Today we’d like to introduce you to Lori Palen.
Hi Lori, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Since high school, I’ve been interested in psychology and “helping people.” What that’s looked like, career-wise, has changed over the years.
My first jobs out of college involved direct service, working with at-risk teens, people experiencing addiction, and young people with Down syndrome. Then, I decided to go to graduate school to learn more about preventing issues, like substance use, before they start. Following graduate school, I spent about a dozen years as an evaluation researcher, helping to figure out whether programs to prevent substance use, sexual risk behavior, and violence actually worked.
When I was a researcher, I contributed to all parts of the scientific process: writing funding proposals, designing studies, collecting and analyzing data, and reporting results. And, although I could do all of those things, I most enjoyed and was the best at reporting results…tasks like writing reports, designing presentations, and developing fact sheets.
For a couple of years, I tried to find a job doing only research communication, and all I hit was roadblocks. “PhDs don’t do that here” or “We won’t hire you without experience at a communications agency.” Finally, I decided, if no one is going to give me a job, I’ll make one.
I founded Data Soapbox, my (currently) one-woman research communication consultancy, in 2021. I work with researchers (and other individuals/organizations with data) to develop products that help them share their results with people who can use them to do good in the world. Depending on the client and the day, that may look like planning a communications strategy for a national research study, developing a presentation for research funders, writing a report for organizational leadership, designing a fact sheet for direct service providers, or crafting social media posts for the public.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been a mixed bag.
There have definitely been bumps in the forms of jobs that weren’t the best fit and managers who were tough to work for.
In 2012, I gave birth to my oldest son, and he had profound health and educational challenges that made it especially tough to balance work and family.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Data Soapbox, LLC?
Data Soapbox is pretty niche!
Scientists are generally expected to do their own communication. Unfortunately, they don’t typically receive training in effective communication practices. Instead, graduate students model what their advisor does, who models what their advisor did, and so on back until we’re back to when journal articles were written on typewriters. This results in a lot of dry, overly technical, visually unappealing reports and presentations.
For a decade or more, there has been a growing industry in research communication training, in the form of books and workshops. There are many great thought leaders in this space, and I’ve learned a lot from them! However, researchers have to do a LOT of tasks, and it’s unreasonable to expect them to be expert in all of them. Data Soapbox actually develops communication plans and products, freeing up researcher time for other tasks.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I once saw a quote: “I YOLO, but with caution.” That’s me! I take calculated risks.
Aside from deciding to have children, leaving a stable, well-paying job to start my own business was one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken. But, I was in a really privileged position where the risks of failure weren’t devastating. My husband also had a stable, well-paying job, and we’d built up a good savings. Even if Data Soapbox hadn’t made any money for its first two years, we would’ve been able to house and feed our family. That gave me the freedom to pursue something really exciting. I don’t think I would’ve felt comfortable taking the same risk if I was in a less stable financial or personal position.
Pricing:
- $150/hour
Contact Info:
- Website: https://datasoapbox.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-palen/
- Other: https://bsky.app/profile/loripalen.bsky.social
