What do we prune to stay aligned with our values, families, and careers? Today, Ashley Shade, Michigan State University Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center scientist, shares how balancing a career and motherhood requires daily pruning and sacrifice. Shade explains the myth of “having it all” as a woman in work, citing a lack of institutional support and her own experience as a mother in STEM. 

She discusses how mentorship has helped her stay in academia as a new mother and early career scientist and the institutional changes that would support researchers who are also full-time caregivers. Finally, she shares the lessons she learned about prioritizing your values on her path to unlocking the potential of microbial communities.