high-growth startups and large pharmaceutical companies. His expertise spans multiple disease areas and drug modalities. He has managed over 40 programs (including 14 IND submissions), contributed to major regulatory filings, and mentored more than 60 scientists, all while authoring numerous patents and publications.
Social Handles:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amer-mirza-972b177/
Fun Facts:
- 🎨 The Watercolor Strategist: He finds a parallel between the deliberate layers of watercolor painting and the thoughtful, iterative process of scientific discovery.
- 🍳 The Culinary Alchemist: Amer loves combining flavors in the kitchen, viewing cooking as both a creative and precise science.
- 🎶 The Audiophile Archivist: With an extensive vinyl collection, he appreciates the rich, authentic experience of analog sound.
About Melinda:
Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach, and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of “flow” and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results.
She has been the TEDx Berkeley Speaker Coach and has worked with hundreds of executives and teams from Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit System, and more. Currently, she lives in San Francisco, California, and is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence.
Website: https://speakinflow.com/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow
Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakinflow
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall
Thanks for listening!
Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.
Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!
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Leave us an Apple Podcast review.
Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.
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By Melinda LeeEvery scientist in a leadership position understands the delicate balance of communication, hierarchy, and data that this environment requires to thrive. Amer Mirza, VP of Disease Biology at biotech Septerna, has mastered this balance, scaling the company from 9 to over 100 employees and steering teams through inflection points of drug discovery.
In this episode of the Speak In Flow Podcast with Melinda Lee, he shares his human-centric framework for leading under extreme pressure.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
The Four Pillars of High-Functioning Teams
Amer shares the non-negotiable framework he uses to guide teams, establishing a common patient-centric vision, setting SMART goals, clarifying roles and responsibilities to avoid overlap, and creating systems to accurately measure progress.
Creating Psychological Safety in a Pressure Cooker
“Not every conversation can or should be a high-stakes conversation.”
How to foster an environment where team members feel safe to ask “crazy” questions, pressure-test ideas, and communicate openly without fear.
The Leader as a Facilitator, Not a Dictator
“It’s your job as a leader to be a facilitator of their aspirations.”
Amer’s mantra for empowering teams, delegating authority to those closest to the data, and investing in junior scientists by giving them ownership and a safety net to learn and grow.
Decision-Making Protocols for Divergent Opinions
How to avoid getting bogged down in endless debates by establishing clear strategies for conflict resolution and decision-making before tensions arise.
BLOG:
As 2026 approaches, all our goals and projections for the coming year are falling into place. But first, we should look back and ask ourselves, “How was my 2025?” Learn to build with intention and treat the next year as your greatest project yet.
Read our latest article, "Are You Intentionally Building Your Legacy? A Leader’s Guide for 2026"
About the Guest:
Amer Mirza is a biotech executive with over 20 years of experience leading therapeutic drug discovery and development in both high-growth startups and large pharmaceutical companies. His expertise spans multiple disease areas and drug modalities. He has managed over 40 programs (including 14 IND submissions), contributed to major regulatory filings, and mentored more than 60 scientists, all while authoring numerous patents and publications.
Social Handles:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amer-mirza-972b177/
Fun Facts:
- 🎨 The Watercolor Strategist: He finds a parallel between the deliberate layers of watercolor painting and the thoughtful, iterative process of scientific discovery.
- 🍳 The Culinary Alchemist: Amer loves combining flavors in the kitchen, viewing cooking as both a creative and precise science.
- 🎶 The Audiophile Archivist: With an extensive vinyl collection, he appreciates the rich, authentic experience of analog sound.
About Melinda:
Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach, and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of “flow” and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results.
She has been the TEDx Berkeley Speaker Coach and has worked with hundreds of executives and teams from Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit System, and more. Currently, she lives in San Francisco, California, and is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence.
Website: https://speakinflow.com/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow
Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakinflow
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall
Thanks for listening!
Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.
Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!
Subscribe to the podcast
If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
Leave us an Apple Podcast review.
Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.