On episode 54 of A Chat with Uma, we dive into Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Rachel Wurzman—a neuroscientist, neuroethicist, therapist, entrepreneur, and lived-experience advocate who has walked through the fire of academia, identity, and survival while holding onto her nonlinear truth.
In this second half, Rachel takes us deep into her professional journey: navigating graduate school dysfunction, fighting stigma in the very labs that trained her, and finding ways to keep contributing even when mentors tried to hold her back. She opens up about what it meant to build resilience in the face of sabotage, ableism, sexism, and systemic barriers—and how she reclaimed her place in neuroscience, neuroethics, and innovation. Along the way, she reflects on the power of lived experience in shaping scientific insight, what it means to survive academia without losing yourself, and how embracing her multidisciplinary “many-hatted” identity ultimately became her strength.
What emerges is a conversation about persistence, reinvention, and refusing to amputate parts of yourself to fit a mold. Rachel’s story is one of learning to own her voice, design her own path, and use the very struggles that nearly pushed her out of science as fuel to transform it.
Topics Discussed (+ Timestamps):
(00:00:00) Introduction & welcome back to Dr. Rachel Wurzman, PhD!
(00:03:00) Entering the lab: Tourette’s, cannabinoids, and turning lived experience into scientific insight
(00:10:30) First publications: premonitory urges, sensory neuroscience, and shaping hypotheses through her own body
(00:14:00) Visible vs. invisible diagnoses: Tourette’s as “proof,” masking OCD & bulimia, and stigma in neuroscience
(00:17:00) Wanting to be a pediatric neurologist: reframing what parents see in their kids
(00:24:30) Graduate school reality: dysfunction, ableism, sexism, and the gauntlet of scientific acculturation
(00:28:40) Surviving sabotage: rewriting a stigmatizing letter, securing the NRSA, and finding allies
(00:33:00) Burnout, isolation, and social anxiety in the PhD years
(00:35:30) Thesis defense chaos: stigma exposed, resilience tested, and the relief of moving forward
(00:38:40) Rediscovering joy in science: mentorship, collaboration, and falling back in love with research
(00:46:00) Neuroethics and responsibility: bridging policy, military neuroscience, and human impact
(00:55:00) Becoming “many-hatted”: scientist, therapist, innovator, and entrepreneur shaped by lived experience
(01:07:00) Toward humane neurotech: what Rachel is building now and why lived experience must lead the way
(01:20:00) Final reflections: persistence, self-trust, and honoring every part of yourself
Connect with Dr. Wurzman!
Connect with me!
- My website: umarchatterjee.com
- Instagram: @UmaRChatterjee
- Twitter: .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.