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The rain seems to have gotten my creative juices flowing again! It is a really wet, cold and dark Monday evening in Singapore, and I find myself enjoying the rain sprays carried into our patio by the cool breeze, breathing deeply to let my words flow. Words that formed as thoughts and feelings in the last few months, but disappeared into unknown spaces within. I have been searching! Searching for my words, depth, meaning, connection and myself. In recent months, I have been busy, but aloof! Truth be told, initially, I was put off by the media frenzy around the second wave of COVID 19 that gripped India in the last few months. I was taken aback by the misuse of freedom of speech especially on #socialmedia for political gains. I found it all quite toxic and started to withdraw. In the quietness, I realized how nonsensical the world of social media has become! Where any Tom, Dick and Harry can become an influencer, politician or leader overnight! All it takes is a #viral post, where the virality isn't decided by any particular logic. I observed insecurity, fear of missing out (#FOMO), desperation to monetise one's influence etc, which even the wisest were falling prey to! Are we headed in the right direction? I don't get the feeling we are! Especially when the world has begun to value lives in terms of Followers, Likes and Views? When one is so present in the virtual space but absent from the physical space! When one is learning to make connections in the digital space while lacking a connection in the mental space!! I was struck by the superficiality all around! While social media has its benefits such as building networks, growing businesses and improving one's visibility, it is important to use it mindfully and wisely. A 2018 study by the University Of Pennsylvania showed that limiting social media use led to a significant reduction in loneliness and depression. Additionally, the study suggests that limiting social media use to approximately 30 minutes per day may lead to significant improvement in well-being. My personal experience is that the more I disconnected from the virtual space, the more I connected with myself and my inner circle. I realised that my absence from social media made no difference to my virtual connections, but it did make a difference to the people physically around me, especially my kids, with whom I naturally became more present. At the beginning of 2020, I had given a workshop to scientists at my workplace on 'How to use #LinkedIN to make you and your science visible'. I reckon the most relevant and useful part of my talk was the first question I asked the participants: " What's the reason why you wish to use LinkedIn more"? Most people answered, "because everyone is using it" while some people said "to find jobs' and to "grow their network". I urge you to reflect on what makes you want to use social media. Whatever your reasons are, it may be helpful to use social media keeping in mind these three points: Use social media mindfully and wisely. Ensure you are not consuming biased, toxic content or any content that doesn't serve you through mindless scrolling. Avoid sharing information impulsively. Instead share information that is true, verified, new and useful for people reading it. We need to move away from superficiality towards depth, to find true meaning, connection and growth in life. Sharing below a poem I wrote a few years back on the same: #TheCyberBlackhole by @drlakshmispeaks. Dr. Lakshmi Ramachandran, PhD is a scientist turned coach and motivational speaker. She has 20+ years of experience in science as an academic and industry researcher, communicator and administrator. Her own broad career journey deepened her understanding of human potential, and fuelled a passion to support the self-development of others. Her expertise is within Science Careers and Self-Management (Productive Life, Enoughness, Emotional Intelligence). She is an ICF, and Belbin certified coach and is listed on the Keynote Women Speaker’s Directory. Her other professional highlights include 1) 2006 Roswell Park Cancer Institute Deans award for outstanding dissertation research, 2) 2016 Publishing Next, India, best digital book runner-up award for her book Roomies/Foodies , 3) Co-Chairing the Gender Summit 2019, Singapore. To learn more, please visit https://www.drlakshmispeaks.com/

Last month on an Easter Sunday, I wrote an article titled a 'Message of Hope' as it seemed like we were slowly emerging from the darkness of the pandemic into a new hopeful and prepared world. Vaccination campaigns were active in many parts of the world and it looked like generally people had gotten educated and equipped with new habits such as wearing masks, keeping good hand hygiene, and avoiding crowds. Boy, I was so wrong! The world was shaken by the upheaval of cases in India, traumatic stories of lives lost, families in distress watching their loved ones dying to breathe, unpreparedness of hospitals, financial fraud and distress, and worst of all, politics and washing of dirty linen in public by media internally and globally. There was anger, blame, fear, despair, helplessness and lack of trust as the governance and healthcare system collapsed, leaving absolutely no space for hope. All Indians, whether living in India or not, have been facing the brunt of the situation in some way or the other. 'Loss' has been the common theme, although there's no bigger loss than loss of a life, there has been loss in many other forms such as loss of means to a meal, loss of jobs, finances, health, motivation and hope. I found myself exceptionally tired in the last three weeks. Everyone I was speaking to said the same. Hearing heavily biased and misconstrued news, people following blind faith and politics over and above science, concern for extended family and friends in India, figuring out how to best support India and people who have had losses, not knowing how to console people during such a dark distressing phase, and having to carry on with the routine- work, home front, kids school etc was all quite taxing. I realized that it's tiring to move along a path with no hope. So I had to change my habits, views and thinking. Sharing below what's helping me cope when there's no hope. Hope you will add on to this piece through the comments section. 1) Focus on what's within own control: What's really within my control in this situation? When I asked myself this question, I could nail down a few things such as making donations, reaching out to friends and family regularly, supporting people who reached out for help, sharing vetted, trusted resources for COVID support, educating people about the importance of staying home and following all the hygience practices thoroughly etc. Doing these things gave me some motivation to move on with life. What did not help me was participating in discussions and debates on who was at fault as it only left me feeling angry and helpless. I resonate with the quote' Be the change you want to see in the world' and therefore I moved on doing what I can, rather than getting on with blame games on things that are beyond my control right now. 2) Be aware that we are together in this: We need to remember that this is a "World vs COVID" war! The virus is an acid test for our unity as it is clearly causing rifts and splits. We need to be aware of this. It is NOT a people vs government war or country vs country war. From a scientific and healthcare stand point, there needs to be global policies rather than only country specific because it is clear that even if countries individually manage to come out of it, it wouldn't be a sustainable success, when some other countries lag behind. So let's stop bashing each other, and come out of racist, religious, and political prejudices and biases to stand together as one human race against the multiple virus strains!! 