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
35 episodes
AI, Networking, and Career Growth: What Actually Works Today
In this episode, Dray sits down with Sharon Markowitz, founder of Your Career Wings and former product marketing leader at Zoom, to unpack what it really takes to navigate today’s job market.From experiencing layoffs firsthand to coachin...
Rooted in Reinvention: A Layoff Story with Flavor
What happens when a 17-year career comes to an unexpected end?In this episode, I sit down with Steve Fiore, who shares his journey from long-term corporate leadership into an unplanned chapter of reflection, creativity, and reinve...
From Microsoft Layoff to CEO: The Human Side of Reinvention
In July 2025, 9,000 employees were laid off in a single day.Quentin Cobb was one of them.After 17 years in the gaming industry — working across studios owned by Sony, Bethesda, and Microsoft — Quentin suddenly found himself asking...
From Forbes to Founder: Turning a Layoff Into a Podcast Booking Business
In this episode of Reboot Era, James shares the emotional aftermath of being laid off, the uncomfortable silence of job applications going nowhere, and the pivot that led him to launch Wonderfish, a podcast booking agency built ...
Laid Off After 30 Years: What Corporate Leadership Still Gets Wrong
Layoffs may be framed as business decisions—but for the people impacted, they’re deeply personal.In this episode, Dray sits down with Mark Nickerson, a leadership and management coach with 30 years of experience in the tech indust...
How AI Is Changing Sales, Hiring, and Tech Careers
AI is changing everything — but not in the way most people expect.In this episode, I sit down with Oleg Danyliuk, Founder & CEO of Duanex and Co-Founder & CTO of Insyghtful AI, to talk candidly about tec...
Career Comebacks: Building, Belonging, and Better Fits
In this episode, Dray reconnects with two returning guests from season one who faced job loss, uncertainty, and career pivots head-on — and came out stronger on the other side.Rob Sarro shares how he:Walked away from a...
The Return of The Reboot Era
Season two of The Reboot Era is officially here.In this kickoff episode, I reflects on everything that’s happened since season one ended — landing a new job, navigating a completely new company, dealing with the emotional whiplash...
Reboot 26 | Season 1 Finale - A Letter to My Pre-Laid Off Self
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+ conversa...
Reboot 25 | LU7 - Inside DEI: The Work You Don’t See (and Why It Matters)
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, an...
Reboot 24 | RR7 - The Future Belongs to the Unconventional: Vivian’s Story
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 gr...
Reboot 23 | MM4 - Rebooting the Job Search with AI: A Conversation with Jobbyo’s Co-Founder
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 u...
Reboot 22 | RR6 - Go Lancer; The Only Workspace Freelancers Need
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:
Reboot 21 | SI4 - Why Layoffs Feel Unfair (and What to Do Next)
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, w...
Reboot 20 | SI3 - From Layoff to Offer: Authentic Answers that Win in 2025
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 anyon...
Reboot 19 | RR5 - A 25-Year-Old’s Reset
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...
Reboot 18 | LU6 - Why AI is More Than Chatbots: Danchez on Tools That Actually Work
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:
Reboot 17 | RR4 - Entrepreneurship, Healing & Resilience with Shelia "Flower" Benson
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 C...
Reboot 16 | MM3 - Resilience in the Gaming Industry
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 a...
Reboot 15 | LU5 - Laid Off Twice in 6 Months — And Living His Best Life
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 o...
Reboot 14 | LU4 - Cracking the Career Code with Tami Burdick
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-emp...
Reboot 13 | RR3 - Burnout to Breakthrough: Ivy on Layoffs, Freelancing, and Finding Purpose
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 i...
Reboot 12 | MM2 - Building a Routine with Austin Brown
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 ...
Reboot 11 | CR1 - Double Laid Off, Double the Tea: Matt's temporary exit from Corporate America
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-turn...
Reboot 10 | LU3 - When Doing Everything Right Still Isn't Enough
🎙 with Ashley MartinWhat 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,...
