"A wonderful experience, exactly what I needed, at this stage of my career, and life"
- Cohort Participant
Cohort Workshops and Participant Information
Shining Lights is comprised of a series of engaging workshops and seminars designed to expand the participants’ professional confidence and capabilities as they prepare to enter careers in scientific leadership.
Workshops Calendar (MPS)
Events
Duration
Host
Topic
Jan 26, 2026
11am – 1pm
Gabriel Orebi-Gann
Program introduction & welcome, panel with previous cohort
Feb 2-3
9am – 5pm (x2)
Lura Dolas,Angela Stopper, Gabriel Orebi-Gann
Presentation skills, communication styles, energy in leadership
Feb 23
9am – 2pm
Stevie Eberle
Leadership styles and influence
Mar 2
9am – 5pm
Michele Molitor, Tess Brigham
Toxic Perfectionism, Burnout
Mar 9
9am – 5pm
Berkeley ExecEd
Characteristics of personal power, tactics of persuasion and influence
Mar 30
9am – 2pm
Berkeley ExecEd
How to work with anyone (even difficult people)
Apr 20
9am – 5pm
Alaina Levine
Finding your unicorn career in STEM, networking for nerds
Apr 27
9am – 5pm
Berkeley ExecEd, Naledi Saul
Navigating difficult conversations with power and persuasion, How to establish yourself, negotiating for what you need
TBD
5pm – 8pm
Lawrence Hall of Science
Shining Lights Graduation
Workshops Calendar (ENG)
Events
Duration
Host
Topic
Jan 26, 2026
11am – 1pm
Gabriel Orebi-Gann
Program introduction & welcome, panel with previous cohort
Feb 5-6?
9am – 5pm (x2)
Lura Dolas,Angela Stopper, Gabriel Orebi-Gann
Presentation skills, communication styles, energy in leadership
Feb 24
9am – 2pm
Stevie Eberle
Leadership styles and influence
Mar 3
9am – 5pm
Michele Molitor, Tess Brigham
Toxic Perfectionism, Burnout
Apr 21
9am – 5pm
Alaina Levine
Finding your unicorn career in STEM, networking for nerds
Apr 28
9am – 5pm
Berkeley ExecEd, Naledi Saul
Navigating difficult conversations with power and persuasion, How to establish yourself, negotiating for what you need
TBD
5pm – 8pm
Lawrence Hall of Science
Shining Lights Graduation
Workshops Overview
Workshops information for 2026 still being added, check back soon!
Presentation and Public Speaking Skills
Lead by Lura Dolas
Lura Dolas (Senior Continuing Lecturer Emerita and former head of the UC Berkeley Acting Program) conducts a two-session, in-person workshop to help cohort participants deliver job talks and professional presentations clearly, confidently, and persuasively.
The workshops offer techniques for neutralizing stage fright, identifying naturally expressive behavior, achieving personal connection in virtual presentations, and replacing flat jargon with engaging language. Exercises to expand vocal range and improve eye contact and use of gesture will enhance both live and virtual audience rapport. These workshops provide a safe, constructive environment to promote individual participation.
Burnout
Lead by Tess Brigham
Tess Brigham (Certified coach, licensed therapist, TEDx Speaker, podcast host, author and creator of the TRUE YOU coaching course series) leads a workshop about Burnout, a critical yet often overlooked challenge for women in STEM, where high-performance cultures and systemic barriers can take a significant toll.
This workshop explores the science behind burnout, its impact on cognitive performance and well-being, and evidence-based strategies for prevention and recovery. Participants will leave with tools to recognize early signs, set boundaries, and build resilience, empowering them to sustain their careers without compromising their health.
Walking In Your Power: Transforming Toxic Perfectionism Into Flawsome Confidence.
Lead by Michele Molitor
Michele Molitor (Master coach, clinical hypnotherapist, speaker, and author) In the demanding world of STEM research and innovation, the pressure to be perfect can be relentless—often leading to burnout, self-doubt, and stalled career potential. In her empowering session, she offers a science-informed, compassionate path forward.
Drawing from her award-winning book, I Am Perfectly Flawsome: How embracing imperfection makes us better, and over two decades of working with high-achieving professionals and their teams, Michele explores how toxic perfectionism erodes confidence and creativity. You’ll uncover the hidden costs of overachievement, learn to identify perfectionist thinking patterns and gain actionable strategies to replace them with self-awareness, resilience, and authentic leadership. Helping you step into your full potential—flaws and all—as a bold, brilliant, and flawsome force in STEM.
