The Anxious Achiever How To Heal After A Layoff with Yowei Shaw
Nov 20, 2025
Yowei Shaw, an emotional investigative journalist known for exploring feelings in the workplace, shares her impactful journey of being laid off from NPR. She discusses the emotional upheaval it caused, touching on the shame and identity crises many face during such transitions. Yowei highlights the opaque nature of layoff decisions and how this impacts mental health. She offers strategies for recovery, emphasizing self-compassion and the unexpected liberation that can come from letting go of the past. Get ready for a fresh perspective on navigating post-layoff life!
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Opening The Layoff Email
- Yowei Shaw recorded herself opening the layoff email and initially felt numb before sadness arrived.
- She grieved losing daily work with colleagues more than losing the job itself.
Meritocracy Is A Comforting Illusion
- Shaw explains the meritocracy myth: working hard feels like safety until it isn't.
- Layoffs expose that job security often depends on opaque company decisions, not performance.
Camaraderie And Dark Calculations
- During the month before layoffs at NPR, coworkers bonded and used gallows humor while also privately sizing one another up.
- Shaw felt ashamed for mentally calculating who might be cut despite wanting to support colleagues.
