Laid Off Legends

League of Laid off Legends
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Technology
  • Updated Biweekly

With our current environment of limits and layoffs, it’s time for something refreshingly different.  If you've been laid off, join us for honest, inspiring conversations with tech leaders, innovators, and industry experts who have transformed their career setbacks into remarkable comebacks. Each episode brings you actionable insights, authentic stories, and fresh perspectives on navigating the next chapter of your journey!

  1. Jul 19

    AI May Affect Your Identity. Are You Ready? (#028)

    AI is not just changing how we work. It is changing who gets valued, what expertise means, and how professionals define themselves. When anyone can create a prototype, write code, conduct research, or produce polished work faster than ever, what happens to the identity you spent years building? In this episode of the Laid Off Legends podcast, I sit down with three accomplished leaders working at the intersection of AI, product, design, and workforce transformation: * Taurean Jones, a design executive with experience building AI-native products at Intuit, Google Cloud, and Microsoft * Sarah Bernstein, a Human resources and workforce-transformation executive with leadership experience at PayPal, ServiceNow, Airbnb, Lumen, and other major technology companies * Orville McDonald, a Product executive, former leader at Microsoft, Google, and Mozilla, and founder of the AI-native investment research platform Musera Together, we explore: • Why standing still may be riskier than changing • Why your identity can no longer depend on your employer or job title • Whether the future belongs to specialists, generalists, or people who can become both • How AI is collapsing the boundaries between product, design, and engineering • Why companies should help employees adapt, but why you cannot wait for them • How to think two roles ahead instead of protecting the identity of your past • What it means to become a builder in the AI era • How to reconstruct your professional identity without losing the expertise that made you valuabl The central message is direct: do not fall in love with the artifact, the title, or the institution. Fall in love with the outcome you are capable of creating. Your company may change. Y our role may disappear. Your discipline may evolve. Your identity must become bigger than all three. Helpful links: Orville's startup: www.museras.com Taurean's design consulting practice: www.Designfordirection.com Subscribe to Laid Off Legends for honest conversations about layoffs, reinvention, AI, leadership, and building what comes next. #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #CareerReinvention #Layoffs #Leadership #ProductManagement #UXDesign #CareerDevelopment #PersonalBranding #LaidOffLegends

    AI May Affect Your Identity. Are You Ready? (#028)

  2. 12/10/2025

    Surviving a Layoff as a Creative 🎨 (#027) #layoffrecovery #careeradvice

    Layoffs hit creatives differently. When your identity is tied to what you make… When your voice is your product… When your worth is constantly judged, critiqued, iterated, and reimagined…losing a job isn’t just losing income. It’s losing an anchor. In this episode of League of Laid Off Legends, we sit down with Tré, an Aussie designer / videographer / creator whose layoff didn’t break him — it unlocked him. Instead of spiraling, he used unemployment as a creative runway. Instead of chasing virality, he built a 10,000+ person community by being radically human. This episode is a roadmap for any creative trying to understand: “How do I handle a layoff when my art, my identity, and my income are all tangled together?” In this episode, creatives will learn: 🎨 How to stay grounded when your creative identity gets shaken 🛠️ Why layoffs can sharpen your artistic voice if you let them 🧘 How to listen to your inner creative compass when external validation disappears ⏳ Why Tré now "creates like he's running out of time" — and why you might need to too Who this episode is for: Creatives navigating layoffs Filmmakers, videographers, artists, editors Content creators trying to find their voice Anyone who feels the fear of being “replaceable” Creative leaders trying to support impacted team members Tré’s story is a reminder that a layoff doesn’t diminish your talent. Rather, it helps you to rediscover it. If you’re a creative who’s been laid off, or fears you might be, this episode will challenge you, comfort you, and give you a path forward. Resources: Tré's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Tre-333 Creating like he's running out of time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPngXmMqK0A&t=11s

    Surviving a Layoff as a Creative 🎨 (#027) #layoffrecovery #careeradvice

  3. 12/02/2025

    Laid Off: Is it Time to Consider Franchising? (#026)

