Having worked my entire career in collaborative networks, my worldview assumes we create stronger science when we work together instead of competing against each other. This guiding principle was so ingrained from “growing up” in collaborative science that I took for granted the larger scientific community does not always agree. I have learned that the reductionist world expects you to differentiate yourself from your peers. I am grateful for the strength of my collaborative network, as it allows me to demonstrate the power of working together to create breakthroughs in science - and hopefully spread my enthusiasm for collaborative science.