Inside the Leader's Mind
From Lab to Leadership: Sonya Weigle on Human
Capital, Ego, and Scaling Biotech
Capital, Ego, and Scaling Biotech
Watch or listen now:
Step Into Your Next Chapter of Biotech Leadership
Turn the page toward a career and life that aligns
with your intuition and highest potential.
Who IS
Sonya Wilford Weigle?
Biotech Leadership Advisor | Founder | Keynote Speaker
Sonya Weigle is a leading biotech advisor and founder who helps life-sciences founders grow into decisive CEOs and supports senior women executives as they design their next chapter. She blends executive biotech experience with intuitive decision-making and career evolution to guide leaders through their most pivotal transitions. From scientists moving into the C-suite to high level women launching ventures that reflect who they are, Sonya creates the kind of leadership transformation few others can offer.
The Story Behind
the Work
“Follow your intuition” is something you’ve heard before.
But I’m curious, are you actually following it?
As a woman who has built a career inside one of the most demanding, male-dominated sectors, intuition has been my greatest advantage.
It helped me carve out self-made opportunities, navigate high-stakes leadership, and cross the fear bridge more times than I can count.
Women hold a powerful, ancestral instinct, but we’re conditioned to put ourselves last. Career, family, expectations—choosing between being a mother and a founder—everything above what we truly want. Your intuition is a compass pointing you toward a future that honors both who you are and who you’re becoming.
Why fit into a box when you can check ALL the boxes?
I’m Sonya Weigle—biotech leader, founder, advisor, and champion for women and scientists stepping into their next chapter. My work in executive experience, intuitive alignment, and reinvention strategy helps leaders build lives and ventures that support their well-being, purpose, and sense of freedom.
For senior women ready to choose themselves, and scientists moving into leadership, creating a path that reflects your vision is possible. And it begins by listening inward.
“I have always admired Sonya for her leadership, strategic vision, and unwavering dedication to lifting others as she rises. Her latest endeavor, launching The Catalytic Collective, is a perfect reflection of her values and her commitment to creating space for women to grow, connect, and lead with confidence.
She brings people together with purpose and authenticity, and her ability to turn ideas into impactful action is unmatched. Sonya has this rare ability to blend executive presence with genuine warmth. She listens deeply, acts decisively, and leads with intention. Whether she’s hosting impactful events, mentoring rising leaders, or building bridges across industries, her influence is both immediate and lasting.
The Catalytic Collective is more than an initiative—it is a movement, and that’s a direct reflection of Sonya’s leadership. I’m so excited to watch the ripple effect of her leadership in motion. I have certainly had this privilege as she led my team and am so thankful for her inspiration, determination, and overall guidance both professionally and personally.”
—Annette Polidora, Biotech Executive and
Member of The Catalytic Collective
Member of The Catalytic Collective
Ways to Work Together
What I Do
I help biotech leaders evolve into the next version of themselves with alignment and confidence. Whether you’re stepping into the CEO role or redefining your next chapter beyond the C-suite, my work supports you at every stage of your leadership evolution.
Who I Help
• Life science leaders moving into CEO or
executive leadership
• Senior women in biotech designing their next chapter
• Early-stage biotech companies preparing to scale
• Leaders navigating identity shifts, transition,
and overwhelm
What I Do
NextStageBio Advisors: Leadership Advisory, Consulting, & Coaching
For early-stage biotech CEOs and founders preparing to scale, this advisory supports leaders through one of the most demanding transitions in the industry. NextStageBio Advisors exists to help scientists become decisive leaders, strengthen investor confidence, and build the organizational foundation required for success. From coaching CEOs to strategic consulting, this is where biotech leaders learn how to build both the company and the leadership needed to sustain it.
Biotech CEO Lab
A coaching experience for biotech founders and CEOs stepping into the full scope of leadership. The Biotech CEO Lab focuses on the transition from scientific expert to executive and covers everything from, board and investor dynamics, team leadership, hiring, preparing for clinical milestones, and organizational scale. This is where CEOs build systems with the confidence and clarity required to grow both the company and themselves.
The Catalytic Collective: Next Chapter Support for Women
This community of executive women are at the top of their game. But where do they go from there? This community exists to help accomplished women in biotech step into their next chapter with agency, expanded leadership, and create a new path with them at the center.
Awards & Recognition
Top 40 Business People Under 40
“Woman on the Move”
“Leadership Award”
“Woman of Distinction”
“Top 30 Inspirational Women”
“Woman on the Move”
Speaking & Media
Talk Topics
Choose Yourself First:
Designing a Career Aligned With Your Intuition
A powerful keynote on reclaiming agency, honoring inner guidance, and creating a next chapter rooted in clarity and personal truth.
The Identity Evolution of a Leader
Why every major career transition requires an internal shift. Sonya breaks down how leaders evolve from reacting to leading with intention, purpose, and grounded confidence.
How to Scale a Biotech Without Burning Out Your CEO
A grounded look at what early-stage biotech companies truly need from leadership—clarity, strong systems, organizational readiness—and how CEOs can grow sustainably.
Women in Biotech:
Redefining Success, Power, and the Next Chapter
A keynote for senior women navigating complex careers, showing how to reclaim agency, expand leadership, and build futures that reflect who they are—not what the industry expects.
Top 30 Inspirational Women and Their Success Stories
—NY Weekly Magazine
Testimonials
Lucy L., Attendee of “The Art and Act of Reinvention”
“I attended your talk on The Art and Act of Reinvention. It resonated with me as I am currently in the process of reinvention for the fourth time now. You helped me see past my limitations. Thank you!”
Nashelle J.F., Attendee of “The Art and Act of Reinvention”
“Thank you, Sonya, for sharing all of those wisdom nuggets during your talk on reinvention. I’m truly inspired and motivated for this next phase of my life and career. It’s serendipitous because I was already beginning this journey, but you brought it all together with actionable steps and tools.”
Kelly Lorah, CEO, Lorah Healthcare Alliance and Member of The Catalytic Collective
“I am beyond impressed! You have built something incredible here. This platform is so engaging and intuitive.”
John Hunter, Chief Scientific Officer, SiteOne Therapeutics
“Sonya quickly established herself as an invaluable member of the SiteOne leadership team, providing critical strategic as well as tactical input at a time of unprecedented growth and change for our company. She developed an excellent rapport with the leadership team and with the staff, who quickly came to trust her judgment and advice on handling change as well as working most effectively as a team. Sonya also played an important role in providing creative ideas and strategies for maintaining our company culture, particularly through the merger with a much larger partner.”
John Mulcahy, Ph.D., Co-founder, SiteOne Therapeutics
“Sonya joined our team as a strategic human resources consultant and made a significant impact. She helped us put systems and processes in place across the employee lifecycle—from recruitment and onboarding to retention and offboarding—which gave us the foundation we needed to grow the company in a more structured way.
In addition to building out HR infrastructure, Sonya was consistently available to talk through communication strategies and important HR decisions, offering valuable perspective and practical solutions.
I would highly recommend Sonya to any company experiencing rapid growth. She brings the right combination of expertise, professionalism, and adaptability to help small, dynamic organizations establish strong HR practices that scale with the company.”
Beyond the Bio
- I once founded netWorkingmommy, a women’s networking venture for entrepreneurial moms that grew rapidly through community and word of mouth, before social media existed.
- I have three adult children who live in different cities. We love to travel together as a family and call it “Weigles Assemble.”
- Slow mornings meditating, journaling, and relaxed coffee with my husband have become my favorite part of the day.