Dalton Sizemore's Story

Where It Started: Pain Before Purpose

I didn't start my journey in a lab or lecture hall - I started it in survival mode.

Two months before I was born, my parents separated and eventually divorced. I was born and raised in North Carolina, by a single mother in the midst of deep emotional and physical struggle. Helping her were her parents, Mawmaw, a very religious and stoic woman who was the first in her family to go to college and was one of the first women in business leadership positions, before going out of work due to medical issues, and Pawpaw, who was a hard-working, family supporting, father figure.

I experienced childhood abuse (not at the hands of Mom, Mawmaw, or Pawpaw) and watched as my mother endured two abusive relationships - one physically violent and the other marked by narcissistic control. My father left early in my life, and from a young age, I carried the emotional weight of instability and trauma.

I have helped as a caregiver through years of chronic illeness in my family: Pawpaw had nine heart attacks, two strokes, and multiple catheterizations; Mawmaw was the second person in the country to receive an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Ironically enough, and a fun little fact, a neighbor one town away was the very first person to receive his defibrillator. He and his wife became quick friends of Pawpaw and Mawmaw.

While in high school and before really deciding what I wanted to do, I worked in skilled nursing where I worked with patients and family members to help decide care after tragic illnesses or accidents. I've walked with families through the toughest conversations around end-of-life care, DNR orders, hard to understand medical diseases, and hard to accept medical truths.

Later, in college, while studying some of the hardest subjects in science over a summer term - organic chem, biochemistry, and calculus - I became a full-time caregiver when Mom was hospitalized after becoming life-threateningly septic after an unknown UTI turned into a MRSA infection in her kidneys. As a 21-year-old student, I was making critical medical decisions for my mother while supporting Mawmaw, and my sister, who suffers from idiopathic seizure disorders.

Those moments didn't break me - they formed me.

From Survivor to Scientist

Out of that chaos, I found a calling in understanding the science of life itself.

I earned both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology from Appalachian State University. The research I undertook during this time was focused on using the oncolytic virus vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) to disarm macrophages - immune cells that can unknowingly help cancer spread. I studied how to make these cells fight cancer instead of helping it.

I later pursed a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Graduate University to understand the emotional and mental processes behind trauma, identity, and healing.

I've worked in the biomedical field as an account representative, laboratory technician, and clinical trial project manager. I've also taught college-level biology courses breaking down complex subjects like microbiology, cellular biology, genetics, and cell biology into something people can actually understand and apply.

Improving Scientific Understanding Through Communication

I've always believed that science shouldn't stay locked away in textbooks or laboratories - it should be accessible, understandable, and relevant to real life.

That's why I created BioCurrent, a podcast that breaks down complex biological concepts - everything from biological basics to subjects like cancer immunotherapy, microbiology, virology, and environmental biological concepts - and make them digestible and meaningful. Whether I'm talking about the immune system or mental burnout in grad school, my goal is to equip people with real knowledge that empowers them to make sense of their bodies, minds, lives, and the world around them.

With my background as both a researcher and educator, I've taught everything from general biology to advanced cell science, always with a focus on making it relatable and real. Whether you're a college student, healthcare professional, or just someone curious about how life works - I'll meet you where you are and help you move forward with clarity.

Science isn't just for scientists. It's for all of us.

Bridging Science and Faith

For a long time, I felt caught in the tension between science and spirituality - as if I had to choose between what I believed in my heart and what I learned in the lab.

I was raised with my grandmother insisting that we went to the Independent Baptist Church we were all members at three times a week - Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night and I went to christian school until I was in the fifth grade. Faith wasn't just part of my life; it was the framework for how I saw the world. But as I stepped deeper into science, particularly studying cancer biology, immunology, and molecular virology, I started to feel a rift forming between the faith I was raised with and the facts I was uncovering and learning.

At first, I felt pressure - internally and externally - to choose one or the other. But over time, a long time, I realized something profound: science and faith aren't enemies. They are two ways of seeking truth.

Science teaches us how the world works - faith helps us explore why it matters. Science provides mechanisms - faith provides meaning. And when the two work together, we can face uncertainty, illness, and suffering with both clarity and compassion.

Now, I help others navigate their own struggles with beliefs and biology - especially those who feel stuck in the middle - but also those that are in one camp or the other see that there is, in fact, middle ground between the two philosophies. Whether you're deconstructing, reconstructing, or redefining your faith in light of what you know or haven lived through. I help foster those conversation in honest, open spaces, with real integration.

You can honor your faith and your intellect. You don't have to choose between them. I didn't. And you don't have to either.

Real Conversations About Life's Hard Stuff

Outside the classroom, the lab, the hospital room, or the home, I'm someone people can turn to for tough, honest conversations.

Over the years, I've talked to different groups and helped others walk through situations that many people avoid talking about:

Understanding science and specific human and pet diseases
Understanding the science that's reported and talked about in the world
How to survive the pressures of grad school, burnout, and academic self-worth
How to navigate the difficult world of deciding what career path is right for you
What to do when you're a young caregiver facing medical crisis
How to help a loved one transition to palliative care, hospice care, or a DNR status
How to navigate trauma from childhood abuse or toxic family systems
How to recover from childhood abuse, abusive living situations, and narcissistic abuse and find your voice again
How to help you figure out what's next

I don't shy away from difficult situations including previous life events, grief, confusion, crisis, or others - because I've lived through them myself. Whether through coaching, speaking, or writing, I create safe, practical, and compassionate spaces to process what others often leave in the dark.

I speak science. I speak trauma. I speak caregiving, faith, burnout, and breakthrough. And I'd be honored to speak with you or your group.

Why I Do This Work

I've walked through the darkest parts of life - childhood abuse, spiritual confusion, academic burnout, and caregiving in crisis - and seen the misunderstanding or misinterpretation of science and help folks see the light, and I came out stronger, but not untouched. My missions now is to walk alongside others as they navigate through their own life and their own storms.

This can include groups or individuals

Looking to better understand or learn more about science, the foundation, and its application, especially pertaining to biology and disease
Trying to make sense of science and faith
People who are lost in their understanding of faith
Students overwhelmed by school or directionless in life
Survivors of childhood abuse or witnesses of toxic relationships
People living through their traumas and growing through them
Caregivers drowning in responsibility
Individuals and families facing hard medical decisions

I believe in real talk. Hard questions. Honest support. And the power of both evidence and empathy.