The Supercharge Your Career program

Developed exclusively for the NCI, this series of five one-hour leadership coaching sessions is custom-designed to help you take your career to the next level... whatever that looks like for you. Just as a sports coach helps athletes achieve their performance goals, a leadership coach helps you set and achieve inspiring goals in your career.

Your coaching journey can help you...

Level Up

In order to excel in your current role, you will need additional leadership skills. What has gotten you here won't necessarily get you there.

You want to grow into the next version of your professional self.

Find what's next

You have worked like crazy to get where you are today. You are eager for an inspiring next chapter, but aren't sure what exactly that looks like.

You want to intentionally design your next splendid adventure.

Build Balance

You are supposedly "living the dream" with the career and family you wanted, and yet it feels like you are perpetually behind and just barely getting by.

You want to live the dream, not just survive the dream.

Grow Confidence

You are tired of the self-doubt, self-criticism, and feeling like you are not as good as those around you. You have felt like an imposter for too long.

You want to grow confidence in the awesome person that is YOU.

Fix Relationships

Whether in your personal or professional life, you have a relationship that you wish were better. You feel stuck, and are looking for new approaches.

You want to crack the code in how to have a truly great relationship.

Build your Network

You know that you need a strong network in order to find mentorship and job opportunities. You just wish that you didn't find it so hard to put yourself out there.

You want to build your network in a way that works for YOU.

Hi, I'm Samantha.

PhD Scientist / Engineer /
HR Executive / Coach

I will be your coach and guide for the Supercharge Your Career program.

I've built a game-changing toolkit from diverse fields to help you take your career and life to the next level.

With a Ph.D. from MIT, executive HR experience at Ginkgo Bioworks, 15 years as a leadership coach, and 10 years of coaching at the NCI, I help you create a tailored strategy for all areas of your life. The ultimate goal: That you live an inspired life, by your own definition.

From past coaching participants

Jackie G.

Professor of Neuroscience

"My coaching with Samantha has made me a much more effective competitive academic scientist, allowing me to keep my creative edge by fully embracing the management challenges. For anyone who wants to be both a scientist and a leader, coaching is an effective, deep and personal way of tackling the core questions."

Courtney D.

Cancer Prevention Fellow, NCI

"When I entered coaching, my goal was to move beyond mere survival and truly thrive. Under Dr. Sutton’s guidance, I learned to harness my strengths, evolve challenges into opportunities for growth, and enhance my relationships. Her method helped me explore and articulate my career aspirations, ultimately leading to a successful transition from traditional research to a fulfilling role as a regulatory review trainee at the FDA."

Program Details

The program consists of five one-hour 1:1 coaching sessions, conducted via Zoom. The sessions may be used between February 1, 2025 and May 15, 2025, between the hours of 9a and 5p EST, at a cadence chosen by the participant. Because sessions will be held during the work day, please check with your research mentor to ensure that the sessions can integrate with lab expectations.

There will be custom-tailored "assignments" between sessions in order for participants to take action on the concepts covered during the sessions. These assignments should require no more that 1-2 hours each.

If you are interested in applying, please apply here by January 24. You will be notified by January 31 if you are accepted.