cc: Life Science Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Shifting our approach to feedback

In my recent conversation with mindset coach, Margaret Jennings (MJ), our conversation started with the emotional rollercoaster created by feedback—especially when you're early in your career. Feedback, both positive and negative, is useful but can also result in a wild ride. MJ once described herself as a “floundering high achiever” in her 20s. She is a more grounded and self-aware leader today. Her insights are both relatable and instructive.

Like many of us I’m sure, she once heavily relied on external validation. She was on top of her game when feedback was positive, but when it turned critical, it felt like failure. This is something that likely resonates with a lot of high achievers. Her sense of self-worth was tied to what others thought about her accomplishments, whether in school or sports. In many ways, this made her successful in the short term, but it came at the cost of long-term fulfillment.

She explained that it’s natural to want to please those around us—whether it’s parents, teachers, or coaches. After all, as babies, this is how we secure food, love, and safety. But the problem comes when we carry this strategy too far into adulthood, to the point where our identity is solely built around what others think of us. This approach eventually leads to burnout and can limit our potential for growth and happiness.

Consider the mental gymnastics we all do when we receive feedback. It reminded me of the challenge of a good golf swing: You can’t perform well if you are overanalyzing every aspect of it all the time. Margaret agreed and said her turning point came when she started working with a mental performance coach. This coach helped her realize that her value didn’t have to come from others' opinions; instead, she could generate her own sense of worth internally. That shift in thinking transformed the way she performed, both in work and in life.

Building a relationship with yourself

MJ brought up the concept of building a relationship with oneself: We’re constantly in a dialogue with ourselves, and it’s crucial to make that relationship a positive one. Through practices like journaling, meditation, and self-reflection, we can learn to identify and understand our own needs and desires, leading to a more balanced and sustainable approach to both work and life. Looking back at my own life, there was a time when I had a few ideas about a career path but was relying a lot on others’ expectations and evaluations of my abilities to show me the way. It took a long time to move past that.

I asked Margaret about how she specifically changed the way she talked to herself, and her response was insightful. She noted that awareness is key—you need to recognize the quality of your self-talk. Is it positive and affirming, or is it critical and self-defeating? She likened this to any relationship, explaining that you need to invest time and energy into yourself just as you would with a friend or partner. You’d have a difficult time building a positive relationship with anyone else if you were constantly critical of them.

It strikes me that adopting a growth mindset is your ticket off of the emotional rollercoaster. You no longer see constructive feedback as a personal attack but as an opportunity for growth. This mindset shift is vital, especially for high achievers who can often fall into the trap of seeing any criticism as a sign of failure.

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Embracing uncertainty

MJ talked about the importance embracing uncertainty, something that has been on my mind lately, and her thoughts on it really hit home. Our constant search for certainty is often counterproductive because so much of life is inherently unpredictable. Instead, we should focus on what we can control and accept that not everything will go perfectly. It’s about shifting from an all-or-nothing mentality—where you're either a success or a failure—to a more nuanced view where growth and learning happen over time. (If you’ve been a listener for a while you know how much I love long-term thinking!)

I think we waste a lot of time and energy trying to control things that are not in our power to control or trying to predict things that we do not have the capacity to predict.

So, our focus is such a limited resource, that if we have the choice to allow it to be consumed by things we can't control, which is going to fuel anxiety and overwhelm, or we can choose to look at this situation and say, okay, realistically, what can I control here in terms of having impact and creating clarity? Then we're able to make more progress forward.

We also touched on expectations and career transitions. This is where the growth mindset can make a huge difference for you. First of all, growth is about trying new things, stepping into new roles. It occurs to me that being ready for a new position and being good or great at it are two points on the curve. Our expectations for our performance at the beginning need to be realistic and not necessarily at the level of someone who did that job for 3-5 years.

Being ready means you have the tools and are able to grow (there’s that word again) into the role. Of course you will get better at it over time. For example, MJ is a hockey player. She described the excitement of lacing up her skates and getting on the ice for the first time. She pointed out that if she didn’t expect to fall on her face before learning how to do crossovers and stop and start, it would have been difficult to achieve any success.

