Mentorship In Conversation: Lessons from "Think Alike?" Season Two

The second season of Think Alike?, Neuronline’s mentoring podcast, was full of fruitful conversations between mentors and mentees about creativity and collaboration in the lab, open communication, and knowing when it is time to move on to a new position. Listen to some of the best clips from this season and use the summaries below to figure out which episode to listen to first!

Episode 7: Pedagogy and Partnership

To kick off the second season of Think Alike?, Kira Bailey, PhD, and her former student, Chandler Carr, reflect on the evolution of their academic relationship and the innovative projects they collaborated on, including neuroaesthetics research and co-teaching a class. They also discuss the necessity of hard work to succeed in this field: “I think that hard work means more in academia than intelligence does,” Bailey says. Tune into this episode for a heartfelt conversation about mentorship, creativity, and the shared passion for science that connects them even across diverging research interests.

Episode 8: Diverging Ideas, Shared Goal

Mentor Denise Cai, PhD, and mentees Yosif (Joe) Zaki, PhD, and Zach Pennington, PhD, reflect on the journey of building a neuroscience lab from the ground up. Listen in to learn how to build trust and create an environment where it’s safe to disagree and is grounded in the joy of doing science together. “"One of the things that has just been sort of a through- line for my experience in Denise's lab…[is] following your joy and following your values," Pennington says.

Episode 9: Mentoring Up

"It's never just…one direction. It's always this bidirectional communication stream, and it works because we're so similar," Lichtenstein says. This is the foundation of “mentoring up,” an idea that Hannah Lichtenstein and Mikayla Kendall discuss in this episode. The two discuss their mentoring relationship and the power of asking for help, learning from mistakes, and how to curb burnout.

Episode 10: Train the Best to Leave

In this episode, Stefânia Forner, PhD, and former mentee Elizabeth Andrews reflect on their decade-long journey from mentor and mentee to colleagues and friends. The two discuss how to learn through failures, build a dynamic network of mentors, and know when it is time to move on from a lab. "The goal of this is to keep growing, and if eventually we outgrow the mentor-mentee relationship, that's not a bad thing. That's what's supposed to happen," Forner says.

To listen to the full first season, explore the collection on Neuronline, or find and subscribe to “Think Alike?” on your favorite podcast player. Stay tuned for the next season coming soon!