The Inner Critic

What if the loudest voice holding you back isn't your boss, your industry, or anyone around you — but the one inside your own head?

In this first episode, Sharon sits down with Mary Quirk — scientist, writer, and longtime friend — to talk about the inner critic that tells you you're too much in one lane and not enough in another. Mary built a career at the University of Minnesota Medical School doing both: rigorous science and the kind of writing that makes that science land with real people. This conversation is about how she did it — and what she'd tell her younger self.

Mary references Tara Mohr's 2014 book Playing Big, which she credits as a turning point in quieting her own inner critic. If this episode resonated with you, it's a great next read.

🎵 Original score composed by Owen Sartori at F5 Soundhouse, Minneapolis.