From Lab Mishaps to Boardroom Mastery

Caron Trumbo: [: 00:00:00

Always volunteer. I judge for the state science fair regularly with our foundation. I'm on the VPM Science Matters Board to help figure out what's going on in science in the state. Always give back because, especially women in science we, there's not enough of us.

And the best way to do that is to mentor someone younger if you can. So always give back and then give up. It's a battle for sure, and science is hard. You can spend a whole year working on something and then find out this doesn't work and you're back at square one. Don't give up.

Alexa Beavers: Koran Trumbo grew up learning how to survive in an unpredictable household, and she came up with an unexpected strength. The ability to meet people where they are without losing herself. Now as a leader, she brings that same emotional intelligence to every conversation, acknowledging the weight of other struggles while staying steady in her own.

e President of operations at [: 00:01:00

With a strong background in life sciences and deep knowledge of the biotech landscape. She has been instrumental. Advancing Virginia Bio's mission beyond her professional role. Koran is active in the Junior League of Richmond, promoting volunteerism and community improvement. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and three young boys.

Welcome, Koran. We're just gonna get right into it. So tell me a little bit about that time in your career where you had this moment of OMG. I just really screwed up.

technique. To get everything [: 00:02:00

To get you, as in a setting, I'm in a lab bench and I have a little container of alcohol that is, worse than any kind of alcohol you've ever had. It's so strong. And I have a bunsen burner with a flame going so that I can use a pair of tweezers. To grab the equipment that I need to clean, it in the ethyl alcohol, then put it over top of the buns and burner that is flaming and. all completely normal. You're supposed to set it on fire, but the fire dies off after the ethyl alcohol burns off and you know you have it clean. So I'm in the lab, I'm doing that. I'm probably on my last piece of equipment to do that with, I drop it into the thing of Ethel alcohol completely on fire. So what happens is I have now put flame to alcohol and it is. Literally burning And I have one of those real freakout moments where I stand [00:03:00] there for a second and I'm like, I don't even know what to do. Then I see a fire and I'm like, I'm gonna get the fire extinguisher. So I run to the fire extinguisher, realizing I'm not even sure I know how to work.

Said fire extinguisher. And as I'm standing there with the extinguisher in my hand, I realize, wait, these lab benches are flame retardent. That flame is gonna be putting itself out. So I just need to stop what I'm doing and let it do its thing and make sure I've removed any other ethyl alcohol that is now sitting on the bench.

And sure enough, after a couple minutes it burnt off and my heart rate came a little bit down because I was very jazzed at that moment. And no one wants. To set a fire especially in their work environment. I truly set a fire and learned a lot from that mistake that you will never make

s that ever listened to this [: 00:04:00

Tell me a little bit about, what it was like to just really slow down and what were you feeling in your body? What did that look like? What, if I was watching you on a Netflix episode, what would I be seeing?

Caron Trumbo: I probably looked like the emoji of the brain exploding because I, at that moment was having so many thoughts, but most of them were freak out.

We've all, we've all been in work environments where that smoke detector goes off, our smoke alarm goes off and you have to leave and it's 'cause somebody, Burt Popcorn.

solution, which was the fire [: 00:05:00

I don't actually need to do this thing. I actually just need to wait it out. So that's what I did, but I full spectrum that

Alexa Beavers: That's amazing. I think that you did go full spectrum and when you think about the things that were imagining, let's just go back to the devil on the shoulder, then we'll go to the one that's oh, it's okay. We have some, think clearly. What were some of the thoughts I heard you say.

I'm gonna be the reason everyone's walking out of the school due to the thing. What were some of the other thoughts? Because I think some of our listeners might have had these thoughts before, even if they didn't set a lab on fire.

his. is made so that if this [: 00:06:00

Alexa Beavers: Absolutely. And you know what really strikes me as I keep pulling you back into the yuck, I'm just doing it as the podcast person. What I'm noticing is that your conversation, your internal dialogue between the, oh, you're gonna get fired and. But wait happened really quickly. And I think that is pretty unusual based on some of the coaching I do.

So tell me more about what do you think led you to be able to have that happen fast instead of sitting there in panic mode? Do you have any kind of thoughts about that?

hat grew up in a house that, [: 00:07:00

So I think growing up in a household [00:08:00] where things aren't necessarily traditional and you have real life problems it helps you decide which problems are big and which problems are not thick.

Alexa Beavers: Oh my gosh. I really am grateful for you sharing that one. That's a pretty big thing to live through, and not to diminish any of those, I think that you were in training mode for this fire for a long time,

Caron Trumbo: I was the oldest of, or am the oldest of three kids in three years. So I feel my sweet siblings did a really good job of making sure that I was used to putting out fires throughout our

Alexa Beavers: Isn't it funny how life sometimes shines right back in your face and shows you, Hey, you're actually really good at this thing, and I think by your you're dishing it to us. We understand that, you've been training that for a long time, training for that for a long time. Yeah.

