How a reluctant CEO conquered imposter syndrome to turn a biotech profitable

When Katherine Stueland took the CEO job at genetics testing and genomics company GeneDx in 2021, she had a clear mandate: Turn a profit. Within three years, she had succeeded. 

"It was a moment of great pride for me because I hadn't done it before," Stueland recalled in a new episode of the "CNBC Changemakers and Power Players" podcast with CNBC's Julia Boorstin. "In fact, I had worked for companies that failed to do that." 

Since taking the helm of the rare disease diagnostic testing and genetics company, Stueland has focused on opening up patient access and growing volume in areas that offer good reimbursement coverage – including epilepsy, autism and developmental delay – aligning purpose and profit. The company grew revenue 56% in 2024.

In spite of this rapid success, it wasn't always clear to Stueland that she would find herself leading a publicly traded biotech firm. 

"I hear people who were born to be a CEO," she said. "I felt really clear about the fact that I was a great right-hand person, and I think that might be true for a lot of women."

But when Stueland got the call to interview for the role and started to explore the opportunity, her curiosity was piqued. In a boardroom discussion with the prior owners, she realized she had all the answers she needed to succeed.

"The imposter syndrome was absolutely real … so that was a breakthrough for me," she said.

Her advice to ambitious women is to examine whether they're already equipped for a more advanced role in their careers — and to seek out mentors who will support their growth.

Stueland, a 2025 CNBC Changemaker, encourages women not to wait for the "perfect moment," but to "step into the deep end" when opportunity arises, even if it feels daunting.

To find and nurture female talent, Stueland urges management teams to build diverse teams, create opportunities for women to move into senior leadership roles, and provide meaningful mentorship. But she emphasizes that both sides are essential: women must be ready to step forward, and leaders must be willing to take a chance on them.

Over the course of her career, Stueland says her biggest learning has been to follow her gut, and an experience earlier in her career while working at a drug development company when she did not follow that advice has stuck with her to this day. In a meeting ahead of earnings, when the conversation turned to the topic of financial guidance, she didn't speak up. 

"I had this gut feeling that told me maybe we shouldn't give guidance – and I ignored that feeling – and that was a disaster for the company," she said. "I'll never forget that nagging feeling that I had that turned into kind of a sick feeling walking out of a meeting."

Today, she encourages female leaders – who she believes are uniquely instinctive – to follow that gut feeling. 

"We talk a lot about data-driven decisions, but if there's something that is nagging me … I've learned that I have to listen to it," she said.

Stueland is quick to admit that her path to running a biotech company was atypical.

At age 11, after learning that family members had cystic fibrosis, she resolved to raise money through a neighborhood raffle to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and set out to raise awareness. 

"That really instilled in me the sense of purpose and the sense of contribution on a very human issue that impacted our family," Stueland said. 

Stueland did not study genetics or biomedical research in college, having instead focused on English literature and communications. She believes this non-traditional background has proven advantageous when it comes to uniting a diverse set of stakeholders — from researchers and clinicians to patient advocates and investors — to identify problems and find solutions.

Stueland's initial break came when her first employer "took a leap of faith" and empowered her to share breakthrough clinical trial data with reporters and patient advocates.

"I went home that night just feeling the sense of real purpose and pride in being able to deliver information that really was life changing," she said.   

Today, her leadership style emphasizes vulnerability, empathy and humility, matched with the courage to be decisive, she said. In practice, this means she often shares stories about her own family's health journey with cystic fibrosis and her father's Alzheimer's disease which was not diagnosed early enough.

"We have this unique culture where we're constantly reminded and being able to encourage people to open up and challenge the status quo to really get to the heart of a problem – that's been key to our success as a company," Stueland said.

To stay grounded, Stueland practices mindfulness and prioritizes exercise. Throughout her career, she has worked hard to avoid burnout and trained as a yoga instructor in an effort to balance her drive for perfection with forgiveness. It was a life-changing learning, helping her to feel more connected and stay in the moment, and she took those skills to work, offering classes to colleagues at a prior company.

"The decision to teach was also one of those other vulnerable moments of letting people that I work with see a different side of me, and I was really grateful that anyone showed up for it," she said.

To this day, Stueland makes sure a wellness regimen is built into her daily routine, including her reliance on breathwork to find clarity. Walking between meetings, she often takes five minutes and follows this practice: Breathe in for four counts, hold for four counts, breathe out for six counts. 

"It helps bring my energy level to a calmer place, and so that's been something that has been a hack for me," she said.

Follow and listen to this and every episode of the "CNBC Changemakers and Power Players" podcast on Apple and Spotify.