As I transitioned to a project lead position in Barco Healthcare, I noticed how strong communication skills were required to align a wide range of stakeholders with different backgrounds. I experienced on a daily basis how medical product development is dependent on a smooth exchange of technical info, process guidelines and status updates. Building bridges between my colleagues and collaborators was key in such a complex organization and Barco was an invaluable teacher in this respect.

Hence, the idea started to bud that scientific communication might be my ‘Ikigai’, that sweet spot in the hunt for job happiness according to the Japanese. With complexity on the rise in our high-tech society, there is obviously an increasing need for clearly communicating complexity, a skill I am good at, which I love and that the world needs. And so, Clever Coyote was born.

Wondering about the link between a wild dog and scientific communication? As I was searching for a catchy company name, the need of science & technology for dedicated storytelling skills was my lead. Knowing the Native Americans to be famous for their storytelling tradition, I found the tale of Clever Coyote. A story about a loyal and resourceful animal saving a tribe from a terrible monster with its constructive ideas. And what better name for sharing clever communication skills with clever people? Though I definitely enjoyed the road runner cartoons as a kid, the devious coyote chasing that poor bird was not my source of inspiration ☺️.