In this Ex Factors episode of Ready for Beyond, Gina Hudel explores what happens when the career assumptions we’ve relied on suddenly become less certain, and why the first response to change doesn’t always need to be finding the next job. She sits down with Hisun Kim, founder of MePlan, whose 24-year technology career includes 14 years in Silicon Valley and experience in user experience design, product management, and entrepreneurship. Having been on both sides of layoffs, Hisun brings those experiences together with a personal planning practice she has developed over nearly two decades. Her approach starts with a simple idea: before figuring out what comes next, understand where you’re standing now. Key Moments: 02:06: Layoff First Aid: Why the First 72 Hours MatterBefore résumés, interviews, and job searches, Hisun explains why people need time to regain their footing after the shock of a layoff.04:55: Start With What You Already HaveTaking stock of your skills, reputation, network, and other resources, and using what you’ve already built as the foundation for what comes next. 11:56: How AI Is Changing Career AssumptionsHisun reflects on what she’s seeing in Silicon Valley as AI challenges expectations around job stability, expertise, and traditional career paths.15:55: Know Yourself Before Choosing What’s NextInstead of immediately pursuing the next available opportunity, Hisun encourages asking what matters most to you, your family, and the life you want to build. 18:02: Focus on What You Can ControlJobs and industries can change unexpectedly. Hisun points to skills, savings, sanity, and mental health as examples of things people can focus on when circumstances around them are uncertain. 22:08: Burnout, Reflection, and Finding a Way BackHisun shares how closing her latest startup and experiencing significant burnout led her through her own process of rebuilding her health, curiosity, and courage. 25:09: Learning to Be Patient in a Fast-Moving WorldGardening and long-distance running have become Hisun’s antidote to the speed of tech and startup life, teaching her to accept slow progress and become more comfortable with results that take time. Hisun shares her own experience of closing her latest company and moving through significant burnout before gradually rebuilding her health, mental curiosity, and courage. The same questions she had used for years in personal planning became part of finding her own way forward: Where am I now? Where do I want to go? And how do I get there from here? Her perspective reminds us that reinvention doesn’t always need to begin with an answer. Sometimes the first step is understanding what you already have, what matters now, and what remains within your control. A thoughtful and practical conversation about career uncertainty, self-knowledge, patience, and finding your footing before deciding where to go next. ⭐ About Hisun Kim Hisun Kim is the founder of MePlan, where she develops personal and career planning resources designed to help people think through change with greater clarity and intention. Her 24-year career in technology has taken her from user experience design and product management to entrepreneurship, including founding and co-founding two companies and spending 14 years in Silicon Valley. Having experienced layoffs from both sides, as well as navigating her own career transitions and burnout, Hisun brings her background in technology, product development, startups, and personal planning to the question of what comes next. For the past 19 years, she has maintained a personal planning practice built around reflecting on the previous year, considering where she wants to go over the longer term, and assessing how she is moving toward those goals. What began as a practice shared with friends and family has also become part of her business. Today, she creates resources including her Layoff First Aid Guide, Career Bounce Back Workbook, yearly personal planning framework, and mid-year check-in materials and workshops. At the heart of her approach is a simple philosophy: live by design, not by default. Hisun Kim on LinkedIn Resources discussed in this episode: MePlan: MePlanApp.comLayoff First Aid Guide ⭐ About the Host: Gina Hudel I’m Gina Hudel, a transformation leader who has worked with teams in more than 40 countries. Over the years, my career has taken me across sectors and communities, supporting people and organizations as they navigate change, make thoughtful decisions, and move forward with clarity and purpose. I’m also deeply committed to volunteer leadership and community work, which keep me grounded in what matters most: people, connection, and contribution. Whether the setting is global or local, my focus is the same: creating space for people to find their footing, focus on what matters, and make steady, sustainable progress. Ready for Beyond brings that perspective to the mic. These conversations are grounded and human, shaped by a reminder I hold close: the future matters, but so does today. Each episode offers a moment to pause, reflect, and take the next step with confidence and intention, while staying present to the day you’re in. ⭐ What Is Ready for Beyond? What you do today shapes what comes next, and navigating change doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Ready for Beyond is a podcast about growth, purpose, and finding your way in a world that’s shifting fast. Through candid conversations and practical tools, host Gina Hudel helps listeners move forward with clarity and courage, while still making space to enjoy the day they’re in. From personal pivots to leadership transitions, career shifts to community impact, the show explores how people make meaningful progress while staying grounded in what matters now. Whether you’re leading a team, rethinking success, or opening the door to something new, this is a space to learn, reflect, and feel supported along the way. Let’s go beyond. Contact Gina Hudel: Website: CanCannot.comLinkedIn: Gina Hudel
