Career Leaps in the Age of Mass Layoffs

If you are one of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been laid off in the past year – or if, in the back of your mind, you are turning over the question of whether now is *really* a prudent time to take a risk and make a change in your career – I have a story (and offering) for you: 

More than 10 years ago, I was summoned to the conference room of the environmental nonprofit where I worked full time, and informed in a monotone by the be-spectacled Head of HR that my position had been eliminated, and I had 20 minutes to clean out my desk. 

Across from me, my manager became suddenly fascinated by her hands – picking at an invisible spot on the beige formica table top – which conveniently prevented her from meeting my gaze.

Hours later, after the initial flush of shame and embarrassment had loosened its death-grip on my ego, I sat in a pub on Piedmont Street in Oakland with my now-husband, and raised a pint to the sudden fact of my freedom; feeling incredulous, even awed, at the ultimate perfection of the situation. 

It felt as though the universe had been quietly attending to what I’d been saying for months – couched in complaints about boredom, meaninglessness, lack of impact, lack of time to do what I really wanted – and then simply delivered the change that I couldn’t bring myself to initiate. 

In all honesty, I didn’t LEAP into building a storytelling and career coaching business full-time, so much as I was pushed – gently, off a fog-shrouded cliff, into a vast Pacific ocean of possibility. 

Looking back now, I can confirm that this push was among the best things that could have happened to me. 

Because of that push, I’ve gotten to spend over a decade developing a unique expertise in storytelling and narrative strategy, and using that to help thousands of people create meaningful change in their careers, businesses and legacies.

I’ve helped countless people land their dream jobs, create roles that didn’t exist before, pivot into new industries, and convince investors to fund their wacky startup ideas.

To this day, people have not stopped bringing me new and more complex problems to help solve, across all manner of industries; these people (you know who you are!) have educated and expanded me in ways I never could have anticipated, for which I am incredibly grateful. 

And although the bulk of my work takes place in startup-land these days, I STILL find myself having a few conversations a month, mostly through my work at U.C. Berkeley Haas, in which someone confides – in an apologetic tone, as though confessing a mortal sin – that they were recently laid off. 

If this sounds like you, allow me to be the first to say: Congratulations! 

One day, YOU may look back at this moment and count it among the best things that could have happened to you.

(And you don’t even have to start your own business to make it so. )

Of course – it probably doesn’t feel that way right now. 

But when your ego gets tired of licking its wounds, you’ll need some fresh inspiration and perspective to help you secure whatever is next. 

So to aid you in that – I’m making all my online masterclasses on storytelling for career transition 90% off now through February 29th.

These courses unpack the same tested storytelling strategies that I’ve shared with thousands of diverse professionals in my ~8+ years as an adjunct career coach for U.C. Berkeley Haas and INSEAD Business School for the World.

If you’re:

—> Trying to figure out the best way to respond to “Tell me about yourself?”, without vomiting up your chronological career history in 60 seconds or less? Masterclass #1 is for you.

—> Struggling to explain an unconventional career path or pivot that doesn’t follow the typical trajectory, without de-positioning yourself as “lacking experience”? Masterclass #2 is for you.

—> Ready to prep authentic, concise and engaging career stories for behavioral interviews that won’t make everyone’s eyes glaze over? Masterclass #3 is for you.

—> Wondering how to make a compelling case for why they should hire YOU – over the hundred other qualified candidates in the virtual waiting room – without sounding totally arrogant? Masterclass #4 is for you.

Yep – there’s a class to solve each and every one of these headaches!

And each one will take less than an hour of your time.

So if any of these topics sound relevant for you, I strongly recommend you go to this link and use the code LEAPYEAR24 to get 90% off any career masterclass you like, before February 29th.

May this be the year that we all find the courage to do as the artist does, and embrace uncertainty – taking leap after leap in the dark.

And if you don’t need this right now – please pass it along to someone who does!