• 9 to 5 Dilemma: Laid Off, Start Here.

• How to Talk About Yourself (Without Cringing) at Thanksgiving.

• Brand Power Hour Sign-Ups- 4 spots left!

• 1 Quick Tweak to Make This Week.

Welcome to the club that no one wants to be a part of…

Unemployment.

It’s a really shitty club that comes with grief, fear, anxiety, lack of stability, and a fleeting sense of impending doom.

If it’s any consolation, the club is growing. It may even be the fastest growing club in America right now…

If you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to get a cryptic calendar invite with no context from HR, you know exactly how this feels.

The bottom drops out, time slows down, and all the things that made sense 10 minutes ago suddenly don’t.

Job loss isn’t just about employment… it’s an identity interruption.

It’s grieving the loss of stability that comes from identity interruption.

It shakes your sense of belonging, purpose, and predictability all at once.

Before you rush to “fix it,” I want you to take a breath.

This is a transition, not a failure and certainly not how the story ends.

Here’s how to navigate the days and weeks ahead, both practically and emotionally.

Tactical First Steps

These are the non-negotiables. They may not feel exciting, but they’re your first layer of stability. Aim to knock these out within the first week to two weeks of your exit.

1. Apply for unemployment.
   File as soon as possible, most states have a short waiting period, and you’ll want to get that clock started.

2. Review your separation paperwork carefully.
   Do not feel pressured to sign anything right away. You have time to review it, and you should.

   • If you’re unsure about severance, non-compete clauses, or anything that feels unclear, reach out to an employment attorney.

   • Many companies make a disclaimer that to be eligible for a severance payment, you have to sign the agreement. This is usually not an issue, unless the agreement asks you to waive certain rights or places really steep non-compete standards on you.

   • Watch key dates and requirements needed to execute the agreement to avoid missing out on separation payment or other benefits.

3. Understand your benefits situation.

   • COBRA Coverage: Employers have up to 44 days from your separation date to send your COBRA election notice. Once you receive it, you’ll have 60 days to decide if you want to continue coverage.

   • 401(k) or Retirement Plan: You’ll typically receive information from your former employer or plan administrator within 44 days about your COBRA health coverage options. For retirement accounts, ask about your 401(k) rollover options — whether you can keep your funds with the plan, roll them into an IRA, or transfer to a new employer plan.

   • Stock Options or RSUs: Check vesting schedules and expiration dates. Some plans require you to exercise vested stock options within a limited timeframe (often 30–90 days after separation).

   • Bonuses or Commissions: Review your separation or employment agreement to confirm what happens to bonuses, incentive pay, or commissions that were earned but unpaid at your departure.

   • Other Benefits or Reimbursements: Ask about unused PTO payouts, wellness stipends, tuition assistance, or any outstanding expense reimbursements.

4. Take time to lament and sulk, but don’t live there.
   You’re allowed to grieve. Cry. Be angry. Feel lost.
   Give it a few days. Then, begin gently moving forward. We can’t stay stuck here.

5. Rebuild your routine with mental health in mind.
   Create structure. Include both job search time and rest time.
   Searching 24/7 will burn you out. You need boundaries, a schedule, and a strategy.

6. Find your community.

   This journey is going to feel lonely, isolating, and downright depressing. Find or reconnect with your community of people who get you, bonus points if they’re also experiencing the waves of unemployment.

And Emotionally…

Let this land.

You can’t rebuild what you haven’t processed.

Write down what’s true:

• This was not my fault.

• I still have skills, experience, and relationships that matter.

• I am allowed to feel sad and hopeful at the same time.

Repeat these phrases when your mind starts to tell you that old narrative that this is YOUR fault because you’re not good enough. Your brain will try to get creative as it looks to place blame to find a root cause to this problem, but spoiler alert… you are not the problem.

And don’t forget…

Grief and life and joy can coexist.

You can feel anxious about what’s next and still laugh at something funny your friend sends.

You can cry one morning and wander an art gallery at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday just because you can.

You can feel uncertain and go for a walk, attend an event, volunteer, or start moving your body more.

This season is a chance to reconnect with yourself, if you let it. It doesn’t mean you’re lazy, not working hard enough to find a job, or anything of the source.

When You’re Ready to Move Forward

Once you’ve caught your breath, start small:

• Update your resume — focus on achievements, impact, and outcomes instead of saying what you did. The general rule of thumb is show, not tell. Show people the impact your work had instead of telling people what you did.

• Refresh your LinkedIn profile so it reflects where you’re headed and is aligned with the most common keywords someone would use to find you.

• Reach out to 2–3 people you trust, not to ask for help yet, but to re-engage and feel reconnected.

You don’t need a 90-day plan right now.

You need the next seven days and enough gumption to begin again.

☕ Something to Consider

If you’re stuck right now, remember:

You don’t have to earn your way back to joy.

