The ever-expanding presence of artificial intelligence in our professional lives has reached the sacred territory of research grant writing, raising profound questions about scientific integrity and the nature of academic work. As someone who's spent a fair amount of time exploring these tools firsthand, I'm sharing my perspective on how researchers can navigate the use of these tools without compromising what makes their work valuable. Grant writing isn't just an administrative task standing be...
Jun 26, 2025•26 min•Ep. 81
This episode gets a bit personal! Rediscovering a 12-year-old journal unexpectedly transformed my understanding of the work I do now. For weeks, I found myself immersed in the pages of my younger self's thoughts, witnessing my struggles to define personal and professional goals while questioning if I even deserved to have them. What struck me most was seeing the ongoing dialogue I maintained with myself—a practice of brutal honesty and introspection that ultimately helped me bridge the gap betwe...
Jun 12, 2025•12 min•Ep. 80
In this episode, I sit down with Amy LeClair, PhD — a medical sociologist and recent K to R Essentials graduate — for a powerful conversation about moving from being a perpetual collaborator to pursuing independent research, describing how she found support through structured mentorship and community during a pivotal career phase. She discusses the challenges of balancing her research on healthcare equity with personal life changes, including welcoming twins while pursuing her professional goals...
May 29, 2025•41 min•Ep. 79
Have you ever tried to navigate a major life change completely on your own? As someone who once proudly wore the "I'll figure it out myself" badge, I've learned through experience that community isn't just helpful during transitions—it's absolutely essential. This episode explores the transformative power of finding your people during the K to R transition. Drawing from my personal journey as a business owner who reluctantly discovered the value of community, I share how a small group of women e...
May 15, 2025•12 min•Ep. 78
If you’ve been feeling like you just can’t catch a break, this episode is for you. In the last five years, early-career researchers have had to navigate two major crises—first the pandemic, and now a new wave of funding instability and institutional upheaval. There’s no playbook for how to move through something like this. And yet, you’re still here. Still committed to your work. Still showing up. In this episode, I want to remind you of something that’s easy to forget when you’re in the middle ...
Apr 24, 2025•14 min•Ep. 77
In this episode, I sit down with Brienne Miner, MD MHS—a physician, researcher, and recent K to R Essentials graduate—for a powerful conversation about what it really looks like to step into your role as a PI with clarity and purpose. Brienne shares how her clinical work with older adults and their care partners shaped her research questions—and how she learned to own her expertise through the K to R transition. We talk about the internal work of recognizing your intellectual contribution, the p...
Apr 10, 2025•32 min•Ep. 76
When the funding landscape feels chaotic, it’s easy to spiral into overwhelm or freeze in place. But one of the most powerful things you can do right now is come back to the work that grounds you. In this episode, I’m sharing a moment from inside K to R Essentials that reminded all of us—myself included—how much clarity and confidence can come from reconnecting with our research. Whether it’s grant writing, making progress on a peer-reviewed paper, or simply thinking deeply about your next proje...
Mar 27, 2025•15 min•Ep. 75
When the decisions you make are often short-term, reactionary, and misaligned with where you actually want to go. In this episode, we’re talking about the difference between making decisions from a place of fear versus a place of clarity—and why it matters. If you’ve ever felt pressure to just do something without a clear plan, or rushed into commitments that didn’t truly serve you, this conversation will help you take a step back, reassess, and move forward with intention. In this episode: Why ...
Mar 20, 2025•15 min•Ep. 74
Defining your North Star—the long-term vision for your research—is one thing. Actually aligning your daily work with it? That’s where things get tricky. Most researchers don’t realize just how misaligned their time and commitments are until they take a hard look at where their energy is going. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it. In this episode, we’re digging into the next step after defining your North Star: assessing your commitments, making strategic choices about where to focus, and fig...
Mar 13, 2025•16 min•Ep. 73
With so much uncertainty in higher education, research funding, and institutional policies, it’s easy to feel like the ground is constantly shifting beneath you. But instead of reacting to institutional panic or the latest funding changes, you need a way to stay grounded in what actually matters—your research and the impact you want to have. That’s why your North Star is more important than ever. It’s the navigational tool that helps you filter out distractions, stay focused on your long-term vi...
