This talk explores how periods of fear, grief, uncertainty, and emotional struggle—while painful—can also become spaces of transformation, meaning-making, and renewal. Drawing from biology, psychology, philosophy, and trauma research, the talk reframes darkness not as a failure or detour, but as a natural and deeply human part of growth. Through themes such as grief, post-traumatic growth, resilience, and curiosity, participants are invited to consider how compassion, reflection, and intentional meaning-making can help us move through difficult experiences without abandoning ourselves in the process.

Amber Miller-Adamany is a former Mississippi River naturalist originally from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, another river town nestled between the Mississippi River and the bluffs. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology and English writing, where she explored the intersection of poetics and science, as well as a Master’s degree in biology. Her graduate research focused on invasive grasses and their impacts on floodplain forest restoration.Today, Amber works at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, where she plans professional education events including academic conferences and workshops, and helps manage online graduate programs.Her interests continue to center around curiosity, ecology, storytelling, and the ways humans relate to the natural world and to one another. Outside of work, she enjoys going to music festivals and camping with her two sons and mischievous dog, along with baking, reading, and gardening.

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