Episode Details
Back to EpisodesNavigating Redundancy: Grief, Identity and Finding Yourself Again
Description
What happens to your sense of self when the job you gave years to suddenly no longer needs you? In this Fail With Me episode, Abhra sits down with Claire, a fellow writer, for an honest conversation about redundancy, job loss and the quiet grief that comes with it.
Recorded at Sam Merrifield Library in Moonee Ponds, this is Stories and Stanza's first one-on-one in-person interview. Abhra and Claire have both recently been through redundancy. Instead of a neat success story, they talk about the parts people rarely share: the shame and isolation, the colleagues who disappear, and the unexpected people who show up.
They explore why tying our worth to a title or organisation leaves us so exposed, how looming job cuts can turn a close team into a game of Survivor, and why grieving the future you thought you had is a natural response. The conversation also gets practical. They share the self-care routines that kept them centred: pocket journaling, a daily "five things" gratitude text with a friend, affirmations, and a simple mindfulness image of keeping two doors open. They finish with a timely look at how AI is reshaping job hunting, from AI-polished applications to AI-run interviews, and why real human connection matters more than ever.
If you or someone you care about is facing redundancy, this episode is a reminder that you are not alone. As Claire puts it, "It's just a chapter. It's not your entire book."
Chapters:
00:00 Opening moments
01:30 Welcome and our first in-person one-on-one
04:00 Why "Fail With Me" and redefining success
05:45 When your identity is tied to your job
08:45 Fear, freezing and advice that doesn't help
10:30 Hundreds of applications and the human cost of mass redundancies
12:00 Highlight reels versus the real story
15:30 Self-worth beyond titles and organisations
19:30 Strained relationships and Survivor dynamics
21:30 Journaling through uncertainty
22:30 Grieving the future you thought you had
25:00 Seeking validation and ripping off the band-aid
26:30 Five things of joy: a daily gratitude practice
29:30 Mindfulness, busyness and the two open doors
34:00 Control, grace and giving yourself time
37:00 AI, job applications and AI interviews
44:30 How to genuinely help someone going through redundancy
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Stories and Stanza is a podcast exploring creativity, resilience and the transformative power of human stories through two series: Between the Lines, with writers and creators, and Fail With Me, on wellbeing and life's challenges.
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