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!
The Reboot Era
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 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 want
- Getting into health insurance sales (yep, it’s not what you think)
- Using SEO and storytelling to find clients—and confidence
We also talk about content creation fears, getting over perfectionism, and why now is the best time to just start creating content.
📍 Connect with Ivy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivy-stuck-on-seo/
📍 Check out her LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/ivy.arbolado
🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you get your audio fix.
💼 Partner: Jobhire.ai — Apply to jobs while you sleep. 30% off in Sept. 2025 with code DRAY30 → jobhire.ai/job-matcher/?imutm=dray (you must use that link)
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🎧 All links: https://linktr.ee/draycation
Thanks for supporting The Reboot Era — every follow, share, and tip helps me keep making content for anyone navigating layoffs, pivots, and everything in between.
Everything shared on this podcast is based on personal experience and opinion. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, no content should be considered professional, legal, or career advice. Any mention of companies, products, or individuals is done in a personal capacity and does not represent the views or endorsements of those organizations or people. If a sponsorship or paid partnership is ever included, it will be clearly disclosed during the episode.
