Ever since I was a kid, I was drawn to the arts, sciences, and entrepreneurship and dreamed of having a renaissance career—one where I could draw together seemingly disparate parts and make something fresh and creative. Of course, I wasn’t exactly sure what this would look like, and since I come from three generations of feminists, I decided to pursue a BA in Gender Studies at the University of Connecticut. This degree awakened me to the intersections of race, class, sexuality, and gender and taught me how to weave social justice into my life’s work. After college, I eventually found work in occupational health law just outside of Providence, RI, where I could put my sense of social justice into practice.
For much of my early years, I was fraught with anxiety and stress— a perfectionist whose visionary qualities made me increasingly hard on myself for not being enough. The experience of loss and grief in my mid-twenties ultimately transformed by path— and would do so again and again. As the world I once knew shifted around me, I became a dedicated yogi, a lover of mountains, and obsessed by the sea, all of which have brought me an increased awareness of the importance of present-moment practice and play in my adult life. This transformation also introduced me to what might be a life-long love affair with uncertainty.
In 2011, I pursued a Master of Science degree in medical anthropology to uncover the unruly workings of the human body, particularly in relation to environmental and social circumstances. During my subsequent PhD research on household dynamics, experiences of disruption and transition caught my attention— from the anxiety they caused to the biological stress they produced, two things I still struggled to overcome in my own life. Upon closer examination, I was awed by the human capacity for innovation, creativity, adaptation, and resilience. These silver linings of disruption helped me see that harnessing the positive potential of uncertainty could transform lives, including my own. I put what I learned into practice the following year and saw a dramatic reduction in my levels of anxiety. I knew I was onto something.
From 2018-2020, I was a Mellon Fellow at Wesleyan University where I taught courses on uncertainty and writing, coaching first year students through their transition into college. In the summer of 2019, I faced a series of challenges in my personal life and health that led me to rethink my research in terms of its usefulness to people just like me, leading to the writing of an ethnographic memoir and inspirational guide (forthcoming). During the 2020 pandemic lock down, I continued my research into household uncertainty and wellbeing, conducting an online survey with over 80 households.
I’ve continue to learn through my work as a researcher and writer as well as through my own life journey. My teachings, writings, and coaching are constantly evolving, but my empathetic eye for what matters to other people remains steadfast. I’ve been known to help struggling entrepreneurs through their blockages, divorcees through their domestic transitions, and chronically-ill individuals navigate fear. I’m attuned to individual needs and adept at helping people step into uncertainty with courage and conviction, wherever they are in their own personal journey.
-Tess Bird