I have just left the outstanding mountains of Abruzzo in Italy. I must confess, I joined my four-year-old and his three-year-old cousin in eating the snow; the children were consuming it as if it were popcorn. Even though the parents of the youngest, both GP doctors in central Italy, got a wee bit concerned, ‘Mummy’ was delighted. The snow felt like sorbetto, without the flavour. We likely ingested micropollutants of all sorts, but after a quick assessment of the chemical and microbiological risks, I decided we could go for it. Aren’t we all ingesting micropollutants, at times, anyway?

The reaction I get from people when I ask, “was there more snow here before,” is always evasive, avoiding. Climate denial is undeniable like the climate disruption itself. To fit and not go crazy, I often pretend I am not aware of it, like most people aren’t. More informed human beings laugh nervously and change topics when this taboo of the “climate” emerges.

And, I am here sitting on 20 years of experience with environmental sciences trying to figure things out. Deciding if I should use AI or not to write. Deciding everything. Aren’t you feeling the very same?

Dyssynchrony: Racing SUVs and Raising Humans

We had beautiful holidays. Food in Italy is always abundant. Another dyssynchrony with our climate reality. But, our kids were excessively nervous. Even in the quiet of a holiday place, our streets are disputed by racing SUVs driven by hyper-stimulated nervous-systems.

We are hyper-connected. And so are our kids. Should we blame them? Our kids should be able to just open the door and walk outside, but can they with the racing SUVs everywhere? We are the ones trying to raise human beings in cities that have lesser and lesser kids, therefore lesser and lesser space for them. We need human offspring for the continuity of our species. People have less and less desire to do so, because parents are pushed to the edge trying to parent, and work, in this modern world. Simple like this. Dangerous like that.

Job markets were not made for scientists, just as they were not made for parents. Flexibility and remote working or “smart-working” as they say here in Italy is for elite workers or the well-connected. Are you either?

The Job Market: Perfect Supply Chains, Broken Reality

So many resources in the wrong place, so many people with incredible CVs which are being gatekept by old rules and schemes. Or maybe most scientists are not needed, and the job market, the one that keeps the world as it is, is perfect as it is. But wait, things are not okay according to the latest IPCC report.

Or, have I missed something?

What speed this world has become. Why are we running so much? Oh yes, to sell more stuff we don’t need. Ah, I get it. Perfect supply chains and operations management designed to destroy what is left of our finite world. Where abundance reigns to the denier.

Radical Transparency and Radical Healing

What is this general disconnection? I am trying to break the cycles I see of incoherence everywhere. And I am telling you, we need to start speaking more about our heart to break the bias, the rush, the corporate rules, the things that are no longer serving or being useful for us. This text is my radical transparency. Not a bit less, not a bit more.

You know that pain when you try to catch your breath, even during holidays? That is the rush, the hyper, the over, the too much, that crashes our mental health, my friends. Ouch! So yes, eating the snow was a mindful reminder that life is too short, and we should stop taking everything so seriously and so heavily. Even our scientific careers, or careers of all sorts.

So, come here and heal with me. Let’s find solutions to the job market for scientists of all sorts, parents, and the “least wanted,” together. We need to stop following rules and formulas which don’t work: like producing artificial snow in places which don’t have snow anymore. Because we made the world too warm for snow.

Now, we are creating businesses to keep the world as it was before. But, very soon, we will see this is no longer possible.

Scientists hold the key to the future, yet we continue keeping them away from our organizations. Why? Because they are “too academic.” And those who keep them away from business decisions are in denial and about to confront breaking of supply chains. Are you ready?

Hiring Heart, Grit, and Stamina

We need to stop hiring perfect CVs and start connecting with “real” imperfect, half-trained people again. Human beings can learn, master new skills, and overcome. You may not be finding staff because you are filtering out keywords, and not selecting for heart, desire, and previous achievements, even in unrelated fields. What counts is grit, resilience, and stamina.

The solution: hire someone to train your staff, or even someone connected with hundreds of qualified scientists. Someone who was in academia and industry. Someone even like me, for example. I can train your scientists. Just give me your SOPs and your KPIs. Let’s see what we can do together. Maybe you don’t need perfect CVs; maybe you need to train your managers in their capacity to lead and teach? I can also help you here. That is me selling. But it encompasses a lesson for my scientific friends.

Hiring managers, companies, leaders: I can guarantee you that for every single job you have open today, you can have a PhD scientist working for you, relatively soon, just with a good, decent contract. And if you cannot see that, you are missing out on the biggest market opportunity of your life.

I don’t know if I will ever see snow again. Life is too short for a very boring job market. How about doing things a bit differently, and connecting with people again? We need radical transparency. Ethics, and reliable leadership. We need people that can be a bit silly sometimes.

A Deal for Scientists in 2026

And how about you scientists?

Promise one thing: you will start one important conversation per week during 2026. You will identify companies or associations locally relevant to you and ask them what they need from the job market in 2026. And from there you will build up your market research, to qualify your leads, and tailor amazing applications, which you only send to a real person that you have spoken to before. Do we have a deal?

After shipping this newsletter issue to you, I will write my one message for this week. Let’s tell each other how it goes, okay?

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Thanks for reading!

Schedule a call: projects@ana-almeida.com

B2B Services: ana-almeida.com

My Substack: https://anaalmeidak.substack.com/

I can help you manage micropollution challenges, master EU environmental regulations, and upskill your green teams. Read my work closer: UWWT, EPR and PROs: A Solution to the Challenge or reach out directly.

Much love from Italy,

Ana Almeida, PhD

(PS: The environmental perceptions above are only possible because of my scientific training. This is the skill I teach your teams to master. And the beauty of it? I am absolutely not alone in this endeavor.)

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About Ana Almeida, PhD: I am a biologist turned entrepreneur based in Italy, specializing in environmental impact and sustainable business strategy. After years in academia and independent consultancy, I like to share about how highly qualified professionals navigate the “locked” job market.