Fear, Faith and the Forest
Fear, Faith, and the Forest: A Podcast of Hope for the Unemployed
If you're unemployed, you know the struggle. Hundreds of applications. Ghosting. Late-stage rejections. The 3 AM panic. The identity crisis. The endless negativity about how "the market is dead" and "AI is taking over."
Fear, Faith, and the Forest is a weekly podcast for people walking through unemployment—created by someone still in the trenches with you. Moving forward. Driven by faith.
About the Host
Rich Zapata is an unemployed software engineering leader with 12+ years of experience. After 7 years at a fintech company, his position was eliminated in January 2025. Nine months later, he's still searching—and he's not waiting until he "makes it" to share what he's learned.
This podcast isn't a victory lap. It's a real-time guide through the Forest.
Episodes
9 episodes
Episode 9: Reflection — Lessons Learned
A reflection episode marking the close of Phase 1. More than a year into unemployment, Rich looks back at the things he said in the first eight episodes and asks what's held up under pressure, and what's changed. Eight Parts, eight lessons. He ...
Episode 8: Handling Rejection — It's Not Personal, It's Process
Rejection is not a possibility in this job search, it's a certainty. In this final episode of Phase 1, Rich tackles one of the hardest parts of unemployment: handling rejection without letting it erode your confidence or derail your momentum.
Episode 7: Your Health — The Non-Negotiables
Unemployment is a full-time job, and like any demanding job, it will break down the vessel carrying you through it if you're not careful. In this episode, Rich breaks down the non-negotiables: the things you cannot skip, and the things nobody e...
Episode 6: Anxiety and The 3 AM Wake-Ups
Anxiety during unemployment is real, and it never goes away. It hits at 3 AM, but it also hits at 2:30 on a normal Tuesday afternoon, when the lull catches up to you. In this episode, I share a confession about dipping into my retirement fund, ...
Episode 5: The Family Conversation - Navigating This Together
Unemployment doesn't just affect you. It affects everyone in your household. Your spouse, your kids, everyone who depends on you. And they can't support you if they don't know what's happening.In this episode, I share how I told my...
Episode 4: You Are Not Your Title - Identity Detox
One of the hardest parts of unemployment isn't the job search—it's the identity crisis. Who are you without your title? In this episode, Rich talks about why so many of us tie our identity to our jobs, what happens when that's stripped away, an...
Episode 3: Assess - Taking Stock Without Panic
You've survived the first week. Now what? Before you can plan your next move, you need to know where you actually stand. In this episode, Rich walks through how to assess three critical areas of your situation — your financial runway, your skil...
Episode 2: Survive the First 72 Hours
The first 72 hours after a layoff can make or break how you navigate everything that comes after. In this episode, Rich shares what he did in those first critical days, and what he wishes he'd done differently. From telling his sons the news on...
Episode 1: You Are Not Your Layoff
Rich Zapata introduces Fear, Faith, and the Forest — what it is, who it's for, and what to expect. He shares his nine-month unemployment story, from the 10-minute Zoom call that ended seven years at his company through hundreds of applications ...