In this episode, Dr. Mariana Quiroga Londoño sits down with her longtime friend and fellow bioinformatician, Dr. Camila Lyons, a PhD from Cambridge University and now a postdoc at EMBL. But this conversation goes far beyond the CV. Mariana and Camila open up about what it's like to be women navigating male-dominated rooms, the loneliness of a PhD, being ghosted after job interviews, and the courage it takes to keep going anyway. They talk about therapy, not as a last resort, but as one of the most powerful tools for self-discovery. They get honest about low self-esteem, people-pleasing, generational patterns, and what it means to finally start recognizing your own worth. They also break down the practical stuff: how to get into competitive research institutions, why passion matters more than prestige, how to use AI in bioinformatics without losing your critical thinking, and the three non-negotiables you should define before entering the job market. In this episode, you'll hear about: - Breaking into bioinformatics from different academic backgrounds - Gender imbalance in STEM labs and leadership - AI tools in science. Are they helpful assistants or just a dangerous shortcut? - Stepping out of your comfort zone without traveling abroad - Resilience, rejection, and dealing with ghosting in academia - Therapy as a tool for self-growth, not just crisis management - Defining your professional non-negotiables before saying yes to a job - How to see yourself beyond your job title This episode is brought to you by Jenni AI: the AI-powered writing assistant built for researchers and students, helping you read smarter, write notes, cite and paraphrase faster at @whoisjenniai. #Sponsored http://jenni.ai/utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=inf&utm_campaign=ambitiously_hers Use Code: HEY20 About us: Ambitiously Her is the go-to podcast for the woman in STEM and beyond becoming everything she imagined. Hosted by Dr. Mariana Quiroga Londoño, Bioinformatics Postdoc Scientist in Oncology, Cambridge University Alumni and the face behind @marianaql.science on Instagram (50,000 followers, 75% women in STEM).Mariana shares what she's learning in her journey, plus candid conversations with women who've walked the path ahead. Expect mindset shifts, career strategy, and practical takeaways to grow ambitiously and unapologetically, wherever you start, no matter where you come from. --- CONNECT WITH US: 📧 Business Inquiries: ambitiouslyherpodcast@gmail.com 📱 Instagram, TikTok & YouTube: @ambitiouslyher.podcast 🎵 Official Theme Song: *"Ambitiously Her Podcast Theme"* across all streaming platforms CREDITS: Host, Founder, Podcast & Social Media Creative Director, and Theme Song Writer: Dr. Mariana Quiroga Londoño (@marianaql.science) Podcast Editing and Social Media Content Creation: Bhumika Manjappa (@coffee_and_cognition) and Dr. Mariana Quiroga Londoño
