Meet Chloe Weise – Instructor Spotlight

HeatSpring courses are only as strong as the instructors who create them, and we’re excited to introduce a new one to the platform. 

Chloe Weise brings a background that spans Evolutionary Biology, Bioinformatics, software engineering, and commercial real estate operations to her course, Intro to Solar Financial Modeling in Excel. The through line is a genuine fluency with data and a knack for making complex analysis approachable.

In this Instructor Spotlight, we’re getting to know the person behind the course. Her answers cover perfectionism, beetles, and a zinnia tradition she’s carrying forward from her grandparents’ farm in Michigan.

Read on to meet Chloe!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten?

I recently came across a quote from East of Eden: “Now that I do not have to be perfect, I can be good.”

I’ve struggled with perfectionism my whole life (I know—steak too juicy, lobster too buttery), but that desire for perfection has sometimes prevented me from giving something my best effort, or any effort at all. I’ve learned that perfect is the enemy of good, and doing something well is far more powerful than never trying because you’re afraid it won’t be perfect. Imperfection isn’t failure. Never trying is.

What’s a quote you think about often?

One of my master’s degrees is in Evolutionary Biology, where I focused much of my research on insects. The biologist J. B. S. Haldane once remarked, “If the creator exists, he has an inordinate fondness for beetles,” noting that roughly 25% of described animal species are beetles. 

I love this quote because it doesn’t position theology and biology as opposites. Instead, it challenges the idea of humans as the pinnacle or endpoint of evolution. More than anything, it reminds me that we are just one species among millions, sharing a planet shaped by a process with no predetermined end.

What was your first job in the industry?

After completing my master’s degrees, I joined an early-stage startup called Lumen Energy. I analyzed thousands of properties for potential solar installations and focused on evaluating the financial performance of commercial portfolios across the country.

What has your path been in the industry?

I’ve worked across several fields, including academic research, software engineering, and more recently, commercial real estate operations. Interestingly, I now work with one of the global property owners whose assets I previously analyzed for solar installation feasibility while at Lumen Energy.

What are your hobbies?

Lately, I’ve spent a lot of time in my garden, planting vegetables and cut flowers, and building a habitat for insects and birds that I can enjoy from my windows. I also enjoy oil painting, cooking, and playing the piano. I’m currently working on the fourth draft of a fantasy novel I started in 2022.

What’s a fun fact about you that your students don’t know?

My middle name is Smile! 

What’s a tradition or habit you’re proud of?

When I was growing up, my grandparents lived on a farm in Michigan. Each season, they had an explosion of zinnias, and my grandfather would collect the seeds and share them with his children. My grandmother has since passed, and my grandfather has late-stage dementia, but those same zinnias—their zinnias from the farm—still bloom each year in the gardens of his family. I hope to plant them everywhere I live and keep that tradition going.