Leaning into wintering

Alice Montgomery is an engineer turned sustainability specialist focused on making buildings more energy efficient and resilient to climate change. She works in the built environment helping both public and private sector organisations reduce energy bills, generate renewable energy on-site, and adapt to future climate impacts. She's a connector and translator who brings different engineering disciplines together to solve complex problems.

Transferable skills matter more than job title match. Alice didn't need an exact title transfer from engineering to sustainability. She had first principles thinking, data skills, modelling ability. Speak to people in areas you're interested in; there's always an engineering function, and your skills will transfer.

Assume positive intent; give everyone grace. Whether someone's running late, English isn't their first language, or they say something that lands wrong, assume they mean well. They just might not have the right words. A clarifying question opens doors that defensiveness closes.

Surround yourself with people aligned to what matters to you. Alice curates her news feed to focus on regenerative agriculture and positive climate solutions. She surrounds herself with people who share those values. That body of evidence combats apathy and burnout.

Lean into natural cycles instead of fighting them. Alice cycles only in summer, does indoor creative work in winter, and treats the season as a period of rest and restoration. Winter isn't failure; it's the rhythm of being human.