Our podcast is for leaders at any stage in their career.
We hope to inspire leaders at every level by sharing stories of leaders in the life sciences, how they progressed in their career, and their advice for those who wish to follow in their footsteps.
Our show will include a lot of storytelling, provide advice for listeners, and always include some elements of fun!
Ep 8: From Naval Aviation to Pharma with Harriet Johnson
How does a woman in a male-dominated military field develop a leadership voice, and how does that translate to corporate work? You’ll learn more during today’s interview with Harriet Johnson.
Harriet earned a Navy scholarship to afford school outside of her home state of Georgia. She went to Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, then went on to active duty in the Navy for 12 years as a helicopter pilot and staff officer, and then served an additional 5 years as a reserve officer. She's been in pharma now for over eight years, mostly in manufacturing at large- and medium-sized companies.
Listen to the episode to learn more about how she made it through difficult experiences, how military leadership translates to her current work life, and a bit about Harriet's personal experiences through this time.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
Harriet’s background and how she got to this point in her career
Harriet's many destinations throughout her life
Harriet’s time as a female helicopter pilot of a Seahawk helicopter
Harriet’s challenges in finding her way in the tactical squadron
How Harriet found her leadership voice as a pilot
How Harriet kept her head up through difficult experiences
A decision Harriet wishes she hadn’t made
What leadership was like in the military, and how that leadership translates to her home and work life now
The differences between a military experience and a corporate experience
Harriet’s callsign
Ideas for someone who's growing in their career
Resources:
Harriet Johnson
14 Mar 2023
Ep 7: Lifelong Learning with Sam Howard
What does it mean to be a lifelong learner, and how can you do it? How does it benefit you? Today’s guest, Sam Howard, explains what it means to him to be a lifelong learner and how he does it.
Sam Howard was previously a managing consultant for Enterey. Today, he’s a Senior Program Manager at Dendreon. In today’s interview, he discusses his career, going back to his days in the military and how he transitioned from that to life sciences. He also talks about whether leaders are born or made, the difference between managers and leaders, and how he recommends getting more reading time in.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
How Sam decided on a military career coming out of school
Correlations between Sam’s scientific training and military work
Whether leadership is innate or something that can be fostered
The difference between managing and leading
How Sam adapted to different leaders he had to work for or follow
Who influenced Sam’s development as a leader
One minimally viable self-improvement thing that can be done daily
The best books Sam has read
How to get more reading time in
Sam’s networking strategies
Resources:
Sam Howard
28 Feb 2023
Ep 6: Growing as a Leader with Sue Marchant
What is the secret to dealing with people and establishing connections? How does this help when transitioning to a leadership role?
Sue Marchant is the Vice President of Product Management at MasterControl. In today’s episode, she talks with hosts Mike Ferletic and Courtney Boudreaux are joined by guest host Nancy Coughlin for a discussion. Listen to the episode to hear them discuss the goals she has as a product manager, the challenges of transitioning to a leadership role, and her early experience with developing and launching her own software.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
How Sue got to where she is today
What a product manager does & the goal of a product manager
How Sue incorporated her team’s talents into projects
Sue’s experience with developing and launching her own software
Challenges of transitioning to a leadership role
The rise of remote and virtual work options
Advice for connecting with and dealing with other people
Where Sue is headed with products at MasterControl
Resources:
Sue Marchant
14 Feb 2023
Ep 5: Focus on Team First with Paul Garofolo
What are the pros and cons of the freedom of leading your own company? That’s one of the things that Paul Garafolo talks about in today’s interview.
Paul is CEO of Locus Biosciences, an emerging biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of precision medicines using CRISPR-Cas technologies. Listen to the episode to learn more about what Paul is doing with CRISPR technology, what applications exist for his company’s technology, and what Paul wishes he’d done differently.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
How Paul came to his position as CEO of Locus
What CRISPR technology is and how it works
How Locus applies ethical considerations
Other areas Locus envisions their technology will be applicable beyond infectious disease
Reflection on what Paul could have done differently
Paul's thoughts on the difference between running a company vs. working as an employee of a company
How Paul manages the perspectives of different stakeholders in the company
Key characteristics that Paul wants to bring into Locus
Resources:
Paul Garafolo
31 Jan 2023
Ep 4: Staying in Control with Tommi Papson
What makes a good corporate citizen, and what makes one less solid? Whose job is it to find out? Today’s guest will answer those questions and more.