3) Let each one of us take one step to fight the pandemic and the infodemic: How wonderful it would be if each person took the responsibility and care for themselves and others! How so idealistic is this thought, right? I know! But every small step, every drop counts. Just as the virus is capable of spreading to multiple people quickly at a time, can we not get infectious about best practices to curb the spread of the virus and instead spread positivity and good vibes? Again let the change begin with each one of us! 4) Try to see things in a different light: When there's no hope, and when all looks dark and grim, the only way to move forward is to literally search for that needle of 'optimism' through the haystack. Is there one thing we could still be grateful for? And when you find it, hold on to it! Also talk about what you are feeling to someone. Whether it is sadness, heaviness, anger or frustration, identify it and spell it out. Accept your emotions and feelings, and express rather than suppress. 5) Find time for taking care of self: Whether it is work or home, this may not be the best time to take on too much. People, especially women, have been struggling to keep pace with the multiple responsibilities enthrusted by the COVID situation. Most people say, they have no choice but to do it. I hear my coachees often say, I need to do this else, he/she/my boss/spouse/in-laws/kids would be unhappy with them. Is that really true? or is that something you believe? or if it is true, then how good is that relationship? What if you chose to take rest? What difference would it make to you vs others? I urge everyone to take a look at your current situations and identify time for rest/exercise/ meditation/hobbies etc as it is more important now than ever for to achieve and sustain good physical and mental health. I am aware that what I have written here may not be relatable to many, especially people going through deep losses. I sincerely pray that you get the strength to move on and that the world emerges out of this stronger together. I am curious about life and passionate about making our world a better place to live. I am a professional coach, speaker and trainer with 20 years of experience in science. To learn more, please visit https://www.drlakshmispeaks.com/ Social Media Links: https://www.drlakshmispeaks.com/ https://www.instagram.com/drlakshmispeaks/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lakshmiramachandranphd/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKMsb8hb5S_Ei_ydZ2mSa1A

There was a time in my life when I would spend my days in the corridors of infertility clinics waiting for scan results and hormonal injections. Days filled with anxiety, disappointment and frustration. I had left my flourishing career in science in the pursuit of motherhood. It was a risky choice, the worst outcome being both jobless and childless. I had cut myself away from the world then because I neither had any answers to the questions people asked me nor an appetite for receiving any advice. I trusted my gut feeling and that was it. My only supporting logic was doing things at the right time in life. In this case, tapping in on my biological clock before too late because the fact is that though our world has advanced technologically, human bodies have remained the same biologically!. It was an extremely difficult phase when I had no answers to my own questions and doubts. Will I ever be able to become a mother? Did I make the right decision to step out of my flourishing career? If so, what was the whole point of my going across the seas, living by myself, going through a long-distance marriage, to get a PhD? Will I ever be able to get back on track later and fulfil my ambition to become a cancer drug discovery scientist? Though I could portray great confidence on the outside, and even consoled my dear people who were concerned about me, my inner turmoil ate into me, manifesting as severe stomach pain, later diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I did not know then that mental turmoil/stress underlies most physical ailments. During this very difficult phase when I was battling uncontrollable pain, undergoing scores of tests and infertility treatments, solace came in the form of my mother-in-law Mrs. Geetha Nayar. After leaving my job in Bangalore, I decided to live with my in-laws in Kerala as I was tired of living by myself when my husband, Capt. Ashwin Nair was away sailing and my parents were working abroad in the middle-east. My in-laws created a positive and happy environment around me. They honoured my decisions and applauded my courage. They instilled in me 'hope', 'faith' and 'patience'. In the two years that I lived with them, not a single day went by without deep philosophical discussions on life. What I am doing today as a speaker and a coach is in essence a continuation of the exploration of life that began around this difficult time in my life. This experience led me to shift my thinking from 'obstacles to opportunities' and 'helpless to hopeful'. I persisted through four years of testing times. And one day my heart jumped with joy at the realization of a new life taking shape in me. It was not just the beginning of my precious son's life, but also the beginning of a new lease of life for me. This phase coincided with my co-authoring and publishing my first book 'Roomies/Foodies'. Though I was both jobless and childless at one time, today I have both, plus a renewed life purpose. The amazing truth about life is its transient and cyclical nature- nothing lasts forever- whether good or bad! This is the reason why we can always be hopeful in difficult times! Take a moment to reflect back on some very difficult phases in your life. Indeed those were tough times! But the fact is you did cross them. Even this tough, suffocating phase with the pandemic shall pass one day, however long it may seem now. What ultimately matters now and then are the people in our lives. Just take a moment to think of all the people who have stood by your side during difficult times, or offered help, and thank them sincerely, deeply from your heart. Ending with this verse from the poem 'Ode to the West Wind by great poet Percy Bysshe Shelley' which best describes this truth: "The wingèd seeds, where they lie cold and low, Each like a corpse within its grave, until Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow...... ...The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?" The line 'If winter comes, can spring be far behind' is so profound and beautifully describes the cyclic nature of life. Here we are like the winged seeds lying low and quiet during the dark winter times waiting for the spring to arrive to sprout and come to life!! Dr. Lakshmi Ramachandran, PhD has 20+ years of experience in the science/research field as a researcher, communicator and administrator. She is a coach (ICF & Belbin) and a motivational keynote speaker. Dr. Lakshmi envisions coaching made