Cocoon Conversations: My Career Flip Progress for April 2025
In this April 2025 "cocoon episode" of the Career Flipper podcast, host Jenny, gets real about her own story of jumping back into the corporate world after being laid off. She chats about how she juggles her day job with her creative side gigs and why giving yourself a second chance is so important. Jenny shares those little moments of joy she finds in her weekend projects and opens up about why she decided to add ads to the podcast to help with expenses. Her story is all about change, bouncing back, and figuring out how to handle career twists and turns. Jenny's here to remind us all to embrace our own paths and the magic of fresh starts.
Automatically Transcribed With Podsqueeze
Speaker 1 00:00:04 Hey, it's me, Jenny, your host of the Career Flipper podcast. Back with another cocoon episode for April 2025. If you're new here. Hi. I'm so glad you're here. And if you've been writing this wave with me since the start. Thank you. So for those newbies, let me explain what this whole cocoon episode thing is about. Back when I launched this podcast, I knew I wanted to feature other people's stories regular, amazing humans from around the world who've made these bold, brave, and messy career changes. But I also knew that it's only fair if I share mine as well. But that feels really vulnerable. So I challenged myself. And that's what cocoon episodes are. There are these once a month solo episodes, always on the last Tuesday of every month where I pause and just blab to you about what's been going on, what I'm learning. Challenges I'm facing. The good, the bad and everything in between. It's kind of like I'm sending you a voice memo. I love me a voice memo.
Speaker 1 00:01:19 But anyways, there are no guests on here. There's no tidy before and after. It's just me still figuring it out, still flipping, still trying to stay scrappy. And I name them cocoon episodes because that's really where the transformation happens, right in that quiet cocoon in the dark when things turn to mush. You know, it's kind of like when your phone feels like it's going to upgrade and things kind of go wonky and they're not working right away. It's that in-between place where things feel formless and confusing, but also full of possibility. So if you've been feeling like you're not quite who you were, but not quite who you're becoming either. Well, you're in good company. So let's take a breath together. And dive in. So it's April 2025. This is my third official month working back in corporate post layoff. And yeah, we're doing it. We're going into the office twice a week. things are rolling. Things are not as attached to a sob fest on the drive home. Things are feeling like they're coasting along.
Speaker 1 00:02:41 The people are great. I'm getting to know more people, and I like what I'm learning. But I've got to admit that, you know, when I said yes to the job I'm in now, this full time role with health insurance and a W-2. Hallelujah. So grateful. but I also had this deep, quiet voice inside whispering, are you giving up on yourself? And what sounds so silly, but I really, really believed I was. I thought that taking a job meant the creative stuff I had lost, that I had lost because I hadn't been able to do both in the past. So I would always give up this creative side of myself because I thought work always came first. And while work, obviously making a paycheck is very important, you don't have to put yourself and the things that you value completely to the side. You know, this version of success that I used to chase was, I don't know, was it was really loud, but I think it was also really scared because I didn't have anything else lined up? You know, I really thought, oh, let me build my personal brand and let me quit my 9 to 5 and never look back.
Speaker 1 00:04:10 You know, I never really fully believed that. But I did know that because I didn't have the 9 to 5 then that I had to figure something out and do something different. And so I went in the complete opposite direction. It was very black or white for me. And the truth that I have landed on lately, over the past few months of being back, you know, sometimes not quitting, whether it's a creative stuff on the side, whatever it is, not quitting is the bravest thing you can do. You know, sometimes quitting is okay. Sometimes it's the right decision because it means you're starting something else. But sometimes not. Quitting also is the bravest thing you can do. And sometimes keeping the lights on is the dream, because keeping the lights on gives you the light to be able to. I mean, for me, look at the furniture that I'm fixing up. I wouldn't be able to work on it if there was no light. You know, my creativity didn't disappear just because I clocked back in to a job.
Speaker 1 00:05:22 This hybrid, I'm still here, and it's still here. In fact, my creativity is thriving. Every Sunday, I basically skipped the garage with my paint splattered overalls. My work boots. I bring my guitar because I am creating my own music to serenade the furniture. And I'm not kidding. if you're on Instagram or TikTok, you can hear my cheesy little furniture songs. one particularly I'm proud of who will save the furniture. It's a cover of jewels. Who will save her soul? Yeah, that's where I'm at. And I am having a blast. And I am diving into all of my projects. I have it outlined on my board what I need to do, because I have that Sunday to do it, and I'm cranking away. And I'm very strategic and and operations oriented. So I'm thankful for those skills that I can create and do multiple things at one time. But just this past Sunday, I was out there sanding this little cute coffee table, and I just stopped. And I looked around and there was like a squirrel jumping from the telephone pole across to a tree like he was flying.
Speaker 1 00:06:49 It was kind of crazy. There was a butterfly that kept kind of flying around me, which was really sweet and special. I could hear the sounds of the cars driving by on the street next to where our alley is. I could hear the breeze rustling through the trees and I could feel the sawdust on my hands. I could see the paint from my other project dried on my arms. I realized, and it's not that I didn't know it, but moments like this. I just love this. I love the dust. I love the mess. I love the transformation. I love that moment when a beat up dresser gets its first coat of paint, and you can almost see the hope melting back into it. I love that I get to do this on the weekends, that I have a space in the home where I live that I can do this. And the metaphor, you know, it's just sitting right there, right? Like, this is what second chances look like. They're not flashy.
