Recently, I had the opportunity to record a conversation with Edward Elgar reflecting on my academic journey, the ideas behind Positive Academia, and some of the experiences that have shaped how I think about academic life.
Listen to the full Podcast in the Edward Elgar ‘In Conversation with Series…’ here or click on the picture below.
Preparing for that conversation led me to revisit parts of my own story that I do not often stop to explore—not promotions, milestones, or other measurable achievements, but the less visible components such as uncertainty, unexpected turns, changing directions, curiosity, and the challenge of bringing together interests that did not always seem to belong together.
As I reflected after the recording, I realized that one point kept returning:
There is no single way to build an academic life.
Many of us are encouraged or even intentionally striving to pursue linear, measurable progress. Yet some journeys emerge differently—through exploration, experimentation, freedom to be, a deep sense of curiosity, and connecting experiences that only make sense in hindsight.
My reflection made me think that perhaps this experience might be useful to others.
So rather than retelling my story, I wanted to share five reflections that helped me navigate a path that often felt unconventional, and that may resonate with anyone trying to build more meaningful work without fitting neatly into one box.
1. Allow curiosity to guide you before you strive for optimization
There is often pressure for us to make decisions early.
Which discipline? Which topic? Which identity? Which route? Which country? Which institution?
We are encouraged to specialize quickly and demonstrate coherence from the beginning. While consistency is undoubtedly important for our academic profile, a sole focus on measuring our performance suppresses the potential of curiosity as a driver to notice alternative possibilities.
Importantly, not every interest needs immediate justification. Some ideas need time to evolve before revealing how they connect and flourish. Some ideas may regenerate from failures and decisions to discontinue writing projects or other endeavors.
Ask yourself:
- What keeps returning to my attention?
- What am I drawn to repeatedly?
- What would I explore even if nobody rewarded it?
Patterns often become visible only in hindsight, and we can grant ourselves the freedom to bloom beyond our own margins.
2. Stop treating different experiences as competing identities
Many of us assume we must eventually choose. For quite a while, I thought meaningful progress required narrowing and adjusting to walk the path like everyone else, focused and striving to appear as the ideal academic.
However, over time, I realized that experiences that once seemed unrelated began to inform one another. Different perspectives enriched questions rather than distracting from them. Different skills and knowledge support problem-solving and innovative solutions that would not have been revealed without the hidden gems of my experiences and identities.
Some of our most meaningful and purposeful work and ideas may emerge precisely because we do not fit neatly into ideal, predefined, often rigid paths.
So, instead of asking:
What should I eliminate or suppress?
Try asking:
What conversation could exist between different parts of my experiences and identities?
3. Build coherence through values, not labels
Paths change!
Interests evolve!
Roles come and go!
Values tend to stay!
When I look back, I realize that certain questions remained surprisingly stable even as my contexts shifted over time:
- How do we flourish?
- How do communities form and endure?
- How do we create meaningful and impactful change?
These questions appeared in different forms throughout different moments of my journey.
You do not necessarily need a perfectly linear story. You may simply need a strong thread that connects your choices—a thread that endures over time and is supported by the care of those closest to you.
4. Create spaces where you can experiment and belong
Growth rarely happens in isolation. Many turning points in our lives emerge through relationships, communities, conversations, and environments that allow us to explore ideas safely.
Find or create spaces where you can:
- Think out loud
- Test ideas
- Collaborate
- Learn
AND belong without needing to explain every part of yourself!
Communities matter—not because they tell us who to become, but because they help us imagine possibilities we might not have seen alone.
5. Accept that meaning is often generated and regenerated backward
Many experiences only make sense later.
The detour.
The conversation.
The project.
The interest that felt unrelated.
The period of uncertainty.
The time of failures.
The time of hardship and big changes.
Looking back, they may reveal something that was impossible to see at the time. I no longer think the goal is to find the ‘right’ path, but to focus on the journey in which values and human interactions drive the endurance of meaningful, purposeful impact.
A few reflective prompts
If any of this resonates, you may consider:
- Which part of your journey have you been undervaluing?
- What experiences keep appearing across different moments of your life?
- What are you trying too hard to separate?
- What would become possible if you trusted your own curiosity and freedom to be more?
I would love to hear from you: has there been a moment in your own journey when experiences that once seemed disconnected suddenly started to make sense together?