Labcoats and Lullabies, Episode 2, Part 2: Navigating Workplace Expectations and Knowing Your Limits

Labcoats and Lullabies is a special video interview series under the Nourish and Navigate banner dedicated to working moms in science. Hosted by Kriti Chaudhary, associate director of partnerships and strategy for Vedic Lifesciences, the series tells authentic stories of women who balance the rigor of sciences with the realities of motherhood.

Here, Kriti Chaudhary, associate director of partnerships and strategy for Vedic Lifesciences, is joined by Julia Weibe, PhD, Director, Scientific Affairs & Marketing, MartinBauer Nutraceuticals and Anina Krey, Global Director, Nutraceutical Unit, MartinBauer Nutraceuticals.

Part 2 of this episode focuses on how these nutraceutical industry leaders tackle overwhelming situations, build resilience, and grow their careers one manageable step at a time.

Partial transcript:

Kriti Chaudhary: So, what was this one moment where everything collided? Like this one moment where you felt that there's work and there's kids, and then there's a lot of stress. What was maybe one chaotic moment of your life if you can take us through, and how did you manage that, more importantly, maybe something for our viewers? How, how do you manage stressful times? For all, for all the new moms out there and all the young moms, maybe some helpful tips on how to manage stress.

Julie Weibe: So for me, it was when Covid started, I had 6 months left of my MBA, so I had to hand it; otherwise, it would have become more expensive. I would have had to pay extra fees. Meanwhile, our business kept running because it was considered a health business, so I worked full time. My husband did as well. He was in the rum industry, so they did alcohol for sanitizer then. So we both work. The kids were at home for 3 months. I was working on my MBA every night from 10 PM to 1 AM.

Chaudhary: So did you have exams?

Weibe: Yes, I had exams online, and the kids were at home. Their school sent a lot of homework for the kids and you had to print that, prepare it, and give it to the kids, and then scan it and send it back. Not everyone had a computer, so it was not set up properly. This was when I thought, I will go mad. I remember thinking how I didn’t know how I was going to do it. And then I decided to call the teacher and say, “I'm sorry, I'm not a teacher. I can't handle that. I will do with them what I can, but I cannot follow the rules here. I just can't do it.” And then I called the university and I said, “listen, there is a problem with Covid, and I'm not the only person having this problem. Can you please find a solution?” And there more people like me needing an extension. They granted me a Covid extension, along with everyone else, and that was really cool.

Chaudhary: Well, that's what they say. Sometimes you just have to ask for it. Sometimes you just have to voice your opinion. That's what we even tell everyone in WIN. That I mean, if you don't ask for it, we don't know that you need it.

Weibe: Exactly. You need to call people and they will understand. Everyone who does this MBA online does this because they have a job and maybe kids and cannot go there and be on campus. So there will be more people with the problem. Then, I got good advice from a friend and he asked, “how do you eat an elephant?” Slice, slice by slice. This stuck with me from that time, and I thought, “okay, now I take it slice by slice. I do what I can.”