accessible to the scientific community, the way it is for business executives. She believes that navigating a science career is not only about acquiring a PhD, more credentials and having a great network but it is also about finding the right space in science where you are most fulfilled and happy. This underlies her Keynote theme of 'Living a Productive Life' where she redefines productivity as a measure of fulfilment. She has spoken on various global stages and has trained/coached on the topics of Emotional Intelligence, Self-Empowerment, Overcoming ImposterSyndrome, Science of StoryTelling and Productivity. She is also an active proponent of female participation in science and has co-led the Gender Summit 2019 in Singapore. She has a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from University at Buffalo, USA, has co-authored an award-winning memoir book 'Roomies/Foodies' and is a mom to two young boys. Social Media Links: https://www.drlakshmispeaks.com/ https://www.instagram.com/drlakshmispeaks/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lakshmiramachandranphd/ https://www.facebook.com/mail.lakshmi https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKMsb8hb5S_Ei_ydZ2mSa1A

A Scientific and Spiritual Exploration of Life I don't know the exact answer. All I can say is that I realize the existence of a power/vibrations/realm beyond the comprehension of our five senses, limited scientific knowledge and understanding. This realization did not come from the reading of religious scriptures or books. It came from a personal experience which piqued my curiosity and intrigued my intellect. It gave me a lot of solace, stability and hope when faced with a difficult situation of not being able to have children (a decade ago). Scientifically, a child is born when an egg and a sperm fuse to create the zygote (the first cell). The zygote then undergoes multiple rounds of cell division and differentiation to form the embryo. The embryo at the stage of the blastocyst, implants into the uterus. Once implanted, it's nourishment begins through the mother and the life journey begins. The embryo then grows within the mother slowly and steadily to complete its development, and ultimately take the shape of a baby. A fascinating, yet complex process, the beginning of which is a simple union of the egg and the sperm. As a scientist and an academic achiever, I believed that anything in life is possible with planning, determination and hard work. I still believe in it, just that I also understand that we do not have absolute control on the outcome. All we can do is to very sincerely do our best and let go of the attachment to the results. Whether it is a positive or a negative outcome, or whether it is bad or good times, it will have an impact on our lives. In bad times, the choice is in our hands to either go into blame and depression, or accept, rise up, and get going to explore what else is in store! In retrospect, it was my challenge with infertility that contributed to the biggest positive shift in my life. I realized then that we do not have absolute control over when a life begins or when a life ends. Yes, thanks to the advancement of medical science, we are able to navigate through the various challenges today, and even fuse an egg and sperm in the lab to create embryos. Even then, we are unable to predict with certainty whether that embryo will transform into a human life! This realisation helped me make an intuitive, yet logical decision. That is to take medical help, and put in my 100% towards my journey towards motherhood, but also to let go of my control over the outcome. I thought, if it worked, it is the desired outcome and if it didn't, at least I will have no regrets that I didn't try my best. I left my wonderful job in science to pursue this goal. With focus, commitment and faith, I found renewed happiness in this journey. It was as though I found my purpose. A new life began to take shape in me in a way that it changed me, my perspectives, and attitude towards life. I was also giving birth to my new found creativity through a book during this time. Yes, I didn't just give birth to a child, but also to love, passion, creativity and empathy. This is what I would like to celebrate today on Krishna Jayanthi (the birth of Krishna). This was the beginning of my inward journey in seeking the truth of 'who I am'. In this journey, with the curtain of ignorance lifted, I have come to see that the power exists within each one of us. The ultimate truth is that we are all one, united by one thread. That is the reason why when the world is suffering because of the pandemic we are unable to be happy or celebrate our individual successes. It just doesn't make sense anymore, right? The pictures below are a testimony to the the existence of grace within. While going through infertility treatments, I used to look at a picture of baby Krishna in my bed room and visualise me holding that baby Krishna in my arms. This vision came to me again while I was standing at the famous Krishna temple in Kerala (Guruvayoor) just before I conceived my older boy Madhav. I realized the power of my visualisation, only when I saw the photograph below taken when my first born Madhav turned a year old. So Who is God? I shall continue to explore through this journey which is incredibly beautiful, limitless and deep. With Madhav, my older boy (top) and Shiv, my younger boy (below). Dr. Lakshmi Ramachandran 20+ years in science Researcher, Communicator, Administrator Coach, Keynote Speaker & Author Advocate for women in science Mom of two boys www.drlakshmispeaks.com

Imagine this place- beautiful with lush green mountains and valleys, adorned with fragrant flowers and silver streams bearing crystal clear cool waters. This magical land where everyone had enough, all were treated equal, there were no crimes and people were happy! Too good to be true? This is infact the description of my native, Kerala, in an age- old story behind Kerala's unique festival Onam! The gist of the story is that when Kerala was ruled by the generous King Mahabali, peace, prosperity and happiness prevailed. The main reason behind this was that everyone was treated equal and everyone had enough. Now can you imagine several thousand years ago, when equality was the key theme that kept people together and happy. Unfortunately this is not just too good to be true, but too good to last forever, because politics seemed to have its way even back then! King Mahabali became so popular that even the Gods became jealous! So they schemed against him and got him out of power and place. The King's only wish was that he be allowed to visit his land and people once a year as he loved his people a lot. This wish of his was granted thankfully! So every year Keralites scuttle and huttle to celebrate and create the air of prosperity, togetherness, and festivity during this time of the year to welcome King Mahabali! The feast- Ona- Sadhya served on Banana Leaf, the flower carpet made outside of each Keralite's house, competitions including Kerala boat race etc are just part of the celebrations. This is indeed a unique festival that brings the people of Kerala together irrespective of religion or social status. If the spirit of the festival has faded in recent years for whatever reason, let's all take a moment to reconnect to why we celebrate Onam and why we need to come together and stay together more than ever before!

