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“If I wasn’t an employee, who was I?”
On the Thursday before Thanksgiving at 8 AM, a single calendar notification ended a career that had spanned 18 years. Within minutes, the Slack channels went dark, the access was revoked, and the identity I had spent nearly two decades building as a "tech leader" vanished into a black monitor.
In this return episode of Still Technically Here, we’re pivoting. We’re moving away from technical systems and leadership-centered problem solving and diving deep into the human side of things. I’m sharing the raw, unpolished story of my own transition—from the "Work-Role Enmeshment" that made a layoff feel like a psychological trauma, to the uncomfortable "liminal space" where growth actually happens.
This isn’t just a story about losing a job; it’s a manual for anyone currently "debugging" their life while the code is still running. Whether you’re a teacher, a nurse, an engineer, or an entrepreneur, if you’ve ever felt that the ground was moving under your feet, this episode is your compass.
In this episode, we explore:
- The Enmeshment Trap: Why we fuse our self-worth with our professional output and how to perform an "Identity Audit" to decouple the two.
- Navigating the Liminal Space: Understanding the "mid-air" suspension between who you were and who you are becoming—and why discomfort is a prerequisite for transformation.
- The Power of the Radical "Yes": How saying yes to the small, scary, and "un-strategic" things—like an empty seat next to a stranger—creates the data points you need to build your next chapter.
- Growth vs. Fixed Mindsets: Applying Dr. Carol Dweck’s research to move from "I am my job" to "I am my skills."
The Transition Toolbox: I’m leaving you with three tangible systems you can run right now:
- The Verb Audit: Identifying your portable power.
- The Weak-Tie Outreach: Expanding your surface area for luck.
- The Micro-Yes Protocol: Building your bravery muscle one small interaction at a time.
The access was revoked and the chair was gone, but the architect remains. Turns out, I’m Still Technically Me. And that’s the only person I need to be.
Connect with the show:
- www.stilltechnicallyhere.buzzsprout.com
- IG & TikTok: @stilltechnicallyhere
Research Referenced:
- Identity Fusion & Enmeshment – Dr. Janna Koretz (HBR)
- The Rites of Passage & Liminality – Arnold van Gennep & Victor Turner
- Mindset – Dr. Carol Dweck
- The Strength of Weak Ties – Mark Granovetter
- Daring Greatly – Dr. Brené Brown