    You got laid off. Or you’re watching AI and “re-orgs” quietly erase your role. You can either pray for the next two-week paycheck…or you can start owning the thing that prints the paychecks. In this episode of Laid Off Legends, I sit down with Greg Ugwi, a Princeton-trained mathematician, former Goldman Sachs quant, founder of a multi-million dollar data startup (Thinknum) with a successful exit, and now CEO of WeFranch, a platform helping people buy into iconic franchises the way PE firms do. Greg went from growing up in Lagos watching his mom get laid off over and over…to valuing billion-dollar businesses on Wall Street…to realizing that the real unlock for generational wealth is owning a piece of an iconic brand... think Wingstop, McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, youth education, coffee, spas, and more. And he’s now bringing that playbook to regular people, especially those coming out of corporate layoffs. We dig into: Why franchising creates more millionaires in the US than tech or finance How PE firms evaluate franchises vs. how “regular” people do it — and how to close that gap How to use data, FDDs, and SBA loans to de-risk your first franchise instead of YOLO’ing your life savings The mindset shift from employee to owner: intelligent risk, agency, and living with “24/7 liability” without burning out The biggest myths about “passive income” and franchising that keep corporate high performers stuck If you’ve been laid off, are tired of playing corporate musical chairs, or just want to stop renting your talent and start building equity, this conversation is a masterclass. It’s not fluff. It’s the actual playbook Greg’s using to help operators step into ownership. 🔗 Connect with Greg & WeFranch Learn more / book a consult: wefranch.com Email Greg: gregory.ugwi@wefranch.com 🚀 For more Laid Off Legends If today’s episode sparked something, don’t keep it to yourself: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts Share this with one person who’s been laid off or is “quietly quitting” and needs a bigger vision Join our community of legends who are rewriting what’s possible after a layoff

    Laid Off: Is it Time to Consider Franchising? (#026)

  4. 11/25/2025

    From Layoff to Legacy: Inside an AI-Powered comeback story (#025)

    What do you do when your work ends up in a White House press briefing, your brand is at the center of a national boycott, and then you’re laid off in the first wave? In this episode of League of Laid Off Legends, Monk Inyang, co-founder & CEO of First Street Partnerships and President of the Montclair Board of Education, walks us through his journey from: Leading influencer & entertainment partnerships for Budweiser and Bud Light at Anheuser-Busch Being laid off in the fallout of the Bud Light/Dylan Mulvaney controversy Wrestling with identity, ambition, and “big brand” status To building an AI practice focused on practical, culturally relevant AI for Black and Brown communities and everyday workers If you’ve been laid off from a big-name company, are watching AI reshape your industry, or feel like your career has drifted away from what really moves you, this conversation is a playbook, not a pity party. You’ll hear Monk talk about powerful themes: The day of the layoff, & how he realized he was “pushing a stone uphill” inside a system that wasn’t built for his kind of creativity, Why working with Black creatives (Issa Rae, Ryan Coogler and more) felt more powerful than any Super Bowl party, and How a single workshop with fashion designers flipped his path from “marketing consultant” to “AI for the culture” The mindset shift: forgiving yourself after a layoff, separating your worth from your title, and designing the life you actually want How to think about AI as your “highly competent intern” — and why reading about AI is useless unless you use it If you’re a laid-off legend in the making, this is your reminder: The brand was never the magic. You were. Resources: Website: https://1ststreet.co/ Monk's Books on Amazon: Nightmare Detective: The Skeleton King: https://a.co/d/9xoaYEG Nightmare Detective: The Oracle's Blessing (Book II): https://a.co/d/h822bKs

    From Layoff to Legacy: Inside an AI-Powered comeback story (#025)

  5. 11/18/2025

    Laid Off: Beating the H1B Countdown (#024)

    When Ashish was laid off from Microsoft while on an H-1B, he was on a ticking clock. In this engaging episode of Laid Off Legends, we dive into how he turned a 120-day immigration deadline into a structured, high-velocity campaign: building a peer cohort with daily “standups,” treating job search like a product sprint, using AI and mock interviews to rebuild 19 years of lost interview muscle, and leveraging LinkedIn with radical openness instead of playing it safe. Ashish shares how he managed the emotional crash, leaned on his family’s belief, handled multiple rejections in a single day, and still landed an impactful role on Amazon’s Audible team. If you’ve been laid off and are on an urgent time crunch, or if you feel like your confidence has been shaken, this conversation is a masterclass in systems, support, and self-belief. Watch, share it with someone who needs it, and if you want more support and and stories like this, connect with us on YouTube, LinkedIn, and inside the Laid Off Legends community!