When the pandemic began, I observed that besides the uncertainties and quickly adapting to a new way of living, many of us were forced to fully embrace the digital world. Along with words like unprecedented, economic downturn, social distancing and resilience, Zoom, virtual connection, reskill, upskill, and reinvent became common words. I was quite caught in an action frenzy at the start of the pandemic. The term slowdown simply didn't apply to me. I felt like I had so much to learn and do, reach out to people, support and empower. I launched my website, met work deadlines, helped kids with school, attended webinars, wrote articles, and coached people. But I couldn't sustain it for very long. After all I am human, not super-human. The whole concept of a 'productive life' - the theme of my website, became crystal clear to me. #Productivity is not getting a number of things done. It is to do things enjoyably and to be measured by how content you feel at the end of the day. If not we would be simply ticking the boxes and moving on to the next, which can be never ending and exhausting. So when I wrote a chapter for this wonderful e-book initiative by Asia Professional Speakers Singapore (APSS), I chose to simply write my heart out. You see, I write not because I am an expert, I write when I am curious or when I seek answers. This becomes a therapeutic process for me as I discover the answers. When I publish my discovery as an article, I am sharing my excitement. My chapter contribution for the APSS E-Book turned out to be one on Grounding the Self as I was going through the need and the process myself. Those who have experienced turbulence in an aircraft may recall that although it can get extremely uncomfortable, the aircraft holds up through the turbulent weather. This is because of the way airplanes are engineered for positive stability, that is, the aircraft has a natural tendency to get to it's original position when nudged. Similarly we too need to be able to realign to our core, our purpose and priorities, when we go off-course in turbulent situations. We need to build in positive stability by grounding ourselves in shaky times. I am very excited that I had the privilege of compiling my chapter 'Grounding in Turbulent Times' along with 18 others, written by thought-leaders from around the world, into an E-BOOK. Very grateful to APSS members for this idea- 19 thought leaders sharing 19 Ideas/nuggets of wisdom towards 1 purpose- that is to inspire and send positive vibes in COVID-19 times. Click the File Icon below to download the E-Book. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section of the blog. I appreciate the fact that while each one of us are affected, the extent of impact would be different depending on our unique circumstances. So please know that these are my musings and I would be happy to hear yours! If you would like to subscribe to my blog, CLICK HERE, scroll down and subscribe.

Today morning, as I heard my father's gifted voice in a melodious song he had sung on New Year's eve, I became very emotional. A month back, our family went through a rough time when my dad fell and suffered a bad head injury. It was totally unexpected as dad has always been this healthy, hearty and happy person living his life to the fullest. I frantically started looking for the next flight to Kerala (India) from Singapore. I just wanted to get to my dad and mom as soon as I could. But then a thought occurred to me. Would it be right to visit my dad in ICU as I could be a virus carrier? (with so many unknowns about the virus, there's always some risk, including the risk of catching the virus on the flight). Plus there was the risk of getting quarantined in either India or Singapore. With two little kids, that was definitely something to consider. My family back in India, especially my brother and mom, reassured it to me that dad is under good care and that the best decision from my end would be to not travel at that point. With a heavy heart, I decided to not fly. It was a tough call, but I did it thinking of the long term impacts of a seemingly simple decision to fly, ignoring the global spread of the virus. Today I know of atleast two people in my close-knit circle, who couldn't attend their own parent's funeral because of the lockdown. An unthinkable, painful situation!!! Despite the fact that each one of us is facing the consequences of this crisis, fighting our own battles, it is surprising to see the lack of seriousness on compliance in staying at home, not meeting others, and wearing masks when stepping out. How do we become more united globally in fighting this global crisis? The crisis is being dealt with essentially at two levels: 1) Governments 2) Individuals. For the purpose of this article, I will be focusing on individuals because governments are nothing but a body of individuals and this whole crisis is ultimately humans vs virus. This crisis is indeed bringing out our strengths and weaknesses as individuals, families, societies, communities and countries. In order to understand what we need to do, it is important to clearly reflect upon our strengths and weaknesses. Sharing a few thoughts below on what could be causing lack of compliance in the fight against Covid-19: 1) Being in Denial: To be in denial is to refuse to accept that something is wrong. In psychology denial is defined as a coping mechanism to adjust to distressing or traumatic situations. As per an article from Mayo Clinic, when in denial, a person a) Won't acknowledge a difficult situation b) Try not to face the facts of a problem c) Downplay possible consequences of the issue. Therefore being in denial for long can prove harmful. In the Covid-19 situation especially people exhibit denial by refusing to accept that one is equally vulnerable, and to understand that being healthy doesn't mean you are not a virus carrier. Such denial coupled with a deep desperation to feel normal can make people break rules, potentially harming themselves and unfortunately many other innocent people. We display denial in varying forms and degrees. I recall, when faced with the 2018 Kerala floods, my family refused to believe that our house will be affected. So did our neighbors and scores of other people. Even as water started flowing into our house we were in a state of denial. Getting out of denial is extremely important to take the right action. Though you can find many articles on how to, in my experience, accepting the reality of the situation and expressing emotions openly, be it fear, anxiety or helplessness is the first step. I was the first one to do it in our family and the first to take action to move our family towards safety. Read more about our Kerala Flood experience in this blog piece titled 'Flooded with Perspectives'. 