In a year where tech layoffs have affected over 151,000 workers according to Layoffs.fyi, learning to bounce back from career setbacks has never been more crucial. As someone who experienced this firsthand during the Broadcom-VMware acquisition, I want to share my journey of how to recover from job loss and build a career transition strategy that actually works.
Table of Contents
- The Raw Truth About Career Setbacks
- Understanding the Impact
- The Journey to Career Clarity
- Finding Strength in Vulnerability
- The Mental Game-Changer
- From Survival to Strategy
- Real Numbers: The Reality of Career Transitions
- Common Myths to Unlearn
- The Phoenix Formula: Transforming Career Setbacks
- Looking Forward
- Creating Your Path Forward
The Raw Truth About Career Setbacks {#the-raw-truth}
According to Harvard Business Review, over 40% of laid-off professionals report that the emotional impact is the hardest part to navigate. I felt this deeply when I found myself considering a job at Starbucks out of panic, until my coach reminded me that fear, not purpose, was driving my decisions.
Understanding the Impact {#understanding-the-impact}
The first blow came with the layoff notice. Like many professionals in tech, I had unconsciously woven my identity into my job title. Losing my role felt like losing a piece of myself. But through this journey, I discovered something profound: my worth isn’t tied to one title or job. As Forbes reports, this identity shift is crucial for long-term career resilience.
This realization didn’t come easily. With three kids under three, postpartum recovery, and a career upheaval, I found myself at a crossroads. The conventional wisdom would suggest immediately jumping into another role—a lift-and-shift solution.
The Journey to Career Clarity {#journey-clarity}
My journey took me through interviews with top tech companies – Intel, Atlassian, ServiceNow, and Okta. On paper, these were dream opportunities, all offering to double my previous salary. Despite interviews that could have led to significant financial growth, something felt fundamentally off about rushing into another corporate role.
Through intensive work with a life coach and participation in a positive intelligence boot camp, I discovered that a scarcity mindset was driving my decisions. I was operating from fear rather than purpose. A lift-and-shift approach to my career wasn’t what I needed. Just jumping into another similar role wouldn’t solve the deeper questions I was facing.
The real breakthrough came when I finally understood my true value and self-worth. This shifted everything – suddenly, if I didn’t get a job, I no longer saw it as a reflection of my capabilities or worth. Instead, I recognized it simply meant it wasn’t the right fit. This mindset shift was liberating: I could show up authentically in interviews, truly being myself, knowing that the right opportunity would align with who I really am.
Finding Strength in Vulnerability {#finding-strength}
The journey of starting Insight AI taught me that sometimes, the biggest career setbacks open doors to unprecedented growth. Through building Insight AI, I discovered that what seemed like an ending was actually a beginning. This entrepreneurial path challenged everything I thought I knew about business success and professional development.
1. Redefining Resilience in Business
True resilience isn’t about bouncing back to where you were—it’s about bouncing forward to where you’re meant to be. The layoff forced me to develop a different kind of strength: the courage to redefine success on my own terms. This meant:
- Embracing uncertainty as a growth opportunity
- Learning to separate who I am from what I do for work
- Developing emotional intelligence alongside business skills
- Building a sustainable approach to growth
2. The Myth of Perfect Timing
“There’s never a perfect time” became my mantra. While juggling postpartum recovery and caring for three young children might seem like the worst time to start a business, it taught me that waiting for ideal conditions often means waiting forever. Instead, I learned to:
- Take calculated risks despite imperfect circumstances
- Focus on progress over perfection
- Create opportunities rather than wait for them
- Trust my instincts about timing decisions
3. Building a Robust Support Network
I discovered that going through this alone was just as hard as the practical stuff. Learning to build a strong support system became crucial:
- Joining a community of 1,500 consultants through old girls club
- Establishing regular check-ins with fellow laid-off colleagues
- Maintaining weekly calls with close friends
- Seeking guidance from experienced business mentors
- Creating accountability partnerships
The Mental Game-Changer {#mental-game}
Perhaps the most transformative lesson came from my positive intelligence training. It wasn’t just another self-help program – it fundamentally changed how I see myself and others. Now, I can quickly spot when I’m falling into judgment mode, whether I’m being hard on myself or others. This awareness has been game-changing.
