I recently wrote about the importance of understanding what is ‘below the iceberg’. The post seemed to resonate with many, so I thought I would extend this train of thought a little more. Here I will focus on how we present our careers to others, particularly to students and early career academics.

I am often invited to give scientific talks to schools and colleges, and they often ask that I include content relating to my career journey. They particularly like to hear the story of how I got from my own school years to my current job role. I’m always happy to include this, even if being positioned as a role model sometimes feels a bit uncomfortable.

However, I started to become uncomfortable with presenting myself like this. Was I presenting something aspirational, or something that felt unachievable or even actively intimidating? We know that mental health amongst young people is at an all time low. The pressure of choosing and establishing a career in an uncertain world and economic climate is integral to that psychological stress.

I therefore started to add a second slide to my talks, which I refer to as my ‘real’ career story. This version includes maternity leave, periods of serious mental illness, time on exploitative zero-hours contracts. major disappointments. I present the success and set-backs equally and openly. Both have shaped who I am and where I have got to in my career. If anything the set-backs have been more influential, so it is disingenuous to only present one side of the story.

I should say I also always make sure I include sign-posting information to mental health support services and the Samaritans. I also always say “if you are in a bad place at the moment where thinking about the future feels impossible, please know that (I) you are loved (II) there is help available so please reach out to appropriate agencies and (III) I’ve been in that place, and in my experience there is a positive future even if you can’t see it right now.”. I would never talk about mental health without doing this as a basic safeguarding measure.

Students *love* the second version. You can feel the room change from a slightly bored passive space to one of active engagement as they realise that I’m a ‘real person’. I usually get more questions about my career journey than the scientific content of the presentation. Students often tell me it’s the first time they have heard someone in authority talk about their mental health openly. I’ve also had more than one individual disclose their own struggles, and have sign-posted them to relevant support either within their educational setting or within the healthcare system. I hope that those individuals got the help they needed.

However, I will put in a note of caution. There are risks to being open about sensitive topics and your own vulnerabilities. I have enough privilige within my professional sphere to have shared my story openly with colleagues and students. To the best of my knowledge I haven’t had any negative consequences for doing so. Many have personally thanked me for being honest about my experiences, and for presenting my story in a relatable way. Not everyone has the privilege to do this.

I also note that while I have seen other women speak about their career journey in this more authentic way, I don’t think I have seen the same from a male colleague. I won’t speculate on the reasons for this gender disparity, but I think it is important for balance that male colleagues also share their vulnerabilities and genuine career stories.

For me, talking about my career in this authentic way has been really important. It hasn’t all been plain sailing, and there have been times I questioned whether I was even able to have a career. This style isn’t for everyone, and I would never ask anyone to talk about aspects of their life that they aren’t comfortable sharing. But I would encourage you to consider sharing the set-backs as well as the successes. We will never diversify science and academia if students are only presented with one model of success that doesn’t match with their life experiences or self image. To have real impact, role models shouldn’t represent unobtainable ideals, but something tangible and achievable. We therefore need to be more honest about our own career stories, and help students see that success and setbacks are intertwined for us all.