2) Being misinformed: Its overwhelming to see the number of false remedies and cures being circulated on social media. I really want everyone to know that it's great to eat healthy, eat immune boosters etc, but those are not fool proof mechanisms to protect oneself from the virus. The only effective way to not get the virus is to not come in contact with it. So stay home, limit interactions to only your household, wear masks, practice safe distancing when fetching essentials, and rigorously inculcate personal hygiene habits. It's even more alarming to see global leaders making hasty claims on the effectiveness of certain drugs in treating the disease. I do recall reading the scientific paper on hydroxychloroquine myself when it was first published. I had also found it s 'promising'. But there are so many regulatory aspects to re- purposing a drug, especially to ensure its safety and efficacy through clinical trials. I do wish that it is effective, but leaders need to take utmost caution before making any claims as our present world is full of panic stricken people and issues such as drug overdosing can pose dangerous challenges. Whether crisis or not, science should and will strive to meet excellent research and ethical standards. 3) Disruption to means of livelihood: This is clearly one of the very challenging reasons why people are finding it torturous to stay home. For many a daily wage workers, poor or low income people around the globe, putting food on the table for their family has become impossible. The inequalities that always existed seem heightened now. Perhaps this is where governments can put a stronger focus and individuals who still have the financial means can play their part. I know of friends and family in India involved in distributing food packets to the poor. Here in Singapore too there are many citizen-led and government led initiatives. How can we support them? This is the hidden opportunity to feel fulfilled in challenging times through charitable actions. 4) The role of God: I have grown up hearing this 'Do your best, God will do the rest'. Please pay attention to the first part- 'Do your best'! I have heard many people tell me that I am so lucky because I always get the things I want. Very few have seen the pain I go through to get where I want or what I want. 'Luck favours the brave'. Similarly God can only help those who do their part even if it is painful or tough. Having faith, being optimistic, having hope - all this is much needed today than ever before. But continue to do your part first through compliance of global rules in this global crisis. Follow the rules set by our governments. Remember that they are also people, they too can only be successful if we can extend a compassionate and cooperating attitude rather than a complaining one. if at all you need to give a feedback, provide a well-thought out solution or alternative. In cases where you don't feel you can't trust anything else, trust yourself. Practice 'defensive driving' in this context. That is you remain sensible, prudent and cautious amidst other reckless drivers. This road is your life and the journey is yours, you are it's driver and the controls are largely in your hands. Lakshmi Ramachandran, PhD RESEARCHER, SPEAKER, COACH, AUTHOR, MOTHER, WIFE MY STORY I'm curious about Life. ​ At a scientific and spiritual level.​ The former took me through a broad career path in science.​ The latter enabled me to tide through challenges and experience meaningful changes.​ The combination of scientific and spiritual exploration has led me to found the concept of 'A productive life'- One that is defined by clarity, consistency, and contentment at all times. Read my story HERE

Today is officially the start of 'Circuit Breaker' in Singapore- which means everyone stays at home for another month except for essential services. There's no denying that it is a tremendously difficult phase. It's also naturally worrying thinking about the future. It is all real! It's absolutely okay to feel sad, anxious, frustrated, angry. Do vent it out- talk to friends and family, cry it out... But worrying for long can cause anxiety disorders which could lead to other diseases. Do we really want to worry too much about Covid-19 and invite other mental and physical health issues? So what are some things you can do to divert worry to something positive or simply distract oneself from worry? Personally, I find this a good time to incorporate simple habits that I have long wanted, but failed to do. For example, not looking at media and social media the first few hours in the morning. This time it was actually easy to do as I was getting overwhelmed hearing or reading such news. A simple act of staying away from such news has helped me save my productive hours during the day. #productivity #aproductivelife #positivity

Here I share my experiences volunteering in science and my learning on how it can help to advance your career. Identifying a suitable volunteering opportunity Although I used to volunteer in local groups, committees and activities all through my career in science, my first opportunity to volunteer in an international group came quite unexpectedly. I met Dr.Fanuel Muindi, co-founder of The STEM Advocacy Institute at the UNESCO international symposium and policy forum focused on girls education in STEM. He had presented the stories in science project at the symposium. Stories in Science is an initiative through which real stories of scientists are curated from around the world. These stories, which bring to light the challenges, failures and successes of people in science serve as a resource for the public and aspiring scientists to understand the nature of science. Later, through follow-up emails, I got to know more about the goals and mission of this think tank, which is to conduct advocacy research that leads to the development of new ideas, tools, and insights to support trainees, organizations, and policy makers in science around the world. The concept resonated well with my personal values, ideas, and vision for science to benefit all. I shared my own story in science and very soon I found myself in an enthusiastic science think tank discussing and implementing ideas. Volunteering in science helps to expand your knowledge base Despite being a busy working mother, I found time to volunteer for the STEM Advocacy Institute owing to a passion I developed for the stories in science initiative and the wonderful and supportive team. Also I have felt that when volunteering, pressure is less and satisfaction is high. Although the responsibility when taking up assignments is the same as a regular job, there is greater flexibility and added fun element to volunteering. I felt that in very little time, I gained more knowledge on science communications, especially global insights, and realized the power of stories in science to effectively penetrate the society. Also the amount of learning I have gained being in this group is significant as every idea, publication, initiative and tool is shared through the group and regular team meetings. Volunteering in science helps to expand