You’re allowed to rest, rebuild, and still enjoy your life while you figure out what’s next.

You haven’t lost your value, just your current title that you rented to a company in exchange for money.

And that’s something you can always get back. You’ll rent your time, talent, skills, and greatness to another audience soon (and hopefully for way more money next time!)

Self-Advocacy : Holiday Edition.

Holidays with family can bring out the best of who you are and occasionally, drive you straight to the brink of reckless insanity.

You show up with good intentions. You’re wearing real pants. You’re ready to eat your body weight in mashed potatoes and gravy.

But inevitably someone brings up work…

And you forget every interesting, hard-earned thing you’ve done all year.

“Work? Oh… fine. Nothing major.”

Nothing major… as in you closed the biggest deal of your career, earned President’s Club, and are heading to Hawaii in February on an all-expenses-paid trip.

Why We Downplay Ourselves

We do this because it feels safer.
We worry we’ll sound arrogant.
Or that your Aunt that speaks every thought without hesitation will pop a hater pill and say, “Must be nice.”
Or that the cousin still “figuring things out” will roll their eyes.

So we shrink.
We trade clarity for comfort.
We choose small talk over self-advocacy.

Talking about yourself with confidence isn’t bragging.

It’s modeling what it looks like to be proud of your work and that’s something the next generation at that table probably needs to see.

Here’s How to Do It Gracefully

1. Lead with gratitude, not apology.

When someone asks how work is going, try:

That line sets the tone. You don’t owe anyone a disclaimer before owning your success.

2. Replace “Oh, nothing major” with one true highlight.

Instead of hiding behind modesty, offer one thing you’re genuinely excited about:

3. Watch your qualifiers.

We love to soften our wins:

Cut the qualifiers.

4. Keep it conversational.

The goal isn’t to recite your LinkedIn bio, it’s to connect.
Ask questions back:

Pride lands best when it’s mutual.

5. Remember: you’re not the same person you were last Thanksgiving.

You’ve grown, accomplished, endured, learned.
It’s okay to take up a little more space this year.

Self-advocacy isn’t about proving anything to anyone, it’s about owning who you’ve become. You worked hard to survive and get here, it’s okay to say it.

If You Need a Script

Try this:

Or this:

Or, for the bolder:

Delivered with a smile and a tip of the glass 😉

One Last Thing

Confidence and kindness can coexist.
You can be proud and humble.
You can be grateful and direct.
You can be joyful about what you’ve earned without making anyone else smaller.

And if anyone still tries to humble you?
Smile, pass the stuffing, and remember, the people who are uncomfortable with your confidence probably haven’t learned how to own their own yet.

Brand Power Hour: Only 4 Seats Left!

You’ve been meaning to update your resume.
To finally refresh that LinkedIn profile.
To document your wins before year-end reviews hit.

This is your sign.

The Brand Power Hour is a 60-minute private strategy session designed to give you clarity, momentum, and a tangible deliverable you can actually use.

Choose Your Focus Area

Pick one goal, and we’ll get it done together.

✅ Resume Edit + Refresh
Get keyword-aligned, accomplishment-driven, and confident about how you show up on paper.

✅ LinkedIn Profile Rebuild
Rework your headline, summary, and experience so they reflect who you are now, not who you were last role.

✅ Year-End Performance Review Support
Turn a year’s worth of effort into measurable, story-driven impact that makes leadership take notice.

✅ 2026 Goal Setting + Career Planning
Get clear on what’s next and how to talk about it with confidence and direction.

Details

When: November only
Length: 60 minutes of focused, 1:1 strategy plus materials/tools
Investment: $129 (regularly $589)
Availability: Only 4 sessions left

How to Book

👉 https://calendly.com/kelly-get-gumption/brand-power-hour

Quick Tweak of the Week: One Sentence Per Bullet.

If you’ve ever wondered why your resume feels cluttered or hard to follow, this is the fix:
Keep every bullet to one clean, complete sentence.

Here’s why it works:

1️⃣ It forces clarity.

When you only have one sentence to work with, you cut the filler and get straight to the point.

You stop writing like a job description (“responsible for overseeing…”) and start writing like someone who delivers outcomes.

2️⃣ It helps the reader find the right things fast.

Recruiters and hiring managers skim.

They’re reading hundreds of resumes, not studying them.

A one-sentence bullet is visually digestible and they can catch your impact in one glance.

Think of it like this:

3️⃣ It builds rhythm and confidence.

When every bullet is short, strong, and structured the same way, your resume feels more confident, even before they’ve read a word of your achievements.

It signals: This person communicates clearly and prioritizes well.

4️⃣ It makes keywords easier to spot.

A concise bullet naturally highlights the verbs and industry keywords that matter most.

Instead of burying your results under preambles or extra detail, you’re giving them the exact language that helps you get through ATS filters and human readers.

Dollyism.

Don’t Be a Stranger!

Like my content?

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