Mar 06, 2025•17 min•Ep. 72
This episode wraps up our K to R Essentials Behind the Scenes mini-series with a look inside the final month of the program—Planning. If you’ve been following along, you know that we start with the big-picture vision for your career, then build the leadership and strategy skills you need to make that vision a reality. In this final stage, we take everything you’ve worked on and map it out into an actionable proposal development plan for your next grant submission. This is where researchers often...
Feb 27, 2025•17 min•Ep. 71
In this episode of K to R Essentials Behind the Scenes, we’re diving into strategy—the third month of the program and where we shift from big-picture vision work into pragmatic, strategic decision-making. One of the most important exercises we do in this phase is connecting your North Star to the next research idea you’ll pursue and the grant application that will fund it. But for many researchers, this is where they get stuck—not because they lack ideas, but because they have too many and feel ...
Feb 20, 2025•12 min•Ep. 70
This episode continues our special miniseries, K to R Essentials Behind the Scenes, offering an inside look at our coaching calls. K to R Essentials is structured around four key themes—Vision, Leadership, Strategy, and Planning—and this series explores each one. In this episode, we dive into the second theme: Leadership. One of the foundational principles we emphasize in K to R Essentials is that leadership starts with you. Before you can effectively lead others, you need to build confidence in...
Feb 13, 2025•11 min•Ep. 69
This episode kicks off a special miniseries, K to R Essentials Behind the Scenes, offering an inside look at our coaching calls. K to R Essentials is structured around four key themes—Vision, Leadership, Strategy, and Planning—and this series explores each one. The focus of this episode is vision—the foundation of a successful research career. One of the biggest challenges researchers face is articulating what they truly want, beyond external expectations or institutional pressures. In our coach...
Feb 06, 2025•11 min•Ep. 68
In the high-stakes world of academia, competition is everywhere—from landing a faculty position to securing grant funding. It's easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others, but instead of success, this can lead to self-sabotage. In this episode, we explore how comparison, competition, and critique—although vital in academia—often work against you. I'll share strategies on how to shift your focus away from others and keep your eyes on your own paper. By challenging yourself to grow...
Jan 23, 2025•10 min•Ep. 67
Learning to navigate uncertainty is essential for a successful research career. In this episode, I reflect on the challenges we face as researchers—both in the broader funding landscape and our personal and professional lives—and share practical strategies to stay grounded and focused amidst the unknown. I dive into the foundational tools that help you cope with uncertainty, including how to foster self-trust, safeguard your capacity for impactful research, and maintain clarity about your North ...
Jan 09, 2025•9 min•Ep. 66
As the year comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to pause, reflect, and prepare for what’s next. In this solo episode, I’m sharing a practice that has been a cornerstone of my personal and professional growth over the last five years: end-of-year reflection and intention setting. This simple yet transformative exercise helps me acknowledge wins, integrate lessons, and set a clear vision for the coming year—and now, I’m inviting you to make it your own. This episode is filled with reflective q...
Dec 12, 2024•15 min•Ep. 65
In this episode, I sit down with Jaime Lynn Speiser, PhD, an associate professor of Biostatistics and Data Science and a recent K to R Essentials graduate. Jaime shares her experience of navigating the unique challenges and opportunities as a statistician working across diverse subject matter areas, and how the program helped her build confidence, clarify her career goals, and embrace her role as a leader in her field. Tune in to this episode as we explore: How Jaime shifted from feeling “stuck”...
Nov 28, 2024•25 min•Ep. 64
In this episode, I speak with Clare Whitney, PhD MBE RN, an assistant professor, and a recent K to R Essentials graduate. Clare shares her journey from feeling stretched too thin to finding her “North Star” in research, which has helped her focus on her work’s core mission: clinician moral well-being. Clare’s work as a nurse scientist and bioethicist explores the impact of moral well-being on clinician care, a topic rooted in her own research into ethics and clinical trust. Tune in to this episo...
Nov 21, 2024•17 min•Ep. 63
In this episode, I sit down with Kristin Anderson, PhD, a K to R Essentials graduate and assistant professor at the University of Virginia. Kristin shares her inspiring journey from an uncertain start to a clearly defined and purpose-driven research career, rooted in her personal mission to develop cancer therapies for women’s health. Tune in to this episode as we explore: How Kristin’s vision drives her research focus, and how articulating her goals has led to powerful, serendipitous collaborat...
