In January, we did something that scared us.
We went all in on MSL Mastery.
No side projects.
No safety net.
Just a decision to spend 100% of our time building something different and innovative for Medical Affairs and trust that it would work.
The first week of January, we signed several training projects, including a multi-month contract.
Very exciting.
Also, we were figuring a lot of it out in real time. What guided us through the year wasn’t a perfect plan. It was listening.
Here are 4 lessons we learned by listening to you:
Lesson 1: You Don’t Want More Training. You Want Better Training.
You were clear about this early. You wanted training that:
→ Fits today’s way of working
→ Is practical, interactive, and grounded in real situations
→ Doesn’t feel like a stuffy lecture
→ Can be used immediately
You wanted to leave a session knowing exactly what to do next, not just feeling inspired.
That became our bar. And we pulled this through to both our pharma training clients and everyone in MSL Mastery Communities.
Lesson 2: Leadership Needs Proof, Not Praise.
While the field wanted relevance, leaders were under a different kind of pressure.
They needed:
→ Clear outcomes
→ Demonstratable impact
→ A way to justify continued investment in Medical Affairs
We learned quickly that “people loved it” isn’t enough. Leaders were like, yeah, that's great. What do you have that I can take to my boss?
Figuring out how to measure impact of our trainings was hard and took time.
At first, we wrote surveys that didn’t quite get at what mattered. We struggled with analyzing the data because our questions were so poorly written.
So we leaned in:
We learned how to define real skill-based outcomes.
We rebuilt our measurement approach (twice).
We figured out how to use AI to do it.
We experimented (a lot).
Hard work. Worth it.
Lesson 3: When Training Works, It Should Stick.
By mid-year, things clicked.
Most teams saw about a 15–20% improvement in key skills after a single session. When we show Medical Affairs leaders our charts they say, "I want that."
Teams in multi-month or subscription programs continued to build from there. But the biggest win? The skills held.
No short-term spike. No fade-out.
That’s when training stopped being a checkbox and started being strategic.
Lesson 4: People Don’t Just Need Skills. They Need People.
This year, one thing surprised us. Even high-performing, thoughtful MSLs told us they felt alone.
Not because they weren’t capable. But because the work has changed: faster timelines, higher expectations, fewer places to think out loud.
You told us:
“I wasn’t trained for the job I’m actually doing.”
“I don’t know what ‘good’ really looks like.”
“I don’t want to figure this out by myself.”
That’s why we leaned in hard into our communities:
Not as “programs,” but as places where:
→ You can ask real questions
→ Practice without performing
→ Learn from people who actually get the job
This year, we helped 50+ people land roles in pharma. We launched SuperMira so our communities could get the 24/7 support they needed. We also opened up our small group coaching calls to the public through paid workshops. The first one on planning sold out in 24 hours!
Through experimentation, trying our crazy ideas, we helped our community members do more than land jobs or get internal awards; we gave them confidence, clarity, and a place where they belong.
Skills matter but support changes everything.
Our Year By the Numbers
If you want to see what this year looked like at scale, from people trained to communities grown to AI tools launched, we pulled it all together here:
MSL Mastery 2025: Our Year in Review (by the numbers)
It’s a quick snapshot of what we built together.
TL;DR: What You Showed Us
As we head into the new year, one thing feels clear:
→ Medical Science Liaisons matter
→Medical Affairs matters
And the people doing this work deserve training, tools, and communities that reflect that reality.
This year wasn’t defined by what we launched.
It was defined by what you showed us you needed and trusted us to build.
Thank you for your honesty, your pressure, and your trust.
From our slightly chaotic MSL Mastery family to yours,
happy holidays and here’s to a strong year ahead.
With gratitude,
Sarah & Patrina
P.S. You probably thought we forgot to include a prompt in this newsletter. We didn't 
! It's our favorite part. To help you think about what you want to get out of next year, try this prompt in Mira:
“Based on my role and experience and my goal of [X], what 2–3 skills should I focus on strengthening in 2026 and how can I practice them in my current job?”
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