Navigating Our Fear of Change With Mary Poffenroth

Beyond the Thesis With Papa PhD

Welcome to another enlightning episode of Beyond the Thesis With Papa PhD!

This week, I delve into the intricacies of fear and courage with my guest, Mary Poffenroth. During this discussion about navigating the fear of change, especially relevant for graduate students and early-career professionals facing uncertainty about the future, Mary shares her rich experiences, from studying at Imperial College London to her groundbreaking work on fear and bravery, which has graced the pages of major publications like Forbes, Time, and National Geographic. In this episode, you’ll discover practical “neurohacks” designed to help manage fear and anxiety—tools that are accessible to everyone, whether you’re dealing with stage fright or the unpredictability of the job market. Additionally, Mary emphasizes the importance of face-to-face networking, finding your niche, and the often misunderstood relationship between fear and courage.

Tune in to hear actionable insights, gripping personal stories, and how you, too, can reframe challenges as growth opportunities, all while making fear a less taboo subject. Whether you’re navigating academic pressures or career transitions, this episode offers invaluable advice on building resilience and embracing change.

Dr. Mary Poffenroth is a scientist, professor, and fear expert who has spent her career researching how we can all live more courageously, every day. From being adopted at birth to being the first – and only – family member to attend college to her first day at NASA and beyond, Mary has dedicated her life to understanding how best to do scary things. Her work has been featured in publications such as Forbes, TIME, Science, TED, Entrepreneur, the Wall Street Journal, SUCCESS Magazine, and Fast Company. Mary has three master’s degrees (biology, psychology, science communication) and a PhD in psychology. Mary shares some of her best stories and strongest courage building, fear fighting neurohacks in her book Brave New You (Hachette, October 2024).

What we covered in the interview:

• 🧠 Neurohacks for Fear Management: Mary shared practical tools like “box breathing” and scent-based techniques to quickly mitigate fear responses. She even demonstrated the calming effect of massaging the area between the thumb and index finger.
• 🧘 The RAIN Method Learn to recognize, assign, identify, and navigate your fears. This method helps you understand the physical signals of stress and categorize them, making it easier to manage and overcome anxiety.
• ♻️ Reframing Rejection: We discussed viewing rejection as a growth opportunity. Think of dealing with setbacks like playing a challenging video game—consistency and persistence are key to success.

🔗See the resources section below for Mary’s links!

This episode’s resources:

• Website | MaryPoffenroth.com
• Neurohack card deck | HelloBraveNewYou.com
• Instagram | @marypoffenroth
• Twitter | @MaryPoffenroth
• Facebook | @marypoffenroth
• TikTok | @marypoffenroth

Thank you, Mary Poffenroth!

If you enjoyed this conversation with Mary, let her know by clicking the link below and leaving her a message on Linkedin:

Send Mary a message on Linkedin!

Click here to share your key take-away from this interview with David!

You might also like the following episodes:

Sara Thompson – Out of the Box Careers Post-PhD

Jessica Schleider (Rerun) –Dealing With Mental Unrest

Andrew Ceperley – Building Fulfilling Academia Adjacent Careers

Alessandra Wall – Positioning Yourself Outside Academia