Oct. 29, 2025
A Job Loss You Didn't Want & How to Move Through It - Part 4
Part 4: ((How to subscribe: go to cherylpfischer.com/bonusepisodes or subscribe on Apple Podcasts)) You’ve worked through the emotions, calmed your nervous system, and started shifting your mindset. Now it’s time to take action. In this private Mindset Deep Dive episode, we’re focusing on practical next steps after a job loss you didn’t want. From collaboration and networking to finding new opportunities and building confidence in your next chapter, this episode will help you move forwa...
Part 4:
((How to subscribe: go to cherylpfischer.com/bonusepisodes or subscribe on Apple Podcasts))
You’ve worked through the emotions, calmed your nervous system, and started shifting your mindset. Now it’s time to take action.
In this private Mindset Deep Dive episode, we’re focusing on practical next steps after a job loss you didn’t want. From collaboration and networking to finding new opportunities and building confidence in your next chapter, this episode will help you move forward with clarity and calm—without rushing the process.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:
✔ Simple, realistic ways to start exploring new career directions
✔ How collaboration and partnerships can open unexpected doors
✔ Why networking (in-person and online) is one of your most powerful tools
✔ How to stay calm, creative, and focused while figuring out what’s next
🎯 OMG Moment: You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to stay open, connect, and keep moving forward one step at a time.
Take Action
Choose one way to connect this week—join a local women’s networking group, send a LinkedIn message, or invite someone for coffee. Every conversation builds confidence and clarity for what’s next.
Why This Episode Matters
When you’ve lost a job you didn’t want to lose (or faced some other change in life that you didn't want to face), it’s easy to freeze or panic. But action—especially small, meaningful steps—restores your confidence and momentum. This episode helps you blend mindset with movement so you can start rebuilding your next chapter with purpose and self-belief.
🎧 Join me next time for the final episode in this series, where we’ll focus on rebuilding self-trust and creating your future with intention.
Text me to ask a question - I'll answer on the podcast!
🌸 Liked this episode? Share it with fellow Gen X women navigating hormone balance, an empty nest, and/or self-confidence!
🫶 Love this show? Leave a review to help more women over 50 find us.
💡Want support through menopause, mindset shifts, or midlife transitions?
- Join the collective by subscribing on Patreon or grab the bonus episodes!
- Book a free Mindset Coaching / Intro Call: cherylpfischer.com/coaching
Let’s talk midlife body positivity, self-talk, and redefining aging for women — without the “midlife crisis” narrative.
Connect with Cheryl, Midlife Coach: Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
00:05 - Framing The Mini Series
00:31 - Two Paths: Focused Or Many Ideas
01:46 - When To Hire A Career Coach
03:19 - If You’re Already Decided
03:34 - Start With Collaboration
04:18 - Part-Time, Volunteer, Or Side Hustle
06:09 - Local Networking Tactics
07:37 - Your 30-Second Introduction
09:02 - Follow-Ups And Coffee Chats
09:02 - Online Networking On LinkedIn
10:57 - Reduce Pressure With Financial Planning
11:58 - Mindset And Next Steps
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Hello, my friend.
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Welcome to part four of this five-part mini series.
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We are in September in Patreon and Substack talking about moving through a job change you didn't want and coming at it from a perspective of the mindset we need in order to be able to handle this.
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And so today I'm gonna call practical steps.
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Part four is practical steps.
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Still mindset though, because it really is the overarching way that we need to keep ourselves in check and not allow ourselves to fall into the trap of beating ourselves up or feeling hopeless.
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Everything that we've talked about in previous sessions.
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So if you haven't heard the first three episodes in this miniseries, they are in Patreon and Substack.
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Go grab them in the Secret Podcast series, season one, and listen to those so that you're kind of going in order here.
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All right.
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Practical steps.
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If you are more to the end of the spectrum where you've given this some thought, we talked through in the last episode how to do some creative thinking about what you want now.
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If you really did get answers and you feel very focused and you feel like you have some direction and you are ready to move forward, that's kind of one situation.
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You may be to the other end of the spectrum.
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And the reason I say spectrum is you could be sort of anywhere in the middle, of course, right?
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The other end would be, well, I'm I'm doing creative thinking as you suggested, and I have 17 different ideas, and none of them go together.
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So if you are really needing additional help on honing a focus as to what do I want to do?
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All these ideas, how do they fit together?
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That is when a career coach will be useful for you.
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And I am a life coach, and I would be happy to work with you on starting to figure this out.
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And at the same time, there are coaches who focus on careers and even on career changes, and you might call it a second act or a third act.
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And so I'm gonna refer you, and you'll see it in the comments from attached to this episode.
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I'm gonna refer you to Shannon Russell.
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She was on an episode of Mind Your Midlife Podcast and gave us some great advice.
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And this is what she does is she helps people make their second act happen.
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So if you are really needing a structured, what do I do with all this assistance, then I want you to check out what Shannon Russell does and add that as a piece of this process for you.
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Now, that's if you're in that I have 17 ideas and I don't know where I'm headed end of the spectrum.
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On the other end, you got it figured out.
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You did some brainstorming, like we talked about, and maybe it's been kind of an aha moment, but you got it figured out.
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So now what do we do, right?
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I know what I want to do.
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How do I do that?
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Well, a career coach may be able to help you with that also, but let me give you some steps that you can go ahead and take now, and let's see where that gets you.
