The Third Door is a weekly newsletter about sustainable business strategy for solopreneurs and creative souls who want more out of life than the status quo, hosted by business coach and strategist Jenni Gritters. If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while (formerly called Mindset Mastery) and you receive value from it, I’d encourage you to sign up for a paid membership.
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Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Lynnea Olivarez. Lynnea and I first crossed paths years ago when I was running a medical technology publication in Boston. Her career has taken some winding turns but recently she made a big decision: She left her full-time role and founded a new global biopharma communicator community called Ticket to Biotech (T2B).
Lynnea spent 15 years driving impactful communications across the drug development lifecycle. She has guided corporate affairs strategy for dozens of organizations spanning industry, agency and government, and was recognized as a Top Woman in PR by PR News in 2020. In short: She’s a badass, and today I asked her to come talk to us about her “third way,” which is taking a risk even when there’s no guarantee it will work out.
Lynnea, how would you describe your work?
Modern medical breakthroughs can sound like science fiction: Genetic medicine, treating the root of disease, editing DNA. I believe the potential of these mind-blowing technologies won't be fully realized without effectively communicating them, winning minds and hearts of people living with disease, doctors, families and caregivers.
Being a biopharma communicator is one of those under-the-radar, super cool, yet super challenging career paths. The science is complex. The environment is highly regulated. The colleagues we work with can be overwhelmingly smart.
I’ve helped to grow the only official global community of practitioners in biopharma, so now my job is to bring these people together — from all over the world — so we can network, learn from each other and grow.
Okay, so what is your "third way" of working?
I've embraced the preconceptions about me. Some see a young-looking woman who has no letters (e.g. MS or PhD) after her name and a penchant for using exclamation marks. That's all true. But it's also true that I'm a genuinely enthusiastic person. My experience is as wide as it is deep. Being detailed doesn't mean I'm unable to strategize.
I stopped doing what's comfortable by taking another job in corporate and continuing to build on my savings for an early retirement, as originally planned. Instead, I decided (with my family) that my side project of creating a knowledge base and bringing people together in my industry was important enough to bootstrap and focus on this project full time, regardless of it being a new concept without much hard and fast data.
Basically, I had a gut feeling that I could no longer ignore. I take a chance on myself every single day.
It can be so tricky to take a chance like that. How did you make the decision to go all in on this next step in your career?
In my specific profession, many of us are motivated to tell the stories about the scientific and medical advances that can change lives. That aspiration, combined with the ingrained always-do-your-best mentality of my Southern upbringing, propelled me through six jobs in 15 years, climbing a rung of the proverbial corporate ladder each time. I wanted to make a difference everywhere I worked.
But I came to realize that my talent, expertise, and potential could be combined for the greatest impact outside of corporate. The truth is that I decided to believe in myself more than any other employer was willing to do.
What keeps you going when you feel challenged and the path forward is unclear?
I turn to my community. I listen, I reflect, and I remind myself that one of my greatest strengths is my creativity.
I joke that I've become very woo-woo since moving to California from the East Coast three years ago. I've been surprised that, almost every single time when I've had a down day on this part of my journey, something magical happens. Someone in my orbit will somehow randomly pop up to tell me that what I'm doing matters. Last time, it was an online acquaintance who I'd met the day before. They literally sent me this message: "Several people noticed we were connected and commented about how awesome you are (paraphrasing). So however your day is starting, know that you are seen as positive force in the world;)" This person didn't know it, but I really needed to hear it on that particular day.
Although I steadfastly believe from a business perspective that I have a clear value proposition and am filling a need, these signs (or whatever you want to call them) have been hugely motivating and reinforce that what I'm doing matters, even when I personally lose sight of that.
What have you learned about building a business in a unique way?
To be clear, I'm still learning. The uncertainty of not knowing what exactly will happen is stressful in a completely new way for me.
You know what else is new? The gratification when students tell me they'd never heard about our profession before they saw my posts. The pride when truly accomplished giants in our profession tell me that I inspire them. The empowerment of not asking for approval and executing on my important ideas, and doing that on my own schedule. The relief of that pesky neck cramp dissipating after living with it for my whole adult life. The newfound monotony in my routine of applying sunblock every day because spending time outside in nature is a certainty and not a what-if. The accountability of owning all of the outcomes, both good and bad.
I've somewhat unwittingly pushed myself outside all my comfort zones. While it's not for everyone, at this juncture in my life, embracing that and contending with the corresponding challenges and tradeoffs have culminated in unparalleled growth opportunities and the discovery of self I didn't know that I (or my new community) needed.
Curious about my background? I’m a writer and business coach living in Central Oregon. My goal is to teach everyone who will listen that it’s possible to build a simple, stable, successful business that support your human needs first. Join my group coaching program, SUSTAIN, for more conversations like this (and a community of people who are all about the path less taken), and follow me on Twitter & Instagram.
Psst: I’m speaking at a free virtual event about how to make more money while parenting on the 23rd. You can catch a lot of the recordings right now, before the live stuff kicks off. More info here!