Tommi Papson is the president of Regulatory Consultants Group. She’s also an ex-FDA investigator and Consumer Safety Officer, among other things. Both as an FDA investigator and now as a consultant, she works to ensure that companies play by the rules, but those two different roles require different approaches.
Listen to the episode to learn more about Tommi, her role as an investigator for the FDA, and how it stacks up against her current consulting position. She discusses the different types of leaders she’s encountered, the challenges she’s faced in her career, and the differences between how she was received as an investigator vs. a consultant.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
How Tommi ended up at the FDA
Different types of leaders Tommi experienced in different environments
What Tommi sees in people she wants to mentor
Characteristics of solid corporate citizens vs less solid ones
The differences between how Tommi was received as an FDA investigator vs a consultant
The biggest challenges Tommi faced in her career
A favorite story from Tommi's days an an investiagor
Some basic rules of the road that anyone would benefit from
Key takeaways from Tommi’s interview
Resources:
Tommi Papson
13 Dec 2022
Ep 3: Fighting for Your Seat in the Boat with Ryan Coughlin
Ryan Coughlin has significant experience working with different types of leaders. He spent 20 years in the US Marine Corps working with a variety of military leaders. Then, he transitioned into civilian life and began a career with Enterey Consulting.
In the military, Ryan worked in strategic planning. He's an expert in project portfolio management, project management, and operations management. Listen to the episode to hear what Ryan has to say about adapting to different leadership styles, the leadership points that carried over from Ryan's military career to his civilian career, and learn about who the standout leaders were in Ryan's life.
Originally recorded on July 28, 2021
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
The reasons Ryan pursued a military career.
The different leadership styles in the military and how Ryan adapted to them
Leadership styles Ryan carried over from the military to his work in the life sciences
What similarities exist between leadership in the military and the civilian world
Hear about some of the standout leaders in Ryan's career
What it means to fight for a seat in the boat!
Resources:
Ryan Coughlin
Enterey Consulting
29 Nov 2022
Ep 2: Leading the Way with Valerie Brown
Valerie Brown is the Senior Vice President of Global Quality Assurance at Gilead Sciences. Hear her insights regarding science, the pharma industry, and what its like to work in a regulated field.
Listen to the episode to learn more about Valerie, her career journey, and her advice for being successful in your own career.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
Valerie's career journey and her advice for your success
Her mentors and why they were important
Advice for motivating your team
How to learn from your mistakes
Characteristics that Valerie admires in other leaders
Key takeaways from Valerie’s interview
Resources:
Valerie Brown
15 Nov 2022
Ep 1: Taking a Leap of Faith with Neelu Gibson
Neelu is the WW Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at BD. In addition, she has many years of experience working in Regulatory Affairs for J&J. Although life sciences weren’t originally her niche, she was drawn into a long and fruitful career in the medical device industry.
Listen to the episode to learn about how Neelu progressed to her current role and how she entered the life sciences industry in the first place. Learn why she finds regulatory affairs exciting, and get advice on who to learn and lead in a new environment at a large company, even when you are not a subject matter expert.
Originally recorded on January 10, 2022
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
What inspired Neelu to a career in the life sciences, and the companies she worked for
How Neelu took ownership of her leadership role
What excites Neelu about regulatory affairs
Neelu's approach to learning and how she "learns beyond the job"
Mentors that helped Neelu along her career journey
Advice for career advancement
How to navigate difficult conversations
Recommendations for taking risks
Resources:
Neelu Gibson
18 Oct 2022
Introducing the Leaders in Life Sciences Podcast!
This podcast is hosted by Mike Ferletic, CEO of Enterey Life Sciences Consulting. Co-hosting is Courtney Boudreaux, a Senior Consultant at Enterey. Mike started this podcast to share stories about leadership within the industry. In today’s promo podcast, Mike and Courtney discuss how sharing stories can inspire leaders, the guests that will be appearing on this podcast, and the topics you’ll hear about on this podcast.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
Introducing the hosts
Why Mike started this podcast
Inspiring leaders at all levels
The guests and topics that will be appearing on this podcast
The most exciting guest so far
Resources:
Mike Ferletic
Courtney Boudreaux
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