In this episode of Exiting Academia, I talk through a real-world transition: moving from a PhD in Experimental Psychology into a role as a Consumer & Cultural Insights Manager. The core of the conversation is how you translate academic training—research design, measurement, statistics, and theory-building—into business language that hiring managers actually recognize. I focus on what “insights” work looks like day-to-day, how it overlaps with applied research, and how to position yourself when your background is heavy on publications but light on traditional “industry” titles. I also zoom out to the bigger coaching takeaways I see again and again with grad students and PhDs: you need a clear narrative, a targeted job search, and proof that you can deliver outcomes outside of academia. That means reframing your dissertation and lab work into stakeholder-facing impact, building a portfolio of applied projects where possible, and learning how to interview for roles that care about influence—not just rigor. If you’re considering consumer research, cultural insights, UX, or adjacent research careers, this episode will help you map your academic strengths to the competencies these roles are hiring for—and avoid the common mistakes that keep PhDs stuck.