WEST Wisdom Blog

In the ever-evolving landscape of our careers, women continue to break barriers, shatter glass ceilings, and pave the way for future generations. The journey of a woman is often marked by three powerful principles: grit, growth, and gratitude. These tenets not only define our personal and professional journeys but also empower us to make significant contributions to the world of science and technology. These are the defining reasons WEST has selected Grit, Growth, Gratitude as our annual theme for 2024-2025. 

Topics: Announcements, Community, Annual Theme, Inspiration, Career Development, #WESTorg, Grit, Identity, Growth, Gratitude, Grit, Growth, Gratitude

On Friday, July 12th, WEST will host its first Women in Leadership Bootcamp in partnership with Nucleate! We are excited to welcome several speakers for this day-long event that will cover a variety of topics for our attendees. These include: understanding your leadership style, embodying confidence, and unlocking your team’s potential. This bootcamp will train the next generation of biotech leaders to communicate, delegate, innovate, inspire, and provide clear goals and direction to their teams more effectively.

Topics: Leadership, Leader, #MemberSpotlight, Self-Awareness, Confidence, Personal Branding, Career Development, Inclusion, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent, Identity

We’ve all heard of the glass ceiling, but there’s an even deeper barrier that needs to be discussed. This hidden barrier, as Ellen Connelly Taaffe refers to it in her book, The Mirrored Door: Break Through the Hidden Barrier That Locks Successful Women in Place, is constructed from the well-intentioned norms that are ingrained in women’s minds and holding them back more than they realize.

Topics: Mentoring, Coaching, Mindfulness, Author Chat, Confidence, Book Club, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent, Purpose, Identity, STEM Women

In a society that often favors extroverted tendencies, being on the introverted end of the   spectrum can bring challenges in loud workplaces. Extroverted or introverted, we all have inspiration, passion, and great ideas within us. We work to create inclusive workplaces that support the success of each person on our team. With a few skills, being open-minded and truly aware of ourselves and those around us, we can create a team that allows each member to contribute their strengths and find success.

There are some misconceptions about introversion at work: that people who are more introverted can’t lead as effectively, are shy, and don’t like to work with others (are not team players). Despite these perspectives, introverted employees can absolutely excel in so many spaces using their strengths. The reality inside an introvert’s mind is thoughtful and methodical, tending to think deeply and critically about the work at hand. Like extraverts, introverts want their team to succeed, and may see the path to success differently. Their ability to truly immerse themselves in the information at hand, process their thoughts from many angles, and present suggestions and solutions that are well thought out is an incredible strength to any company. 

Topics: Leadership, Community, Confidence, Challenges, Career Development, Empowerment, #WESTevent, Corporate Culture, Identity, Introvert

Often we think of our career path as something that happens to us. We think in terms of doing what we can to prepare ourselves, but tend to think there’s only so much we can control. By thinking with such a scarcity mindset, we’re setting ourselves up for a career that we endure as long as we have to and then retire as soon as possible. The good news is: we don’t have to live like that. We can learn to create a personal brand and use that brand to market ourselves in a way that allows us to take charge of our careers and create a career path built for us. 

Topics: Career, Communication, Resources, Influence, Career Path, Self-Awareness, Confidence, Personal Branding, Challenges, Career Development, Influence Without Authority, #WESTevent, Identity, Hiring Women in STEM

When we stop to set goals, especially around the new year, we typically start with a vision of who we want to become, what we want to do, or how we want to improve. Then we’re often left wondering how to achieve those goals. If you’re ready to move your goals out of the wondering stage and into the action stage, you won’t want to miss Judy Goldberg’s upcoming workshop: “Wake Up & Wondershift: A Journey to Personal Transformation.”

Topics: Boston, Community, Inspiration, Career Path, Self-Awareness, Confidence, Personal Branding, Challenges, Career Development, Empowerment, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent, Purpose, Identity

Studies show that we have an average of 6,000 thoughts per day. That’s approximately 6.5 thoughts per minute. Thanks to the Negativity Bias, some estimate that up to 80% of these thoughts are negative in nature, and up to 95% of them are repetitive. What if you could identify your stressful thoughts and question them? What if you could stop them by writing them down, asking four questions, and turning them around?

Topics: Life, Choice, Upcoming Events, Inspiration, Leading Ourselves, Self-Awareness, Insight, Strengths, Advice, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent, Purpose, Identity, Strong Women

We find ourselves at a pivotal point in history. In many ways the world is questioning whether or not to empower women to fulfill their potential. Empowered women bring a variety of skills and perspectives to the table that should be equally valued. When we amplify the voices of women who are sharing discoveries, ideas, and support, true success is a given. These women’s voices shout from the rooftops that women deserve a seat at the table, every table. 

Topics: STEM, Announcements, Career, Community, Life, Inspire, Culture, Annual Theme, Making a Difference, Inspiration, Self-Awareness, Confidence, Impact, Career Development, Empowerment, Inclusion, Self-Reflection, Diversity, Corporate Culture, D&I, Equity, Identity, Ally, Strong Women

The LGBTQ+ Community has always been part of every community. There are scientists, researchers, project managers, clinical trial leaders and participants, technology developers, computer scientists, and more who are incredible parts of the STEM community that are also members of the LGBTQ+ community. These amazing people are making groundbreaking discoveries, changing our world for the better, and founding some of the most supportive organizations. Check out just a few of the amazing women below who are the perfect example of these communities coming together and how they are helping to build stronger science and a stronger world one day at a time. 

Topics: Community, Inspire, Culture, Innovation, Influence, Inspiration, Confidence, Career Possibilities, Empowerment, Inclusion, Diversity, D&I, 20 Inspirational Leaders, Identity, LGBTQIA+, Ally, Allyship

Often we misunderstand confidence to be a magical feeling that we either possess or it will elude us forever. We then find ourselves wondering how we can create this magical feeling of confidence. However, in reality, confidence is less of a magical gift and more a result of the everyday work of taking on difficult things, learning, failing, growing, and succeeding. In other words, it is not a question of whether you are a confident person or not, but a result of showing up courageously and authentically to things that feel hard (even impossible), scare us, and doing our best. Repeatedly showing up in those difficult situations courageously would slowly build that trust for you in your abilities, and that’s what confidence in self is: a feeling of trust in one's abilities, qualities, and judgment. Confidence is an outcome of courage, not the other way around. This is what Pallavi Srivastava will focus on in her workshop for the WEST community “Nurturing Confidence: The Path Through Courage & Authenticity.”

Topics: Work Life Balance, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Inspiration, Career Path, Developing Your Skills, Confidence, Strengths, Challenges, Career Development, #WESTevent, Identity