Episode Summary:
• A raw, millennial‑real talk deep dive into layoffs: We unpack the emotional, financial, and identity‑level fallout of job loss — from graduating into the recession to navigating multiple layoffs, rebuilding careers, and confronting the shame, burnout, and “bounce back” pressure that hits so many women in tech and creative fields.
• A brutally honest look at the job search in 2024: Covering AI‑filtered applications, recruiter ghosting, the emotional whiplash of hope vs. silence, and survival strategies like stepping away from LinkedIn, choosing trusted resume reviewers, using AI as a tool (not a voice), and reconnecting with your own narrative when everything feels unstable.
• A compassionate, cathartic conversation for anyone navigating layoffs: We weave in parenting realities, identity shifts, and the universal millennial feeling of “this is not what I expected of my life,” while offering encouragement, community, and links to the hosts’ most helpful layoff resources and pep talks.
Welcome to the Land of Layoffs
Some episodes feel like they were always meant to happen, and this one? This one practically leapt out of the turkey on its own. (Okay, we might’ve forced it this time)
But as two elder millennials experienced in their fair share of layoffs (including identity, burnout, and the emotional gymnastics of rebuilding our careers) — we felt it was a MUST.
This episode is a spotlight 🔦 — a deeper dive into a topic that’s hitting close to home for so many people right now. And because we have both lived through multiple layoffs (yes, plural — and even currently looking for our next opportunities), the conversation is equal parts catharsis, commiseration, and “oh wow, same.”
Also, we’ve made it. It’s happened. It’s taken 4 episodes — but Casie finally curses on this episode. Twice! Honestly? It seems fitting given the topic… 🤷🏼♀️
✨Don’t miss our links at the end to our other layoff posts written mostly as we were in the thick of it. There’s some great resources & pep talks in there!✨
The Millennial Layoff Starter Pack
Right out of the gate, we acknowledge the shared generational trauma:
“Are you even a millennial if you’ve never been laid off?” (Obviously, yes. If you’re born between the years 1981 and 1996 — you are. But, congratulations. Because more of us have gone through it than not.)
We both graduated into the 2008 recession, which means layoffs weren’t a plot twist — they were the backdrop. We should’ve known then that we were not going to be our parents generation.
Amber watched her first company cut its workforce in half.
Casie was laid off in 2012 and again in 2023, bookending a decade of career evolution with two very different emotional experiences.
The takeaway?
Layoffs aren’t just professional disruptions. They’re shockwaves to your core…even when they’re expected. Even when you’re not that upset to leave the company. Even when they LOOK easy and you eventually get to say it was a “blessing in disguise” — they SUCK when you’re going through them.
Rebuilding Yourself After Losing Your Job
One of the most resonant threads in the episode is the emotional aftermath — the part people often don’t talk about on LinkedIn.
In addition to losing your income and benefits (shoutout to the U.S.of.A.) — being laid off can also potentially mean losing:
• A team you saw 40 hours a week
• A routine
• A sense of purpose (maybe that dream job!)
• A version of yourself you thought was stable
• And in a world where work has become part of our personalities, communities, and structures, the loss hits harder than most people admit.
We dive into:
• The shame that surrounds layoffs (particularly the difference pre- and post-pandemic)
• The pressure to “bounce back” quickly
• The internal monologue that threatens to self sabotage
• The exhaustion of applying, interviewing, hoping, and…being ghosted
In short? “It is a full-time job to find a job — and it’s all unpaid!”
Parenting and the Unexpected Detours
Amber also shares what it’s like to navigate layoffs while raising her two boys — including the complicated mix of gratitude and grief.
On one hand, “I’ve watched our youngest grow up in a way I never would have if I’d been working.” But, on the other, “This is not what I expected of my life.”
It’s a brutally honest look at how career disruptions intersect with motherhood — the joy, the guilt, the recalibration, and the constant tug-of-war between who you are and who you’re expected to be. (In a world that basically demands both parents work)
The Job Search: Hunger Games, Anyone?
We break down the modern job hunt with painful accuracy:
• Hundreds of applicants within hours
• AI-driven resume filters
• Applications that ask for your soul — the homework! And Amber’s favorite question, “Why do you want to work here?”
• No way to check your status — Did you even GET our resume?
• Recruiter ghosting — CoolCoolCool. 🫠
• The burnout of trying to stay hopeful
Then there’s the emotional whiplash: “You apply, you get excited, you get hopeful… and then sometimes it just doesn’t go your way.”
Survival Strategies and The Subtle Art of Not Giving AF About the LinkedIn Influencers 🙃
This episode also dives into our survival strategies that helped:
• Taking intentional breaks from LinkedIn. (Seriously. STOP. LOOKING. AT. LINKEDIN. At least for an hour or a day. Or just look at the jobs — but don’t you dare scroll down that feed of influencers.)
• Letting go of the fear of missing “the perfect role”
• Choosing a few trusted people for resume feedback — EVERYONE has an opinion on resumes. Find your few trusted sources and count on them.
• Using AI as a tool — not a replacement — for storytelling
• Recording your career history out loud to reconnect with your own narrative
• Make sure YOU show up in your resume! Especially in the AI age, your humanity is your differentiator.
You’re Gonna Get Through This 🫶🏼
This episode is a love letter to anyone navigating layoffs, identity shifts, or the emotional chaos of trying to rebuild something meaningful in a world that keeps moving the goalposts.
We see you. And we hope you know that you’re never alone.
Resources & Pep Talks
Read Amber’s Layoff posts:
Read Casie’s Layoff posts:
* So You’ve Been Laid Off — Now What? (Come for the Framework, stay for the screaming at the Sky, perhaps?)
* That Epic Barbie Speech — But Make it For Creatives
* The Severance Has Stopped But…Life Hasn’t (aka: When the Influencer Advice Got to Be Too Much)
🌲 Connect with Amber on Threads, Substack, or LinkedIn — you can also check out her pup @JoJotheKeeshond.
🌴 Catch Casie on Threads, Substack, or LinkedIn — you can also check out her pups @PawsitivePointers.
