WEST Wisdom Blog

You’ve got the ideas. The data is solid. You’re ready to contribute. But as your camera clicks on for that high-stakes Zoom meeting, an inner whisper creeps in: “Don’t blow it.”

Topics: Resilience, Coaching, Change, Inspiration, Emotional Intelligence, Self-Awareness, Confidence, Personal Branding, Empowerment, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent, Personality, Growth

Pulled in every direction and distracted by everything from Teams notifications to overflowing inboxes, most professionals today are operating in a constant state of distraction. And it’s not just harmless multitasking. The ripple effects of distraction are staggering.

Topics: Best Practices, Resilience, Success, Discussion, Business, Self-Awareness, Focus, Challenges, Career Development, #WESTevent, Summer Reads, Strategies

Did you know that until 1993, women weren’t required to participate in clinical trials? That means until just a few decades ago, many medications prescribed to women may not have been tested on a woman. 

Topics: Career, Innovation, Business, Inspiration, Challenges, Advocate, #WESTevent, Life Science VC, Venture Capital/VC, D&I, Equity, Female Representation STEM, Healthcare, Strong Women, Women's Health, Health

Have you ever felt stuck in your own head? Maybe you faced a situation or decision that you felt conflicted about and did not know what to do because you felt pulled in different directions internally.  It’s a common experience and can leave one feeling stuck and lost.

Topics: Mindfulness, Self-Awareness, Author Chat, Challenges, Book Club, Career Development, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent, Overwhelm, Growth

Burnout is becoming more and more common. Statistics, especially among women, have shown a dramatic increase in employees that feel burned out or close to burnout. Women reported higher levels of burnout than men at 46% over men’s 37%. (CNBC). Focusing in on the WEST community event further, 82% of employees in tech feel close to burnout (spill). With such high levels of burnout, it leads to the question: “How did we get here in the first place?”

Topics: Mindfulness, Career Path, Confidence, Strengths, Career Development, Empowerment, Advice, #WESTevent, Purpose

We all strive for a state of life where our work-life balance is perfect, we feel rested, and fulfilled. We might even have a vision of what this perfect balance looks like. Yet we all struggle to reach this balance. Why can’t we achieve this perfect balance? One reason is that it's the wrong question. Balance implies equal time or a consistent, static state. Our lives are far too complex and changeable to be able to find one right answer on how to honor all of our commitments.

Topics: Workshop, Insight, New Opportunities, #WESTevent, goals, Growth, Boundaries

Discovering a career that you love sometimes takes a direct path. We’ve all read at least one story of someone who knew they wanted to work in a particular field from a very young age, spent their years pursuing that dream, and found success and happiness having achieved that dream. Unfortunately, 75% of people experience a quarter life crisis, questioning their career path, by the time they are 33. Additionally, Stanford Psychologist Laura Carstensen reveals that, based on her studies, the perfect age to start a career is around 40. According to one study, the average person will change careers 5-7 times throughout their lifetime. 

Topics: Leadership, Career, Community, Panel, Network, Networking, Career Path, Developing Your Skills, Computing, Career Development, Career Possibilities, Empowerment, Advice, #WESTevent, Grow, Academia, Clarity, Growth

“The returns are actually better when you invest in women,” says the movie Show Her The Money. If that’s so true, then why are women-founded startups only receiving 2% (or less) of invested venture capital dollars each year? Women innovators introduced the electric dishwasher, central gas heating, the medical syringe, bullet-proof fiber (Kevlar), and the list goes on. How much better could our world be if more women-founded startups were getting  equal investment funding?

Topics: Leadership, Panel, Women in STEM, Business, Inspiration, Gender Pay Gap, Compensation, Career Possibilities, Advocate, Diversity, #WESTevent, Women in Business, Life Science VC, Venture Capital/VC, Gender Parity, Conversations

Networking might be an introvert’s least favorite activity, but it doesn’t need to be! On August 8th, join WEST for Networking for Introverts: How To Effectively Connect. Led by introverts, for introverts, this event will include a panel discussion, interactive games, facilitated discussions, and open networking sessions that will make networking approachable to everyone.

Topics: Panel, Networking, Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, Challenges, Advice, #WESTevent, Personality, Introvert

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