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climate_ages

Where Paleontology, Conservation, and Climate Meet
Founder of Climate Ages
& the Medium Publications Fossils et al. and STEM Parenting
Omg! Thanks!! My newsletter is #30 Rising in Cli Omg! Thanks!! My newsletter is #30 Rising in Climate and Environment on Substack!! 🤯
Did leaving academia mean that I gave up my life p Did leaving academia mean that I gave up my life purpose? Here are 5 things that helped me find a better answer. 1. I stopped seeing “quitting” as failure. Leaving academia wasn’t giving up. It was choosing a path that was better for me at that point 2. I let go of the identity trap. I wasn’t just a scientist. I was also a storyteller. A systems thinker. A human with something to say. 3. I followed the spark. Writing publicly lit it. Talking to people outside my field fed it. Eventually, it grew into Climate Ages. 4. I found meaning in becoming a bridge between science and society. I started sharing what no one told me: The behind-the-scenes of the scientific world. Sharing the human stories behind pipettes and field boots. 5. I realized purpose isn’t a title. It’s not a job, a grant, or a degree. Purpose is the connection between your story and someone else’s change or “aha moment.” I thought I had to stay on the academic path to make an impact. Turns out, I just had to step off it to build my own path. Have you left academia or thought about it? What helped you make peace with it (or what’s holding you back)?
I should probably whisper this in a Science confer I should probably whisper this in a Science conference's hallway… Here are 5 reasons facts alone won’t change the world. 1. Stories move people. Humans evolved to remember narratives, not numbers. If your work lacks story, it often lacks staying power. 2. Facts inform—stories transform. A graph can explain climate change. But a story makes someone care about it. Meaning beats data every time. 3. We act when we feel. Emotion is the bridge between information and action. And story is how we build that bridge. 4. Stories give science a pulse. They carry purpose. They connect past and future. They turn “what happened” into “why it matters.” 5. You don’t need to be a writer to use story. You just need to be a scientist who remembers you’re also human. I used to think I had to convince people with citations. Now I know: Connection starts when someone sees themselves in the story. What’s one moment that changed the way you share your science—or made you realize something was missing? I’d love to hear your experience.
This might get me kicked out of the ‘serious sci This might get me kicked out of the ‘serious scientist’ club. Here are 5 things no one tells you about writing science in the real world. 1. It’s not a quiet office with soft jazz. It’s typing one sentence between school pickups. And rewriting it three times while reheating coffee. 2. It’s not neat. My notes are scribbled on the back of a grocery list. My citations live in four folders I always have to search for because “I forgot the path” I once outlined a piece with sidewalk chalk. 3. It’s not just about science. It’s about the meaning behind the science. The story that helps someone feel it. The connection between the past and the future we’re shaping. 4. It doesn’t feel like “serious work.” Because it’s not in a lab. Or peer-reviewed. Or tied to funding. But it matters more than ever—because someone out there gets it. 5. It’s incredibly human. You sit with a fossil, or a paper, or a headline. And you ask: “How can I help someone care about this?” I used to think I needed permission to share my voice. Now I know the purpose of science isn’t just to publish. It’s to make change. And change starts with connection. What does your creative process actually look like? Messy? Quiet? Mid-chaos? Tell me what people don’t see when you’re making your science real. 👉 Send this to someone who needs to feel seen. 🌀 Want more stories like this? Join 11,000+ curious minds (link in bio)
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