your network Needless to say, volunteering for the STEM advocacy institute has helped to expand my professional network considerably. I now collaborate with people from all over the world and the experience is phenomenally rewarding. Volunteering enables you to give back to the society Besides the STEM Advocacy Institute, I have self-initiated a couple of voluntary projects to promote the participation of females in STEM (Science, Technology, Education, and Mathematics) education and careers. One of this is the organizing of the Gender Summit in Singapore in 2019. In my experience, I have not only felt empowered myself through these activities but also have gained a lot of fulfilment in empowering others in the process. I have received tremendous support from like-minded people and that is fuel and strength for forging ahead despite challenges. Finally, when the focus is the benefit of the society and people, it benefits everyone involved. Volunteering in science can help bridge a career break/ land your next job in science I joined the team initially as the stories in science ambassador and was later recruited as a Senior Program Specialist at the STEM Advocacy Institute. This helped me put to use my biggest strengths- thorough analysis and development of strategies - as well as networking and communication skills. The volunteering experience enabled me to pursue the next level in my career through renewed confidence, exciting new network and opportunities. Based on my personal experience I highly recommend volunteering/internship in science as a way to expand your horizon and advance your career in science. This is also an excellent way for those, especially women, who have taken a career break to focus on family, to maintain and build networks that may help bridge your career gap and land your next job. What are the types of volunteering opportunities in science? You could look for volunteering opportunities 1) within your institute/university such as contributing to outreach and career development programs, 2) local or global non profit organizations such as the UN or UNESCO (https://www.unv.org/become-volunteer) 3) programs such as the On-Call scientists by AAAS (https://oncallscientists.aaas.org/en) 4) freelancing to write articles on science and health care for biotech platforms 5) Self-initiate projects/missions close to your heart such as going to schools and talking about STEM. Those passionate about science and the society could explore joining the STEM Advocacy Institute through https://www.stemadvocacy.org/about-us/join-us/ #science #career #STEM #volunteering #advocacy Please enrich this article by sharing your volunteering experiences below in the comments section. Thank you!

“You have a science background! What made you write a cookbook? How did you get it published?” These are questions Meghana and I are often asked since we published Roomies/Foodies in Dec 2015. Although part of it is covered in the book, in this piece I revisit all the thoughts, moments and experiences that went behind the pages of Roomies/Foodies. On a sunny afternoon of late 2009 in Bangalore, the aroma of dishes prepared using coconut oil in our traditional Kerala way, filled our home. Ashwin, my husband, and I were getting ready to welcome our good old friends, Meghana (Meg) and Ashish. Meg was my roommate back during our graduate student days (2001) in Buffalo, USA, and we were meeting nearly four years after Ashwin and I moved out of Buffalo. That meeting brought back nostalgic memories especially of our friends, food, and the all fun we had. We laughed and laughed, and in that light moment, the idea of compiling our culinary adventures as student cooks started taking shape in our minds. However, the idea remained in our minds for a while as we were busy with our lives- Meg was a working mom, and I was in a challenging life phase, dealing with failed infertility treatments! A few months down the lane, I quit my dream job as a drug discovery researcher. Ashwin and I moved back to my home town in Kerala, to focus on starting a family. Through the loving support of both our families, choice of the right hospital, and efforts combined with patience, I conceived our baby. The springing of our first child’s life in me brought immense hope and positivity within me. This fuelled my creativity, bringing out a hidden potential as a writer. During this time, I wrote parts of Roomies/Foodies, which I forwarded to Meg. Her reply came almost instantaneously and I quote her words from that email; “Hey Lux! I'm all fired up about the cookbook :)...no pun intended :) Started to compile 'em……Think of some cool titles, howz this: 1) Cooking for F.R.I.E.N.D.S by Meg and Lux 2) Roomies Foodies 3) The Student's Guide to Eating Well Without Compromising a 4.0 GPA (Something shorter to this effect)….Let's get this rolling!” Well, that was it!! ROOMIES/FOODIES WAS BORN! How our scientific training helped in writing a cookbook! Due to our scientific training, Meg and I were quite adept at creating a strategy and structure for the book before we started writing. Meg also had considerable experience in technical writing by then. This really helped us coordinate our efforts over phone and Skype and write the book without even meeting each other in person. First we defined the following: 1. Target audience & Content- We decided to write a memoir-cookbook with a maximum of 60 recipes, each introduced through a short, witty anecdote behind the creation of the recipe. We defined the target audience as Indian graduate students going abroad or novice cooks! To be precise, (in a funny way) ‘culinarily challenged’ individuals. 2. Uniqueness- We decided that the book will be written as a ‘survival guide’ with not only funny anecdotes from our student life introducing our recipes, but also provide all necessary information such as grocery lists, cooking terms, cooking utensils, what to pack in your suitcase when you travel abroad for the first time as students, how cooking helps to save your bucks, how to eat green and stay healthy, and highlight 'reduce, reuse and recycle' in cooking to prevent food wastage. 