Don't Pack Your Bikini

Three women. Three careers. Multiple layoffs, relocations, and gut punches - and they're telling all of it.

In the first episode of our Job Transitions series, Jennifer, Polly, and Linda share their personal stories of midlife job loss and it's not just about updating a resume. 

Polly takes us through three jobs in a single year, including a layoff that came right after a leadership change turned a great workplace toxic. 

Linda recounts being laid off from Dow after 10+ years, then later relocating to Utah for a new role — only to have her job eliminated five months after buying a house, thousands of miles from her entire support network. 

And Jennifer sets the stage for what's coming next.

We also dig into the numbers that nobody's talking about: in July 2026, women bore 100% of the layoffs - 32,000 jobs. A Glassdoor poll found 63% of women feel pressure to accept lower salaries after a layoff compared to 52% of men. 

Hosts: Jennifer, Polly, and Linda Calvin

About the show: Don't Pack Your Bikini is real conversations with women who have the receipts for lives that didn't go according to plan. We started as Disney interns and found a friendship that survived hurricanes, heartbreaks, career pivots, and everything life decided to throw at us. No filters, no pretending it was graceful. The bikini was never the point.

Subscribe so you don't miss Part 2 - The Real Cost - where Jennifer tells her own story of losing everything as a single mom, and we unpack the absurd interview trends judging everything except whether you can do the job.

Source on Women's Job Loss quote:  https://nwlc.org/press-release/july-jobs-report-women-accounted-for-100-percent-of-the-labor-force-decline/

More from Linda Calvin: https://vinculumcaste871100.substack.com/p/jargon-monoxide?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Real books, real little metal men climbing the wall, and a goose mystery worthy of true crime — this episode kicks off with Polly, Jennifer, April, Lisa, and Wendy catching up on home décor, holiday costume ideas for tiny statues, and a wildly unhinged neighborhood legend involving a lawn goose and a bucket of cement.

In this episode:

1. The saga of Jennifer's "little men" wall sculptures and their future holiday wardrobe.
2. The mysterious case of the neighborhood goose, cement, and one suspicious guy.
3. A terrifying trip down memory lane to Terror on Church Street — and why Jennifer swore off haunted houses forever.

It's unfiltered, unpredictable, and full of the kind of tangents only your oldest friends can pull off - from home decor to horror movies to true crime rabbit holes.

Tune in next time for Episode 3 when we get serious about job loss in your later career days.

Life rarely goes according to plan. 

Relationships change, careers take unexpected turns, and our dreams may not always come true. 

Join conversations with women as we navigate the messy middle of life, sharing hilarious stories, heartfelt confessions, and the hard-won wisdom that comes with experience. From Disney internships and hurricanes to marriage, divorce, kids, and career changes, we’ll explore the challenges and joys of adulthood with honesty, humor, and a healthy dose of self-deprecation. 

So grab a glass of wine, put on your comfiest pajamas, and get ready for a relatable and empowering podcast that will remind you that it's okay to ditch the bikini and embrace the unexpected journey of life.