Episode 104: New season: Job searching and other reflections

About this Episode

After a longer-than-usual break, Kat and Liz reunite to talk candidly about what happened behind the scenes—and what they’ve learned from it. Kat shares a personal update (including a surgery and longer-than-expected recovery), and Liz opens up about a major career transition: a nine-month job search, a short, wrong-fit role, and the emotional residue that can linger long after you’ve moved on.

Liz’s story starts with a “bird in the hand” job offer that looked good on paper: the money was right, she liked the CEO, and the timing felt urgent. But her gut was waving red flags—an oddly intense recruiter approach, a job description that looked AI-generated (and sloppy), and benefits that made no sense for a tech company. In Liz’s words, her “brain and wallet outranked her gut,” and she’s clear: she won’t let that happen again.

Once in the role, it became obvious the company ran on fear and expected “yes people,” not true business partners. When Liz’s boss left over ethical concerns, Liz was abruptly cut too—despite being told she’d done nothing wrong. The severance process was chaotic and insulting, and Liz chose not to sign an agreement that would have kept her “on call” for unpaid work.

From there, the conversation shifts to what job searching actually feels like: the vulnerability, the uncertainty, and the constant micro-rejections—including ghosting at every stage, even after deep interview work like presentations. Liz is honest about how the experience affected her confidence and identity, and she also names the privilege that made the situation survivable for her family—while acknowledging how devastating it can be when someone’s finances are truly at risk.

Kat and Liz dig into what helped Liz get through the search without losing herself. The biggest theme is simple, but hard: protect your mental health at all costs. Liz intentionally built a daily routine that included joy and purpose—exercise classes at sane hours, walks with friends, coffee meetings, and even tackling life projects she never has time for when employed. She also learned that too much time on LinkedIn (especially doomscrolling) was a shortcut to a tailspin, so she put boundaries around “job search time,” focused on action, and then got out.

One of the biggest turning points was volunteering in ways that used Liz’s real strengths—career coaching and HR support for organizations that needed her help. Doing the work she’s best at made her feel like herself again, and that confidence showed up in interviews. She also leaned on support networks—leaders-in-transition groups, structured networking conversations, and a personal “board of advisors”—and she emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself with people who can validate the experience without pulling you into hopelessness.

Liz also shares what surprised her most: the moment she stopped fighting the reality of being a job seeker and accepted it, things began to come together. In fact, two of her strongest late-stage opportunities came through relationships from a nonprofit board she’d been on a decade earlier, a reminder that you never know which connection will matter later.

Today, Liz is VP of People at Skimmer, an Austin-based vertical SaaS company serving pool professionals—and she’s genuinely happy there. But she and Kat also name something many people experience and rarely talk about: work PTSD. Even in a healthy environment, a canceled meeting or a simple question can trigger the old fear response. Liz describes how long it took to relax and trust again—and why it’s important to normalize getting support (including therapy) when workplace trauma follows you.

Liz closes with the essentials she wants every job seeker to remember: build a must-have list and stick to it, protect your mental health, minimize doomscrolling, find purpose through helping others, and keep trying new approaches without letting rejection define you.

Resources mentioned

• Yoodli (AI interview practice tool)
• Dress for Success (volunteering and career support)
• Lunchclub-style networking conversations
• Past episodes on imposter syndrome: Episode 12 Amy Lewis https://realjobtalk.com/12-imposter-syndrome-with-amy-lewis and Episode 51 Joep Piscaer https://realjobtalk.com/51-imposter-syndrome-joep-piscaer
• Therapists/psychologists specializing in workplace trauma

A reminder to watch out for job-search scams (roles, resume services, “career coaches”)—and to ask trusted people before paying anyone