Blog – Pursuing Your Passion: Finding Purpose in Chaos

Hello from the murky but magnificent land of Greater Manchester! Since this is my first blog for Dementia Researcher, I thought I’d start by sharing a little about myself and how I stumbled into a life brimming with purpose and passion….a life that, quite frankly, makes me proud and happy (most days!). Now, before you roll your eyes and mutter, “Here we go, another smug life story,” bear with me. My aim isn’t to brag; it’s to show that we all have fundamental “passion and purpose triggers” that can shunt us towards the right career path, if we take a time to notice what really makes us tick. By sharing some of my personal triggers, I hope you’ll reflect on your own and maybe even feel inspired to chase what lights you up 😊

Starting at the End

Fast forward to today: I’m an Associate Dean for Student Experience and Principal Investigator of my own dementia research team. I’m also a sour beer drinker, long distance charity walker, yogii and a metal head. By day I look after around 7,000 students, 500 staff and my research group, and by night, I look after three wildly different kids and a bonkers German Shepherd-Husky mix who thinks he’s the boss. I also thoroughly enjoy sitting very still under a weighted blanket whilst eating custard creams and watching Stranger Things. Life is colourful, every day is different, and drama is guaranteed, but I’ve learned to embrace the chaos and recharge effectively so I can keep bringing energy and passion to what I do.

As Mark Twain famously said, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” My job is to make sure everyone I work with, regardless of their background, feels supported to succeed, and I honestly love it. But how did I get here?

Trigger One: I Will Be a Helper

I wasn’t always ambitious. At 16, my dream was simple: earn enough to buy the £349 terracotta sofa I’d seen in my mum’s Argos catalogue, in a job where I could help people. My parents were hardworking; mum was a secretary and dad was a trucker, until illness forced them to stop working. We didn’t have much money, but we were rich in love (urg, cheesy, I know, but totally true). Family was everything, and kindness was our currency. My lovely mum used to say, whenever the news showed something awful: “Look out for the helpers Gem. We are the helpers.” That stuck. Passion and Purpose Trigger One: Wherever life takes me, be a helper.

Trigger Two: Fighting for Equity

University was tough. I was a first-in-family commuter student with caring responsibilities, juggling jobs and home-life chaos. That’s when I noticed institutional inequities- if you were skint, disabled, or from a minoritised group, the system wasn’t built for you. Support was patchy, and sometimes downright hostile. One tutor even told me, “If you can’t cope with the workload, you shouldn’t be here.” That lit a fire in me because I knew I wasn’t alone in facing inequity. Passion and Purpose Trigger Two: I will fight for equity for those whose voices aren’t heard.

Trigger Three: Joining the Fight Against Dementia

University also revealed what I loved, and what I didn’t. Biochemistry? Meh. Kidneys? Snooze. Microbiology? Smelly! But neuroanatomy? Oh, the joy! Then came a seminar on Alzheimer’s disease…..  How could we know so much about a condition yet have no cure? Around the same time, dementia hit my personal life- my nana, then my uncle, then another uncle, then my aunty. This was fuel to the fire. Passion and Purpose Trigger Three: I will join the fight against dementia.

Trigger Four: Inspiring Others

In my final year, someone explained what a PhD was (yes, really, I thought it was just something from a Marvel movie…..). Experiments, writing, conferences (ooh, travel?!), maybe teaching? Sign me up! During my PhD hunt, I discovered a whole world of dementia-related careers that I wasn’t aware of; medical writing, science communication, fundraising, public engagement….Who knew? How many others were out there who had no idea these options existed? Passion and Purpose Trigger Four: I will inspire others to embrace the career possibilities ahead of them.

Trigger Five: Teaching and Mentoring

I adored my PhD. I was also teaching neuroanatomy so living the dream! I found mentoring and watching someone blossom because you believed in them priceless. As I navigated post-docs and fellowships I started to lose passion for the practical work- I’d have happily launched my pipettes out the window on some days. When I later took a research only fellowship, stripped of teaching and mentoring, my job satisfaction waned massively. Passion and Purpose Trigger Five: I will not be happy in a role that is not centred around supporting, teaching and mentoring others.

Trigger Six: Braving the Road Less Travelled

During my first pregnancy, I announced I’d secured a University Teaching Fellow role and I was genuinely shocked when some of my fellow researchers sneered: “So you’re giving up research?!”  and I won’t even go into the reaction towards my pregnancy (something for another blog maybe….?). Nope, I’m choosing family, I’m choosing joy. This teaching-only contract paid the same as my fellowship salary, had family friendly flexibility and let me keep researching in my own time. Yes, I got smirks and shrugs as it was an “unconventional” route, but I knew that syncing work with my passion triggers was non-negotiable. It was all a bit of a risk, but well worth it in the end as it opened doors to develop myself in new ways, that worked for me. Passion and Purpose Trigger Six: Find your own path, and don’t worry about the naysayers.

Fast Forward: We Rise By Lifting Others

Fourteen years later, I’m thriving in my Associate Dean role after moving through lectureship and senior lectureship positions. I genuinely believe every promotion I have ever got was because I could evidence how I’d supported success in others, as well as banking my own achievements. I enjoying leading a wide range of projects that align with my purpose and passion triggers whilst still being proactive in mission ‘Defeat Dementia’. “Following the joy” brought me to exactly where I was meant to be and don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of ups and downs on the way and I’m looking forward to sharing with you some of the lessons I’ve learnt on the way.

Your Turn: Find Your Triggers

If you’re an early career researcher, it’s easy to follow the “standard” path or bow to pressure about what those around you think is “right.” But here’s the truth: it’s your life. I’d urge you to notice the good days and ask yourself: What made today special? What made me buzz? What does that tell me about where I want to be in five years? How can I build more of that into my day? Pursue your passion, and you’ll find your purpose.

Your passion and purpose aren’t hiding, they’re waiting for you to notice them amidst life’s chaos.

So go on, follow the joy. You never know where it might lead!

Dr Gemma Lace

Author

Dr Gemma Lace is Associate Dean Academic for Student Experience and leads the Molecular Biology Dementia Group at the University of Salford, where she investigates abnormal protein accumulation and small extracellular vesicles in neurodegenerative disease. Funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK and the Alzheimer’s Society, she combines research with supporting future scientists, drawing on a career that spans a Neuroscience degree, a PhD in Genomic Medicine and work across major neurodegenerative conditions. Motivated by family experience, she is dedicated to improving understanding of dementia, and outside work she is a life coach, martial artist and mother of three.

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