What Happens When You Share Your Layoff Story (And Why Your Story Matters Too)
I'll be honest—I got a little emotional this week.
My first article in Fast Company just went live, and the response has been... overwhelming in the best way possible.
The piece is called "Just Laid Off? Here's How to Figure Out What's Next", and it tells the story of one of the hardest days of my life: May 5th, 2020, when I got laid off from my dream job at Airbnb and spent the afternoon sobbing under a tree in my local park.
That moment felt like an ending. But it turned out to be the beginning of the most aligned chapter of my career.
Five years later, I've now shared that story with thousands of people—and what happened next taught me something profound about why our stories matter, especially the ones we're most tempted to keep private.
The Response That Surprised Me
Since the article published, my inbox and DMs have been full of messages that honestly made me tear up (again).
People sharing their own layoff stories—where they cried (parking lots, bathroom stalls, kitchen floors), what they felt, how lost they were in that moment.
Someone who got laid off this very week saying the exercises came at exactly the right time.
Notes from readers thanking me for being honest, because "these kinds of stories don't get shared publicly enough."
Messages from people who've been sitting with their own career crossroads for months, finally feeling less alone.
👇🏻 Each message reinforced something I've seen play out with my Story Coaching clients time and time again.
Why Sharing Hard Stories Matters: The Power of Vicarious Mastery
There's a concept in psychology called vicarious mastery.
When we're at the start of something scary—a career transition, a creative risk, a major life change—seeing people just a step or two ahead of us who've navigated the hard thing helps us believe it's possible for us too.
I experienced this firsthand during my own entrepreneurial journey. In those early months (and honestly, sometimes still), I wanted to give up. The uncertainty felt crushing. The self-doubt was loud.
But hearing stories from other entrepreneurs and coaches who'd been through the messy middle—who'd questioned everything, struggled financially, doubted their path, and kept going anyway—gave me fuel to keep going.
Those stories weren't perfect success narratives. They were real. Vulnerable. Sometimes still a little messy.
And that's exactly what made them powerful.🪄
The Fast Company Article: What's Inside
In the piece, I share the storytelling practices that transformed my biggest professional low point into the foundation for everything I do now as a Story Coach.
Here's what you'll find:
✨ How to choose what kind of story you want your transition to be (and why this choice literally predicts better mental health outcomes during career transitions)
✨ A simple exercise to map your career chapters and uncover patterns you can't see when you're moving too fast
✨ The difference between contamination and redemption narratives—and how to shift from "it started good and ended bad" to "I'm still writing this story"
✨ A free worksheet to get started on your own Narrative Navigation journey
The article is personal, yes—but it's also packed with practical tools you can use right now if you're navigating any kind of career transition.
3 Practical Ways to Use Your Story During Career Transition
If you're in a "what now?" moment right now—whether from a layoff, a career pivot, or just that nagging feeling that something needs to change—here are three ways to start working with your story:
1. Map the Chapters of Your Career
Instead of looking at your resume as a list of job titles, look at it as a story with chapters.
For each role or phase, ask yourself:
What did I love (or not) about the work itself?
What did I love (or not) about the people and culture?
What did I love (or not) about compensation (including growth, balance, flexibility)?
What were 2-3 key moments that really stood out from this chapter?
When you do this exercise across your whole career, themes emerge. Patterns become visible. You start to see what's been lighting you up all along—and what's been draining you.
2. Reframe Your Transition Story
Right now, what story are you telling yourself about this moment?
Is it: "I got laid off and everything is falling apart" (a contamination narrative)?
Or could it become: "I'm in the middle of something hard, but I'm using this time to get clear on what I actually want" (a redemption narrative)?
Research shows that the way we frame our transition stories actually predicts our mental health and job search outcomes. People who can see their transition as part of a larger journey—not just an ending—navigate it with more resilience and clarity.
You get to choose what kind of story this becomes.
3. Share Your Story (Yes, Really)
I know—this one feels vulnerable. But here's what I've learned:
The story you think is embarrassing or too personal? That's often the one that creates the deepest connection.
You don't have to write a Fast Company article (though you could!). You can:
Share your experience with a friend who's going through something similar
Post about your journey on LinkedIn
Bring it up in a networking conversation
Talk about it in a job interview when asked about your transition
When you share your real story—not the sanitized version—you give others permission to be real too. And you never know whose life you might touch.
Your Story Is a Gift. Will You Share It?
Here's what this week has taught me:
Your story matters. Even if it feels ordinary to you. Even if it's still unfolding. Even if you don't have a neat ending yet.
Right now, someone in your world is facing something you've already navigated. Your story—your real, messy, honest story—could be exactly the light they need.
So I'll ask you the same question I've been asking myself:
What story are you sitting on that could be a gift to someone else?
Maybe it's your layoff story. Maybe it's a career change that felt impossible. Maybe it's a time you chose the harder path because it felt more true.
Your story doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to be real.
Ready to Start Your Own Narrative Navigation Journey?
If you're navigating a career transition right now and want practical tools to help you map your path forward, I've created a free worksheet based on the exercises in my Fast Company article.
The Career Chapters Worksheet includes:
Prompts to map your career story from beginning to now
Questions to uncover patterns and themes
A framework for identifying what you want in your next chapter
Space to start rewriting your transition narrative
And if you want to go deeper—if you're ready to transform your stories into a compass that guides your next chapter—I'd love to support you.
Schedule a 20 minute Direction Discovery call and let's figure out what's next, together.
P.S. If this post resonated with you, I'd love to hear your story. What transition are you navigating right now? What's one thing you're learning? Drop a comment below—your story might be exactly what someone else needs to read today.
