Open Up, Episode 1: layoffs, purpose, and embracing your full self

Last week we held our first episode of Open Up, a new advice show I’m hosting with my fantastic co-host Geoff Graham and my good friends at SmashingConf.

We had a wonderful inaugural episode, with over 80 people joining us live! We received some really amazing submissions, and even though we technically only got through four during the show, I feel like we touched on lots of common themes we saw reflected in many of the submissions. We touched on a lot of topics, concepts, and ideas:

The current (sorry!) state of discourse, and the recognition that we haven’t had a chance to collectively acknowledge, grieve, or process our collective trauma of COVID. COVID robbed us of real connection that a lot of our current unhealthy state has been
The recognition that this moment is time is a particularly difficult time for everyone. Feelings of unease not a personal problem; our personal state is influenced by the macro-level state of affairs.
The current (awful!) AI-force field-infused job-hunting landscape. AI has been injected into the bloodstream of society with very little thought; we suspect this contributes to our feelings of disconnection.
Rather than making ourselves smaller to fit into tiny defined boxes, there’s an opportunity to reconsider those boxes entirely in order to break through and connect with humans. How can we transcend boxes?
How can we lean into our humanity and our authentic, full selves in order to stand out in a crowded job market (but also more generally to live a more fulfilling life!)
The temporary nature of everything. Every moment of happiness and tranquility is temporary, but so is every moment of hardship. Current job hunters (and all humans!) will one day be on the other side of whatever challenges we’re facing, and reminding ourselves of that fact can give us perspective and guide us through challenging.
The importance of storytelling, personal branding, and the power of being vulnerable to not just share your wins but also the processes and challenges that accompanied them.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Rather than directing your energy towards others and feeling like you need to compete against them, direct that energy inwards to cultivate your own sense of self. Geoff brought up a fantastic point that comparison can be a helpful tool to see ourselves, but coveting is especially dangerous.
Understand why you enjoy doing the things you do, because what you are going to do is going to change over the course of your life.
Recognizing there are many seasons of life: our priorities shift as we move through life. You might be in a season of life where you’re trying to make as much money as humanly possible. You might be in a season of life where you’re in the sandwich generation, raising kids while also taking care of your ailing parents. You might be in a season of life where you want/need to grind as much as possible, which you may later be in a season where the exact opposite is necessary.
The danger of putting so much of our sense of identity and self worth into our work, and the importance of living a well-balanced life. Family, relationships, hobbies, and more are critical to our wellbeing.
Feeling stuck, and the feeling of liberation when becoming unstuck. Knowing when to make moves
Finding purpose in life. The Element and Finding Your Element are great books to help you consider your purpose.
The challenges and opportunities around remote-vs-in-person work, and how to foster connection and flexibility regardless of the arrangement.

WHEW! That’s a lot of terrain to cover in a short hour and a half. I was so happy that people seemed to be engaged, at least from by side-eye on the chat.

To those that wrote into the show, thank you so much. You’re truly helping the community by being brave and vulnerable by sharing your difficult situation.

We also had such a great discussion in no small part because of Geoff! As Geoff mentions at the introduction, we’ve been fellow travelers in this field for pretty much our whole careers, so it’s fantastic to finally get a chance to collaborate on such a worthwhile endeavor. Geoff is wise, kind, empathetic, witty, and insightful — all amazing qualities for a show of this nature. I have a strong suspicion there are many more great conversations to come.

Join us for the next one! We’d love it if you considered sharing your situation with us; consider writing into the show! But also feel free to join us live for our next session as we continue to have deep conversations about meaningful topics.