You may have noticed I’ve been thinking and talking about culture within organizations a lot lately. It occurs to me that we each create a culture within ourselves that affects our ability to perform in any role we take on (leader, parent, contributor etc). MJ’s advice goes a long way toward helping us ensure that is a supportive and growth oriented one that will lead to our success.

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cclifescience.substack.com

With the life science tools industry facing a 7% drop in revenues, innovation and fresh approaches are needed to hold on to your slice of the pie. I spoke with Marina Hop, Managing Director, and Gary Brooks, Creative Director at Viveo Consulting, to explore creativity in life science marketing. Our discussion focused on how creativity can be a powerful tool to not only optimize business operations but also generate new ideas to address these challenges.

In a downturn, companies often retreat into operational efficiency, cutting costs and tightening the reins. However, real growth and differentiation come from creativity—an approach that not only applies to marketing but spans across the entire business strategy, product development, and even internal team dynamics.

Creativity as a Key to Performance

Marina pointed out that while companies are focused on optimizing their operations, there's a limit to how much optimization can drive growth. “The optimization side addresses the bottom line,” she said, “but creativity really addresses the top line.”

I've seen the same pattern—companies cutting budgets and focusing on short-term savings. I once asked my VP of marketing why, instead of cutting back, we didn’t go full throttle to take market share when our competitors were pulling back. My guests agreed on the need to push forward with disciplined creativity, even when times are tough. As Marina pointed out, Bruker—a company that has excelled in this downturn—successfully combines operational excellence with what they call "disciplined entrepreneurialism."

Balancing Operations and Innovation

Gary elaborated on how companies often live in two worlds: the operational world of structure, metrics, and routines, and the innovation world, driven by curiosity and experimentation. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance between these two worlds, especially during challenging times. “When companies struggle, they revert back to the operational side because it’s manageable,” he said, but added that without creativity and innovation, growth stalls.

He pointed out, creativity is not just about artistic expression—it's about connecting insights to create something valuable, whether it’s a new marketing channel, product innovation, or strategy.

Creative Thinking in Marketing and Beyond

Around here of course, we’re focused on marketing creativity, and we discussed how companies could be creative not just in their messaging, but in the types of marketing they do. I suggested that creativity in marketing isn’t just about making clever ads, but about exploring new ways to engage with customers—new channels, content types, or interactions. Marina agreed, saying that creativity should permeate any generative business activity, from formulating a strategy to developing a new product.

One key takeaway from this part of the conversation was that creativity shouldn’t be confined to one department. As Gary put it, “It’s not just marketing, it’s communication.” Every interaction a company has, whether with investors, customers, or even internally, is a chance to think creatively about how you present your brand.

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The Power of Observation

Marina introduced a concept that I found particularly interesting—phenomenology, the practice of observing and describing human experiences without immediately analyzing them. This practice helps stimulate creativity by encouraging people to step back, observe, and understand what’s really happening before jumping to conclusions. Viveo might send teams to observe a simple activity, like how people interact in the cafeteria, and then come back and write a narrative about it.

Gary emphasized the importance of observation in creative thinking, noting that many people don't take the time to observe what’s happening around them. “People don’t really observe people doing stuff,” he said. By focusing on observation, companies can gather insights that lead to more informed, creative solutions.

One powerful example Marina shared was when Viveo worked with a client that had developed an automated sample prep system for next-generation sequencing (NGS). The company had expected this product to be a hit because it saved time and effort. But by observing how scientists actually worked in the lab, they realized the product wasn’t solving the problem scientists cared most about—reproducibility. Scientists didn’t mind spending extra time on manual prep because they wanted to ensure the highest quality samples for the expensive sequencing process. By shifting the marketing message to focus on quality and reproducibility rather than time savings, the company could better align with its customers' needs.

