Laid off. Grief. Eight months pregnant. Now what?

If you have been laid off, fear a workforce reduction, or are navigating a career transition, this episode is for you.

In Episode 2 of Pink Slip Pavilion, host Ashley Waddington speaks with HR executive and end of life doula Mercedes about job loss, identity, and how surrender can become a survival skill.

Mercedes shares her 2008 layoff story during the financial crisis. She was eight months pregnant, grieving the loss of her father, and was let go two weeks before Christmas with little to no severance. Shortly after, her husband was laid off too. In this conversation, she shares how she moved from panic and uncertainty to building a life and career that aligned more deeply with her values.

In this episode, we cover:

• Experiencing job loss during a major life crisis

• The reality of COBRA costs and healthcare stress after layoffs

• Choosing surrender instead of self blame

• Why your title is borrowed, not your identity

• The “wave” metaphor and how to stop fighting what you can’t control

• Rebuilding life after layoffs through micro moments of joy

• Moving across countries and starting over without certainty

• Applying 13 times to a dream company and handling rejection

• Restarting a career at entry level and building a unique niche

• The difference between intellectual understanding and embodied healing

• How learning to feel your feelings changes everything

If you are experiencing job loss recovery, career reinvention, or professional rebuilding after being laid off, this conversation offers perspective, grounded tools, and a reminder that your worth is not up for debate.

Mercedes reminds us:

Your worth is inherent. Your job is rented, not owned. And sometimes the only way through the wave is to stop fighting it and protect your head and your heart.

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 MERCEDES:

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