Your Worthy Career

Melissa Lawrence
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Welcome to Your Worthy Career, a podcast with Melissa Lawrence, a Career & Leadership Coach and former Talent & Development leader inside Pharma that helps women in Pharma and Biotech design their unique career path and build the skills to get a new job, get promotion, and advance their career.

  1. 1d ago

    When No One Has Your Back

    You put together the strategy your VP loves, then your own manager tears it apart, and you're left standing in the middle with no one publicly on your side. Or your name isn't in the meeting where decisions about your own project get made, and you find out after the fact what everyone else already agreed to.  In pharma and biotech, matrix teams and shifting priorities make this common, not personal, and most women read it as proof there's nothing they can do. That belief is the actual problem. This episode breaks down exactly what to do about it, so you stop waiting for the room to change and start leading it. In this episode, you'll learn: Why conflicting feedback from your stakeholders isn't a dead endThe real reasons you get left out of decision-making meetingsHow to get buy-in from a stakeholder who doesn't think like you doWhat radical responsibility looks like when no one seems to have your backThe three-step shift I coach inside The Right Move Protocol every weekGet the Book: Your Worthy Career: A Science-Backed Method to Build a Meaningful Career in Pharma and Biotech here. Work with Me: Learn more and apply to work with me here. Love the podcast?  Share your feedback by leaving us a review. Thank you! Connect on Socials LinkedIn Instagram

  2. Aug 5

    A Healthcare Executive's Real Advice on Getting Promoted

    In this episode, I sit down with Christine Hummel, a healthcare executive with 25 years across the pharmacy benefit manager side, retail and specialty pharmacy, distribution, and pharma manufacturing, including running US Trade and Channel for a major pharma company.  Christine has hired teams, rebuilt teams, and decided who gets advocated for the next role many times over, and in this conversation she breaks down exactly what she looks for, and why so many high performers stay stuck chasing a title instead of doing what actually gets them promoted. In this episode, you'll learn: Why chasing the next title can actually slow you downWhat Christine actually looks for before she puts someone's name up for a promotionThe one question to ask yourself before you consider leaving your company for a titleHow to build a network that gets you noticed without waiting to be chosenWhy AI belongs in your career strategy starting now, not laterConnect with Christine: Connect with Christine on LinkedIn here.Listen to the Root to Rising podcast here.Tune in to my interview on the Root to Rising podcast in the episode, How to Build a Career You Don't Need to Escape From, here.Get the Book: Your Worthy Career: A Science-Backed Method to Build a Meaningful Career in Pharma and Biotech here. Work with Me: Learn more and apply to work with me here. Love the podcast?  Share your feedback by leaving us a review. Thank you! Connect on Socials LinkedIn Instagram

  3. Jul 15

    Creating the Career You Always Wanted with Brena Williams (MVP)

    This week I'm bringing back an episode that I think speaks to what you might be going through right now. Brena is a Principal Scientist and member of my group coaching program, The Right Move Protocol® (formerly Beyond the Ceiling). She is sharing why she joined the group, what it's like on the inside, and the results she experienced that blew her mind. Tune in for this candid conversation about what it's like to work in the industry and the unexpected results she experienced when she invested in herself. Brena’s views on this episode do not reflect the company she works for. These are her personal insights based on her experience and expertise in the Pharma/Biotech space and in her experience as my Coaching client. What you'll learn: Why Brena chose to invest in her career even when she had reasons not toThe power of having a community of like minded women to support you in your career growthHow Brena landed her ideal job, built her confidence, and created more time with her family than she thought was possibleThe advice she wish she had earlier in her career and a message for anyone who thinks that the results she achieved aren't possible for themMentioned in this episode: Connect with Brena Williams on LinkedInEnrollment for The Right Move Protocol® is open until July 16th. Learn more and schedule your consultation to join: www.yourworthycareer.com/protocolGet the Book: Your Worthy Career: A Science-Backed Method to Build a Meaningful Career in Pharma and Biotech here. Work with Me: Learn more and apply to work with me here. Love the podcast?  Share your feedback by leaving us a review. Thank you! Connect on Socials LinkedIn Instagram

  4. Jul 1

    Coming in Second

    You did everything right, made it to the final round, and still got the call: number two. In a competitive Pharma and Biotech search, coming in second rarely means you failed. Often it means you are in the right arena, against strong people, with a process that is finally working. In this episode, you'll learn: What coming in second really means in a Pharma searchThe 5 things to do to rebound after you come in close but do not get itThe one question to ask next time so you do not get surprised againWhy your brain fixates on the offer instead of the progressHow a "loss" can set up the role you actually wantIf you are sitting in the waiting and the second-guessing right now, this one is for you. Get the Book: Your Worthy Career: A Science-Backed Method to Build a Meaningful Career in Pharma and Biotech here. Work with Me: Learn more and apply to work with me here. Love the podcast?  Share your feedback by leaving us a review. Thank you! Connect on Socials LinkedIn Instagram

