Partner with Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contact

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Pre-order Jay Schwedelson's new book, Stupider People Have Done It (out June 9, 2026).

All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206

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Subscribe to Jay's newsletter for weekly marketing tips and tactics: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/newsletter

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Register for GuruConference (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.guruconference.com

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Check out Eventastic (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.eventastic.com

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Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/

Check out Jay's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

Ask Jay anything: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/ask

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Leave a comment and follow the show, it really helps us out!

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Connect with Russ Harp and follow the launch of Russ Harp Media. He is open to conversations about digital marketing work, career advice, or the foster care and adoption journey.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/russharpmedia

Email: russharpmedia@gmail.com

Instagram: @russharpmedia

Website: russharpmedia.com

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Getting laid off with two young kids at home, an adoption date on the calendar, and a family counting on you is the kind of thing that flattens most people. Russ Harp did close to the opposite, turning a birthday post into 130-plus real conversations by being honest about what happened and asking people what they actually thought he was good at. Jay Schwedelson found him after that post stopped the scroll, and what comes out of it is less a job-hunt story than a working example of choosing gratitude and vulnerability over "woe is me."

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Best Moments:

(05:31) The layoff took out 40 people, more than half the marketing team, one day before his sons' naming ceremony.

(06:01) Two days of prayer and drumming at a Prairie Band ceremony pull his identity out of his job title.

(07:48) Instead of collecting happy-birthday messages, he asks his whole network what he is actually good at.

(08:29) One honest post becomes 130-plus replies, coffees, and calls, relationships instead of resumes.

(11:04) The line from Jay's book that lit the fuse, the regret of not starting beats failure.

(16:53) His two foster sons, adopted young, redefine what resilience actually looks like.