From NASA to Non-Profit to Author!! Nina Simon

Here are the top 10 key takeaways from Nina Simon's unconventional journey from NASA engineer to museum leader to crime fiction author, revealing how to navigate career pivots, embrace financial freedom, and find authentic work that matters.

1. Career pivots often disappoint parents but lead to authentic paths

Nina Simon discovered that each professional crossroad she encountered resulted in disappointing her mother's expectations. This pattern became a recurring theme throughout her journey from NASA engineer to museum professional to crime fiction author. The disappointment wasn't necessarily about her mother's lack of support, but rather about choosing unconventional paths that didn't align with traditional success markers.

This dynamic reflects a broader challenge many face when pursuing non-linear careers. Parents often want stability and recognition for their children, which can create tension when someone chooses creative or entrepreneurial ventures. The key insight is recognizing that disappointing others' expectations might be necessary for finding your authentic path. What seems like failure to some may actually be the foundation for meaningful work that aligns with your values and interests.

2. Financial freedom through intentional low-cost living enables career flexibility

Nina and her husband made a deliberate choice to live on one salary throughout their 20-year marriage. This decision required living extremely cheaply but provided enormous professional freedom. They could trade off who took risks, with one person maintaining stable income while the other pursued entrepreneurial ventures or creative projects. This approach enabled Nina to leave her NASA job for a $5-an-hour museum position and later transition to writing fiction.

The strategy goes beyond just saving money. It's about pricing your freedom at a higher rate than your expenses. When your living costs are low, you can afford to take jobs that pay less but offer more fulfillment or learning opportunities. This financial framework also eliminates the pressure to stay in unsatisfying roles purely for economic reasons, creating space for exploration and genuine career development.

3. Quick exits from wrong-fit situations prevent prolonged misery

Nina developed a philosophy of leaving jobs quickly when they weren't working, rather than agonizing over the decision. She realized she didn't owe companies extended periods of her time before determining if a role was suitable. This approach led her to work at six different museums in her first year, using three-month trial periods to explore various organizational sizes, cultures, and leadership styles.

This strategy requires confidence and self-awareness about what constitutes a good fit. It also demands the financial security to make rapid transitions. The key is distinguishing between normal adjustment periods and fundamental misalignments. Quick exits allow you to gather more data about your preferences and find environments where you can thrive, rather than spending years in situations that drain your energy and enthusiasm.

4. Generational health crises can catalyze profound life reassessment

When Nina's mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, it triggered a complete reevaluation of her priorities. For the first time in her career-focused life, she didn't want to put work first. This crisis provided the wake-up call she needed to leave her CEO position and focus on what truly mattered. The experience forced her to confront how much of her identity was tied to professional achievement.

Health crises often serve as powerful reality checks about time allocation and life priorities. They strip away societal expectations and reveal what genuinely matters. In Nina's case, the crisis led to deprogramming years of messaging about productivity and marketplace value. It opened space for creative work that wasn't initially intended for commercial success, which paradoxically became her most financially rewarding project.

5. Creative work outside marketplace pressures can unlock authentic expression

Nina began writing crime fiction as a way to connect with her sick mother, creating stories that were "transparently not in the marketplace." This deeply personal project helped her deprogram from years of career-focused thinking. Writing chapters while her mother slept and sharing them created a sweet connection that had nothing to do with professional advancement or external validation.

The irony emerged when this unmarketable project sold to Harper Collins for more money than she'd ever made in a two-year period. This experience highlighted how authentic creative expression, when freed from commercial constraints, can sometimes achieve unexpected success. The key insight is that removing marketplace pressure often enables the risk-taking and vulnerability that creates compelling work.

6. Daily balance requires multiple forms of fulfillment

Nina identified that she needs exercise, creativity, purposeful work, and social connection on a daily basis to feel fulfilled. Rather than seeking annual or monthly balance, she structures her days to include all these elements. When her museum work provided creativity and purpose, poetry became less important. When it didn't, she found creative outlets elsewhere.

This approach recognizes that fulfillment comes from multiple sources, not just career success. It requires honest self-assessment about what energizes you and intentional life design to incorporate those elements regularly. The framework is flexible, allowing different life phases to emphasize different aspects while maintaining overall well-being. This perspective prevents over-reliance on any single source of meaning or satisfaction.

7. Backwards narratives are constructed but not necessarily truthful

Nina observes that we create coherent stories about our paths after the fact, but these narratives often obscure the randomness and complexity of actual decision-making. When pitching her novel, she had to construct a writer identity that wasn't the story she was telling two years earlier as a startup CEO. We select details that support our current direction while ignoring contradictory evidence.

This insight suggests holding stories about your path lightly. They're useful for communication and sense-making but shouldn't become rigid identities that limit future possibilities. Multiple narratives could be constructed from the same set of experiences, each emphasizing different themes and trajectories. Recognizing this flexibility prevents getting trapped by past decisions or feeling obligated to maintain consistency with previous versions of yourself.

8. Concrete achievements provide security for taking future risks

Nina found that creating tangible objects like books and physical spaces gave her confidence to take subsequent risks. Opening a $5 million public plaza project in downtown Santa Cruz provided a sense of lasting accomplishment that existed beyond her involvement. These concrete achievements became "totemic" markers that she could rest on when everything else felt ephemeral.

Physical or intellectual property that outlasts your direct involvement creates a foundation for psychological security. When you can point to something permanent you've created, it becomes easier to walk away from current situations that aren't working. These achievements don't have to be massive, but they should feel meaningful and enduring. They provide evidence of your capability to create value, which supports confidence in taking future creative or professional risks.

9. Practicing difficulty builds resilience for life challenges

Nina deliberately chose "stupidly hard sports" that involved carrying heavy sandbags through ocean water at dawn. These voluntary challenges served as conditioning for life's inevitable difficulties. If she could choose to do something physically demanding with no external pressure, then handling difficult meetings or career transitions felt manageable by comparison.

This principle extends beyond athletics to any area where you voluntarily embrace discomfort or failure. The key is choosing challenges that are genuinely difficult but safe, allowing you to build confidence in your ability to handle adversity. Regular practice with imperfection and struggle demonstrates that failure isn't catastrophic. This conditioning creates resilience that transfers to professional and personal challenges.

10. Non-attachment to professional identity enables reinvention

Nina maintained a philosophy of not becoming too attached to any particular role or version of herself. She limited her museum CEO tenure to avoid the unhealthy fusion that can occur when someone stays too long in a position. Watching her father's rock band career peak early and then decline taught her the dangers of clinging to past success or defining yourself too narrowly.

This non-attachment requires viewing professional roles as temporary chapters rather than permanent identities. It means being willing to "chuck" successful careers when they no longer serve your growth or values. The approach demands comfort with uncertainty and change, but it prevents the desperation that comes from feeling trapped by past achievements. It also maintains the psychological flexibility necessary for continued evolution and reinvention throughout life.