WEST Wisdom Blog

A life full of pieces that are important to you can be a truly amazing thing, but it can also be demanding, stressful, and draining. So many things in our daily lives are important to us: our physical and mental health, our families, our jobs, our friends and colleagues, hobbies, and communities we are part of, the list can go on. These are all amazing things that enable us each to build a life that we love. We can love our jobs, our families, our friends and colleagues, spending time practicing hobbies, resting and recharging ourselves, but can we balance doing it all at once?

Topics: Career, Life, You, Self-Awareness, Empowerment, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent, STEM Women, STEM Leadership, Strong Women, Strong World

Kristine has lived all over the country, but after spending time at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute she has decided to continue to call the Greater Boston Area her home. She has spent most of her career studying cancer and working to provide solutions to cancer patients around the world. She came to WEST initially in 2014 for a Career Possibilities Panel focusing on R&D careers. After loving her first experience with WEST, Kristine continued to stay involved and has helped develop events, served as an Advisory Board member and in 2022 joined the Board and the mentoring committee. 

Topics: Leadership, STEM, Career, Community, Interview, Panel, Mentoring, Networking, #MemberSpotlight, Member Spotlight, Career Path, PhD, #WESTorg, STEM Women, STEM Leadership, Conversations

There’s a stigma associated with being an introvert. People say introverts are more often shy, soft-spoken, and stay to themselves; “they” say introverts are not good public speakers, team leaders, or marketers. Sure, people say these things, but how true are they really? If the true definition of an introvert is simply that they are re-energized by spending quiet time with themselves, then what do any of those characteristics or skills have to do with being introverted?

Topics: Career, Interview, Life, You, Mindfulness, Leading Ourselves, Self-Awareness, Career Development, Career Possibilities, Empowerment, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent, STEM Women, STEM Leadership, Strong Women, Strong World, Introvert

There are many reasons why women should sit on a board, as this experience is highly beneficial to both the organization and the member. I had the pleasure of interviewing the three panelists for the upcoming “Get on Board Event” at WEST and I found some common themes I would like to share with you. In this blog, you will get a peek into the wisdom of women who have had the experience of sitting on important non-profit, private, and public boards, and hopefully, it will entice you to come to the event to learn more about how you too can get on board. The 12/15 panel discussion is free to WEST members.

Topics: Best Practices, Leadership, Women, Career, Community, Resilience, Mentoring, Success, Women in STEM, Professional, Resources, Tools, Board of Directors, Values, Support, Leaders, Impact, Career Development, Learn, #WESTorg, STEM Women, STEM Leadership, Experience

By now you may have heard about the great resignation but if you haven’t it’s the shift from an employer’s market to a candidate’s market and there are now more jobs than there are people to fill them. Companies are especially struggling to attract and retain female employees and this is especially concerning in the STEM fields where womxn are already grossly underrepresented. This blog post attempts to outline what womxn are looking for in a post-pandemic world and how companies can modify their policies to recruit, mentor, retain and promote top talent while addressing burnout and supporting women who are still feeling the effects of the pandemic.  

Topics: Best Practices, Leadership, Women, Career, Awards, Community, Resilience, Mentoring, Success, Women in STEM, Professional, Resources, Change, Tools, Empathy, Values, Support, Leaders, Impact, Career Development, Learn, #WESTorg, STEM Women, Retaining Talent, STEM Leadership, Female Representation STEM, Hiring Women in STEM