How To Heal From A Layoff And Become A Big, Beautiful Remote Entrepreneur

When I was laid off from my big, cushy corporate job last year, all kinds of negative emotions came flooding in — fear, anger and rejection being just some of them. Yet, at the exact same moment, I also felt a huge sense of relief. I had a moment of pure clarity where I just felt giddy happiness. And that was what I tapped into from that day forward — there had to be a reason I felt so relieved to lose my job.

As time and further introspection rolled by, I acknowledged the role I’d played in leading to the layoff. I said and did things that ultimately led to it because I was just so miserable every day — it wasn’t the tasks. I love writing, really any form of it. It was the internal politics and interactions with negative people who enjoyed making pot-stirring and back-stabbing an Olympic sport. What was most disappointing to me were the women involved in it. Who has time for that? Not this girl!

So, then what to do? I definitely did NOT want to go back into Corporate America (which is exactly where I am now, but read on, it’s a happy ending!) I realized that all the self-help books and my quest to live a positive and spiritual life that had helped me survive Corporate America, divorce, menopause and my child’s chronic illness was what I really wanted to concentrate on full time. I feel absolutely compelled to take my life experiences, continue adding excellent training to them, and be a coach and empowering mentor to women and girls.

I’ve eagerly created a way to move from employee to entrepreneur over the past year. I hope these tips and experiences I’ve had will help you move forward in your life and get to a happier place sooner because of them:

It took me a while to figure this part out. I’ve been involved in so many things that I love over the years – being a makeup artist, getting my esthetician’s license, reading and seeking self-help and spiritual guidance…At first, these were all separate in my mind and I viewed them on a timeline from past to future. But, what if? What if I could take elements of all the things I love and create a business and message that makes me feel good every day? Read on to number 5…

I learned how important this is when I got my certifications in neuro-linguistic coaching. We call it creating a well-formed outcome. It’s looking at your goals and then breaking them down, seeing where there are opportunities for strengths and weaknesses, and building it all back up to create a solid well-formed outcome. Doing this can help you move forward in your career or any area of your life in significant ways.

While we may all get fixated on roadblocks that are happening right in front of us on a daily basis, many times we need to go back to where the problem started. In NLP coaching, we use a number of tools in our toolboxes to help clients remove fears, anxiety, phobias or even an illness. Often times, there is a feeling behind whatever it is that can be addressed and replaced via NLP tools like Timeline or Core Transformation. It’s so freeing and life-changing. I recommend it for anyone who feels “stuck.”

 We all have basic life experiences that may push us in one direction or another, in terms of career choices. Find your lane and then pursue training, education and gaining experience there. When you find your passion and your lane, learning, working and helping others becomes an absolute joy. 

When people ask what I do now, I always say I pursue multiple streams of income. My cushy corporate job paid well, with great insurance (and benefits which included life-saving insulin for my daughter). I decided that I was never going to put that kind of responsibility in any one employer’s hands again. My multiple streams of income include running Airbnb out of my home (I’ve become a SuperHost!), being a Posholicious rep for an amazing skincare line, Perfectly Posh, building my lifecoaching business, creating online courses and webinars to inspire and mentor women, and freelance writing. Each one of these streams brings me joy and income. What a great career to have! 

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Kimberly Gohringer is a writer, lifecoach, hypnotherapist, mom and kind and funny human. In addition to freelance writing, she runs Empower Now, a business that helps people make positive changes in their lives. Visit her site at www.empowernow.center.