Nov 14, 2024•40 min•Ep. 62
In this episode, I sit down with Caroline Sloan, MD MPH a recent graduate of the K to R Essentials program and a general internist, as she shares her journey of building a purpose-driven research path. Caroline reflects on the challenges and rewards of managing a dual role in clinical care and health services research and the transformation that led her to fully commit to her research goals. Tune in to this episode as we explore: How Caroline identified the driving force behind her research and ...
Oct 31, 2024•27 min•Ep. 61
What becomes possible when you stop thinking like a mentee and start thinking like a PI? In this episode, I’m diving deep into what happens when you make the crucial shift in your research career from mentee to PI. This transition isn’t just about changing titles—it’s about transforming how you approach your work, your confidence, and your path forward. I share observations from working with graduates of K to R Essentials to highlight how this shift opens up new levels of confidence, clarity, an...
Oct 24, 2024•15 min•Ep. 60
What does it take to transition from a K Award to an R01 with confidence and clarity? In this episode, I sit down with Liza Behrens, a recent K to R Essentials graduate and assistant professor of nursing at Penn State University. Liza shares her journey of navigating the complexities of research, grant writing, and leadership as a clinician scientist. From her experience in the K to R Essentials program, Liza learned not only how to structure her research career but also how to trust in her expe...
Oct 17, 2024•26 min•Ep. 59
How do you navigate the transition from postdoc to independent PI without losing your sense of direction? In this episode, I chat with Cindy Veldhuis, a recent graduate of K to R Essentials, who shares her candid experience of navigating the challenges of academic life. From figuring out how to ‘adult’ as a PI to understanding the power of mentorship and community, Cindy opens up about the many transitions she’s faced, including moving institutions, developing her research focus, and gaining con...
Oct 10, 2024•23 min•Ep. 58
Are you ready to navigate the journey from K award to your first R01 with confidence? Join us for a special bonus episode as we dive deep into an upcoming info session for the next cohort of the K to R Essentials program. Scheduled for Thursday, October 17, at 10:30 AM PST/1:30PM EST, this info session is a golden opportunity for early career researchers to get a comprehensive overview of the group coaching program.
Oct 07, 2024•50 sec
Have you ever felt like your career ambitions were just too big, maybe even impossible? In this episode, I’m diving deep into the critical balance between delusion and discipline when it comes to pursuing your career ambitions. It’s a concept we explore in K to R Essentials and one that can make or break your long-term success. I want you to dream big—so big it feels a little delusional. But dreaming alone isn’t enough. It’s only when you apply strategic discipline to those dreams that you begin...
Oct 03, 2024•10 min•Ep. 57
Do you ever feel like you’re constantly behind in your career? In this episode, I’m tackling the common but misguided belief that we’re not where we should be. So many of us feel like we’re behind, but that feeling is often based on unrealistic expectations or inaccurate comparisons. The truth? Being behind is just a story we tell ourselves, and it can lead us to make decisions that actually take us further away from our goals. I break down the harmful actions that stem from this belief, like pa...
Sep 26, 2024•6 min•Ep. 56
Have you ever felt like your career path was a bit scattered or not quite aligned with what you truly want to be doing? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Gillian Tarr, an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, to discuss her journey through the K to R Essentials program and how it helped her find clarity in her research career. We dive into the challenges she faced before joining the program—feeling the pressure to diversify and take on projects outside of...
Sep 19, 2024•20 min•Ep. 55
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the lack of a clear path from a K award to your first R01, you’re not alone. Moving from being a mentee to taking the lead on your own research can feel like you’re navigating uncharted territory. But here’s the good news: You don’t need a perfect roadmap. You just need to know where you’re headed, and I’m here to help you figure out the next step. I’ll share why getting clear on your career vision is essential before jumping into action. We’ll also talk about cr...
Sep 12, 2024•7 min•Ep. 54
In this episode, I share a deeply personal story that goes beyond the pragmatic reasons why I created K to R Essentials. While the program was born out of a practical need to help early-career researchers navigate the challenges of grant deadlines and writing their first R01, there’s a much deeper reason driving my passion for this work. I tell the story of a life-threatening health scare that changed the trajectory of my life and career, teaching me invaluable lessons about purpose, fulfillment...
Sep 05, 2024•13 min•Ep. 53
