The Reboot Era
Layoffs. Burnout. Reinvention. Welcome to the messy middle of career change — and the community that's not afraid to talk about it. Hosted by Dray Jankowski, a former tech program manager laid off in 2025, The Reboot Era is part unfiltered storytelling, part emotional support group, and part career comeback plan. Through weekly solo episodes and candid guest interviews, we explore what it really means to rebuild your life — professionally, emotionally, and financially. We’re not here to sell you hope. We’re here to tell the truth — with humor, heart, and a little chaos. Each episode dives into one of our seven pillars: • Layoffs & Unemployment • Motivation & Momentum • Strategy & Income • Redirection & Reinvention • Mental Health & Renewal • Closure & Reflection • Identity & Calling If you’ve ever screamed into a throw pillow after reading a rejection email — this is your place. 🎧 New episodes every week. 💬 Got a story of your own? Come tell it. This isn’t just my era — it’s ours!
Episodes
When I started The Reboot Era five months ago, I had just been laid off and was staring down one of the hardest job markets in recent memory. What began as a way to process my own story quickly grew into something bigger — 25+ conversations about layoffs, pivots, side hustles, resilience, and rebuilding.
In this 12-minute season finale, I read a letter to the version of myself who didn’t see the layoff coming — the me ...
Last guest episode of the season and it's with a thoughtful, candid conversation about DEI with Lilian Argueta—first-gen American, Human Development grad (UCSD), and DEI operator with experience at UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, Google, and CrowdStrike.
Context & Care: This is a sensitive subject. We’re not here to argue, but to share perspectives and invite inclusive dialogue. Two people, real exper...
In this episode of The Reboot Era, I reconnect with my fellow Bryant University alum Vivian to explore her unconventional career path — one defined by global adventures, freelancing experiments, and fearless reinvention.
After graduating in International Economics, Vivian skipped the corporate route to pursue a fellowship in LA, a cultural exchange in Brazil, and eventually five years of freelancing as a writer. She sh...
In this episode of The Reboot Era Podcast, host Dray Jankowski sits down with Hilary Torn, co-founder of Jobbyo, to talk about burnout, failed startups, and the messy reality of career pivots.
Hilary shares:
- Her unconventional path to becoming a co-founder (spoiler: it started on Reddit)
- How multiple failed startups prepared her for Jobbyo’s success
- Why today’s job market feels broken — and how AI can help fix it
- Free ...
Guest: Valentina — Founder of Go Lancer, a centralized freelancer workspace (tasks/projects, time tracking, invoicing, booking, AI income forecasts). Started Jan 2025; now in beta.
We cover:
- Why freelancers don’t need another marketplace—they need a workspace
- The feature set: projects, tasks, timers, invoices (1-click), booking, AI nudge/forecasting
- Early user feedback (copywriters/designers love the “finally breathe”...
Guest: Steve Jaffe — author of The Layoff Journey; 25 years in marketing/advertising; laid off four times; now helping people navigate the emotional side of job loss.
In this Reboot Era episode, we cover:
- The myth of meritocracy—why layoffs often feel arbitrary and unfair
- The seven grief stages applied to layoffs—and how to shorten the distance from dismissal to discovery
- Practical tools to counter isolation, shame, a...
This week on The Reboot Era:
HR insiders Laura Browne and Barbara Limmer show you how to stop guessing and start translating interviews—so your answers are authentic, on-target, and memorable. Perfect for anyone in a career reboot, navigating layoffs, or gearing up for a high-stakes loop.
You’ll learn:
- Why most candidates think they “nailed it” (and why interviewers disagree).
- The question behind the question—ho...
At 25, Riley Simmons decided the safe path wasn’t his path. After a stint in the Marine infantry and a climb into corporate finance, the promotion he’d been eyeing crystallized one truth: he didn’t want that life. So he saved, simplified, and bought a one-way ticket. In this episode we unpack the real planning behind a bold leap—monthly burn, student loans, keeping an apartment, and why Southeast Asia is his “in case ...
When Dan Sanchez — better known as Danchez — was let go from his startup role, he could’ve played it safe. Instead, he leaned into what he saw as the next big thing: artificial intelligence.