3. Documentation- We decided on a naming convention for our documents, including how to name updated versions. We also created the following documents which helped in consistent and coordinated efforts from the beginning: a) record of all changes and updates, b) style guide for fonts and abbreviations, c) props and situation guide for food photography, d) a shared online platform to record and store pictures, e) phone meeting minutes, f) appendix for often repeated cooking procedures and g) glossary of cooking terms and utensils Science and cooking I still remember how Meg taught me how to cook white rice in a pot or pressure cooker (Yes, I had no clue how to cook when I reached the US as a student, even to make a cup of tea or coffee!). She never measured the rice or water, instead she would stick a finger in the pot touching the top of the rice and when the water level touches the first furrow of her finger she would stop. And then cook the rice. It always worked. Since I learned to cook mainly from her and our other roommate Geet, I also learned to rely on proportions rather than measures. As we couldn’t afford many ingredients, being students, we also learned to cook with what we had, often leading to new inventions in our ‘kitchen lab’. Once I picked up the basic steps in cooking, I started loving and enjoying it, especially because I could connect it to science. In cooking you follow a recipe, while in science you follow a protocol, and both allows for innovation! How we got our book published With our strategies and a deadline to work towards completing the book, which was my delivery date, Meg and I worked hard to finish up the book writing in a few months. Then we started pitching to various publishers through mail. Very soon, we realized that writing was the easiest part of getting a book out, while the most challenging part was to get it published. Also, our busier lives with kids and multiple relocations made it tough to get the focus on publishing. However, our excellent teamwork, mutual support, taking responsibilities when the other is pressed for time, really helped us persist towards publishing. In fact we both were fiercely persistent and hardworking! We considered and discussed several options including self-publishing. We kept our eyes and ears open and therefore heard of the new crowd-sourced publishing platform called ‘Bloody Good Book’. As this was the venture of a very noted and best-selling author Rashmi Bansal, we decided to take the plunge and submitted our manuscript. Our book received 99 positive crowd reviews and was selected for publication in the non-fiction category. Roomies/Foodies journey this far We had our book launch at the LitVenture event in Mumbai in Dec2015 and in Singapore at the Singapore Community of Indian Ladies (SCIL) event in May 2016. Roomies/Foodies is available as an e-book, print version and an App. The print version is also available in select book stores in Pune (Pagdandi), India, and Singapore (Books Actually, Tiong Bahru). Within few weeks of Roomies/foodies being available on Amazon, the book received #1 Bestseller title in its category. The book also received the 2016 Runner-Up Award at the “Publishing Next Industry Awards” under the category of Best Digital Books. Roomies/Foodies has been featured on several blogs, Mint newspaper and University at Buffalo, Alumni Magazine.

The big dreams of a 15 year old girl I was just 15 years old when I dreamed of becoming a scientist. I was totally fascinated by biology, especially the world of microorganisms and the cells that make up our body. My fascination soon became a burning ambition to become a cancer drug discovery researcher. I fueled my ambition by working hard and embarking on a doctoral program in cell and molecular biology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, SUNY Buffalo. So I was totally elated when I completed my PhD program with flying colours (6 publications and Dean's award for outstanding dissertation research). I had excellent postdoctoral opportunities from academia in the US, but I chose to come back closer to home in India and work on drug discovery. When the going gets tough.. Up until this point, everything seemed to go exactly as I wanted. Ironically, I also faced a major setback in life then! When career seemed to be stable and on track, my husband, Ashwin, and I decided to start a family. Little did we realize then that what we had taken for granted earlier, having a child, was going to become a major challenge for us! We fell into the category of infertile couples and became very vulnerable because of failed attempts to conceive and start a family. We ended up choosing wrong doctors and clinics, just because they were nearer to my work place and we thought that I could balance work and my treatments better this way. During this time, I faced emotional and physical stress from hormonal treatments and the dissatisfaction of not being able to give my 100% at work and in personal life. At a point when I couldn’t take it anymore, I decided to give up my dream job in drug discovery to give my full attention and energy towards having a child. This was a very tough decision to make, but I did it based on my priority in life at that point!! I also wanted to go back to my hometown where I would have the support of our families and choose the right clinic for further treatment. Challenges lead to new opportunities It was indeed a very challenging phase in my life. However now as I look back, this most challenging phase is what actually shaped my life in a very meaningful manner, leading me to reinvent myself as a mother, author, a science and woman in science advocate, writer and speaker. Here I share two important learnings from my life that helped me achieve what I really cared for- a balanced and happy life! 1) Change Lanes The priority I set in my life and the 100% focus and efforts I placed on achieving motherhood became fruitful when we were blessed with a healthy baby within a couple of years. At the same time, my first book, Roomies/Foodies, a unique memoir-cook book which I co-authored with my friend from grad school, was also born. (Read more about the publishing story of Roomies/Foodies here ) However, life presented newer challenges as I struggled to get back on my career track in research after the career break. This was compounded by relocation to a new country where Ashwin got a promising job offer. The rejections and lack of responses for my job applications did leave me feeling frustrated and desperate. However, I was soon to realize that it was important for me to learn and adapt to the changes/advances in my field. I focused on updating my skills by enrolling for courses while building my network. I prepared myself to change my career path from research to other areas in science. Most importantly, I focused on staying positive and healthy throughout the process. Finally I landed a new job in science communications and at the same time gave birth to our second child! From this experience I learned that the entire journey of life cannot be planned, as life does like to surprise you. It is important to have an adaptable mindset to accept unexpected life situations. Then look for what best you can do in that situation. This is where I suggest 'changing lanes' if necessary in your career. The mindset to prioritize and adapt to life situations, helps keep stress minimal and opens up new exciting possibilities which we never thought of before. 