After a half-decade dealing with a chronic illness (ankylosing spondylitis) and unable to write, I did the only thing that made sense: start an oyster mushroom business out of my basement.

I did everything from scratch, from lab work on petri dishes to cooking grains in a pressure cooker to soaking an entire bale of straw in my bathtub. I got so good at growing mushrooms I even taught a couple workshops at a local continuing education program.

(Also, don't soak straw in your bathtub. It's a mess.)