Life on Earth is dependent not only on energy from the sun, but also on a delicate balance of diverse resources (e.g., water, nutrients, atmospheric gases) which are constantly being produced, degraded, and transformed. The soil environment, while occupying a relatively shallow section of the critical zone, is fundamental in regulating this balance. Soil provides the foundations for life, supporting plant growth, filtering and purifying water, and housing the remarkable biodiversity that drives vital ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling and soil carbon sequestration. It is where what once was alive as organic matter is transformed, recycled, and regenerated into something new. It connects life (biology) to non-life (geology, hydrology, meteorology) through a variety of complex interactions and relationships that have evolved over hundreds of millions of years. In this seminar, I will explore (1) how research in microbial ecology and soil science has shaped my path in science and broadened both my understanding of the central role that soils play in our world, (2) how my research can be applied across diverse sectors of society and science, encompassing both basic and applied sciences, and useful to both modelers and empiricists, and (3) how my research trajectory moving forward might address key scientific and societal challenges of the future.