Have you not done something because you didn’t believe it was possible?
Maybe it was going on a trip with a friend because you didn’t think you could afford the time away.
Or perhaps it was a workout you found online that just seemed too intimidating.
It’s amazing what our brains can make us believe.
My guest today knows a thing or two about this. Today I’m chatting with Juli Berwald, science writer and author of Spineless, which you may have heard mentioned on the show before.
During her undergraduate, Juli didn’t believe that she could become a writer. In fact, she was so intimated by the immense talent of her roommate, she opted for a math degree instead.
Everything changed with one pivotal snorkel trip.
Discovering the undersea world led Juli down a path to believing in herself, and her career. Her path wound from math to marine science to ultimately blending her love of books and science into her very own work of non-fiction, obliterating old insecurities in the process.
In this episode you’ll learn:
- the life-changing pursuit of your own curiosity
- incredible tidbits about jellyfish, including what to do if you’re stung (and no, it’s not peeing on the sting).
- the changes our oceans are undergoing and how you can become involved
and so much more.
After you dive into today’s episode, please reply to this email or leave a comment in the show notes and let me know what your favorite thing you learned was.
Connect with Juli: website
Quick Links
Marine Biological lab summer courses at Woods Hole
Amherst College
Flow Tank
University of Southern California
Dale Kiefer
Niskin bottle
FAO Italy
Sixth Extinction
Elizabeth Kolbert
Ocean acidification
Kelp
Phytoplankton
Comb jellies
Nematocysts (High speed stinging cells) in action
Jellyfish eyes
Box jellyfish swimming
Spineless
Suez Canal expansion
Elizabeth Gilbert TED Talk on creativity
Trinity University Press
Rebecca Helm
Schmidt Expedition’s siphonophore
Citizens Climate Lobby
Show Notes
4:15 In one snorkel trip, Juli’s math major suddenly becomes clear: it’s applicable to biology and the ocean!
9:00 “No one is a marine biologist, so I can’t be one!”- Juli, post bachelor’s degree on getting into graduate school. So what does she do? Accounting. It only lasted a short while before the song of the sea lured her back to the marine biology world.
10:25 Tips on getting into grad school: making connections. It was true when Juli was applying, and is still true today. And work with someone who you get along with!
15:00 Work during undergrad: testing photosynthesis in the ocean!
20:45 Masters or PhD? Juli went all the way, but here she riffs on the merits of having a master’s degree, why it can be beneficial, and some of the cool jobs available.
25:09 What inspired Juli to write an entire book about jellyfish: reading an online article and then getting curious about it and asking questions.
28:15 Juli breaks down some of the crazy jellyfish facts that I learned while reading her book.
32:00 Romeo turns into Juliet: a conversation about hermaphroditic creatures in the ocean including jellyfish and prolific coral spawners
34:20 Jellyfish have eyes! Juli breaks down the vision of these amazing creatures.
40:15 To write Spineless, Juli traveled all over the world. Here she breaks down some of her favorite spots and most pivotal moments including the odd sensation that follows the great build-up of seeing something that wasn’t quite what you thought it would be.
48:15 One of my favorite parts of the book: a serendipitous moment of chance that leads Juli to finally find a swarm of jellyfish that she had been searching for.
52:00 questions from listeners to Juli: what did the book writing process look like for you? Did you already have a book deal? Juli dives into what it takes to write a nonfiction book, including a book proposal and pitch letter. It takes time.
1:03:13 Juli’s conservation ask: get involved in climate change! We can all make a difference, no matter where we live. What we do here on land matters a lot, and the oceans have taken up a disproportionate amount of carbon dioxide.