Creativity as a Learnable Skill

One of the most encouraging insights from Marina and Gary was that creativity can be learned. It’s not reserved for "artistic" types—it’s about curiosity and observation. As Gary put it, creativity doesn’t come from waiting for the “creative gods” to bless you with an idea. It’s a process of grinding through ideas, experimenting, and finding connections.

This process-driven approach to creativity is similar to how scientists work, which should make it especially relevant for life science companies where many marketers used to be scientists. Whether it’s through exercises like observing people in the canteen or training teams to be more curious and observant in the lab, companies can cultivate creativity throughout their organization.

Building a Culture of Creativity

Why not encourage creativity at every level of the organization. This includes fostering a culture of curiosity, where employees feel empowered to take risks and explore new ideas. “Safe adventures,” as Gary called them, allow teams to innovate within a structured environment where failure is a learning opportunity rather than a setback. My best boss was very good at this. I could call him with an idea and he’d say, “Let’s do it.” If it didn’t work as planned we just figured out why and tried something else.

Establishing a culture of creativity will allow you to deliver results regardless of market conditions.

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cclifescience.substack.com

In my recent conversation with Larry Koplow, we talked about brand strategy in the life sciences, why, when and how.

Defining Brand Strategy

We kicked off the discussion with Larry describing the danger of not having a strategy. In a world overloaded with information, a brand has to cut through the noise and make its value clear. Even if a company has groundbreaking technology, it’s easy to be overlooked if the brand strategy isn’t aligned with the audience's needs. People—whether researchers, investors, healthcare professionals, or patients—are primarily concerned with their own interests.

A brand is the sum of all associations that audiences have about a company. This definition, which he credited to Uli Applebaum, highlights that every touchpoint, from sales calls to investor decks, contributes to building these associations. As a result, a deliberate and intentional strategy is crucial for creating consistent and meaningful connections with the audience.

Simplifying the Brand Message

Larry argued that while nuances might change, the core brand message should remain consistent. He likened it to owning a space in the audience's mind—when they think of your company, they should think of one defining characteristic. This consistency makes it easier for the audience to remember and relate to the brand.

Here is a real-world example. Thermo Fisher faced the challenge of convincing diverse audiences to switch from traditional methods to mass spectrometry in toxicology. By identifying two primary audience groups—those looking to grow their business and those pushing the boundaries of research—they could tailor their brand message to resonate broadly. This approach allowed them to lead with a brand-focused message about pushing toxicology forward, which connected with all their target audiences. It took doing some homework to get there. This involves understanding the audience's motivations, barriers, and pain points.

Larry shared another example from a different company in the medication management space in hospitals. The initial tech-focused message wasn't resonating. Hospitals were resistant to new technology because new tech often means a lot of work. By shifting the narrative to focus on patient and hospital safety, they aligned their message with what was truly important to their audience. This not only made the brand message more relevant but also helped position the technology with respect to existing budgets for safety initiatives.

Personality Archetypes for Commoditized Products

Brand personality archetypes can differentiate a company in a commoditized market by mirroring what's important to them or by representing something they aspire to be. For instance, McDonald's uses the "Innocent" archetype, creating a sense of happiness and nostalgia. In contrast, Burger King has struggled with consistency, resulting in a less impactful brand presence. As I look at it, BK is focused on the burger, McDonald’s is focused on the experience.

Crafting a Long-Term Brand Vision for Investors

If we think about smaller biotech firms, even prior to commercialization, crafting a long-term brand vision is crucial, especially when communicating with investors. Larry noted that investors are people too, influenced by compelling narratives. Investors looking for long-term returns want to see a cohesive brand strategy that promises sustainable growth and market relevance. A strong brand story in the investor deck can be as important as the technical details. The other lesson here is knowing what kind of investor you have or are looking for.

Brand Architecture - Balancing Messages Across Different Levels

We wrapped up the conversation by discussing how to balance messages across different levels—company brand, technology, and specific applications. Larry differentiated between brand architecture and communication structure. Brand architecture involves categorizing and integrating different brands, especially post-acquisitions, whereas communication structure focuses on maintaining a consistent brand story across various touchpoints.

