5 Things I’m Doing Differently This Time…

I’ve been doing this awful thing called “networking,” and have had to endure deep conversations about online presence. The surprisingly tortuous part of these chats is that it’s helped (forced) me to acknowledge and finally tackle something that has frustrated me for a couple of years now- low engagement almost ended my love for public science and education. But here’s why I’m starting over—and how.

Years ago, I launched The Rockstar Anthropologist because I believed in the intoxicating mix of storytelling, hands-on experiences, and non-traditional spaces for learning. I love translating anthropology and science into creative, community-driven experiences—ones that weren’t confined to classrooms or academic journals.

And it worked. My bone labs and anthro and science workshops have taught 1000s of youth and families in schools, shops, museums, and community gathering spots, 100s of STEM professionals interested in learning my non-traditional methods in efforts to become better science communicators. Hell, even entrepreneurs have benefited from these techniques (and I’ve loved that work, too)! The continued relationships I’ve built with organizations and universities have been dope! Thank you.

When I designed t-shirts, pins, and other merch to support these efforts, folks purchased with so much enthusiasm (thank you!) that I had to shut it down, for what I still hope to be a temporary pause.

For years, I built a vibrant, curious, and kind community of peers, educators, and learners—mostly on what was then Twitter. But as that platform shifted into something unrecognizable, I watched the community I cultivated disappear. Truthfully, I didn’t want to be there either, so I let it fizzle out.

I could blame it on the pandemic because that’s when things started to take a dip, and my relationship with anthropology grew more distant as the field opportunities dried up, and my plan to go back to academia was put on hold. Eventually, I rallied and produced “Science and…” I thought I was back, baby! But a new, unexpected job opportunity dominated my life.

With each new opportunity that definitely reaped the benefits of the work, skills, experiences and relationships I earned through The Rockstar Anthropologist, I felt more distant from the actual discipline, which didn’t help my waning motivation. However, I didn’t want to let it go. It wasn’t time. I just needed to restore and reconnect with the community of scicomm and anthro enthusiasts! In the last year, I’ve happily hosted community bone labs and guest lectured. While the primary purpose of what I’ve created is about providing an opportunity for experience and exposure, I’ve missed the creation and the community. And judging by the state of the world, more opportunities for non-traditional, informal, conversational spaces for learning and science engagement feel more crucial, not superfluous as I sometimes told myself. 

Other platforms, like TikTok, never felt right for me. I tried rebuilding elsewhere, BUT low engagement, bots, and algorithm chaos made it all feel pointless. The truth: I let that demoralize me. I told myself I didn’t want to “start over.” But really? I didn’t want to feel like a beginner again. I didn’t want to see my effort ignored. And I didn’t want to rebuild something that had once felt magical from scratch.

But here’s what I realized: I’m not starting over. I’m starting from experience.

So I’m rebuilding my public voice and presence—with new energy, strategy, and grace.

Here are 5 things I’m doing differently this time:

1. 1. Reframing “starting over” as “starting smarter”
      I know what works. I know what drains me. That’s power.
   2. Focusing on what energizes me, not just what trends
      That means: No TikTok or any other platform that I find exhausting for me. Yes to thoughtful, useful storytelling. I can always change my mind.
   3. Designing for real people—not algorithms
      If it helps even 10 people, that’s still meaningful.
   4. Making consistency achievable
      Not daily, not perfect—just sustainable.
   5. Showing up as myself
      The polymath. The informal educator. The anthro nerd. The community builder. The joyful professional. The curious creative. The Dopeness.

If you’ve been discouraged by low engagement, platform loss, or just by the idea of “starting over”… I get it. But your voice still matters.

Let’s build something better from what we’ve learned.

👇 Are you starting over too? What’s helping you stay motivat