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So, first of all, I want us to remember the value of collaborating, of partnering with other people.
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So I don't know, right, exactly what you've decided on.
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I don't know if you now want to be a graphic designer, you want to train dogs as service animals, or you want to work in some other type of corporate job.
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I don't know what you've decided you want to do.
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But I bet you that there is a way you could collaborate with one other person or with a group or with a small business as you go through this process.
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I'm gonna circle back to that.
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I just put it out there as a little food for thought so your brain can start working on it.
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The the main thing here is sometimes things that we've always thought of as backup plans or maybe extra fun things to do can really work in our favor in this situation.
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So have you ever considered starting part-time with this direction you want to go in now?
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Will your finances allow that?
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Maybe it's easier to start part-time.
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Can you do this as an independent practitioner?
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Again, I don't know what you've decided on, but maybe you can.
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Maybe that's easier to start with.
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Maybe you start as a volunteer.
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Again, can your finances allow you to do that for a short period of time?
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And doing it part-time or doing it as a volunteer, that's the reason why the idea of a side hustle has been so popular for women.
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Uh, I used to be a teacher.
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I was a teacher for 12 years, and teachers' salaries are notoriously low, unfortunately.
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Oh, love you teachers.
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And a lot of teachers have a side hustle, and some of them do it for income because they really need the income.
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Some of them do it because they want choices or they have something else they love and they just want to do it in the summer or whatever.
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So, is there anything like that you could start with that maybe has a lower barrier to entry and you could try it?
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Maybe you try two different things, both part-time, and you see which one works.
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So, you've gone through your brainstorming process, you have an idea that you want to try.
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Let's talk about this collaboration and partnerships idea.
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Go start networking.
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So, go in your local area and look up the Chamber of Commerce.
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Look, you can do a Google search, you can go to local networking websites, you can go to meetup.com and look for women's networking groups.
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Now, whatever job that you're thinking about, maybe a women's networking group wouldn't be appropriate.
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You get to decide that.
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But in a lot of cases, I believe women's networking groups are the right next step because there are going to be other women there who love the idea of collaborating or partnering.
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And it's also maybe a little bit less intimidating to walk into a women's networking group than it is a bigger, broader group.
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Find something.
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My local chamber of commerce has a women's group that meets once a month.
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And so I made sure I was a part of that, and I have made some really fantastic connections, and some of the podcast guests have come from that.
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So look and see.
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Maybe it's a small business women's group, maybe it's a business and entrepreneurs group.
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Look around and then go and meet them.
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And even if you are still kind of figuring it out and you're not sure what you want to do, and maybe you're job hunting, you have no desire to be an entrepreneur, that's okay.
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Have in your mind a 30-second to one minute way of explaining the situation you're in.
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For example, I am in the process of starting my dog training for service animals business, and it's very early.
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I'm here to meet people and learn from you, and thanks for having me.
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That's fine.
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Or you can say, I'm in the middle of a career switch and I've decided that I'm going for my CFA to be a financial advisor.
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I would love any and all tips that you might have or introductions that might be helpful.
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Thanks for having me.
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You can ask for connections in that way.
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And then when you're meeting people, keep in mind who you really connect with, even if they're not in exactly the business that you thought.
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Ask them for a coffee.
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Let's talk more about how we can help each other.
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Most people are very open to this.
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It is not weird, it is the way that networking happens.
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Now, let's go kind of a step back away from in-person networking.
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What if you need to do some networking online for your particular career or for your particular area?
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Let's take LinkedIn.
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My daughter is actually a master of this.
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Go to LinkedIn and do some searches in the area you want to be in.
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LinkedIn will tell you if you have mutual connections.
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If you have mutual connections, you can do one of two things.
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You can go to your connection, send them a quick message and say, hey, I'm looking to get into this particular area, and I saw that your connection, Joe Schmo, does that.
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Would you do a message introducing us?
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And if they're willing, they can do a three-way message and introduce you.
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Or you can go directly to Joe Schmo and send a message and say, I'm job hunting in this particular area.
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I saw we're both connected to our mutual friend, and I wanted to say hello.
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Maybe we need to work on our wording a little bit, but start making some connections.
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My daughter was investigating jobs at one point and connected with someone who was a mutual connection in the company she was interested in, and that person was willing to have a call with her and give her some advice.
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You're not saying to them, please hire me.
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You're saying, what would you advise as I'm looking?
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Or what it what is the best piece of advice you got as you were getting into this field?
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Asking asking questions like that will allow you to have a conversation and then gradually increase the network of people that you are connected with that are relevant to what you're looking for.
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Okay?
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Collaboration and partnerships.
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You can do it online, you can do it in person.
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I would recommend both.
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And then if you haven't already done this, I mentioned it last time, find a financial professional to see how comfortably you can give yourself a bit of time to figure this out.
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Because if we can eliminate the stress of rushing through this change, it's going to allow you to be more creative, to have more intriguing ideas, to take time to meet more people and have these conversations that maybe immediately don't end up to be a job or a customer or a client, but can and probably will over time.
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So find out, get some help if you're not already in this profession yourself, to figure out what a period of time I can comfortably allow myself to work through this change so that you can have that calm and peace about it.
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Overarching mindset.
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We want you to believe in yourself, have peace about this process, and think of creative ways to connect with people.
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And then we keep moving forward.
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I'll see you again on the next episode.
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