In today’s episode of Ordinarily Extraordinary – Conversations with Women in STEM, Kathy and Linda sit down with environmental engineer and river guide Mishael Umlor — a woman who pressed pause on her engineering career to live a year of adventure, intention, and joy.

Kathy first met Mishael this summer while rowing through the Grand Canyon on a 14-day paddle trip. What began as a passing “Wait… you’re an engineer?” moment turned into months of wanting to learn more about her unconventional, intentional path. Today, you’ll hear that full story.

About Mishael Umlor

Mishael holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental engineering and worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on hydrology, water quality, and river systems modeling. After earning her PE, she made the bold decision to step away for a year to travel, guide rivers, reconnect with family, and build a life that aligns with her values.

During her year away she:

• Guided rafting trips in the Grand Canyon
• Traveled for six weeks in Belize — where she and her husband had their wedding attire custom-designed
• Rode motorcycles through Central America
• Spent months backcountry camping in Baja
• Completed a five-week ski tour using a DIY truck camper
• Visited family across the Midwest
• Got married
• And reconnected with the outdoors in ways that shape the next chapter of her engineering career

Her story is a powerful example of designing a life with intentionality, courage, and creativity.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• How Mishael discovered environmental engineering through community college and a love of math
• Her experience working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Taking a year off after earning her PE — what she learned and how she made it possible
• The logistics and finances of long-term travel and seasonal living
• River guiding, safety stories, and what it’s really like flipping a fully loaded kitchen boat in the Grand Canyon
• Finding balance between a technical career and a passion-driven outdoor lifestyle
• What she wants her engineering career to look like next — and how she plans to blend contract work and river-based fieldwork
• The beauty of creating a life you actually want (even when it doesn’t look like the traditional path)

Why You’ll Love This Episode

Mishael’s story is a refreshing and inspiring look at the many ways women in STEM can shape careers that don’t fit into boxes. Her honesty about fear, joy, logistics, and dreams makes this a conversation that will resonate with anyone rethinking their own path — whether early, mid, or late career.

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In this special episode, Kathy and her co-host Linda sit down for a heartfelt conversation about the release of Kathy’s brand-new Women in STEM Coloring Book—a three-year passion project created in collaboration with her daughter, Emily. This book showcases contemporary women in STEM, brought to life through hand-drawn illustrations and inspiring biographies.

Kathy shares the story behind the book, why representation of real, modern women in STEM matters, and how her daughter’s artwork brings these stories to life. They talk through favorite pages, the women featured, the challenges and joys of self-publishing, and the importance of normalizing women in STEM from an early age.

Whether you’re a parent, educator, or someone passionate about STEM advocacy, this episode gives you a behind-the-scenes look into creating a resource designed to inspire the next generation.

In This Episode We Discuss:

• The origin and three-year journey of creating the Women in STEM Coloring Book
• Why showcasing contemporary women—not just historical figures—is so important
• The need to normalize women in STEM roles for both girls and boys
• How Emily created 31 hand-drawn illustrations and character pages
• Favorite featured women:
  • A bat scientist
  • A glaciologist
  • A crash test engineer
  • A satellite communications engineer
  • A code breaker
• How the biographies and real photos in the back bring authenticity to the book
• The process and unexpected challenges of self-publishing through Amazon KDP
• Kathy’s experience approaching local stores and embracing the identity of “author”
• A fun sidebar about Linda’s granddaughter writing and illustrating her own books
• What comes next as the book launches during holiday season

About the Book

STEM Super Stars: Women of Today Changing the World
A beautifully illustrated coloring book featuring 25 real women working in STEM fields today. Perfect for kids, classrooms, and anyone who wants to see more representation in science and technology.

✔ 31 single-sided coloring pages
✔ Science, Technology, Engineering, Math & “Other” categories
✔ Real photos and biographies of every woman featured
✔ Hand-drawn illustrations by Emily Nelson
✔ Created in Minnesota and inspired by women making real impact across the globe

Buy the Book

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2YSJ9XW
Bulk or Educational Orders: Contact Kathy at kathy@kathykalenelson.com for information

Credits

• Hosted by: Kathy Nelson & Linda LaTourelle
• Produced by: Ordinarily Extraordinary Podcast
• Music: Custom intro/outro by Kay Paulus

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In this inspiring and deeply human episode, Kathy and Linda sit down with Amanda Mavropoulis, a global project and portfolio management leader in technology including 15 years in the electric utility space, and one extraordinary career pivot.

Amanda shares her unconventional STEM journey—from early days taking apart alarm clocks, to working in IT as a student worker, to a long career in utilities, and ultimately into her “unicorn job” at a major tech company. Along the way, she opens up about her unexpected breast cancer diagnosis, navigating treatment after leaving a longtime job, and the clarity and boldness it brought to her next steps.

This conversation is filled with humor, wisdom, honesty, and plenty of laughs as Amanda, Kathy, and Linda reflect on career longevity, teamwork, life detours, and why sometimes you just have to “science the hell out of it.”

Topics We Cover

• A full-circle reconnection: How Linda and Amanda met during a massive utility system conversion—and why team culture matters.
• Life in a global tech environment: Agile management, nonstop meetings, time zones, boundaries, and protecting heads-down time.
• Finding balance: Hybrid work, maintaining work–life separation, setting expectations, and empowering teams.
• Career pivoting after 15 years in utilities: What it’s like to be “new again” in a fast-paced tech company.
• Breast cancer survival and perspective shifts: How Amanda approached treatment, resilience, and redefining what she wanted out of life.
• Unicorn jobs: Applying for stretch roles, building confidence, and not letting fear stop you.
• STEM pathways that aren't linear: Environmental science beginnings, early IT work, accidental opportunities, and embracing unexpected journeys.
• Hiring challenges today: Entry-level roles requiring experience, the impact of layoffs, and navigating the job market as a new grad.
• Diversity of thought & representation in tech: Why it matters and what Amanda sees in her new workplace.

About Amanda Mavropoulis

Amanda is a technical project and portfolio management leader with a BS in Environmental Studies from Texas A&M, an MS from Walden University, and three decades in the IT and utility sectors. She’s known for her leadership, empathy, ability to build strong teams, and her passion for mentoring women entering STEM fields. She’s also a breast cancer survivor whose resilience fueled her leap into a dream role in global technology.

Connect with the Podcast

We’d love to hear from you!
Have a question, comment, or want to submit your own “Ask the Not-Expert” question?

• Email: ordinarilyextraordinarypod@gmail.com
• Website & Voicemail: ordinarilyextraordinary.com

Music by Kay Paulus

Follow Kay on Instagram @kaypaulus8

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