Discomfort Zone

Imposter Syndrome - many of us have felt it before, will feel it in the future, or feel it now, in relation to some part of our professional or personal lives. It's that niggling sense of self-doubt that you're never going to be good enough, despite clear evidence that you're performance is on point.   Today on the Discomfort Zone Podcast, we talk about imposter syndrome - what it looks and feels like to us, how we find ourselves responding to seeing imposter syndrome in others around us, and strategies we've found useful in combating it.

What are our moral and ethical obligations to the living beings and the habitats they need to survive which we impact upon as humanity? And what are some things that we can all do, whether big or small actions or behaviours, to help reduce the impact of humanity on the planet? 

Join us as we discuss these questions with  Eleri Harris (an environmental and geoscience specialist originally from Wales but currently based in Canada), Julianna Kadar (an American shark movement ecologist currently living in Sydney, Australia), Nirvani Devcharan (an information technology specialist based in Cape Town, South Africa), Anna Colluci (a biologist and  environmental manager from Italy currently based in Germany), Paula Silva (an integrated water systems engineer from Mexico) and Rebecca Wade (a Senior Lecturer in environmental science based in  Scotland but originally from Wales), hosted by Roshni Sharma (a  spatial scientist and project manager based in Sydney, Australia).

What does climate change mean to you? And besides the obvious impact on the environment, what are some of the other ways that climate change will shift the dynamics, routines and habits of our lifestyles? 

Join us as we discuss these questions with Anna (a biologist and environmental manager from Italy currently based in Germany), Helen O'Connor (A UK Civil Servant currently living in Ireland specialising in climate change and environmental advisory), Jodi Salmond (a marine researcher specialising in citizen science reef ecology and personal development from the Gold Coast, Australia), Judit Jimenez-Sainz (originally from Spain, now working at Yale University as a biochemist and geneticist researching female cancers and how to prevent and cure them), Marga Lopez (a marine researcher specialising in marine ecology and climate change, based in Spain), Natalie Barefoot (a Canadian lawyer working on international ocean protection and wildlife conservation), Nirvani Devcharan (an information technology specialist based in Cape Town, South Africa), Priya Gandhi (an American living in Melbourne, Australia, working as a sustainability consultant to design buildings better for people and the planet), Rachel Villani (a wetlands scientist based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Yanhui Wang (a communications specialist in a climate change think tank in Beijing, China, who joined us for this recording at 4am her local time!) and Rebecca Wade (a Senior Lecturer in environmental science based in Scotland but originally from Wales) and hosted by Roshni Sharma (a spatial scientist and project manager based in Sydney, Australia). 

Part 2 of the HB5 Virtual Voyage special, this episode draws upon the value of authenticity, vulnerability and empathy in our leadership toolkits. It delves into the interplay between these three traits, how we develop them and use them to bring groups and people together. We explore why leadership increasingly needs us to show our human side, how we can connect on deeper levels with the people we represent to help better understand their vision and problems, and how we can also connect more deeply with our fellow leaders. 

Joining us in this episode, the largest we have ever done, are a suite of incredible women from all corners of the globe: Anna Madlener (a marine robotics engineer in Berlin), Monica Green (an environmental and sustainability tertiary educator in Australia), Nirvani Devcharan (an information technology specialist from Cape Town, South Africa), Roshni Sharma (a spatial scientist from Sydney, Australia), Nancy Glenn (a Professor of remote sensing of the environment from Sydney), Amie Figueiredo (a scientist working on environmental sustainable development policies in Switzerland), Carole Durussel (a Swiss marine scientist working on high seas biodiversity conservation in Germany), Joanna Sumner (a herpetologist managing the wildlife frozen tissue collection at Melbourne Museum), Judit Jimienez Sainz (a research scientist and molecular biologist from Yale Medical School), Jodi Salmond (a marine scientist based on the Gold Coast, Australia), Kristina Baltutis (a Veterinarian from North Carolina, US), Laurie LaPat (an Adjunct Professor at Arizona State University and an environmental engineer), Charlotte Francesiaz (a researcher studying migratory birds in France), Rachel Villani (a wetlands scientist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Priyanka Das Rajkakati (Indian-origin French who is an aerospace engineer, PhD candidate in GNSS and an artist), Xhi Hu (Sisi, originally from China, now working on infrastructure assistance modelling and climate change adaptation in the US) and Phillista Malaki (a Kenyan based in Nairobi, a Senior Research Scientist at the National Museum of Kenya).