Caron Trumbo: yes, very much.

nds of fires that might have [: 00:09:00

There were a couple of lessons that even came out as you reflected on that. I'm curious about how you would really categorize some of the things that were. The silver linings of, this fire, but maybe even that history of learning as you go and then applying it in your career.

Caron Trumbo: So I eventually became a lab manager. The person that had to deal with me after I set stuff on fire and I think I was able to do a much better job of managing undergrads in a lab. I had this experience, I could truly look at those kids, young adults and be like, you're gonna make a mistake and it's okay.

ands you have this thing and [: 00:10:00

Set it in the machine wrong and you lose everything you've been working on for weeks, and those are things that you've just learned in a lab. And I was fortunate enough to learn it at an early age, so I was able to be a much more empathetic lab manager when I started working with students. I also think it helps me a lot now in my current position where I, I'm VP of operations at Virginia Bio, and in that role I'm working with a ton of different people.

I am working with CEOs, I am working with grad students. I am working with scientists that have been working in a lab for a while. Ev, insurance providers, everything you can think of. I'm working with them I realized what they think are big issues to them, and I need to take that seriously because I've seen both sides of the coin on this. And I can also really be sympathetic towards people when they're coming to me and they need help

avers: Amazing. I think that [: 00:11:00

So I think that's one thing. And then you also, it sounded like got a little bit more, you softened a little bit maybe towards yourself because you realized, ugh, I really made a big mistake. I threw away a whole week's worth of lab work by making one. Move. And that helped you to think about the students that were there and the fact that you're learning.

And now you've pivoted that to Virginia Bio, where you are today, where you're working with, not students, but CEOs you're working with, not students, but established scientists that have big giant problems that are faced facing them. And they probably seem giant in the moment. One of the things you just said was, I'm.

think, how big their problem [: 00:12:00

Caron Trumbo: We all hold ourselves to different standards. I am clearly an OCD type A person based on the way I grew up, and that's just okay. I did good stuff with it. I could have done bad stuff and I went a good way with it. I, and have managed to find. Jobs in my life that had helped, that helped me use that OCD and type A personality better the company as opposed to hurt it in any way. And because of that I can get a lot done in a day, a whole lot, but I recognize not everyone works that some people need to process things more, need to give a little more time. And so I have to be. Patient and understanding and not hold people to the same standards that I hold myself to. And that's been really good.

if they are unable to do as [: 00:13:00

And so in my work life, I. I use it for good. I am able to do a lot. We are a very small organization, so I'm a jack of all trades and have learned a lot of new skills that I did not get from the lab. But it helps me when I talk to scientists 'cause I'm like, Hey, I know you think that this is the only thing you can do, but these skills are actually very transferrable to X if you're ever interested. And that's one of the things scientists especially. You feel like you have this degree and you have to stick and research because that's your only

Alexa Beavers: Mm-hmm.

know what's out there while [: 00:14:00

May not be a super easy task to someone else.

Alexa Beavers: There's some connection between what you just described and the thing we started out with. Your lesson, what you're talking to me about a little bit is seeing broadly, and not seeing, the pigeonhole I'm in fear response. I can only see what's right in front of me.

You did that in the moment in the lab, and then you help other people to do that in. How they view themselves and their situation, maybe their problem, maybe their opportunities. So can you tell me a little bit more about how you cultivate that open eyes open kind of thing as you move forward into your career and help others in addition to what you do to help the scientists you just mentioned.

otechnology association. And [: 00:15:00

Especially one that's trying to start a company. And I learned always say yes. So you know, you never know what's gonna happen. I took this job. Literally having no clue what an association was and very quickly had to learn. But if I had said no, I would've never learned any of these things or, seen all the growth that's happening here in Virginia

dy state. And I think as you [: 00:16:00

In science start up and grow and be interdependent in the system. Tell me a little bit about how that earliest experience helped to speed you in this direction.

th Virginia Bio in January of: 2016

Alexa Beavers: It's like your Super Bowl, basically.

was like, Jeff, I don't know [: 00:17:00

Alexa Beavers: Another head exploding moment.

Caron Trumbo: Yes. It's I know you just used English words, but I do not understand 'em. And it was, humbling. But also I need to ask because this is now my job and I don't know anything about this. So I had to have a bit of a tutorial on government relations and the general assembly building and what even a bioscience.

Caucus invite was, and asking the questions really helped set me up for success. Nine years later, I helped lead a government affairs committee for our membership, and I'm very familiar with everything happening at the state level in the bioscience industry. But it humbling to come into a situation and literally not even understand what was being asked of me.

ou think about, your ability [: 00:18:00

Caron Trumbo: Oh man. I think I'm always eager to learn,

Not knowing everything is okay. And I, as you mentioned, I do know that, and I recognize that in other people, but it doesn't mean that you can't take the time to learn it. So I have spent a lot of time learning about things I did not know. I went from knowing. When I did research, I knew a whole lot about one very specific gene.

