76: Vera Ignjatovic - Olympic Stardom to a Career in Medical Research

2ndwind Academy Podcast

In today's episode, Ryan speaks to Vera Ignjstovic, a former handballer representing Australia at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Negotiating her way into being a goalie in a male-dominated football team's inner childhood, Vera unknowingly laid the groundwork for her Olympic career and her later scientific ventures.

Fast forward 22 years, Vera is a seasoned Medical Researcher focusing on improving outcomes for children and is a groundbreaker in feet rarely achieved in the Medical Research realm; an internationally recognised expert in pediatrics, hematology, and proteomics. She is the Assistant Director for Translational Research at the Johns Hopkins All Children's Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University.
Tune in to learn more about:

- How Vera put herself out to a male-dominated game till she was given the role of a goalie
- The resurgence of handball in her life after they relocated to Australia from Serbia
- How they navigated playing handball in the era it was an amateur sport
- What she had to delay or eliminate to find a balance between the Olympics and her Ph.D.
- The unspoken anticlimax when one is not a professional athlete
- Vera's bold decision to walk away from her first professional opportunity in Denmark opting instead to try her luck as a scientist
- Landing her first technical job based on an interview skewed towards her Olympic exploits
- Pearls of wisdom from her amazing journey and multiple transitions
… and so much more!
Are you looking for Career Clarity for your next step, for more information, or to book a consultancy, make sure you check out

www.2ndwind.io

Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-vera-ignjatovic

فصول

1. Handball Player to Olympic Hero (00:00:00)

2. English Learning and Handball Adventure in Australia (00:07:18)

3. Balancing Olympic Dreams With a PhD (00:13:28)

4. Diversity, PhD, and Olympic Journey (00:28:37)

5. Pursuing Olympic Dreams in Denmark (00:32:43)

6. Olympic Fame (00:46:00)

7. Life After the Olympics (00:49:47)

8. The Importance of Drive and Repetition (01:02:32)