This one’s a little different.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been talking to so many people who suddenly find themselves on the job market. Friends. Former colleagues. Readers. People we admire. People who are exhausted. People who didn’t think it would happen to them.
December is supposed to be soft. A brain break. Instead, a lot of people are waking up to layoffs, restructures, or the quiet dread of not knowing what comes next. It sucks.
And while we don’t have all the answers, we do see patterns in the conversations we keep having. The same fears. The same pressure. But also some similar advice on how to get up and start again. Many folx are questioning if they should go it alone. Or not. We wanted to dig into all that.
Zoe Scaman said this this week, and it hit hard:
“Losing a job isn’t just losing income. It’s losing identity. It’s losing the structure that told you who you were and where you belonged. It’s waking up on a Monday with nowhere to be and feeling like the map has disappeared… But those skills you built, the instincts you honed, the ability to see patterns and make things that move people — none of that disappears because some holding company decided to please shareholders before year end. That stuff lives in you. It’s yours. You built it.”
That’s the spirit of this episode. Not a pity party. Not toxic optimism. Something closer to a rallying cry.
If you’re in the thick of it, we hope you feel a little less alone. If you’re steady right now, maybe this helps you support someone who isn’t.
If this is useful, tell us. We might make it a series.
And if you need us, truly, we mean it. We’re here. Hit reply.
Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy.
00:00 — A DIFFERENT KIND OF EPISODE // Why we made this, who it’s for.
01:33 — WHAT WE’RE HEARING MOST // The same fears, the same questions, and the shift we’re sensing across the industry.
03:10 — YES, IT’S GRIM. BUT ALSO… ENERGY IS SHIFTING // Why we actually think there is more movement happening than the headlines tell you.
06:33 — THE QUESTIONS EVERYONE ASKS // “How do I get someone to give me a chance?” “How do I get hired for the thing I want to be doing?”
07:50 — THE PERMISSION TRAP // Stop waiting for someone to authorize your talent.
10:00 — THE CRINGE MOUNTAIN THEORY // Everything you want lives on the other side of the cringe. Posting, sharing, saying the thing. It’s daunting. But it works.
Side note: Just yesterday, in Lenny Rachitsky’s ‘How AI Works’ series, talking to a recruiter, they said this (read: LinkedIn is a thing):
“Michal’s recruiting automation succeeded because she asked the hiring team exactly what criteria they use: “Candidates must be from Israel or working at an Israeli company, active on LinkedIn within 3 months, and employed at their current job for over a year.” By codifying these specific requirements, she created an agent that found candidates the team had missed.”
12:14 — THE RED PLATE TRICK // A ritual for surviving the early days of putting yourself out there.
17:05 — HANDLING THE HATERS // Why negative comments hurt, how to process them, and when to delete without shame.
18:30 — “I WRITE A SUCCESSFUL NEWSLETTER.” // The GOOD THINKING bartender story. Fake-it-energy that actually matters.
20:07 — WHY COMMUNITY MATTERS MORE THAN EVER // Isolation, post-COVID connection gaps, and how to find your people again.
24:00 — PERSONAL BRAND REAL TALK // Why your resume isn’t enough anymore and what employers look for first.
30:00 — SHARE YOUR SECRET SAUCE // On originality, fear of being copied, and why sharing your thinking builds opportunity.
35:00 — FOLLOW THE FLOW, NOT THE PLAN // Letting go of the “it has to look like this” career mindset.
37:55 — SHOULD YOU GO OUT ON YOUR OWN? // The honest, unglamorous truth about entrepreneurship.
39:35 — WHY A PARTNER 10X’S EVERYTHING // The real reason IN GOOD CO works: energy, accountability, and not doing it alone.
42:00 — THE GRIEF OF LEAVING A JOB // Whether you quit or were laid off, there is a loss you have to feel before you move forward.
44:34 — IF YOU’RE STUCK IN A JOB YOU CAN’T LEAVE // Managing up, reading the room, and improving a situation that won’t change itself.
Thank you, as always, for being here. And if you’re one of the people this episode is for, we’re rooting for you.
ABOUT
Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless and proactive positioning.
Chris writes a weekly newsletter for +16K subscribers that shares the best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What she's dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands |Follow her on Substack
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