    Laid Off: Beating the H1B Countdown (#024)

  6. 11/11/2025

    The Loyalty Trap: How to Stop Being Stuck & Start Building Leverage (#023)

    Loyalty without leverage? That’s how high-performers get blindsided. In this Season 3 kickoff, Dr. Angela Justice, a former biotech exec, McKinsey alum, now C-suite coach, joins us to unpack The Loyalty Trap: why good people get stuck, and how to rebuild momentum with the Three Horizons framework. If you're a high performer, this episode is for you! You’ll learn * How to separate mission from employer (and keep your purpose intact through any transition) * The Three Horizons: 1) what you need now, 2) the next version of you, 3) the bridge in between * Exactly how to treat recruiters as relationships, not transactions * A simple habit to narrate your projects so your story writes itself (and interviews get easier) And much more! Why loyalty to self isn’t selfishness—it’s solid strategy. Resources: Dr. Justice's website: https://www.justicegroupadvisors.com The Loyalty article we referenced: https://www.biospace.com/career-advice/loyalty-is-a-flawed-strategy-and-it-can-cost-you Link to her monthly neewsletter: https://pages.justicegroupadvisors.com/practical-perspectives Her LinkedIn profile is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelajusticephd/

    The Loyalty Trap: How to Stop Being Stuck & Start Building Leverage (#023)

  7. 11/11/2025

    Announcing Season 3! Patterns and Paths (#022)

    Welcome back to Laid Off Legends! I’m delighted to announce Season 3 of the series. In Season 1, we talked about the mental health : the mindset, identity, and emotional recovery that starts right after a layoff. In Season 2, we went tactical on strategy, positioning, and the career moves that rebuild momentum. Now, Season 3 is about patterns and paths — what the comeback stories really look like. We’re going to unpack the habits, bold pivots, and uncommon discipline that helped people rise and recover. If you’ve been laid off, this season is your roadmap. And if you’ve already landed on your feet, this is your moment to give back. Mentor someone. Coach someone. Find a way to make your layoff experience something that can help others come back even greater. As always, subscribe on YouTube, follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and jump into our Skool community, where we share lessons, resources, and much more. Because a layoff doesn’t end your story — it begins your next chapter. Welcome to Laid Off Legends, Season 3. Let’s get started!

    Announcing Season 3! Patterns and Paths (#022)

  8. 08/25/2025

    Why Your Resume Can Be Much Better 🔥 (#021)

    If you’ve been laid off, stuck in the job hunt, or sending out hundreds of applications with no response...this episode is your reset button. I sit down with Sam Wright, Head of Operations & Partnerships at Huntr, the platform that helped over 100,000 job seekers last year track their applications, build stronger resumes, and finally get traction in today’s brutal job market. Sam pulls back the curtain on: 🚫 The 3 biggest resume mistakes job seekers make 📊 Data-backed proof that tailored resumes are 2x more likely to land interviews 🤖 How AI can supercharge (or sabotage) your application 🔗 Why LinkedIn isn’t the only job board that matters 💡 Networking & persistence strategies for a fractured job market This is more than generic advice. it’s real insight from thousands of resumes, applications, and job searches Huntr has analyzed. If your job hunt feels broken, this conversation will help you fix it. 👉 Join the League of Laid-Off Legends community for more resources, coaching, and peer support: www.leagueoflaidofflegends.com/ 👉 Connect with Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samwri321/ 👉 Explore Huntr: www.huntr.co (Use code LEGENDS10 for 10% off for the next 3 months!)

    Why Your Resume Can Be Much Better 🔥 (#021)
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

With our current environment of limits and layoffs, it’s time for something refreshingly different.  If you've been laid off, join us for honest, inspiring conversations with tech leaders, innovators, and industry experts who have transformed their career setbacks into remarkable comebacks. Each episode brings you actionable insights, authentic stories, and fresh perspectives on navigating the next chapter of your journey!

Information

  • Creator
    League of Laid off Legends
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29