Create Your Unicorn Career in STEM
Lead by Alaina Levine
Alaina Levine (Award-winning professional speaker, STEM career coach, science writer, corporate comedian, TEDx speaker, speaking coach, and author) leads this full-day workshop to create your Unicorn Career.
A Unicorn Career is a customized career, fully aligned with your authenticity, that brings you joy, meaning, AND money (because you should be paid appropriately for your contributions to society). Anyone can create their own Unicorn Career, but it starts with identifying pain points in systems that you are uniquely positioned to alleviate. In this workshop, you will learn how to leverage a data-driven framework to launch and grow Your Unicorn Career! When we aim to be our full selves, 100% of the time, we bring our best work, innovations, and dedication to the community, stakeholders, and colleagues. Learn how to Create Your Unicorn Career…and how you can enable your colleagues’ triumphs in their career development, too.
Shining Lights Graduation
The Cohort spends a full day together celebrating our new connections, skills and capabilities. Activities include a special workshop, followed by a family-friendly graduation ceremony and catered reception.
Useful Links
Resource
Link
Cohort Materials
Workshops Calendar
Events
Duration
Host
Topic
Jan 21, 2025
11am – 1pm
Gabriel
Program introduction & welcome
Jan 27-28
9am – 5pm (x2)
Cream of the Crop
Leadership Presence for Women
Feb 10
11am – 1pm
Jacqueline Wells
Conquering Fear
Feb 24
10am – 1pm
Michele Molitor
Walking In Your Power: Transforming Toxic Perfectionism Into Flawsome Confidence
Mar 10
11am – 1pm
Tess Brigham
Burnout
Mar 24
9:30am – 1:30pm
Lura Dolas
Presentation and Public Speaking Skills (pt. 1)
Mar 31
9am – 5pm
Lura Dolas
Angela Stopper
Presentation and Public Speaking Skills (pt. 2) and Projecting Confidence, Making an Impact and Growing Your Network
Apr 7
11am – 1pm
Andrea Cohen
How Leadership Needs Evolve with Climate and Culture
Apr 15,22,29
9am – 5pm (x3)
Bay Area Postdoc Coalition
Erin Cech
Scientific Leadership & Management Skills Course (SLMS) & The Trouble with Passion: The Risks of the “Do What You Love” Narrative
May 5
12pm – 8pm
Carol Crist
Shining Lights Graduation
Workshops Overview
Leadership Presence
90% interactive, participants practice tools to radiate a Thought Leader presence and get buy-in with key stakeholders (your direct reports, funding sources, more). In addition, we’ll explore themes that commonly hinder women and female-identified leaders. Rooted in authenticity, this highly team building experience can create warm and lasting collegial alliances among participants.
Conquering Fear Seminar
Lead by Jacqueline Wells
Jacqueline Wells (Author, TEDx Speaker, advisor and founder of Transformational Strategies for Success programs) explores fear in the workplace, and how to transform fear from barrier to motivator, build psychological safety and trust, and enhance emotional intelligence.
Fear of failure, visibility, or not being “enough”, can quietly limit potential, particularly for women navigating underrepresented spaces in STEM. This seminar unpacks the psychological and cultural roots of fear, exploring its effects on decision-making, self-advocacy, and leadership presence. Through guided reflection and research-informed strategies, participants will learn to reframe fear as a catalyst for growth and reclaim agency in high-stakes academic and professional environments.
Walking In Your Power: Transforming Toxic Perfectionism Into Flawsome Confidence.
Lead by Michele Molitor
Michele Molitor (Master coach, clinical hypnotherapist, speaker, and author) In the demanding world of STEM research and innovation, the pressure to be perfect can be relentless—often leading to burnout, self-doubt, and stalled career potential. In her empowering session, she offers a science-informed, compassionate path forward.
Drawing from her award-winning book, I Am Perfectly Flawsome: How embracing imperfection makes us better, and over two decades of working with high-achieving professionals and their teams, Michele explores how toxic perfectionism erodes confidence and creativity. You’ll uncover the hidden costs of overachievement, learn to identify perfectionist thinking patterns and gain actionable strategies to replace them with self-awareness, resilience, and authentic leadership. Helping you step into your full potential—flaws and all—as a bold, brilliant, and flawsome force in STEM.