Speaker 1 00:08:03 They're not Perfect. Just a little patience, a little effort, and the belief that something still has value. And I think we all need that reminder sometimes that second chances are allowed, that you can begin again, not because you failed, but because you're still growing. And there is a lot more to learn. But let me be real for a second here. Like, I didn't always believe that. I mean, gosh, before I got laid off, I didn't believe that the last two years, there were days where I felt so embarrassed by how lost I was. Like, I couldn't figure it out. I couldn't get a job. I had some wonderful small scale consulting projects, but for whatever reason, you know, life happens and those sometimes end, you know, and then here I am hosting a podcast that came to me in a dream, which sounds kind of crazy, but here we are. And how can I go and share these stories with others that were helping me and became like mentors, but feeling like I had no idea who I was anymore.
Speaker 1 00:09:22 I felt I felt like I was a mess, but healing real frickin messy, inconvenient. Healing. It takes time. And I am the type of person where change takes me a little bit longer. I process things a little differently. Not that I'm a unique snowflake and I think some people listening can relate, but it might take me a little bit longer because I'm a very big feelings person. I walk into a room and I pick up the energy and I am just like, that's how I am with situations. And so I know that about myself. And I know that it takes time, and I know that I need to continue to give myself the time to process. And in this particular case, it sometimes involves alleyway furniture, a sander, and a pair of thrifted overalls that are so comfortable, by the way. But anyway, all of this brings me to something that I've actually been a little shy about and I want to bring up in this episode. And it's about ads. Yes. As advertisements in this podcast.
Speaker 1 00:10:36 I've been paying for the show out of pocket, hosting fees, editing tools, you know, my distributor. the, you know, the the content that I make, all the things, Canva, you know, all of that. and I'm cool with that. Like, I did this because I was genuinely curious, and I'm not going to change that at this time. However, even though I've, you know, really had the option to promote something to kind of help cover some of those costs in the beginning. I, I held back. because the second I even thought about asking people to, I don't know, like buy something and put an ad, you know, this capitalist voice in my head piped up like, you're greedy, inauthentic. You've sold your soul for 9.99. You know, stuff like that. and also, you know, this kind of imposter syndrome, like, who are you to have an ad in your podcast when you're not on any top ten lists? You know, all of these things that we tell ourselves.
Speaker 1 00:11:44 But what I've realized, and I have to fight almost every day, that voice is lying. And sharing something I worked hard on is not greedy. It's honest, it's sustainable, and honestly is part of the dream too. So I want to talk about these ads that I'm going to start putting in my Episodes. So you know the real story behind them. And I don't know, I'd love your feedback at the end. back in 2019, my friend Matt Beckwith from the customer service industry. Hi, Matt. He referred me to Udemy to create a customer service training course. But my first instinct was, no, I did not feel qualified. I was in a manager role at that time. I just didn't feel like I could do any of that. I had no certifications. I had no degrees in it. You know, obviously my English degree from San Diego State, but I that wasn't for customer service. Everything I learned was from doing the job. Like, who am I to create a course to teach other people? And I've just learned by figuring it out and making mistakes.
Speaker 1 00:13:03 but the idea really stuck in my head. and six months later they reached back out to me just to check in and see if I was still interested. And, you know, I appreciated that. And, they really believed in me before. I really believed in myself. And I got to make a course Best Practices for beginners, your customer service toolbox. It's fun. It's packed with real world stuff, and I let my personality shine. There are jokes about cheese and awkward customer moments that anyone in the service world could relate to. and then a couple of years later, they asked me to do another one. And this one is called Smart Tips for Customer Service. It's shorter, like bite sized lessons. And honestly, creating those courses reminded me that I do have value to offer that my experiences and learning through experience is incredibly valuable to someone who might be starting out working in customer service, and they are both live on Udemy. My hair is pretty blonde in both of them. I was just back in the day.
Speaker 1 00:14:19 which I love it. but you know, they became a way for me to expand what I had been learning throughout my career. And at this point, almost 17,000 people around the world have taken these courses. I get a small cut when someone enrolls. And that little cut now can help keep this podcast going. So if you or someone you know works in customer service or just wants to get better at it, I would love for you to check them out. They're linked in the show notes, but you can also go to the career flipper. And it's a small thing, you know. But for me, it's the second chance too. It's a reminder that I don't have to give up on my creativity. On my love for storytelling. I just have to keep finding new ways to share it. And that's one way. And it ultimately helps keep the podcast going. So if that is just like, too greedy or whatever. I would love your feedback. maybe that's me just searching for validation right now, but yeah, I would love your feedback if you do catch an episode.
Speaker 1 00:15:38 So on that note, that's enough rambling for now, but if this episode made you feel seen, if it helped you believe a little more in the power of second chances, I would love to hear from you. Send me a DM about what your favorite part was or what resonated. Email me. Hello at the career Flipper. Com. Share it with a friend who's maybe also in a career flip transformation. And they're feeling stuck or confused. it might just be nice to let them know that they're not alone in how they're feeling and what they're going through. And for you listening in, you know, if you are getting that imposter syndrome. Me loud voice drowning out the truth. You know, just remind yourself that you're allowed to pivot. You're allowed to start again. You know, if the drunk junkie dresser can get a makeover, you can too. I'll be back this Thursday with a new episode featuring a career flipper telling their story. Until then, stay scrappy. Stay kind and trust the cocoon.
Speaker 1 00:16:55 And always ask yourself what's the best that could happen?