Stop climbing ladders, start resizing your crown

The day my past self reached out and said, "hey, we grew up"

Dear you who is currently building the plane while flying it,

Wow, last week was one of those full-circle moments that makes you stop for a bit, then grin like an absolute nerd.

Years ago - back in 2018 - I met a fellow Alchemist-in-Training during a leadership program for early-career chemists, bonding over the glorious chaos of academia... though back then, our understanding of leadership somehow felt limited to technical expertise and not setting the lab on fire.

A lot has happened since.

I left academia feeling unsure but curious, and moved into the high-stakes environment of entrepreneurship, then strategy and leadership roles, often building the plane while flying it in competitive start-ups and large enterprises.

My Alchemist friend took a different leap. She left the bench to build a successful learning and development business focused on unlocking potential in scientific leaders. Bold as hell. And so her.

Two scientists.
Two reinventions.
Same roots.
Very different branches.

And then a few months ago, my phone buzzed with a message from her:

“Hey… would you join me to deliver a leadership bootcamp for scientists in their HQ in Switzerland?”

Wait, what… is this the same us from 2018 who bonded over umbrellas with tiny H2O molecules? The same “future leaders” who (likely) had little idea what real leadership meant then?

It was as if my past reached out, tapped me on the shoulder, and said", “Hey, this is who you are now.” And just like that, I saw the full circle.

From “future leaders” dreaming about leadership… to becoming the very leaders we hoped we would be… and now helping others grow into the leaders they’re meant to be.

Delivering the program in Switzerland was both energizing and grounding all at once. It felt genuinely rewarding to bring the perspective of someone actively leading through complexity into a space designed to help others do the same. It reminded me that:

👉 Reinvention isn’t a side quest - it’s what happens when your crown demands resizing

👉 The “random” skills usually aren’t random at all - they are just waiting for the right experiment

👉 Some connections age like good wine - they deepen, and suddenly matter in new ways

What began as two scientists learning to lead… eventually evolved to two leaders shaping how scientists lead.

And I’ve learned enough about endurance to know I’m far from done.

So here’s to those gorgeous, unexpected full-circle moments.
The ones that recalibrate your perspective and remind you why the long, winding run matters.
To those who recognized our potential before we knew what we were doing with it - thank you for mixing in the right chemistry.

Little us from 2018 would be so proud.
(And probably a little confused. But proud.)

We didn’t know it then, but we were building a future, and right now, we’re helping others build theirs too.

With grit and curiosity,

— Miss Solvent ✨