Your Worthy Career

Let’s talk about why typical career advice, even advice that might have worked for you before, isn’t working now. Things like looking at the org chart, scrolling job postings, waiting for your boss to make it happen, and padding your resume with certifications.  These moves can keep you on a hamster wheel, doubting yourself, and blending in as a reliable doer instead of the leader you see yourself...

Let’s talk about what it can be like to be a woman working in government, pharma, and biotech. Things like the idea was only recognized when a man repeated it. The comment in a team meeting that made you freeze. The 1-1 where you were told to smile more. These micro-moments can leave you doubting yourself, stressed about how to handle it, and derail your career. In this episode, I’m sharing some o...

Most of the women I coach in pharma and biotech are worried AI will eventually take their jobs.  AI is risking your opportunities, but not in the way you think. When you use AI for cover letters and resumes, the data show it lessens your chances of getting an interview or an offer. New labor economics research shows what that is costing you, and the opportunity. When you use your own words, this c...

Should You Stay or Should You Go? In this episode, I walk through the signs that something has to change, and then the actual decision logic I use with clients who are weighing an internal move against a full exit. In this episode, you'll learn: The 7 signs it is time for a change Why feeling valued and being valued are not the same thing The two questions I ask before anyone decides to leave...

My client, Jennifer, spent four plus years as a clinical trial manager. Her leadership praised her, handed her work well above her level, and yet, her promotion didn't come. She had become too useful exactly where she was. Jen came into The Right Move Protocol with a one year goal. In just one month she had a promotion she was not expecting. A short time later she identified her ideal role wi...

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, n...

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 conversatio...

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 conversat...

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 search The 5 things to do to reboun...

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 th...

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 sta...

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 except...

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,...

You have impressive credentials, a track record that speaks for itself, and a career that looks exactly right from the outside. And yet something is off. The work has become transactional. Your role has accumulated tasks that don't connect to a strategy.  You can see a vision for what you want, but you cannot articulate it — partly because it does not exist yet in any form you have seen befor...

This episode picks up where the last one left off — and gets super specific. If your performance and results are strong but your advancement isn't reflecting it, the issue isn't how hard you're working. It's where that work is being directed. I'm walking you through four moves you can make right now to see growth in your career. What you'll learn: Ask the one question...

This episode is for the woman who is questioning what’s next after the performance and compensation conversation. The number landed. The feedback was good. And somehow that made it worse, because when you do the math, you realize the outcome does not reflect what you actually bring. It reflects what was budgeted, what the band allows, what a group of people settled on in a 90-minute meeting you we...

This is for the woman who’s aiming for a promotion (or a bigger external role) and keeps thinking, If I could just get that title, everything would feel different. Today we are going beyond the title to talk about the messy middle, what drives advancement and the critical part needed to reach your advancement goal. When you don’t understand your deeper “why,” you can end up pushing for something t...

My book, Your Worthy Career: A Science-Backed Method to Build a Meaningful Career in Pharma and Biotech is officially out today, and in this special bonus episode, my marketing assistant turns the tables and interviews me about why I wrote this book, how the method came to be, and what I want the reader to feel by the end of it. This isn’t a traditional teaching episode. It’s more a behind-the-sce...

This job market needs a different approach - tune in to hear why.  If you’ve been applying to roles, asking for promotions, taking on stretch work, and getting ghosted or hearing “not yet” or “there’s no budget,” this conversation is for you. When budgets tighten and leaders become selective, performance alone isn’t enough. In these environments, they don’t promote or hire “good enough.” They move...

I'm back! In this episode, I’m welcoming you back to the podcast and opening Season 3 with a new chapter—one shaped by a year of reflection, writing, and deep work with women navigating their careers in Pharma and Biotech. After a year-long hiatus, I’m sharing why I stepped away, what changed while I was gone, and what you can expect moving forward. I also introduce my upcoming book, Your Wor...

Welcome to the final episode of Your Worthy Career ! I’m Melissa Lawrence, your go-to career and leadership coach in Pharma and Biotech, and I can’t thank you enough for joining me on this four-year podcast journey. Although this is the last episode—for now!—it’s not goodbye. Think of it more like, “Here’s where we can still meet up and connect for a virtual happy hour!” Here’s Where You Can Find...

In this episode, I’m sharing the five pivotal lessons that transformed my career in Pharma and Biotech, giving you the kind of insider perspective that I wish I’d had from the start. After 15 years of career highs and painful stumbles, I’m pulling back the curtain so you can skip the setbacks and fast-track your own growth. What you'll learn: Break free from habits that may be silently holdin...

Ever wondered what career and leadership coaching actually does for you? In this episode, I’m diving into the real ROI you get when you invest in yourself through coaching. If you’re on a mission to elevate your career, grow as a leader, or just navigate the intense pace of Pharma and Biotech without losing yourself and wellbeing in the process—this episode is for you. I’m sharing research-backed...

In this week’s episode, we’re getting into one of the biggest questions I hear from women in Pharma and Biotech: How do I identify my next best role? If you’re feeling stuck, questioning if you’re making a big enough difference, or looking for the next step that feels like a genuine fit, this episode is made for you. I’m sharing my journey of pivoting out of a “dream job” that wasn’t fulfilling, a...

In this episode, I break down the 8 telltale signs that it’s time for you to make a career change. If you’ve been feeling stuck, unfulfilled, or just wondering if you should take the leap and find a new job, this is the episode you need. I dive into how to recognize the signs that your current role is no longer a good fit and how to take the next steps toward a more fulfilling and impactful career...