In a first for Maverick Voices, Patrick converses with Rachel Reed, an academic and career advisor working primarily with students from the School of English and Humanities at MTC. Rachel shares the unconventional path that led to her becoming an advisor, including her college experiences majoring in Wildlife Biology at Missouri State University as well as the challenges of moving on from her dream job as a zookeeper. She discusses her struggles with anxiety and overcoming the fear of failure, and she explains how her life experiences help her encourage students to push through and learn from their own challenges. Rachel and Patrick highlight the importance of work-life balance and strategies to develop this work-life balance, which allows Rachel to be fully present, available, and engaged for the students at MTC as she helps them choose their academic and career paths.