A military coup. Losing her father. And starting over from scratch. What do you do when everything changes at once?

If you have experienced job loss, are navigating uncertainty, or are questioning whether there is another path for you, this episode is for you.

In this episode of Pink Slip Pavilion, host Ashley Waddington sits down with marketing leader and founder Beatrice Gutknecht to talk about what it really looks like to rebuild when life doesn’t just disrupt your career… it disrupts everything.

While living and working abroad in Myanmar, Beatrice experienced her first major disruption during COVID when the hotel she was working at shut down. Suddenly without a job and without a place to live, she was forced to quickly figure out her next move.

But just as things began to stabilize, life shifted again.

After stepping into a new leadership role, Beatrice faced the unexpected loss of her father… followed shortly by a military coup that brought everything to a halt.

What followed was a long period of uncertainty, relocation, and nearly a year of job searching that pushed her mentally, emotionally, and physically.

In this conversation, Beatrice shares what it felt like to navigate back-to-back life disruptions, the toll of prolonged uncertainty, and the moment she decided to stop waiting for an opportunity and create her own.

Her story is a powerful reminder that sometimes the path forward is not linear… and that rebuilding can take longer than expected, but still lead you exactly where you are meant to be.

In this episode, we cover:

• What it feels like to lose stability while living abroad during COVID

• Navigating uncertainty when your job and housing are both impacted

• How one opportunity led to another through relationships and community

• Experiencing a second disruption during a military coup

• The emotional and logistical challenges of losing a parent while abroad

• How prolonged stress impacts your body, even when you don’t realize it

• The mental toll of job searching for nearly a year

• The moment doubt creeps in and how to move through it

• The importance of community and asking for support

• Why traditional “security” isn’t always as stable as it seems

• Making the decision to start your own business after repeated setbacks

• The emotional highs and lows of entrepreneurship

• How small daily wins can shift your mindset over time

• Reconnecting with your voice and building something aligned

• The blessings that come from being forced to start over

If you are navigating a layoff, feeling stuck in uncertainty, or questioning your next step, this conversation will remind you that you are not alone… and that the path forward may look different than you expected.

Beatrice reminds us:

It might take longer than you planned. It might feel harder than you expected. But you will make it through.

Pink Slip Pavilion is a podcast about turning layoffs into power moves, navigating career transitions, and building resilience after job loss.

New episodes release every Wednesday.

CONNECT WITH BEATRICE:

Website: https://www.badasserybyb.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beatricegutknecht/

TikTok: @badasserybyb

Instagram: @badasserybyb

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badasserybyb