TLP #14 : How to get good at failing - Jen Heemstra

The Lonely Pipette : helping scientists do better science

In this episode, we step beyond the life sciences to talk with Jen Heemstra, a professor of chemistry who brings much energy to thinking about mentoring and improving academic culture

• Jen tells us how early failures drove her to strive for success in science
• She shares how she overcame early doubts about an academic career
• She talks about how different students need different mentoring styles and how important it is to adjust each time
• She admits that she is so excited about all her roles that she struggles with focusing and setting priorities
• Great teams are made up of people with different perspectives and different ways of seeing the world - and they are a group of equals
• Jen has a lot of thoughts about how to embrace failing and taking comfort from failures
• She thinks it’s important to recognize cognitive distortions to overcome imposter syndrome narratives
• Jen shares personal thoughts about her approach to self care practices and to improving academic culture for others
• Don’t make your decisions based on other people’s expectations

She mentioned these institutions, people and resources

• Washington University in St Louis : https://chemistry.wustl.edu/people/jennifer-heemstra
• Emory University : https://www.emory.edu/
• Jen’s Blog - Things that change the way I think : http://thingsthatchangethewayithink.blogspot.com/
• Lynn Hill : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Hill

To find out more about Jen visit her website or follow her on Twitter
https://chemistry.wustl.edu/people/jennifer-heemstra
https://www.heemstralab.com/
https://twitter.com/HeemstraLab
https://twitter.com/jenheemstra
To find out more about Renaud :

• Twitter : https://twitter.com/LePourpre
• LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/renaudpourpre/

To find out more about Jonathan :

• Twitter : https://twitter.com/Epigenetique
• LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweitzman/%20

To learn more about the soundtrack :
Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler
https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
https://twitter.com/amariamusique
To find out more about Renaud and Jonathan :

• Twitter : https://twitter.com/LePourpre
• LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/renaudpourpre/
• Twitter : https://twitter.com/Epigenetique
• LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweitzman/%20

More about the soundtrack :
Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/