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
Rooted in Reinvention: A Layoff Story with Flavor
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
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 reinvention after being laid off.
We dive into:
- What it’s like to spend nearly two decades at one company and how it feels when it ends
- The financial and emotional realities of navigating a layoff
- Why Steve chose to “practice retirement” and what that actually looks like
- The creation of his lifestyle blog Rooted & Refined Living, inspired by a trip to Hawaii and a deeper appreciation for sensory experiences
- The realities of monetizing a passion project (spoiler: it’s not overnight success)
- How storytelling, food, and craftsmanship intersect in meaningful ways
- The power of alumni networks and organic connections
- Lessons from teaching, mentoring, and delivering a TEDx talk on productivity
- Why slowing down might actually be the key to moving forward
This is a conversation about perspective, about finding value beyond your job title and learning to reconnect with the things that make life rich.
🔗 Connect with Steve on LinkedIn
🔗 Check out his blog Rooted & Refined Living
If you’ve ever faced a layoff, questioned your path, or thought about starting something of your own, this episode is for you.
💼 Partner: Jobhire.ai — Apply to jobs while you sleep. 30% off with code DRAY30 → jobhire.ai/job-matcher/?imutm=dray (you must use that link)
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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.
