In The Shift Worker’s Paradox, you present an unsettling picture of the grim reality of shift work and its biological impact on the human body. Why was this an important book for you to write?

A friend of mine used to say that self-help books are often written for the author. I suppose the ultimate motivator for this book is my own narrowing mortality. Watching a decade of night shift slowly peel away the resilience and strength I had built over the years has a way of sharpening perspective.

I also saw this as a personal responsibility. I devour podcasts and have listened to countless discussions on sleep, health, and wellness, always waiting for someone to meaningfully address shift workers. Many made a passing nod to the risks, but I wanted a deeper dive, one that helped address what I felt was a clear gap in the conversation.

The truth is, this topic has been on my mind for a long time. As a perpetual biohacker, I’ve spent more than twenty years trying to find ways to improve my own health and well-being. The subject also has broader relevance. We are now a 24/7 society, with a large swath of the workforce engaged in shift work. Add the physiologic disruptions outlined in this book to an already unhealthy American population, and you have a recipe for long-term, often informing sequelae.

I recognize that this is not a “sexy” book. Because it addresses a niche topic, I never expected it to be a bestseller. What I did hope was that someone, somewhere, would find value in it. I believe it is the most comprehensive book on shift work ever written, and I am proud of that.

Can you share with us a little about the research process that went into putting this book together? 

I write several hundred thousand words a year as a freelance writer across a wide range of medical topics. During that time, I routinely encounter information that informs the pieces I am working on and often proves relevant to this book, so I make careful notes along the way. The eighteen months spent writing the book were largely devoted to organizing that framework and properly referencing the accumulated material.

I tend to approach writing from the perspective of a project manager: planning, executing, and monitoring progress. The actual writing, however, is less about production and more about building a narrative—telling a coherent story by fitting the right pieces of the puzzle together.

As an avid reader, I know that an over-referenced book can be difficult to read, and as a fiction writer prior to this project, references were not part of my usual process. Moving back and forth between fiction and nonfiction, I found that transition particularly challenging.

Your book takes a deeply emotional turn with personal stories. Why did you choose to blend science and moving narratives? 

As I mentioned, prior to this book, my only published works were literary fiction. My academic and freelance writing does not require an emotional component. As I continue to grow as a nonfiction writer, I want my work to be narrative nonfiction—using dialogue and scene setting to drive the story. That is what I appreciate as a reader, and I hope others do as well. This is an important topic with significant consequences, and in the opening pages, I allude to why this information matters. In some cases, it can be a matter of life and death.

What is one thing you hope readers take from The Shift Worker’s Paradox?
 
That all is not lost. In truth, many people who are not shift workers can also benefit from this book and understand that burnout, fatigue, and health decline in shift work—and in general wellness—are not personal failures; they are predictable physiological outcomes of working against human biology. Even if you are not a shift worker, give yourself some grace as you approach your health challenges.

I hope readers understand that exhaustion is a systems problem, not a character flaw, and that they use the language and evidence provided to stop blaming themselves. If the book does one thing, I hope it replaces guilt with clarity and empowers readers to make informed, realistic decisions about their health, careers, and lives.

Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Instagram | BlueSky | Amazon