Being laid off led me to adopt two Maine Coons – and start a business and career I now love passionately.
Of course, it wasn’t quite that simple or that quick. There was a pandemic (remember that?), homeschooling, endless courses, frantic soul-searching, a newly bought house, and the usual worries about mortgages and “what now?”.
This week, the headlines are once again filled with gloomy news about layoffs. Amazon is the latest, and likely not the last. My heart goes out to everyone affected, many of whom are in my network.
Layoffs affect everyone differently. But sometimes they quietly open a door you would never have dared to push yourself.
I hear this from clients all the time, and I have lived it myself. Before my own layoff, I had already certified as a coach because I knew something wasn’t right in my role. Still, I was terrified to leave the golden corporate cage and start a business. Mortgages do that to people.
Once it happened, a small group of former colleagues and friends supported each other as we stepped into wildly different paths. It was a tough year filled with courses, reinvention, uncertainty and a lot of dark-humored wine-Zooms. But somehow, every single one of us eventually ended up in roles and projects that felt more meaningful, more aligned with our values and more true to who we had become.
That is the beauty of being in the second half of your career. You have a lot more data. Use it.
If you’ve just received that email, give yourself permission to pause. Mine your data. Think, reflect, feel.
And use the waiting time well. Learn something new, get back in shape, reconnect with friends, rediscover old hobbies, or simply spend time with your family. The pause itself can be restorative and grounding.
It is rarely easy. But sometimes the detour is exactly the route you were supposed to take.
Wishing everyone affected courage, curiosity, optimism, compassion and, if possible, a healthy dose of dark humor.
If you have ever been laid off, what wisdom or encouragement would you share that might help someone going through it today?
