One of the most beautiful characteristics about America is the ability we have to fall, dust ourselves off and try again. Layoffs or firings may seem unsurmountable at first, but we’ve seen over and over again how getting laid off can often be the first step towards a significantly more fulfilling future. We’ve shared some incredible stories below.
Sergio Gaitan Md Faad
I had been with a Dermatology practice for a long time and decided to leave for a new practice in order to grow my true passion of Cosmetic Dermatology. After being at the new practice for a few months I was laid off. At that time, I knew that I wanted to give my patients a best-in-class experience. I realized that in order to do that, I would have to create my own practice. So with the help of my wife, a registered nurse, we worked together to open our own self-pay Dermatology and Laser Office. It’s been over a year since we opened our premier Dermatology and Laser Center in my hometown of Miami, FL and I am extremely proud of the quality of care and results we are consistently delivering. We feature the latest in laser treatments and this allows patients to get the best-in-class dermatology care at our location. Our primary focus is painless and no downtime skin rejuvenation. Read more>>
Shelby Frederick
In the spring of 2006, I found myself sitting in my manager’s office, hearing the news that no one expects but many fear—my payroll coordinator position was being eliminated company-wide. After six months as a temp, I had been in the role for only five months. For most, this would be a moment of uncertainty and anxiety. I was in a new city, having lived there for less than a year, and I loved my work in human resources. Yet, this moment was a blessing in disguise, marking the start of my journey into health and wellness. Read more>>
Maggie Gravier
I was laid off from a job I loved on September 27, 2023. I was an operations manager at a CRM in the senior living industry, and every day I showed up feeling like the work I did was making an impact. It changed my whole world. Read more>>
Jillian Moloney
Earlier this year the parent company of the podcast I work on, Red Web, was shut down and a lot of really talented people were laid off. Personally it hit me pretty hard since I had been at this company since college when I was an intern, and it really shaped my career. When I was in film school, I never intended to do podcasting until I was given the opportunity during my internship. So it felt like my foundation was collapsing. My team and I had a lot of goals for the year that were totally halted.
Despite all that, the team knew pretty much immediately that we wanted to continue Red Web independently. It was just too special to us to lose this show. Read more>>
Cathy Carroll
Spoiler alert…this is also how I found my purpose. I grew up in a family business — my grandfather was an entrepreneur. But there was a lot of tension in my father’s generation, so I pursued a corporate career until 20 years later, my father hired me to run his businesses. Working for my father was especially challenging because we see the world very differently. Despite a three-year stint leading a turn-around, establishing a successful strategy and lowering attrition, my father began to undermine my leadership, so we parted ways by mutual agreement. Read more>>