  5. Jun 17

    I Took My Own Advice: How I Prepped to Interview After 12 Years

    I coach women through interviews all the time. So when I had to sit in one myself, for the first time in over 12 years, I learned something I want you to hear. Even though interviewing is something I teach regularly, doing it myself, under pressure, with the outcome out of my hands, was a different experience. So I recorded a raw voice memo the moment I walked out, before I knew if I got in. In this episode I play you that unedited memo, then break down exactly what I did so you can do it too. In this episode, you'll learn: Why I prepared with bullets instead of a script, and what I put on that list before I had my panel interviewThe kinds of questions I asked that took the interrogation feeling out of the room and got me real answersWhat I watched for across everyone I talked to, and what that one pattern told me about the cultureThe question almost nobody asks at the end of an interview, and why one interviewer lit up when I asked itWhy the confidence I felt walking out had nothing to do with whether I got the spotI received the outcome two months later. I'll tell you how it went, and why the answer matters less than you think. REGISTER: The next Strategy Hour for Women in Pharma and Biotech is July 9th. Secure your spot here. Get the Book: Your Worthy Career: A Science-Backed Method to Build a Meaningful Career in Pharma and Biotech here. Work with Me: Learn more and apply to work with me here. Love the podcast?  Share your feedback by leaving us a review. Thank you! Connect on Socials LinkedIn Instagram

  6. Jun 3

    Sitting on the Fence

    Sitting on the fence feels like the smart move. You weigh the pros and cons, you do the research, you tell yourself now isn't the right time. But indecision is still a decision, and in a pharma career it has a cost. The promotion you're not sure you're ready for. The role you can't decide is right. The difficult stakeholder you don't know how to handle.  Every time you stay on the fence to avoid the discomfort of the unknown, you make less progress and you quietly hand the opportunity to someone who decided faster. This episode is about why we do it, and how to get down. In this episode, you'll learn: What sitting on the fence really meansThe questions that expose the real reason you're not making a decisionHow to calculate the actual cost of indecision before it costs you in your careerWhere certainty about a decision actually comes fromGet the Book: Your Worthy Career: A Science-Backed Method to Build a Meaningful Career in Pharma and Biotech here. Work with Me: Learn more and apply to work with me here. Love the podcast?  Share your feedback by leaving us a review. Thank you! Connect on Socials LinkedIn Instagram

  7. May 20

    Activity vs Strategic Positioning in Pharma Careers

    This episode is for the woman in pharma or biotech who has strong performance reviews, a supportive boss, colleagues who rave about her, and still can't get the move she wants. We're getting into the difference between activity and strategic visibility — why being known is not the same as being positioned, and how to fill the gap. In this episode, you'll learn: Why you can be exceptionally well-positioned with your immediate team and completely invisible to the people who actually control what's next for youThe difference between being valued and being someone the organization has a stake in keepingThe nuance in visibility and positioning that can result in roles being created for you even when there isn't an allocated budgetMonday May 28th - Strategy Hour for Women in Pharma - Limited to 25 women. Register at https://yourworthycareer.com/strategy-hour  Get the Book: Your Worthy Career: A Science-Backed Method to Build a Meaningful Career in Pharma and Biotech here. Work with Me: Learn more and apply to work with me here. Love the podcast?  Share your feedback by leaving us a review. Thank you! Connect on Socials LinkedIn Instagram

  8. May 6

    Be Irreplaceable in a World of AI

    The AI conversation in Pharma and Biotech is generating a lot of anxiety, and a lot of misplaced action. Women are either chasing every new tool or avoiding the whole conversation entirely. This episode cuts through both reactions to get at what the research and the data actually say about what protects a career right now. The skill most likely to determine who gets promoted, who survives a reorg, and who gets called first is not the one most strong technical performers are investing in. That gap is what this episode is about. In this episode, you'll learn: Why the women who will be hardest to cut in Pharma are not the fastest AI learners, and what they are building insteadWhat the actual drivers of biopharma layoffs are in 2025, and why they matter more than the AI narrativeHow AI raising the technical baseline changes what gets you promoted, protected, and noticed in a matrix organizationWhy strong technical performers in Pharma systematically underinvest in the skills that determine advancementThe one relationship move to make this week that compounds in ways credentials never willGet the Book: Your Worthy Career: A Science-Backed Method to Build a Meaningful Career in Pharma and Biotech here. Work with Me: Learn more and apply to work with me here. Love the podcast?  Share your feedback by leaving us a review. Thank you! Connect on Socials LinkedIn Instagram

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About

Welcome to Your Worthy Career, a podcast with Melissa Lawrence, a Career & Leadership Coach and former Talent & Development leader inside Pharma that helps women in Pharma and Biotech design their unique career path and build the skills to get a new job, get promotion, and advance their career.

Information

  • Creator
    Melissa Lawrence
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    233
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Your Worthy Career
  • Show Website
    Your Worthy Career

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