In this episode, Dan shares:
- How a career setback became the catalyst for his pivot into AI
- The progression of learning AI, from first-time ChatGPT user to building custom GPTs
- Why experimentation (not perfection) is the key to ge...
After being laid off twice in just a few months, Shelia Benson—better known as Flower—turned her pain into purpose. In this episode, Flower shares how her intuition helped her prepare for job loss, how she leveraged her insurance and CRM skills to launch her own freelance consulting business, and how spiritual practices like Reiki and sound healing helped her rebuild confidence and clarity.
We talk about:
- Preparing ...
In this episode of The Reboot Era, I sit down with Nellie Hughes — a design director with 20 years in the gaming industry, most recently at Xbox Publishing. Nellie shares her journey from creating open-world experiences to navigating a layoff at one of the biggest names in tech. We cover everything from building creative teams and advocating for accessibility, to spotting layoffs before they happen, to the reality of ...
What would you do if you were laid off… twice… in just six months?
Patrick Lyons didn’t just bounce back — he built forward. In this episode of The Reboot Era, Patrick shares how he turned back-to-back Microsoft layoffs into an opportunity to fully invest in his passions:
- Launching and scaling multiple fitness businesses, including The Lion Shred
- Performing improv comedy to packed audiences
- Creating daily content for ...
This week on The Reboot Era, I sit down with Tami Burdick—a published author, resume writer, content developer, and 20-year franchise industry veteran.
We cover:
- How she went from corporate HR to self-employment and franchise consulting
- Her Erin Brockovich-style book Diagnosis Detective
- The biggest mistakes she sees on resumes (and how to fix them)
- Why results > responsibilities on your resume
- How to network effectiv...
When Ivy got laid off from her dream job at Crate & Barrel, she thought she hit rock bottom—but what followed was a full-on identity reboot.
In this episode, we dive into:
- The slow burnout signs she didn’t recognize until it was too late
- What freelancing really looks like after a layoff
- Why TikTok > LinkedIn when it comes to side hustle inspiration
- The messy but powerful path to figuring out what you actually wa...
In this episode, Dray sits down with Austin Brown, a former corporate director turned founder of Laid Off Launchpad — a platform helping job seekers navigate the emotional and logistical rollercoaster of layoffs. After being laid off three times, Austin saw a glaring gap in the support offered post-layoff: no one was talking about how to manage the day-to-day.
He created the LAND Routine — Learn, Apply, Network, Defend...
What happens when you're laid off twice by the same tech company? If you're Matt Goldstein, you take your severance, your sass, and your suitcase — and move to Mexico City.
In this episode of The Reboot Era, recruiter-turned-expat Matt Goldstein breaks down:
- The eerie déjà vu of getting laid off twice
- Why recruiters often smell layoffs before they hit
- How tech companies weaponize “evergreen” job postings
- His ...
🎙 with Ashley Martin
What happens when you do everything right — and still find yourself laid off?
In this deeply personal episode of The Reboot Era, Ashley Martin, a seasoned content marketing and strategy leader, opens up about her fourth layoff in October 2024 and the nine-month job search that followed. From the shock of losing a role she loved to the financial and emotional toll of prolonged unemployment, Ashley s...
In this episode of The Reboot Era, I sit down with two incredible recruiters who’ve seen it all—hundreds of resumes, countless interviews, and the chaos of the 2025 job market.
These aren’t just any recruiters—they’re smart, candid, and people I deeply trust. We talk about what really happens after you hit “apply,” how hiring decisions get made, and why you might not get a follow-up (even when it felt like the perfect ...
What happens when a UX leader who’s built billion-dollar systems for Fortune 500 companies gets ghosted by recruiters and told they’re “overqualified”? In this episode, Dray sits down with Chris Nelson – former Head of Design at Walmart Fulfillment Services – for a raw, unfiltered conversation on layoffs, LinkedIn noise, AI chaos, and the exhausting ritual of job searching in 2025.
Chris shares stories from Verizon to ...
In this deeply human episode of The Reboot Era, we explore the emotional rollercoaster of job loss, job searching, and the quiet fight to keep going. Host Dray Jankowski is joined by two guests — Christine Vela, a seasoned sales and business development expert with decades of experience and multiple layoffs behind her, and Ry Mantione, a marketing pro and creative force navigating unemployment, identity, and reinventi...
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