Following mycelium
A repost about leaving the agency world to pursue a mushroom passion, how following mycelium can affect change, and some updates from Sporesight
Hello,
Lots of new subscribers to Spore-drops this week - thanks for being here.
I’m Jess Jorgensen, Founder of Sporesight, strategist, researcher, futurist, mycophile and average cultivator of home-grown mushrooms.
A year ago Research-Live published my story, titled ‘Off the beaten path: Leaving the agency world’.
Now seemed like a good time to re-share it, as a sortof intro to those who don’t know me, and some context to what sparked Sporesight.
It's a reflection on the journey of leaving a "good job" to follow mycelium. Researching fungi and myco-culture has led to a mid-career change that has the potential to change systems in my small corner of the world. Here's hoping.
A lot has changed in a year. April '25 is very different to March '24. We've moved beyond talking about 'polycrisis', to 'collapse' and 'ecocide'. Uncertainty is certain. Affecting change feels urgent.
Personally, my own collapse had to happen for me to rebound and regenerate (just like mushrooms, ha). Since March '24 I've recovered, upped the mushroom research to 100+ perspectives and smashed a corporate Global Insight role. I’m still freelancing, while building up Sporesight.
We've inoculated. Now we’re fruiting and spreading spores, seeking suitable growing conditions.
What to expect from Spore-drops in the next few months:
More cringe myco-metaphors (they’re too fun to resist)✨🍄🟫
Speaking at SOUTH LONDON MUSHROOM CLUB on 15th May, alongside the legend Dr. David Luke - book your spot here!
My talk, “Our Fungal Futures: How mushrooms are shaping our futures” will be available for subscribers.
Early May, attending Future Days in Lisbon to learn about symbiotic futures (let’s connect if you’re going)
Next week, bikepacking through New Forest to reconnect with soil and get fungal.
Excerpt below. Read the full piece here at Research-Live.com
Yours in spores,
Jess
Thanks to Liam Kay-McClean, Deputy Editor at Impact Magazine & Research-live.com, for sharing this story.
Off the beaten path: Leaving the agency world
Jess Jorgensen, formerly of BAMM and now a freelance insights consultant, shares her experience of leaving a full-time career to pursue her mushroom passion.
In 2023, I quit my job to run with mushrooms. For 16 years, I worked in cultural and consumer insights before leaving a director-level agency position to run with a passion project: exploring the culture of mushrooms and psychedelics.
Leaving the agency world and a full-time salary behind has been terrifying, enlightening, and rewarding. Mushrooms – both my subject matter and matter of admiration – have been key to navigating this new path.
Colleagues and peers have supported but also questioned this choice, and I’m sure they secretly thought it was mad. Why would one quit a perfectly good job, without an income stream, to explore a weird niche? The decision was driven by three things: wellbeing, morality, and motivation.
…
Read the full story here at Research-Live.com
🍄🟫💚
