MENGENAI EPISOD INI
In this episode of Ambitiously Her, host Dr. Mariana Quiroga Londoño sits down with Dr. Cindy Pham, a postdoctoral research associate in neurodevelopment and mental health at King's College London, for a conversation that goes far deeper than academia. Cindy shares her journey as a first-generation Vietnamese-Australian scientist: from her father's escape from Vietnam by boat with less than $8.50 to his name, to her own multidisciplinary PhD spanning epidemiology, neuroscience, pediatrics, and public health at the University of Melbourne. They discuss her research on how early-life environments shape children's neurodevelopment in low- and middle-income countries. Cindy opens up about a near-fatal experience at 17, her endometriosis diagnosis and the years of being dismissed before finally being heard, building multiple income streams as an early-career academic, and what it means to consciously choose motherhood on her own timeline rather than someone else's. Topics covered:
🔬 Building a research career across three continents
💔 Mental health, trauma, and what "second chances" really mean
🩸 Endometriosis, the diagnosis, the doubt, and why women shouldn't have to fight to be believed
💰 Diversifying income as a woman in academia
👶 Choosing motherhood on your own terms
🌏 What it means to be the first in your family to do any of this This is a candid, unfiltered conversation about resilience, ambition, and building a life that doesn't ask you to shrink any part of yourself to fit it.
CONNECT WITH US:
📧 Business Inquiries: ambitiouslyherpodcast@gmail.com
📱 Instagram, TikTok & YouTube: @ambitiouslyher.podcast
🎵 Official Theme Song: "Ambitiously Her Podcast Theme" across all streaming platforms
CREDITS:
Host, Founder, Podcast & Social Media Creative Director, and Theme Song Writer: Dr. Mariana Quiroga Londoño (@marianaql.science)
Podcast Editing and Social Media Content Creation: Bhumika Manjappa (@coffee_and_cognition) and Dr. Mariana Quiroga Londoño
