In this podcast, I sit down for a Zoom interview with freelance journalist Marley Parker to discuss her career. We talk about the barriers she's faced as a freelancer, her odd schedule, and how she's identified her priorities after being her own boss for five years. To read more about Parker and her career, check out the blog article below. You can also find Marley on her website or instagram.
At around 8:30 a.m in Durham, North Carolina, science communicator Marley Parker wakes up and rolls out of bed, making herself a steaming cup of coffee and opening her laptop to scroll through emails. This is her routine for the next two months.
Parker’s job follows an untraditional schedule of alternating weeks working from home and on expeditions, documenting research. She began this lifestyle five years ago when she quit her trusty office job at the University of North Carolina after being offered a position on a team of scientists embarking on an oceanic expedition. Since then, she finds herself adjusting every few months to lifestyle changes while she emails research leaders and pursues new freelance projects.
During periods of time when she’s not on an expedition working 12 to 14 hour days, Parker finds that much of her time is spent waiting on others.
“I do keep myself busy and occupied. It's just a frustrating thing when I’m at the mercy of other people,” said Parker, “for getting projects done, or getting my next thing lined up.”
She closes her computer and pulls on her puffer jacket, topping her curly brown hair with a beanie before walking out into yet another brisk North Carolina winter morning. Parker never forces herself to work long days when she has stints of time at home like these. Her partner, Ryan Hurley, disagrees though– through his eyes, she’s consistently productive, even while she’s “not working.”
“She's always doing something,” Hurley said. “It may not be something that's coming with a paycheck, but it's always leading there or leading to more opportunities.”
Parker and Hurley began living together around three years ago amidst the beginning chaos of the pandemic. When the two met, Parker had plans to live out of her car; traveling the country. They went on one date before she took off for California in the beginning months of 2020. However, disaster struck, and Parker had to come back to North Carolina as COVID-19 swept the states. She didn’t have a place to stay. So she moved in with Hurley, and they’ve been together ever since.
Their relationship has had to adapt to the challenges of communicating while Parker is at sea. When she sets out to spend weeks on an expedition, Hurley gears up for a period of exclusively digital communication. In October of 2022, Parker worked aboard the E/V Nautilus in Maui. Hurley enjoys when she’s on board the Nautilus, because it’s often live streamed, meaning he can tune in to Parker’s world even when she’s away.
Marley detaches rigging from the Mantis housing while working on the ocean floor off the coast of Maui. Photo by Nova West.
Parker’s routine aboard a ship is much more structured than when she’s at home. She has a tight routine: crew members wake up to watch the sunrise, then get to work.
“For the couple of months of the year that I'm at sea and I'm working with scientists in the middle of the ocean, those are very action packed, exciting days,” Parker said, “where I'm taking photos and filming all day, every day.”
One of the Nautilus’ communications leads Jamie Zaccaria dubbed the whiteboard-written schedule aboard the Nautilus the “whiteboard of lies,” because it’s almost never accurate. Parker and Zaccaria have cultivated a friendship this way, bonding over their hectic schedules, veganism, and shared love for science communication. While their days are packed to the brim, they still find time to enjoy their free time on expeditions. Zaccaria and Parker even began experimenting with making their own vegan ice cream to join in on the ship’s “ice cream Sundays.”
Eventually, however, the expeditions come to a close, and Parker is back at home, rolling out of bed around 8:30 to send a few emails, waiting until the next time she sets sail. It’s not that one aspect of her life is better than the other, they’re just in such stark contrast that it’s become a matter of balance for Parker, which is exactly how she likes it.
“I've always joked I'm a jack of all trades, master of none,” Parker said. “I do a little bit of everything.”