Grief was now compounded by the loss of my career, my livelihood, and—so I thought—an essential piece of my identity. I quickly realized that while people believed environmental factors mattered, few wanted to pay for someone to quantify their value. I approached the work the way any good academic might: I researched, asked questions, and applied what I learned. I still taught the occasional class, but teaching was no longer my focus. Act IV: Return to the Ivory Tower (Sort Of)Several years later, the provost at my old university asked me to return.