Le vital corps Salon

Le vital corps Salon


#0088: Alice Bowman on leading a diverse team, facing obstacles + calling a spacecraft 4 billion miles from Earth

July 08, 2020

Meet Alice Bowman. She’s a member of the Principal Professional Staff at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Alice is the Space Mission Operations Group supervisor and the NASA New Horizons Mission Operations Manager (MOM). And she’s the first-ever woman in that role. She's been part of two historic flybys ever conducted, which are billions of miles away. Alice is now the second guest who has graced this podcast who is a part of the space exploration community. The irony that I usually walk upstairs to work is not lost on me.  Of course, we're going to talk about space exploration in this episode, but we're also going to talk about what has to work well on Earth among the team for it to be possible and the lessons that Alice has personally learned along the way. According to Alice, there are many ways to be involved in space exploration, including how to communicate with a spacecraft, the aspects of project management, and leading a diverse team. In fact, Alice shares openly about creating a safe environment for all team members to flourish, including the importance of excellent communication, listening without prejudice or agenda, and respecting and trusting your team's expertise. When it comes to Alice’s journey, it took a lot of hard work, late nights, no nights, dedication, and perseverance.  She shares how she overcame self-imposed barriers and grew her self-confidence. As well as, address some of the hard challenges and work she has faced. My conversation with Alice was fascinating, insightful, and inspiring. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Selected link love + resources from the episode: https://www.vitalcorpswellness.com/blog/lvcs-0088-alice-bowman