Real Time Creator | A Career Break Diary
I spent years chasing success, money, and shelving my creative dreams. I was a $200K+ earner in tech and a secret weapon inside of a 7-figure creator business. Then I got laid off, and EVERYTHING changed.
I’m Alison Kinsey and this is my real-time, voice note style diary for high achievers who are wondering "is this it for my life?!" Each week, you'll get a raw and unfiltered glimpse into my creative reinvention:
Career breaks, money transparency, entrepreneurship, and the courage it takes to choose a more interesting life.
Connect with me on Instagram: @alisonkinsey
Episodes
16 episodes
What Quitting Pottery Made Me Realize About the Job I Stayed in Too Long
I did NOT expect a 6-week pottery class to turn into a bigger conversation about quitting, intuition, and the things we stay stuck in for way too long. But that’s exactly what happened. What started as a small creative exp...
The Job Market Is a Hot Mess and I Haven’t Applied to a Single Job in 8 Months
For 8 months, I’ve been avoiding the job market, questioning if I want to “enter the arena.” And it’s because the stories I'm hearing are genuinely jaw-dropping.The rules have changed in 2026. We can no longer reactively apply to hundred...
Everything I Did (and Spent) to Feel Confident Speaking in Front of 100+ People
Last week, I REALLYYYY stretched myself by saying “yes” and speaking on stage at a local podcaster’s panel. I'm going to take you into my head for the entirety of it - the anticipation, the "day of" investments I made, what i...
My Tech Sales Salary Progression and What NOBODY Tells You About Losing a 6-Figure Income
Nobody talks about what happens when a high salary stops feeling like enough. I was making over $200,000 a year and STILL attaching my sense of worth to every paycheck, every commission, every win. This is a vulnerable epi...
What My Week ACTUALLY Looked Like 7 Months Into My Career Break (Spoiler: A Lot of Resistance)
What do I actually DO all day?! In this episode, I’m getting real and honest about the resistance I felt around committing to a new creative hobby, why I’m doing the exact opposite when it comes to my usual workout routine, and how I’m tryin...
I Asked AI to Map Out My Future... and It Gave Me 3 Completely Different Lives
Every time someone asks me what’s next for my life, I freeze. And last week, a conversation with my former boss pushed me to explore that tension using AI in a way I didn’t expect. (And I’m sharing the ENTIRE prompt with you so you can try i...
I Made $1,127 in 3 Months After My Layoff. Here’s Everything I Tried.
Seven months ago, I was googling “how to make extra money from home.” I had just been laid off, my nervous system was buzzing, and I needed proof that I could still be “valuable” and generate income if I had to. Over 3 mon...
A $107K Portfolio Career, “Boring” Businesses, & the Rise of Unconventional Work
There is a WILD cultural shift happening between AI, massive layoffs, and the boom of portfolio careers, “boring” businesses, and complete identity rewrites are happening EVERYWHERE.One woman left Slack and Asana and built a 6-...
30 Days of Finally Being Visible (and My Oura Ring Had Thoughts)
This is a transparent, behind-the-scenes look at my first 30 days of podcasting. I’m spilling the download numbers, the unexpected surprises and freak-outs, and how putting my “journal” out in the world is already opening doors I didn’t even...
I Turned Down TWO 6-Figure Job Opportunities - Am I Crazy?!
Two weeks ago, I seriously questioned ending my career break.In this episode, I’m walking you through what actually happened when I was invited to explore two sales roles I would’ve jumped at a year ago.In This Ep...
We Scaled Podcasting for Creatives to 22 Clients... Then My Husband Landed in the ER
3 years ago, our podcast editing business scaled beyond our wildest dreams to 22 clients. And then my husband ended up in the ER.Steve is joining me for an honest conversation about how we divide roles, why our dynamic as busin...
Paying Attention to My Energy Is CHANGING My Career Break!
My energy is giving me WAY more information than my to-do lists ever did.What happens when I stop forcing decisions and start collecting clues? I’m back from a 3-city trip and we’re covering it all: networking, my unexpected ob...
The Bad Habit That Hijacks My Life, and What I’m Changing in 2026
I hate to admit this, but being on my phone is literally a part-time job. And I didn’t realize how much it was costing me until I looked at the data. (And yes, I’m sharing my REAL screen time stats in this episode that make me CRINGE).
Why I Almost "PANIC-SOLD" My House, and How I'm Saving Over $1,500/Month
We’re talking MONEY, baby! Today I’m walking you line by line through all the expenses I cut out of my budget to afford my new life on a creative career break, and the moment I realized that wanting to panic-sell my house wasn’t really about...
I Lost My $200K+ Tech Job… and Everything I Thought I Wanted
I thought I had “made it.” Five years into a dream sales career in tech, earning over $200K a year without a college degree, it felt like my life checked all the boxes. But then I got laid off. And instead of freaking out ...