Join us for this special episode of the Discomfort Zone Podcast, the first in a series of three celebrating the Homeward Bound 5 Virtual Voyage, deep diving into the leadership journey of women in STEM. Today, we delve into how the pandemic has brought a silver lining for us in some new ways of connecting with each other despite not being able to see each other in person safely. We explore how we as leaders can manage the emotional toll of the roller coaster of emotions that COVID-19 has brought for us and supporting our colleagues, direct reports, managers and friends through these as well, and the collective grief that we are all learning to manage together. We also examine the different leadership styles which are more effective with different groups impacted by the pandemic in different ways, as well as ideas for finding a broader circle of support for yourself as you climb the ladder, especially in our newly very-digital world.

See you next time for Episode 2 of the HB5 Virtual Voyage Mini-series, where we speak about leading Authenticity, Vulnerability and Empathy!

All of see the world through lenses - lenses formed by our values and personalities, our life experiences, the people around us, the interests we have, the places we work. These things make us who we are, influence our strengths and weaknesses, and most importantly, impact the ways in which we respond and react to the people and world around us. These lenses form from our conscious and unconscious biases, which place us in various positions of privilege and oppression, depending upon the contexts which we flow through in life. Today in the Discomfort Zone podcast, we're exploring the first half of a two-part series that considers diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging and its relevance to leadership. In the last episode, we delved into the experiences which we have had with unconscious bias, on both the receiving and giving sides, and how we strive to become more aware of our unconscious biases. This time, Jodi, Nancy, Paula, Nirvani and Roshni are diving into the link between shame and facing or changing our unconscious or conscious biases, how our biases impact the experience of networking in different cultures, how we can use an awareness of diversity and inclusion when speaking with people of different values or worldviews to ourselves, and the professional benefits to organisations of adopting diverse and inclusive cultures.  So without further ado, joining us today are:

All of see the world through lenses - lenses formed by our values and personalities, our life experiences, the people around us, the interests we have, the places we work. These things make us who we are, influence our strengths and weaknesses, and most importantly, impact the ways in which we respond and react to the people and world around us. These lenses form from our conscious and unconscious biases, which place us in various positions of privilege and oppression, depending upon the contexts which we flow through in life. Today in the Discomfort Zone podcast, Jodi, Julianna, Marga, Nirvani, Priya, Reina and Roshni explore the first half of a two-part series that considers diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging and its relevance to leadership. In this first episode, we delve into the experiences which we have had with unconscious bias, on both the receiving and giving sides, and how we strive to become more aware of our unconscious biases. 

How can having role models and mentors help you unlock your passions and career purpose, or your work style and approach? How do we find them? And why are female role models in STEM so important? Join us in this episode of Discomfort Zone to find out more!

Failure is something we all face up with - sometimes big, sometimes small. Sometimes it's relatively simple for us to process, and sometimes it can take years to unravel, unpack and work through. But in today's world, being able to embrace failure, find ways to be resilient and have emotional intelligence when vulnerable can be strengths, especially for leaders. In today's episode of Discomfort Zone, we explore these concepts, diving into how we deal with failure as leaders, what we can learn from failure and how, and whether there are gendered implications of failure.

All leaders need to be able to refill their cups in order to pour for others - this is an anaolgy that has made the rounds and become a familiar way of expressing the importance of taking time out to recharge, build new skills, reflect and think. Welcome to Episode 3 of the Discomfort Zone Podcast, where we will speak with women leaders from all ages and corners of the world about how they refill their cups, how they use their hobbies to recharge and to safly explore their discomfort zones in different ways, and the leadership skills like resilience, emotional intelligence, empathy and courage that recharging and refilling our cups can afford us.