He highlighted the importance of having a comprehensive brand position that can be communicated at all levels, from the high-level mission and vision to the detailed technical aspects. This consistency not only strengthens the brand but also adds credibility and value over the long term.

Final Thoughts

Larry’s insights were a masterclass in brand strategy, particularly for the life sciences sector. His emphasis on consistency, relevance, and the importance of doing the homework provides a clear roadmap for any company looking to strengthen its brand. For me, the takeaway was clear: a well-defined and consistently communicated brand strategy is essential for cutting through the noise and making a lasting impact. And for those in the biotech space, understanding and addressing the needs of all your audiences, including investors, is key to building a strong, sustainable brand.

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cclifescience.substack.com

Lily Elsner talks about her job as Head of Strategy at Arcturus, a startup working on small molecule drug development.

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If you haven’t already, I imagine many of you are currently or will soon be dealing with aging parents and their desire to stay in their home for as long as possible. And why wouldn’t they? That’s what we would want for ourselves. So how to balance that with knowing when assistance might be necessary? A daily phone call to check in might be annoying for the parent and take the joy out of a genuine conversation for anyone.

Alfred Poor is the editor and publisher of HealthTech Insider. We had a conversation about what the future might look like for fulfilling those wishes and feeling confident about being able to help when necessary.

An Alexa device can already be handy for reminding people to take their medication or exercise. Alfred is interested in technology that might be able to make assessments based on changes in someone’s voice or the sound of a cough to, if not diagnose, raise an alert. Imagine if the device could detect anxiety or depression. What if that could send a prompt to have you check in with your parent?

Loneliness can be a big challenge for anyone, but especially the elderly. The pandemic has affected half to two thirds of adults in terms of mental health. There aren’t enough therapists or health care workers to deal with those numbers. But an app that can suggest breathing exercises, help with a guided meditation or a prompt to get out and go for a walk may reduce the burden for the individual, saving in-person visits for more urgent cases.

As with any technology, I worry about the downside. Does relying on digital assistants to help our parents make it easier to forget to call and just say hello? Is that a trend we want to enable, or end up as a “beneficiary” of?

What about assistance in the case of a fall? We talked about the wearable pendant with a red button on it. It turns out that no one wants to wear that. And only in 7% of cases where it could be used does the wearer actually press the button. The biggest reason to not push the button? “I don’t want my kids to move me out of my home.”

What if Alexa could identify a fall and ask if you need help? Alfred described to me how he manages to keep track of his 100-year old mother who lives alone 6 miles from the nearest neighbor. He installed a Smart Water Assistant called Phyn designed to notify you in the case of a water leak. Because it knows which faucet or toilets water is going to, he can “see” that his mom is up in the morning, making dinner, getting ready for bed. etc. Without being invasive, they are both comfortable with the level of monitoring it gives them.

When I asked about privacy, Alfred suggested that having all of our health data in one place would be beneficial in terms of individual treatment but also in terms of the opportunity to look at the data and learn from it on a population level. You can listen to the podcast for a detailed example using AI to identify distinct groups of diabetics for whom the outcomes with respect to exercise were significantly different. He makes the point that your credit information can be equally damaging as your health data. But we allow access to it (with qualification) through credit bureaus. It’s an example where the individual owns their data, but it is held somewhere else.

What are your thoughts on remote monitoring for keeping track of loved ones’ health? Let me know in the comments.

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Raman Sehgal shared his journey to becoming an agency owner, the value of a niche and what good clients look like.

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Tom Fox thinks podcasts are a great way to teach people about compliance. And he's right.

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Bonni Scepkowski wants you to build relationships, not look at spreadsheets. Here's how to keep your attendees engaged.

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Jennifer Andrews explains the importance of personal branding for scientists and offers a strategy for developing your personal brand.

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Sandy Donaldson described Impiricus's platform where physicians can request support for patients such as samples or prior authorization via SMS messaging. This removes the friction of digging through a website to find the resources needed.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cclifescience.substack.com