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
27 episodes
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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12:16
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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45:10
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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33:44
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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40:32
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:
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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29:51
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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34:39
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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49:16
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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32:44
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:
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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45:33
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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31:26
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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42:28
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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39:00
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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35:31
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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41:56
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 ...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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39:12
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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32:43
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,...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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46:27
Reboot 09 | SI2 - Inside the Recruiter’s Inbox
In this episode of The Reboot Era, I sit down with two incredible recruiters who’ve seen it all—hundreds of resumes, countless interviews, and the chaos of the 2025 job market.These aren’t just any recruiters—they’re smart, cand...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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53:04
Reboot 08 | LU2 - The UX Job Hunt with Christopher Nelson
What happens when a UX leader who’s built billion-dollar systems for Fortune 500 companies gets ghosted by recruiters and told they’re “overqualified”? In this episode, Dray sits down with Chris Nelson – former Head of Design at Walmart Fulfill...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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32:43
Reboot 07 | MHR1 - Mental Health Realness
In this deeply human episode of The Reboot Era, we explore the emotional rollercoaster of job loss, job searching, and the quiet fight to keep going. Host Dray Jankowski is joined by two guests — Christine Vela, a seasoned sales...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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36:47
Reboot 06 | RR2 - A Chat with Jean the AI Guy
In this episode of The Reboot Era, I sit down with Jean-Baptiste — better known online as Jean the AI Guy — for a fast-paced, unfiltered conversation about artificial intelligence, automation, and the wild future we’re already l...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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36:31
Reboot 05 | LU1 - Sales, Sass, and Severance: Angela Unfiltered
Angela Delk joins The Reboot Era and does not hold back. A seasoned software sales pro turned digital artist, Angela takes us through the highs, the lows, and the straight-up WTF moments of her layoff journey—from inequitable ...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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38:16
Reboot 04 | RR1 - Real Talk with a Recent Grad
What happens after you toss your cap in the air… and the real world hits harder than expected?In this episode of The Reboot Era, Dray sits down with A’jadynn Coleman, a recent marketing graduate from UMass Dartmouth, who opens u...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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33:33
Reboot 03 | MM1 - Small Wins, Big Lessons Post-Layoff
When Rob Saro was unexpectedly laid off, he had two choices: spiral or strategize. In this episode of The Reboot Era, Rob takes us through the moment he got the call, the emotional and mental toll of being laid off for the first time i...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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30:53
Reboot 02 | SI1 - Rebooting and Rebuilding
In this episode of The Reboot Era, Dray sits down with two guests—Fredrico Salianga and Jake Lender—who share powerful, honest stories of navigating life after layoffs. From scammy interviews to side hustle wins, freelance strug...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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36:20