Yes. And now I'm in this industry where I know a little bit about a whole lot. So it's been really just cool to learn all of that while also recognizing. I have, again, hone some new skills that I am very good at that I didn't even know were there.

. I just did not realize how [: 00:19:00

Alexa Beavers: That's amazing. And I think it's interesting what you just said about you knew a lot about a very, deep kind of topic with that one gene. And now you're, a lot about a lot of things. So going from deep to broad in this industry where you are advocating for science startups in Virginia, I bet you come across a lot of experts.

Is that right? So I'm gonna back up. How does that feel to you to be a jack of all trades, but maybe a, not a deep understanding of one thing among those experts? How do you engage with them?

. I just really like to hear [: 00:20:00

And now it feels me more to hear them getting passionate than it does, previously how I used to be when it came to talking about BCR able. It's really just been. Fun to learn from them and learn to appreciate that they are dedicating so much time to this bank. that's, at the end of the day, trying to help somebody.

Everything they're doing is trying to help somebody. It's coming from the best place possible.

Alexa Beavers: I love that. And I think what I just, if I was visualizing you talking to someone, you're not worried about talking about everything. You're inviting them to share everything they know and that feeds your desire to learn. So it's a really nice fit. Okay. So tell me you've learned a lot about.

day, how could you give them [: 00:21:00

Caron Trumbo: Don't be afraid to ask the questions clearly. It's the only way to learn, especially when you're in a lab where, and not asking the question can also set you up for failure. Pretty big. So that's the first one. Secondly, I would say. Don't be afraid to make a mistake but learn from it.

I, that mistake only matters if you actually learn something from it. I feel like, it's only good if you learn from it. And then thirdly, don't say no. All of us are, especially, I think statistically speaking, women are most likely to not apply for a position if they don't meet all of the needs or qualifications.

And it's don't say no to that. You might, say yes to half of this. So just. Go for it. You never know what's gonna happen and you never actually know what someone's looking for. So just say yes. You never know what comes from it in any way.

my gosh. That's really cool. [: 00:22:00

Caron Trumbo: I think that is part of the give back,

Always volunteer. I judge for the state science fair regularly with our foundation. I'm on the VPM Science Matters Board to help figure out what's going on in science in the state. Always give back because, especially women in science we, there's not enough of us.

And the best way to do that is to mentor someone younger if you can. So always give back and then give up. It's a battle for sure, and science is hard. You can spend a whole year working on something and then find out this doesn't work and you're back at square one. Don't give up.

It's very easy to think about it at times. Also, we're in a different research environment right now and that's ever changing, hopefully. If you're still passionate about a project, don't give up on it. There are ways to still do it.

ve that. You know what? It's [: 00:23:00

How do you persevere?

Caron Trumbo: I think it, I think you'd need to take some time and have that break. Give yourself the time to mourn what you thought was going to happen and then once you've. Gotten to a place where you feel like you are ready to go. Just look, it is. I'm like, sometimes it's just the way you frame it. Your research project might have been intended for X, but now maybe you want to cater it towards something in defense, because the DOD has lots of funding. And if you can do that and pivot the way you phrase it, then you can still work on this project.

It might not be the original route you had intended, but there's still a way. I feel especially in science, we saw a lot of that during COVID.

Alexa Beavers: Yeah.

pivot what they were working [: 00:24:00

Alexa Beavers: Yeah, being open to the possibilities and like you said, don't say no. Find ways to help other people say yes to you too. I.

Caron Trumbo: Yes.

Alexa Beavers: Well, Koran, it has been such a joy and thank you for your authenticity and sharing so much about your journey. It really was a gift to a lot of people. Tell me, where can people find you if they're looking for you?

Caron Trumbo: LinkedIn is probably the best resource Quran Trumbo on LinkedIn. I with Virginia Bio, so you'll be able to find me, or you can find me on the Virginia Bio website as well. But LinkedIn is usually the easiest way to get in touch with me.

Alexa Beavers: And if you're in the Virginia Bio corridor, at any event, you'll probably see Koran.

e're gonna have a busy month [: 00:25:00

Alexa Beavers: Thank you for making us time for us . So I just wanna share, some of the key takeaways that I just, I think there are so many treasures in this conversation. Always give yourself a little grace. There's gonna be that first devil on your shoulder that's oh, that was a real screw up.

You're gonna get fired. And if you can train yourself to be open earlier. Give yourself some grace. It will open the door to all kinds of things. Another thing that you shared was, having a little empathy, not only for yourself but for others, has really gone a long way. You gave empathy to yourself in the beginning, but then you helped your students to know, it's okay, I get it.

ere and I can't wait to hear [: 00:26:00

Thanks for listening. If you like what you heard tune into the next Transformation Unfiltered episode where we'll have other guests at just, maybe not just like Koran because she was so awesome, but with their own unique perspectives that'll help us to.

Accelerate our careers because they're willing to put their stuff out there for us and dish it. We look forward to sharing more with you on the upcoming episodes of Transformation Unfiltered. Thanks again, Kiran.