157. Career Transitions with Assistant Professor and Sport Scientist Catherine Saenz

157. Career Transitions with Assistant Professor and Sport Scientist Catherine Saenz

 

 

Introducing Catherine Saenz

Today I’m talking to Assistant Professor Catherine Saenz about career transitions.

Her Career Journey

Catherine found Kinesiology and Exercise Science in undergrad at the University of Maryland after initially thinking she might go into marine biology or pre-med. She fell in love with the study of the human body and the intersection with sports med and pursued a Masters in Kinesiology and Exercise Science and PhD in Exercise and Nutrition. Interestingly, she started her graduate school at the University of Connecticut (where she got her Masters), but while on track to get her PhD, her advisor moved to Ohio State. Catherine ended up extending the time to get her PhD when she decided to make the transition to Ohio State with her advisor and loved how it worked out to take that risk. After starting her career as an assistant professor in exercise science at Jacksonville University, she was again called back to Ohio State and even though she was a year away from going up for tenure, she made the transition once again. Today she’s an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on understanding how exercise and nutrition impacts molecular mechanisms involved with energy metabolism and translating this info into personalized prescriptions in order to be able to support metabolic health, performance, and recovery.

Career Transitions

Catherine is an expert at making career transitions. By keeping an open mind and considering her personal growth and goals, she’s experienced a few very interesting transitions in her career that have turned out to be great opportunities. After finally getting her PhD at Ohio State, after moving over from UConn with her advisor and his lab, Catherine thought she’d pursue a clinical career. She completed an internship in Dietetics at Iowa State University and a postdoctoral fellowship with the Cleveland Guardians. Even while loving her work with the Guardians, she continued to find herself pulled in by the questions and wanting to answer all the whys. To her surprise she was pulled back into academia when she took her first position with Jacksonville University. Again, her work at JU was going well when another opportunity came up back at Ohio State and she decided to make the jump. Catherine shares how she navigated these career transitions and used them as opportunities for personal growth.

Inside this episode:

  • Always wanted the freedom to bring in a lot of different things and do something with that. (education journey, interested in many things)
  • Catherine shares her love of science from an early age and how she took her love of asking questions and asking why to build a flourishing research career.
  • When her PhD advisor moved to a different university when Catherine only had one year left in her PhD, she decided to postpone her graduation and move with him and his lab to Ohio State. Catherine shares how she made that decision and how it played out for her career.
  • How to figure out the balance from continuing to learn to believing in your knowledge and ability and moving forward from the student mindset.
  • Using new opportunities to expand your network.
  • Catherine describes what she needs to set up in a new job or new situation and how to optimize settling in after a career transition.
  • Using transitions as opportunities for growth and learning by purposefully reflecting on your personal goals and what you’re hoping to get out of an experience.
  • The pitfalls of holding yourself back because you feel like you’re not ready, when actually, you’ve really solidly prepared and it’s time to let yourself move forward.
  • How to translate your nerdy detailed research knowledge into different formats based on who’s asking for your input.
  • How to balance life with a partner who also works in athletics and choosing to go long-distance in order to further each person’s career growth.
  • Understanding internal struggles, vs external struggles, vs environmental struggles in your career.
  • Having more to your life than your job.
  • Finding something better rather than waiting for things to get better.

Resources

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