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From Shame to Strategy: Navigating Your Post-Layoff Journey with Stefanie Fackrell

Author

Jalonni Weaver
April 29, 2025

In partnership with

Stefanie Fackrell - Founder and HR Consultant

Hi friends! I’m Stefanie an HR and Career consultant but ALSO a 3x layoff SURVIVOR! With that many layoffs, I can officially call myself an OG and experienced layoff PRO!

I am happy to be here to contribute to Jalonni’s newsletter in hopes that my experiences/advice might help YOU, dear reader! I am so sorry if you have recently experienced a layoff or are in the midst of a long-term job search! On the flipside, if you have never been laid-off, my suggestion is to ALWAYS BE PREPARED!!

My first lay off was a shock! The company I was working for had recently been purchased and there was a restructuring. I was early in my career and did not see the signs/writing on the wall.

As I sat in the office of my HR leader being told about my lay off and that my last day was that day was terrible! What was more terrible was packing my desk and having security escort me out like I had done something wrong. The embarrassment was real!

Being laid off is a traumatic event! You lose your routine, your community/work friends and your income. All three of these can have a major impact on your mental and emotional health!

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After grieving and feeling ashamed for a couple of weeks, I sat down and made a plan. I cut out all spending that wasn’t tied to my everyday essential living. The only thing I kept was my gym membership because I knew that was going to be invaluable for my mental/emotional health. I had the time and a small severance so I decided to enroll in a few classes to give myself a routine and feel like I was working towards “something”.

I was intentional and purposeful about reaching out to friends and former colleagues who I knew were “my people”. If there is one thing a layoff will show you, it is who your “real friends” are vs. just your “work associates”. Be prepared! You’ll lose some people. Some individuals will be loyal to the company. It might hurt and that’s ok. Feel your feelings and then move on. Not everyone is meant to stay in your life forever!

After a few weeks of mourning and settling into a new routine for myself, I had an awakening! I had to let go of the shame of being laid off! There is NO REASON to hold on to that shame. SOCIETY told me I needed to feel this way. It was at that time that I decided that lay off stigma could F*CK RIGHT OFF! It was this awakening and layoff experience that helped me build out a plan and the advice I have to offer to you in this newsletter.

  1. Take time to process all of the emotions you are feeling. You are human and allowed to feel all the feelings. Give yourself grace! Some people may need more time than others to process the situation, but you can expect to go through the stages of Grief (there are seven!). This may take a few days or a few weeks. Potentially a few months but try not to get stuck!

  2. Before you sign anything regarding severance or separation make sure you are reading through things thoroughly with a fine-tooth comb! Hire a lawyer if you have to but make sure you understand everything you are reading.

  3. If you have time, be sure to print out or email yourself any performance reviews from your time at the company (without doing anything illegal!)! These can be used as a resource to help with resume creation and interview preparation! All those AMAZING things you did will help you with your job search!

  4. Do a financial health check! Sometimes layoffs DO NOT involve a severance package. Review all of your finances (savings, checking, investments, credit cards, etc) so you have a better picture of your safety net. This current market is NO JOKE. It may take 6-9 months to find a job so be sure to review your finances. Make this a PRIORITY!

You may have to cut out your weekly mani/pedi or daily coffee runs. Make a BUDGET!

  1. Refine and refresh ALL of your job search materials. This includes your resume, LinkedIn and any personal website/portfolio. If you have multiple skill sets, I highly suggest multiple targeted resumes so that you can be ready to apply to multiple job titles/job families that you qualify for.

  2. Lean on your network! Continue to build community. Reach out to former colleagues, your family and close friends. Maintain strong relationships and BUILD out your professional network. Let people know you are looking for work or looking to learn more about “XYZ” - ask for introductions and coffee chats.

  3. Build a Board of Directors! You may already have one. This is a trusted group of people you go to for advice. These are the people that KEEP IT REAL with you. These are not “yes” people. These are the folks that give you different points of view. They help you work through an issue. These are your “Ride or Die” who look out for you and your best interests. They could be former mentors, bosses, colleagues or friends you know and trust.

  4. Build out a schedule just like you would if you were working, schedule your day and/or week in advance. They say looking for work is a full time job. Which it IS but build out a schedule and be intentional! Be intentional about how much time you are spending networking, applying to jobs on job boards and posting/looking on LinkedIn. Build in breaks and downtime. I am of the belief that weekends are sacred. Try to ensure you have a few days to just BE. Every Friday I post a reminder to my network on LinkedIn - “disconnect to reconnect”!

    It’s important to mention here again, take care of your mental health. Seriously. Taking breaks from the job search grind is essential. Pay close attention. If something is feeling off, step away. Go for a walk. Phone a friend and if necessary, contact a professional. If you need a couple days to rest and recharge in the middle of the week, DO IT!

JOB BOARD 🚨

Special thanks to Haley ONeill for collecting this list for HR/People roles. Make sure to connect or follow her on LinkedIn for all things recruiting.

P.S. I am not the recruiter for these roles. Please do your due diligence and click the link that is provided to learn more about each role.


🌴 Lumen Technologies, People and Culture Manager: https://lnkd.in/ghYNP2Yc

🍹 iRhythm Technologies, Inc., Talent Acquisition Manager: https://lnkd.in/giccQVu9

🌴 Headspace, Manager, HR Operations: https://lnkd.in/g5ihKpX5

🍹 Stryker, Lead TA Business Partner (Sales): https://lnkd.in/gPynzUUA

🌴 Toast, Employee Voice & HR Measurement Manager: https://lnkd.in/gSSVrQeZ

🍹 Transmit Security, Sr Talent Acquisition Partner: https://lnkd.in/gUXJDnYF

🌴 Scopely, Sr People Business Partner: https://lnkd.in/g4_f4KBW

🍹 ARB Interactive, Sr Technical Talent Partner: https://lnkd.in/gvRryD8n

🌴 Sapiens, HR Business Partner: https://lnkd.in/gcnub-sc

🍹 DoorDash, Sr Manager, HR Automation & Transformation: https://lnkd.in/gy2ZvsiA

Weekly Inspiration ❤️

Job searching is a lot like catching a flight to a new destination. ✈️

You buy your ticket by applying for roles because you are excited about new opportunities.

You check your bags, filled with your skills, experiences, and hopes, trusting they will make the journey with you. 🧳

But just like traveling, things do not always go as planned.

You experience layovers — waiting for interviews, waiting for feedback, waiting for something to move.

Your flight gets delayed — ⏰ rejections happen, timelines stretch, momentum slows down.

You miss connections ❌ — roles you were excited about fall through unexpectedly.

Sometimes your baggage even gets lost 🫩— and with it, a little bit of your confidence or motivation.

There are moments when you wonder if you should just turn around and go back to what is familiar.

But you keep going.

You do not stay stuck in the layover. You do not let lost bags stop you from reaching your destination. You stay focused on why you started the journey in the first place.

Eventually, you land.

You might arrive a little more bruised than you expected. You might feel a little lighter because of what you lost along the way. But you made it.

And the view, the fresh start, the new place you are stepping into?
It was worth every delayed flight, every lost bag, and every frustrating layover.

Your journey was not perfect, but it still got you exactly where you needed to be.
It built your patience, your resilience, and your strength.
It taught you how to keep going even when it felt like nothing was working in your favor.

You did not miss your opportunity.
You were simply taking the scenic route to get there.

Keep going. Your destination is closer than you think.

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Reply to this email and let me know what topic you'd like to speak on, and I’ll send over the details of what I need from you.

Can’t wait to hear what you’ve got to share. 💬✨

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