Dr. Sian Proctor grew up the daughter of a NASA hidden figure, with the stars in her sights until a pair of glasses at age fourteen seemed to close the door on her dream of becoming a military aviator. She kept reaching anyway, pursuing a career in geoscience and science communication, coming agonizingly close to NASA selection before receiving a rejection that sent her life in a different direction. In this episode, Dr. Sian Proctor talks about the long, winding road from that childhood dream to becoming the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft; hitting a low point after a painful divorce; and the unexpected creative awakening that ultimately launched her to space. And once she got there, she did what she's always done: made art.

Chapters:

00:00.360 Welcome to She Pivots

02:10.280 A NASA Legacy and Childhood Dreams

06:30.800 From Science to Education: Finding a New Path

08:09.440 The PhD Journey: Overcoming Obstacles

18:56.148 NASA's Rejection: A Turning Point

25:14.800 An Astronaut on Earth

31:13.840 COVID, Creativity, and Space Postcards

34:54.760 The Winning Ticket: A Fateful Announcement

40:28.440 Training and Launch: A Dream Realized

42:29.800 Creating Art in Zero Gravity

44:59.560 The Transformative Power of Earthlight

46:52.719 Pivoting Again: Professor, Astronaut, Artist

47:57.320 Low Point to Launch

49:51.719 Closing Thoughts

50:57.559 Podcast Credits

Keep up with Space Poet on Instagram @drsianproctor and her website ​​https://space2inspire.art/

Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.

She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.

Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com

Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website shepivotspod.com for resources and updates.

She Pivots is proud to be an iheart podcast.

Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.