Navigating Your Path - S1E3: A Conversation with Beth Marlowe

From Military Brat to Lab Leader: Dr. Beth Marlowe on Community, Mentorship, and Leading Through Adversity In this episode, Duane interviews his longtime friend Dr. Beth Marlowe, Executive Scientific Director for Infectious Diseases at Quest Diagnostics, about how their military-family upbringings shaped resilience, perspective, and a drive to build community. Beth recounts her father’s Vietnam service and her rural roots in Blythe, California, emphasizing community values, patient advocacy, and remembering where you came from. She traces her path from early dreams of being an astronaut to environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona, highlighting mentors and interdisciplinary training. They discuss mentorship as a “personal board of directors,” the value of travel and diverse perspectives, and Beth endorses the need for lab leaders to develop business and communication skills. She describes how joining Quest shortly before COVID strengthened her leadership through visibility, teamwork, psychological safety, and rapid decision-making under scrutiny. 00:00 Welcome 04:50 Happy Hour Community Vibes 09:12 Military Brat Roots 12:32 Blythe and Giving Back 19:45 Germany and Growing Up Abroad 26:43 From Astronaut Dreams to Micro 31:44 Grad School Mentors and Hawaii 38:45 Interdisciplinary Skills That Stick 41:53 Mentorship and Personal Board 46:18 Women in Leadership 49:37 Business Skills Gap 55:41 Travel and Perspective 01:00:05 Advice to Younger Self 01:09:22 Leading Through COVID 01:13:30 Psychological Safety 01:20:06 Community and Wrap Up Connect with Duane here: Email me: [email protected] Podcast Website: www.navigatingyourpath.site YouTube Channel:    / @navigatingyourpath   Coaching Website: www.dwnconsult.com