Burnout
Lead by Tess Brigham
Tess Brigham (Certified coach, licensed therapist, TEDx Speaker, podcast host, author and creator of the TRUE YOU coaching course series) leads a workshop about Burnout, a critical yet often overlooked challenge for women in STEM, where high-performance cultures and systemic barriers can take a significant toll.
This workshop explores the science behind burnout, its impact on cognitive performance and well-being, and evidence-based strategies for prevention and recovery. Participants will leave with tools to recognize early signs, set boundaries, and build resilience, empowering them to sustain their careers without compromising their health.
Presentation and Public Speaking Skills
Lead by Lura Dolas
Lura Dolas (Senior Continuing Lecturer Emerita and former head of the UC Berkeley Acting Program) conducts a two-session, in-person workshop to help cohort participants deliver job talks and professional presentations clearly, confidently, and persuasively.
The workshops offer techniques for neutralizing stage fright, identifying naturally expressive behavior, achieving personal connection in virtual presentations, and replacing flat jargon with engaging language. Exercises to expand vocal range and improve eye contact and use of gesture will enhance both live and virtual audience rapport. These workshops provide a safe, constructive environment to promote individual participation.
How Leadership Needs Evolve with Climate and Culture
Lead by Andrea Cohen
Andrea Cohen (Director of Strategy and Chief of Staff to the Vice Provost, Division of Academic Affairs at UCSC). As STEM fields adapt to rapid technological shifts, global challenges, and evolving workplace expectations, leadership must evolve in parallel.
This workshop examines how cultural dynamics, organizational climate, and societal change influence what effective leadership looks like today, and tomorrow. Participants will explore adaptive leadership models, inclusive practices, and strategies for leading through uncertainty, preparing them to navigate and shape the future of STEM with agility and insight.
The Trouble with Passion: The Risks of the "Do What You Love" Narrative
Lead by Erin A. Cech
Erin A. Cech ( Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Associate Professor by courtesy in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan) She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from UC San Diego, undergraduate degrees in Electrical Engineering and Sociology from Montana State University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Clayman Institute at Stanford. Cech’s research examines cultural mechanisms of inequality reproduction in the workforce broadly and STEM fields specifically.
“Follow your passion” is a popular mantra for career decision-making in US, including in science and engineering. In this talk, Dr. Cech discuss findings from her book The Trouble with Passion that asks critical questions about this ideal and examines the dark side of the passion principle, and implications for cultural notions of “good work” popular in STEM.
Projecting Confidence, Making an Impact and Growing Your Network
Lead by Angela Stopper
Angela Stopper (Chief Learning Officer and Director of the People & Organization Development team at UC Berkeley People & Culture).
This session focuses on helping individuals project authentic confidence, cultivate personal impact, and grow meaningful professional networks. The talk explores the evolving definition of confidence and introduces six key competencies—courage, expertise, self awareness, self development, resilience, and adaptability—essential for building and sustaining confidence and making an impact.
Through reflective activities and practical strategies, participants learn to navigate challenges, avoid the pitfalls of hubris, and assess and expand their professional communities. Attendees leave with actionable tools to enhance self-awareness, build resilience, and strengthen their roles as informed connectors and impactful contributors in their careers.
Scientific Leadership & Management Skills Course (SLMS)
Lead by the Bay Area Postdoc Coalition
This course was designed for senior postdocs and junior investigators as a 3-session course to help bolster your experience in leadership styles, people management, and conflict resolution. The course will also include interactive discussions, case studies, and role-playing.
Through reflective activities and practical strategies, participants learn to navigate challenges, avoid the pitfalls of hubris, and assess and expand their professional communities. Attendees leave with actionable tools to enhance self-awareness, build resilience, and strengthen their roles as informed connectors and impactful contributors in their careers.
Shining Lights Graduation
The Cohort spends a full day together celebrating our new connections, skills and capabilities. Activities include a special workshop, followed by a family-friendly graduation ceremony and catered reception.
Useful Links
Resource
Link
Cohort Materials
Nominations now open for the 2026 Cohort!
Application deadline is October 19, 2025.
The application and nomination period is now open for the 2026 cohort.
Specific program content is under development. More information will be posted once available, including a full calendar of events.
