In this episode, sustainability expert and environmental scientist Dr. Mara Ranville shares how her career moved from a small town in Michigan to geology labs, research cruises across the Pacific, university classrooms, and the chaotic streets of New York City. On the outside, she was creating a career path uniquely her own, but behind some of her pivots was another journey she was quietly fighting for: three years of infertility treatments, miscarriages, and the dream of becoming a mother that ultimately didn’t come to pass. Mara opens up about grieving in private, rebuilding her identity, and learning to trust a career and life path that looked nothing like she imagined.

Over the last 30 years, Dr. Ranville has held roles as a researcher, project manager, educator, and content producer. She now works as a sustainability and social impact consultant, connecting people, policy, and purpose and helping organizations make their operations better for the planet. Dr. Ranville holds a Bachelor of Arts in geology and environmental studies from Macalester College and a Ph.D. in environmental toxicology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Connect with Dr. Ranville on LinkedIn or read her stories at Global Citizen. 

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