I have not been on this platform most of the month because most importantly, I became a grandmother AND I'm suddenly employed (PT) and a finalist for 2 majorly upgraded positions (so have been traveling)! I'm having some mixed feelings about returning to real job. I spent the last 4-6 months believing it would never happen. I no longer trust Higher Ed (my field) and truly believed I was supposed to start my own thing (which has been hard for me). Anyone else go through a significant period of unemployment and then go back to work? How did you feel about it (besides relief I suppose). I would love to hear from others.

What's your name? Where in the world are you joining from? What was your former industry or role? What are you hoping to build or explore next?

Getting laid off last year shook my confidence in a way nothing else had in a really long time! I questioned everything I had worked for; my self-trust disappeared. And every rejection email continued to erode my self-esteem. Now that I'm on the other side of it, I have learned so much - mostly about myself and what I am capable of! With over a million people impacted by layoffs in the U.S. in 2025 alone, I created the Comeback Classroom to offer what I wish I had: not just emotional support, but a path back to confidence and self-trust. If you’re in it right now: there is light ahead. ✨ If you go through the modules in the classroom, please engage in the discussion posts! They are likely out of order on The Comeback Classroom community page, so you may have to look for the one that corresponds with the lesson you're on.

Check out this article dated March 2026: https://hammerandhope.org/article/trump-federal-work-force-black-women

Getting laid off is heavy! The waiting, the uncertainty, the moments where you’re doing everything “right” and still not seeing it come together the way you hoped. It can make you question yourself… your timing… even your worth. But your clarity, your discernment - those things are growing even when the results feel slow. Sometimes the comeback doesn’t look like a straight path. Sometimes it looks like rest. Redirection. Reinvention. And all of that still counts. So if today feels hard, don’t take it as a sign to quit.Take it as a sign to trust and to KEEP ON GOING! You’ve got this. 💛