This issue marks the one-year anniversary of this newsletter! One year of helping scientists learn how to get the recognition they deserve for their hard work and one year of you showing up to read, reflect, and put these ideas into action. Thank you for being part of this journey.
Let me remind us all why we’re here:
- Scientists work incredibly hard.
- Their only real “glory” is when people appreciate that work.
This simple fact has shaped my entire professional journey.
My consulting years: A lot of work, not much glory
For many years, I was a scientific consultant. My job was to help pharmaceutical manufacturers show the value of healthcare interventions. Consulting is a labor of love. No one goes into it for fame; you do it because you care about the science.
But recognition still mattered. The only accolades we ever got were when a client genuinely appreciated our work or when we presented at a conference and our talk actually landed with the audience. That was it. No trophies. No parades. Just those small but meaningful moments of validation.
I’m not a boaster, but I’m not a martyr either. I worked hard, and I wanted my share of recognition. Over time, I figured out how to earn it—not by working harder, but by communicating my research better.
Road to glory No. 1: Clients had to value our work
Relevance is everything.
Once, I built a massive Excel tool for a client. It had bells, whistles, and all kinds of functionality! I was so proud. Once it was deployed, the users ignored every single frill. They just wanted a quick answer to their one basic question. Although their response wasn’t because of a communication faux pas, I learned a valuable lesson: Give people what is relevant to them, not what you think would be nice. I never wasted time like that again.
I also learned that unfocused study readout presentations created the potential for chaos. If the story wasn’t clear, clients filled in the blanks themselves: misinterpreting, going off on tangents, or imagining the study was something it wasn’t. I hated that unpredictability, so I got sharper. When I stayed on point and made the “So what?” and “What now?” super obvious, conversations were easier and more useful for everyone.
Good consultants—and good scientists—don’t just hand over information. They help people make decisions.
Road to glory No. 2: Conference presentations
Let’s be real: Many conference talks are incomprehensible. And when you sit through an unintelligible presentation, you can’t help but doubt the presenter’s scientific acumen. Fair or not, that’s how audiences judge us.
In consulting, the stakes are even higher because our science “smarts” are the product we sell, and conferences are our chance to put those smarts on display. If our talks flopped, so did our reputation.
Looking back, I would say my own talks were decent, but they could have been better if I had done the following:
- Put less text on slides.
- Used better headers to deliver the takeaways.
- Added more context to and interpretation of the findings.
Because here’s the truth: If clients or audiences don’t understand your work, they can’t value it. And if they can’t value it, they won’t value you. That leads to a miserable cycle: unclear science → endless explaining → longer hours → burnout. Not the plan.
I don’t want that fate for any hardworking scientist.
That’s why I started coaching and launched The Ambitious Scientist one year ago: to make sure brilliant researchers get the recognition, opportunities, and yes—the glory—they deserve. Not by changing their science, but by enhancing how they communicate it.
Because the barrier isn’t the quality of your work. It’s the quality of your communication.