"Forge your own path" with Marley Parker

The Hectic Podcast

Marley Parker has been swimming with sharks, skydived, and traveled to the icy oceans of Antarctica, but leaving her stable job to start freelancing is by far the most scary and extreme thing she’s ever done. Now, as a successful photographer, videographer, and science writer, she knows it’s also the best decision she could have made.

Join us this week to hear how Marley found her childhood dream job and the realities (both hard and rewarding) of pursuing it. Above all, she wants others to know that it’s okay to want more from your life and okay to not have it all figured out. If you keep an open mind about your opportunities and prepare yourself to take the leap, there’s no limit to what you can do.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. About the opportunity that led Marley to quit her job and start freelancing.
2. How she foreshadowed her adventurous life in the stories she wrote as a child.
3. Why she pursued writing as a career and how that led to the work she does now.
4. To keep an open mind about your career path because you never know how your skills will lead to incredible opportunities.
5. The intentional steps Marley took to prepare for her freelance career, long before she even left her job.
6. How this careful preparation can help anyone do big things, no matter where they’re starting from.
7. That it will never be the perfect time to try something new so it’s better to prepare as you can and just do it.
8. How using her story to help others pursue adventure is helping her see how far she’s come on her own journey.
9. About the experience that has left her most in awe during her adventures.
10. Which impact, above all others, she wants to leave as her legacy.

Find Marley on her website, Instagram, Twitter, and by email at [e-mail].

Nautilus Live is the ship Marley works on most frequently, and they are always looking to hire new, adventurous people! Also, here's her Nautilus bio which includes some info about how she got into ocean expedition work.

Association of Science Communicators is great community/resource for anyone interested in pursuing a career or side hustle in science communication.

Her Wild Vision is a directory that makes it easy to find and hire women and women-identifying photographers working in environmental conservation. And here's the link to Marley's page there.