Episode 5. Layoffs RX Part 2: When you’ve been impacted
“While getting laid off is a major source of grief, it can also serve as a powerful moment of reset. You can use this forced pause to reconnect with your life outside of work, take time to learn, and give yourself the space to imagine your actual dream career.”
Everyone in the company has been told that layoffs are coming, and you’ll get an email within 15 minutes letting you know the status of your role. It’s the longest 15 minutes of your life. When the email finally arrives, your heart sinks. You’ve been impacted.
If you’ve found this episode because you were laid off, I’m sorry this happened to you. In Part 2 of our series on navigating layoffs, we’re talking about the messy reality of what happens when you are the one who loses your job.
So far in 2026, over 120,000 tech employees have been laid off, a 66 percent increase from the same time last year. And layoffs aren’t hitting everyone equally. In past rounds, women have been up to 65 percent more likely than men to lose their jobs in tech. This sudden loss of identity, combined with the silent exit of a layoff, only worsens an already severe attrition problem, pushing 50 percent of women out of tech by age 35.
In this episode, we’ll walk through four practical steps to navigate your next chapter.
Four practical steps to navigate your next chapter:
Process your grief and keep a routine: Meditate, let your nervous system reset, and maintain a daily schedule.
Stay connected: Fight the urge to withdraw and tap your network for your next role.
Learn a new skill: Upskill for your current path or explore something entirely new.
Imagine your dream job: Define your ideal location, pace, compensation, and culture before you start applying.
Your next steps:
Imagine your dream job: Imagine your dream job without boundaries. Pick one aspect, like your workspace, industry, or team culture, and define exactly what you want so you can make your next move highly intentional.
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Resources mentioned in this episode:
GeekWire: Research finds women are 65% more likely than men to lose jobs in ongoing wave of tech layoffs
Fair Play Talks: DEI Cuts Hit One in Five Companies, Raising Morale and Inclusion Concerns, Confirms Study
LeadDev: Tech layoffs are making things worse for women in leadership
CIO.com: Why women leave your IT organization and how to help reverse that talent drain
McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org: Women in the Workplace 2025
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