For many of us, the ability to engage in our hobbies and interests changes over time – sometimes due to changes in the way we live and the time available to us because of family or children, sometimes due to socio-economic position, sometimes as a result of health factors, and many more reasons. Over time, and as we move through our lives, our interests evolve, as do the things we crave from our hobbies – at times, it is more important that they provide us with a refuge, a safe place to re-energise and destress, such as enjoying time in nature or with family and friends, dancing or jogging, cooking, or reading a book. At other times, they can afford us the opportunity to develop our self-discipline, set ambitious goals and stretch ourselves to reach them, such as running a marathon. And yet at other times, they offer us the chance to expand our perspectives with new points of view, reaching into the experiences of others to develop empathy, such as delving into art through poetry, movies or theatre.

Today, we were joined by Carol Silberberg (a psychiatrist  living in Sydney), Charlotte (a researcher studying migratory birds in  France), Jodi (a marine scientist from the Gold Coast, Australia), Judit (a research scientist and molecular biologist from Yale Medical School who explores female cancers and how to treat and prevent them), Paula (a hydraulic engineer from the United States, originally from Mexico), Nancy (a Professor of remote sensing of  the environment from Sydney, Australia), Nirvani (an information  technology specialist from Cape Town, South Africa), Rachel (a wetlands scientist from Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Reina (an experimental  particle physicist working in France, originally from Venezuela) and Roshni (a spatial scientist from Sydney, Australia).

Join us next time as we take this further, speaking about failure and vulnerability and how to reclaim them as positive forces for development in our leadership journeys and lives. 

Journey with us as we explore the challenges and opportunities for leadership in our lives that have come up from COVID-19. We, women from all ages and geographies from the four corners of the world, reflect upon connectedness, privilege, inequality, emotions that we may not want to feel, and how we have and are overcoming the challenges that the virus brings to various facets of our lives. We explore authenticity in the workplace, compassion and relationships strengthening all around us, and how little moments can lead to individual and collective impact. The future will be different from what we have known before, but therein lies opportunity.

Today's episode has included Anna C (a biologist and environmental specialist from Italy living in Germany), Anna M (a Masters student in underwater robotics from Sweden), Carol Silberberg (a psychiatrist living in Sydney), Charlotte (a researcher studying migratory birds in France), Kathryn (who manages community-based conservation projects across Asia-Pacific), Judit (a research scientist and molecular biologist from Yale Medical School who explores female cancers and how to treat and prevent them), Paula (a hydraulic engineer from the United States, originally from Mexico), Nancy (a Professor of remote sensing of the environment from Sydney, Australia), Nirvani (an information technology specialist from Cape Town, South Africa), Priya (an engineer working with buildings in Melbourne, Australia), Reina (an experimental particle physicist working in France, originally from Venezuela) and Roshni (a spatial scientist from Sydney, Australia).

Join us next time as we take this further, speaking with women leaders from around the world about the importance of ‘filling our cups’ as leaders so we can pour for others. We will explore how recharging our batteries and using our hobbies to build leadership skills and explore our discomfort zones in safe ways can revolutionise the directions that leaders take, as well as diving into how reflective practice can build us up as leaders and add depth to the ways in which we lead. See you next time!

The journey of leadership is constant, and possible for us all no matter where we are in life, in career stage or in society. We welcome you to this podcast series with an introduction to who we are, as a group of women in STEMM from around the world who are exploring what leadership means and some tools for developing ourselves in this journey. 

During this episode, we provide short introductions about who we each are, what we're passionate about, what we hope to achieve as leaders and what inspires us. We then delve into some tools that we have found useful to help sharpen and direct our messaging and communication as leaders, as well as reflect upon what it feels like to be visibile as a leader and how to manage these vulnerabilities by supporting each other as women leaders across the globe. 

In this episode, we have with us Anna (studying robotics in Stockholm, Sweden, originally from Germany), Carol (a psychiatrist from Melbourne, Australia), Nirvani (an IT specialist from Cape Town, South Africa), Paula (a hydraulic engineer from San Diego, California, originally from Mexico), Priya (an engineer working with buildings in Melbourne, Australia), Rachel (a wetlands scientist from Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Reina (an experimental particle physicist working in France, originally from Venezuela) and Roshni (a spatial scientist from Sydney, Australia).

Join us after this episode for Episode 2, where we explore leadership in the time of coronavirus.