How serendipity (and LinkedIn) changed my life

Remember that cheesy Hollywood romcom, 'Serendipity'? Yeah, the one with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. It came out in 2001, I was in my early 20s then, full of romantic hopes and aspirations (and raging hormones, I guess, too), and it resonated with me greatly. And really, what girl hasn't fallen for John Cusack at some point in her life? :)

Jokes aside, I've experienced serendipity a few times so far - not with romance, mind you, but in work. And it's been amazing. A couple of times it had to do with LinkedIn actually, out of all places. As a (former) journalist, I check my LinkedIn messages regularly, but typically I get weird marketing or dating requests (yes, on LinkedIn!) that I delete. In August 2017 though, it was different.

I received a LinkedIn message from a guy claiming to be an editor at a publishing house. Not a small one, too - Harvard University Press. His name was Jeff Dean. 'I love your writing,' he said. 'Do you want to write a book?' I sneered and rolled my eyes, certain it was some spam or a joke. C'mon, to write a book, people have to get an agent, struggle with proposals, rejections, disappointments, it's all time and money and stress. This guy had no idea who I was - why would he think I'd be capable of writing a BOOK?

I forgot about the message for a while - and then some time later, curious, googled the guy. He turned out to be a real editor, at Harvard University Press. I messaged him back. He gave me carte blanche - I could write literally about anything. Thus began one of the most amazing experiences of my life - culminating in my first popular science book that's just been published and even reviewed by a Nobel laureate, 'Neutron Stars: The Quest to Understand the Zombies of the Cosmos.'

Why amazing? Serendipity strikes again. As I settled on the topic, neutron stars, I thought to myself: 'Really, will people read it? How can I make them care?' Around that time, I attended a conference in Jodrell Bank, on neutron stars - on the anniversary of the first pulsar discovery.

The guy giving me a lift to the observatory, Mathieu Isidro, works in comms at Square Kilometre Array, this cool future radio telescope being built in South Africa and Australia. Casually, as we talked about writing, he mentioned a brilliant book by Anil Ananthaswamy, 'The Edge of Physics'. The author went to mind-blowing far-flung physics experiments around the world and described them in great detail... 'That's what I have to do,' I thought then. 'I have to go to all the major radio observatories - but not just to describe the places, no - I have to talk about the people behind the discoveries.'

That's what I did. Because there is no science without people - this phrase has become my motto. My book takes readers on a journey to see not only the fantastic instruments unlocking the secrets of the universe but also to meet the remarkable scientists spending their entire lives, entire careers, to understand just a tiny bit more about the cosmos and where we all come from.

As I was writing the book, one of the stops on my travels was CERN in Geneva, the home of the Large Hardon Collider (LHC). I was also going to visit it for a story for WIRED UK magazine, where I was working at the time. I tweeted about my upcoming trip, as I always do, asking anyone in Geneva who had a cool story to share if they wanted to meet to coffee. Someone tweeted back - not from Geneva, though, but from Zurich. From IBM Research. I got invited to come visit the quantum computing lab, just like that, from a tweet - and as a result, wrote a feature that combined the story of the LHC and of quantum computing, Inside the High-Stakes Race to Make Quantum Computers Work.

That story earned me the European Science Journalist of the Year award (2019) - and ultimately led me later to join IBM Research. I now work there in executive communications, as the Chief Writer for our Director of Research, Dario Gil, and as the Editorial Lead. Serendipity.

Just a few days ago, I received another LinkedIn message. This time, from a TEDx curator - who has just invited me to do a TEDx talk next year AND is nominating me for TED in New York. That will be huge, and I am super excited. Thanks, Universe, for prompting me to check my LinkedIn messages! :)

I admit, I haven't yet met a John Cusack, but I believe in serendipity. The vast majority of people I've come across in my life so far are truly awesome.

And when I happen to stumble, as we all sometimes do, or suddenly get the imposter syndrome, I remember that LinkedIn message I got from Jeff Dean in 2017 that has kicked off the series of remarkable events in my professional career. And I force myself to change my mood. Jeff didn't know me but believed in me. I have to believe in myself - ALL.THE.TIME, even when something feels off. Only positivity will lead to serendipity - to more fantastic opportunities that life throws at you out of nowhere.