About this episode
Every path is winding, and most of the time it goes up and down.In this episode of the Pathways in Life Science podcast, we sit down with Sarah, Sales Manager at Atelerix, to talk about the reality of finding your place in the life sciences. Sarah opens up about her "chaotic" background—starting with a biotechnology degree and a year-long stint testing dishwashing pods that made her never want to step foot in a lab again.We explore her transition into teaching and recruitment, where she spent over a decade learning the "professional nosiness" required to build deep relationships. Now, she’s leading the charge for a game-changing technology that preserves cells and tissues at room temperature, eliminating the need for complex cold-chain logistics.00:00:00 - Introduction: The winding paths of life science careers00:01:03 - The Biotech Degree: Hopes for medicine vs. reality00:01:41 - The Dishwasher Phase: Formulation science at Proctor & Gamble00:03:58 - The "Why" Gap: Why the lab environment wasn't a fit00:04:42 - Graduating in a Crisis: Working as a support worker in 200900:04:55 - Teaching Science: Re-engaging teens with vocational science00:06:51 - Soft Skills: Learning the "Business Email" and Outlook00:08:12 - ADHD and Career Fit: Why repetitive work is a dealbreaker00:09:18 - Breaking into Recruitment: From job seeker to headhunter00:10:30 - The "Sales" Stigma: Transitioning from retail targets to consultative partnerships00:11:43 - The 15-Pound Holiday: Selling bed linen and electricity00:13:15 - Discovering Adalierix: Why the "Hedgehog" technology blew her mind00:16:20 - Room Temperature Logistics: Solving the cell-shipping nightmare00:17:29 - Scaling Global Business: Replacing hand-delivered cell models00:19:18 - Sales Strategy: Persistence and the "Volume Game" in disruptive tech00:22:50 - Advice for Graduates: Exploring roles beyond the bench00:24:31 - The Weirdest Encounter: Recruiting for a "fragrance house" (The armpit sniffer)00:26:43 - Condom Quality Assurance: The reality of customer returns#LifeSciences #CareerJourney #Biotech #SalesStrategy #Recruitment #CellPreservation #CareerAdvice #STEMCareers #NorthStarScientific #WomenInScience We'd be honoured if you checked us out:Pat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-tea/North Star Scientific on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIpR59D5c6N8iuYVBEVIShQNorth Star Scientific on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/north-star-scientific/Let's Navigate Science Careers Together!