2) Shift Gears It is important to know and accept that career and life do not follow a linear path at all times. Most often it is not possible to give your 100% at both work and life. Therefore, it is totally fine to increase or reduce your pace according to your life situation. This is what I mean by 'shifting gears' and will help reduce stress that results from a need for perfection in everything. From my experience, I would not advise anyone to completely quit their job as it takes grit and persistence to get back. However, if you do so under unavoidable circumstances, it is important that you do something, such as courses, creative or voluntary work rather than nothing at all. One thing that greatly helped me to bounce back was to take responsibility for things and to make myself in charge of changes that I wished to see in my life or in the world. The fact is each one of us has the potential to be a 'changemaker', but we seldom realize it. It took me a while to recognize this as I found myself down with an ‘imposter syndrome’, soon after I joined my new job. Imposter syndrome is a draining thought that 'I am not good enough to belong here'. The career break, new area of work, challenges of bringing up two young kids , all seemed to make me believe that I am no longer good enough at my job. What helped me come out of my imposter syndrome was the women in science support group at my institute (@MBIwis). Here, I learned that the ‘leaky career pipeline’, ‘imposter syndrome’ etc are common problems that affect a woman’s career. At that point I decided to do something about this as I wanted to reach out to my fellow women in science and help them retain their careers in science. I soon became an active proponent of female participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and careers. I attended global symposiums and focused my efforts in bringing about a change in the Asia Pacific region where I am from. This includes proposing and co-organizing the Gender Summit Asia Pacific 2019 in Singapore, and becoming a stories in science ambassador through the STEM advocacy institute in Boston, USA. (Read my story on advancing career through volunteering here ) As I look back, life was never a smooth road. I did change lanes and shift gears multiple times. Sometimes I have felt that I am far behind. But now I am happy that I took pauses to recharge and reinvent myself. I am content because I am there for the precious children I brought to this world and for my family; I am there for my friends, and I am there for my people in science! CREDITS: My story in science was originally published by storiesinscience.org in 2017. This was later re-published by the UNESCO Asia Pacific To know more about my tips on changing career track in science please read this article: https://biotechin.asia/2016/04/23/mbi-women-in-science-dr-lakshmi-ramachandran/

“When you take a moment to write about yourself, you will be surprised to discover an inspirer within you! When you discover this, you will realize limitless potential within yourself. Your dreams and aspirations will become clearer and you will start getting the direction towards achieving your goal..” Today there is a lot of emphasis on 'storytelling' as a powerful method of communication to influence audience in a wide range of fields, be it in science, business or brand building. I first realized the power of personal stories a couple of years ago when I shared my career story on 'how' I transitioned from academia into the industry and then into science communications. This was during a career talk at my previous work place (Mechanobiology Institute, NUS) and I was delighted to hear that people found the talk very useful. Since then I have provided mentoring to many a students and junior scientists aspiring to have a career in science. Most recently, I shared my story in science by threading together events from my personal and professional life, through storiesinscience.org. This became one of their most viewed articles and was re-published by the UNESCO Asia pacific. Later I joined the 'stories in science' initiative to advocate the power of stories of people in science as a means to inspire and inform aspiring junior scientists. In this role, I have been reaching out to my network in science and encouraging them to share their stories. However, most people are reluctant to share for various reasons, one of which is their belief that their stories are not inspiring. When stories become inspiring I agree that not everyone has dramatic turning points in their careers. But the fact is, no one in this world is spared of challenges. The nature, degree, extent and timing may vary. It could be a tough boss, lack of support, lack of direction, failures, career breaks or long gap between jobs, personal setbacks etc. The sad part is once we are out of challenges, we often devalue ourselves saying ‘this is something anyone would have done’. The fact is that anyone who survives such challenges and changes their life has a story. A story becomes inspiring when the author honestly shares the challenges they faced, and most importantly, discusses how they overcame that setback. It is not necessary for a person to have achieved a particular level in their career to share an inspiring story. For example, the story or an account of a PhD or MBA student can be inspiring to someone aspiring to get a higher degree. I am sharing this point because I had held back from sharing my story for a long time as I had felt that I had not reached anywhere close to the pinnacle in my career. However, the truth is that each point or phase in our career and life is a milestone in itself! How sharing your story empowers you! Besides the joy and a sense of fulfilment in inspiring others, when you take a moment to write about yourself, you will be surprised to discover an inspirer within you! When you discover this, you will realize limitless potential within yourself. Your dreams and aspirations will become clearer and you will start getting the direction towards achieving your goal. For me, communicating my story through writing or speaking has been quite therapeutic! I have always shied away from giving credit to myself until recently. I used to even get embarrassed when my parents mentioned about my PhD to someone. I had associated humility with 'NOT' talking about your top educational qualifications or job position. However my perspectives on this aspect have changed now as I have realized that sharing one’s accomplishments, however small it is, can be a confidence booster for self and at the same time provide inspiration and hope to many. Infact approving and giving credit to oneself should be a first habit, not to be confused with superiority or blowing own trumpet. If you look around there isn’t a shortage for people who can inspire you. The whole world is in fact swarming with people who have walked that extra mile in various walks of life. But have you looked within yourself for inspiration? Have you ever thought of yourself as an inspiring person? if not, do so NOW! As much as you look at others for ideas and inspiration, look within yourself for your innate inspiration. Then share YOUR story which not only inspires others but also empowers YOU!