Here’s a simple example: I’ll walk out to my patio, which has this stunning view of mountains and valleys – a truly beautiful landscape. But instead of taking in this breathtaking view, I’ll catch myself fixating on how dirty my travertine tiles are. That’s when I know instantly – I’m in saboteur mode. My judge is so focused on what’s wrong that it’s blocking me from seeing all that’s right. This ability to catch myself in these moments and shift my perspective has been transformative.
When I catch myself in judge mode, I can now pause, recognize it, and choose a different response. This skill has been invaluable in:
- Job interviews – seeing rejections as redirections rather than failures
- Building my business – focusing on growth instead of comparing myself to others
- Parenting – being present instead of perfect
- Daily decisions – choosing curiosity over criticism
- Networking – approaching connections with authenticity instead of judgment
From Survival to Strategy {#survival-strategy}
What started as a period of survival evolved into strategic growth. I improved my tennis game, launched Insight AI, and most importantly, learned to embrace the present moment rather than postponing happiness for some future milestone.
Starting Insight AI wasn’t part of some grand plan – it emerged from recognizing that my experience could help others navigate their own career transitions. As a certified Six Sigma and Design Thinking expert who has experienced both sides of the career transition journey, I found myself uniquely positioned to help others avoid the pitfalls I encountered.
This transformation included:
- Developing a clear business vision aligned with personal values
- Creating a life that works for me with both work and family life
- Building authentic professional relationships
- Investing in targeted professional development through specific programs:
The tools and frameworks I developed combine proven business methodologies with personal insight. This isn’t just about finding another job – it’s about transforming how you see and present your worth to the world.
Real Numbers: The Reality of Career Transitions {#real-numbers}
Before sharing my method, let me be transparent about what this journey looked like in numbers:
- 6 months of uncertainty
- 3 kids under 3 years old
- Multiple interviews for roles offering 2x my previous salary
- 1,500+ network connections leveraged
- 100+ hours of positive intelligence training
- Several potential business ideas explored before landing on the right one
- Built a comprehensive support team:
- Parent coach
- Life coach
- Wellness coach
- Sales coach
- Nutritionist
- Therapist
Common Myths About Career Setbacks I Had to Unlearn {#common-myths}
Before we look forward, let me debunk some harmful myths I initially believed:
- “Take the first offer you get”
- Reality: Sometimes the path isn’t about landing the next job immediately
- My Experience: Interviewing for roles that would have doubled my salary helped me understand what I really wanted
- “Stay in your lane”
- Reality: Your skills are more transferable than you think
- My Experience: Internal consulting experience experience translated perfectly into entrepreneurship and coaching
- “Network only when you need something”
- Reality: The relationships you build before a crisis are what carry you through it
- My Experience: My 2,500-person network wasn’t built overnight
- “Keep your struggles private”
- Reality: Vulnerability attracts authentic opportunities
- My Experience: Sharing my journey openly led to deeper connections
The Phoenix Formula: Transforming Career Setbacks into Opportunities {#phoenix-formula}
Through my journey, I developed a framework that I now use to help others transform their career setbacks into opportunities. Here’s how it works:
Finding Your Spark
The journey begins with rediscovering your unique value:
- Deep-dive Impact Finder to identify your unique wins
- Ikigai exercise to align purpose with value
- Strategic interviews to understand current challenges and business landscape
- Design thinking approach to discover unique solutions
- Research and target companies where your superpowers stand out
Building Your Foundation
With clarity about your value, we focus on presenting it effectively:
- Creating your value contribution roadmap
- Transforming your resume and LinkedIn presence
- Creating an interview confidence guide
- Developing strategic outreach plans
- Mapping your network for meaningful connections
Strategic Launch
The final phase focuses on execution and refinement:
- Fine-tuning all materials to ensure your unique value shines through
- Beginning strategic outreach with your new positioning
- Getting feedback and iterating for improvement
- Building momentum through proven frameworks
- Creating breakthrough insights about where you add distinct value
Creating Your Path Forward {#path-forward}
Most importantly, I learned that a layoff isn’t just an ending – it can be the beginning of something more authentic and aligned with who you truly are.
Remember that a career transition isn’t just about finding your next role—it’s about understanding who you are beyond your job title. Whether you’re facing a layoff or feeling stuck, know that embracing uncertainty is part of the process.
Your Next Chapter Starts Now
Consider this: What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
Are you navigating your own career transition? Connect with me to learn more about turning career setbacks into opportunities for growth.
Sources:
