The Unemployment Diaries

Have you ever thought about how you learn? Or, for that matter, why you learn in the first place?

Romy attended schools that prided themselves on academic rigor. From the third grade, she was pulling all-nighters and spent years feeling like she was one step behind. She walked out of her final university exam and celebrated never having to learn again.

Today, she's a Chief Learning Officer, experiential learning designer, and facilitator who has worked with C-suite leaders, Formula One teams, and UN agencies on the science of how people actually learn. So what changed? Turns out, she didn't hate learning at all.

In this episode, Romy shares her story and:

• How her environment shaped her relationship with learning (and why her ADHD wasn’t the problem)

• Why most training doesn't work and the science behind about how we learn

• David Kolb's four-stage learning cycle

• The way we unlearn — and why upgrading your software beats wiping the operating system

• How learning style preferences can become a trap 

• Why psychological safety is a precondition for any real growth

• What AI is doing to our critical thinking skills (and what to do about it)

• How to design your own learning process

• Why we should aim to be explorers rather than experts

Chapters

00:00 Welcome, Romy Alexandra

01:18 Are you good or bad at learning?

03:05 From fixed mindset to learning advocate

05:57 Experiential learning: A new approach

07:30 Why knowledge transfer isn't enough

12:03 The shift from education to learning

14:12 What we get wrong about learning

17:53 How to unlearn

21:00 Learning as a lifelong journey

22:58 We learn how we live

27:24 Understanding learning preferences

32:31 Navigating AI in learning

35:44 The importance of critical thinking

38:32 Balancing objectives and learning outcomes

40:19 Designing your own learning process

44:27 Measuring progress in learning

48:18 Creating safe learning environments

53:55 Shifting from expert to explorer mindset

Where to find Romy

• LinkedIn

• Website

• Instagram

For more from The Unemployment Diaries

• Stay up to date on Instagram

• Go behind the scenes on Substack

• Watch on YouTube
  

Florence Acosta spent years building herself around her credentials of nurse anesthetist and executive director of a surgical center. On the weekends? She was doing work she loved but never fully committed to: facilitating women's circles. Then she had a stroke. And overnight, the career, the title, the independence — all of it — was gone.

What followed was two years of sweats, silence, and grief she didn't know how to name. That is until her son moved 1,231 miles away and something in her finally shifted.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it actually looks like to rebuild in small, almost invisible steps

• Why driving alone for the first time in three years felt like getting her freedom back

• How writing became the way she finally found her voice — and why those two things took decades to connect

• Grieving a version of yourself you're not sure you're ready to let go of

• The power of writing to heal yourself and others 

• How a Raggedy Ann doll taught her it wasn't safe to ask for what she wanted, and how she’s building that safety today

This one is quiet, honest, and particularly important for anyone who has ever faced a setback that took more than they expected.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome, Florence Acosta

01:23 Life after the stroke

05:45 Navigating grief and recovery

08:00 Finding independence after a stroke

09:38 Help, grief and signs of recovery

13:08 Writing on Substack

15:51 Not taking independence for granted

16:53 Appreciating the past

18:12 Are you happy?

19:51 Facing challenges

20:33 Finding a voice through writing

Where to find Florence

• BECOMING YOU with Florence Acosta on Substack

For more from The Unemployment Diaries

• Stay up to date on Instagram

• Go behind the scenes on Substack

• Watch on YouTube
  

What happens when the career you built becomes the thing that breaks you down?

Yannick Kpodar spent fifteen years in front-row seats at some of Europe and San Francisco’s fastest-growing companies — LinkedIn, PayFit, and a unicorn valued at $2.2 billion. He raised hundreds of millions as an operator and by every external measure, he was winning.

Then, in the span of 6-12 months, he lost his job, his marriage, and his identity. 

What followed wasn't a pivot. It was an ego death. In this episode, Yannick shares his story and:

• Why hypergrowth has a dark side and how it spreads through an organization

• What identity collapse actually feels like 

• The beliefs that shattered and how he rebuilt 

• What happens when you wear a mask for too long

• What conscious leadership looks like in the age of AI

• The one piece of advice he gives every founder before their next move

• Why he now vets who gets into his community — and what disqualifies you immediately

Chapters

00:00 Introducing: Yannick Kpodar

01:10 The journey to identity collapse

07:44 The dark side of hypergrowth

15:17 Experiencing ego death

19:34 Rebuilding with a new perspective

26:31 The cost of wearing a mask

30:26 Reconnecting with creativity and intuition

34:22 Balancing structure with flexibility

38:03 Conscious leadership in the age of AI

42:03 The importance of identity for founders

46:40 How to avoid re-masking

51:40 New ventures and learning paths

Where to find Yannick

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yannickkpodar/

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yannickkpodar

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yannickkpodar/

• Website: https://www.full-stack-ceo.com/ & ⁠https://www.aventracapital.com/⁠

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@YannickKpodar

For more from The Unemployment Diaries

• Stay up to date on Instagram

• Go behind the scenes on Substack

• Watch on YouTube

What if the worst thing that ever happened to you turned out to be the making of you?

Patrick grew up knowing exactly who he was going to be. His grandfather's photo above the fireplace. His dad's. A blank third frame he promised himself he'd fill. He applied to just one school (The Citadel), joined the Marine Corps, and became a platoon commander leading 40 Marines. He was living his calling.

Then, five days into his second deployment, a bullet tore through his body and the only life he ever wanted. He was 26, paralyzed from the waist down, and told he'd never walk again.

Fourteen surgeries, two years at Walter Reed, and a collapsed identity later – he found a reframe that is almost hard to believe: getting shot is going to be the best thing that ever happened to me.

In this episode, Patrick shares his story and:

• The blank photo frame that shaped his entire identity and what happened when that identity was taken away

• What emotional contagion taught him about leadership under the worst conditions

• How he broke a two-year recovery into milestones small enough to survive, and why a 48-minute mile mattered

• How he battled imposter syndrome at Harvard and Wharton

• Why he left management consulting

• How he went from a paralysis diagnosis to Team USA captain at the Invictus Games, a bronze medal, and training for the Paralympics

• What resilience actually is — and why helping someone else is the fastest way to shorten your own suffering

Welcome to The Unemployment Diaries, Patrick Nugent. 

Chapters

00:00 Welcome, Patrick Nugent

00:46 The journey

07:30 The power of mindset and belief

09:49 Facing the diagnosis

11:15 Breaking down the recovery

18:54 The lowest point

29:42 The reframe: Getting shot was the best thing

32:57 The journey to the Invictus Games

36:55 Imposter syndrome in business school

40:26 Strategies for resilience and avoiding burnout

45:48 The power of helping others in healing

Where to find Patrick

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nugentpatrick/

• Website: https://www.patrickdnugent.com/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pdnuge/

• Substack: https://nugentnotes.substack.com/

For more from The Unemployment Diaries

• Stay up to date on Instagram

• Go behind the scenes on Substack

• Watch on YouTube

What if the thing that changed your life wasn't supposed to be your life at all?

Maya stumbled into a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu class at 16 thinking it was kickboxing. She then started a business at 19 with $2,000 and kept it secret for two years. Recently, she took it to Shark Tank and walked away with $300,000.

But this episode isn't really about any of that. It's about what it takes to bet on yourself and then to keep investing no matter which direction you decide to walk in.

In this episode, Maya and I discuss:

• Why women on the mat changes everything

• What jiu-jitsu teaches you about failure, humility, and showing up

• How betrayal can be an incredible teacher

• The two-pen journaling practice that gives her perspective on everything

• Why she's project-agnostic and why that might be the most important mindset of all

• What 80-year-old Maya thinks about all of it

Welcome to The Unemployment Diaries, Maya Nazareth. 

Chapters

00:00 Introducing: Maya Nazareth

01:02 Starting Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ)

06:04 The transformative power of jiu-jitsu

11:57 Finding calmness, peace and humility

14:28 From 2k at 19 to Shark Tank success

21:37 Tools for resilience and overcoming challenges

26:38 Navigating life and business on social media

29:41 The next chapter

32:52 Embracing change and new identities

36:42 How to shift perspectives

41:02 The power of self-control and acceptance

44:09 Advice to a younger self

Where to find Maya

• https://www.instagram.com/maya.nazareth/

• https://alchemizefightwear.com/

For more from The Unemployment Diaries

• Stay up to date on Instagram

• Go behind the scenes on Substack

• Watch on YouTube

What if you already know what you need to but you just won't do it?

Jacob Templer went from law school to state attorney to elephant conservation to tech sales to travel content creator. Any one of those would have been a solid career. None of them were the right life. Now he helps people figure out the difference before they waste any more time. 

In this episode, Jacob and I discuss:

• Why being good at something isn’t a reason to keep doing it

• How to build a life you actually want 

• Why most people never take action 

• What travel taught him about the difference between a life you love and content about a life you love

• How AI is becoming a thinking inhibitor that's way more dangerous than social media 

• Why mass education may be producing people who don't know how to think 

• What it means to curate your environment, inputs, and influences 

• Churchill's two-sentence framework for the only decision that actually matters

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Meet Jacob Templer

01:07 Travel and self-discovery

03:28 Defining a dream career

05:16 A non-linear career path

11:31 Passion isn't enough

14:54 Lifestyle vs. career choices

17:16 The benefits of having a coach

21:18 The downsides of mass education

24:41 The case for homeschooling

27:05 Parental responsibility and self-awareness

28:38 The dark side of tech

30:51 Navigating the future: skills for uncertainty

34:37 The role of virtue and agency

37:46 Living with courage and truth

40:40 The challenge of taking action

46:30 Embracing fear and taking risks

Where to find Jacob

• Instagram

• Substack

• [email protected] 

For more from The Unemployment Diaries

• Stay up to date on Instagram

• Go behind the scenes on Substack

• Watch on YouTube
  

What if the life you always wanted had no map, no guarantee, and no way back?

Linda Jackson spent decades in tech sales and marketing, working for startups and surviving volatile bosses. Then she sailed out under the Golden Gate Bridge (just two weeks after 9/11) on a 34-foot sailboat with her husband and a one-year plan that turned into a lifetime.

Today they live full-time aboard their sailboat in Fiji where she runs a consulting business from the middle of the Pacific Ocean (for now). No house. No car. No safety net. She's been doing this since before Starlink, before Zoom, before anyone called it remote work.

And somewhere along the way, she discovered that the most important parts of her life had nothing to do with work at all.

In this episode, Linda shares her story and:

• Why she walked away from employee life and what finally pushed her over the edge

• What being truly "unemployable" actually looks like in practice — and what it costs you

• The loneliness and isolation nobody talks about when they romanticize life off the grid

• Why flexibility isn't just a nice-to-have — it's the only way this life works

• How she found creativity through art and writing, and why it changed everything

• How she almost turned her Substack into a job she didn't want

• What 150 rejection letters taught her about doing creative work on your own terms

• The drowning iguana in Mexico that changed her outlook and became a book

• Why "nothing's forever" is the most liberating business strategy she knows

Chapters

00:00 Introducing Linda Jackson

00:37 How the OG digital nomad earned her title

05:30 The journey to becoming unemployable

10:29 Subconsciously designing a life you love

11:17 Embracing flexibility and imperfection

14:29 The downsides to being a digital nomad

17:15 Navigating financial trade-offs

19:59 You don't need to monetize everything

22:54 Rediscovering joy in writing

28:28 Small acts of kindness, big impact

31:22 Being willing to course correct

32:13 Navigating life as a crew of 2

35:29 Trusting your captain (or boss)

37:06 Advice to start working for yourself

Where to find Linda

• Substack

• LinkedIn

• Website

• Verde’s Very Lucky Day

For more from The Unemployment Diaries

• Stay up to date on Instagram

• Go behind the scenes on Substack

• Watch on YouTube
  

What if the trait you've been hiding is actually your greatest asset?

Mohamed Fadel spent years behind a computer screen, finding community, purpose, and progression in online gaming. Then, at only 24, he became the Global President of AIESEC, the world's largest youth-led organization, leading 40,000 young people across 120 countries. As a self-proclaimed 97% introvert.

He didn't change who he was to get there. He just realized introversion was never the obstacle. It was the edge.

In this episode, Mohamed shares his story and:

• How gaming taught him the three things every human needs — and how he found them IRL

• Why introversion isn't a limitation, it's a superpower 

• What empathy actually looks like in leadership 

• The real reason entrepreneurship isn't freedom and what keeps you going anyway

• Why the world glorifies the loudest voice in the room 

• The two pieces of advice he'd give his younger self

Chapters

00:00 Introducing: Mohamed Fadel

00:40 Why podcasting is great for introverts

04:08 The benefits of gaming (and experience)

10:13 Who can be a leader

11:24 The qualities of a good leader

15:21 Work and home life are not separate

17:55 The impact of being laid off

20:10 The importance of thinking outside the box

21:59 The reality of leading yourself as an entrepreneur

24:10 What determines success

25:23 The discipline of self-leadership

26:41 The power of being an introvert

33:04 Advice for a younger Mohamed

Where to find Mohamed

• https://mohamedfadel.com/

• On Substack

For more from The Unemployment Diaries

• Stay up to date on Instagram

• Go behind the scenes on Substack

• Watch on YouTube
  

What if the question "so, what do you do?" is the wrong question entirely?

Charlie Rogers never had a conventional answer because he never took the conventional path. He built and closed businesses, represented Great Britain in triathlon, and spent the last decade figuring out how to live beyond labels. Now he's written the field guide for everyone else who's ever felt too much for one box.

In this episode, Charlie shares his story and:

• Why "what do you do?" asks you to delete parts of yourself 

• How to strip away inherited assumptions about how life "should" look and rebuild from zero

• Why the echo chambers we live in keep us smaller than we need to be

• The Purpose Acropolis framework and how to find your golden thread

• Why focused experts earn twice as much as generalists — and how Undefinables can have it both ways

• The advice he'd give anyone who has more interests than they know what to do with

Chapters

00:00 Meet Charlie Rogers

00:49 So, what do you do?

03:51 Charlie's unconventional background

08:18 How do you know it's time to move on?

09:22 What is a golden thread?

12:55 We're not one thing forever

13:34 Can you be an expert with many interests?

17:39 When life goes out of balance

19:58 How constraints shape your future

22:36 How to shift your mindset

24:21 Is it growing pains or just pain?

31:38 From "good enough" to "great"

35:41 Advice for younger Charlie

Where to find Charlie

• https://www.undefinablelifedesign.com/

• Substack

• Buy the book on Amazon

For more from The Unemployment Diaries

• Stay up to date on Instagram

• Go behind the scenes on Substack

• Watch on YouTube
  

A layoff. A house under construction. A trip to London. And the realization that the life he wanted was within reach. 

These moments pushed Tim Akapo to trade a 20-year supply chain career for an espresso machine — and build one of Westchester's most beloved community spaces, Ludy Café, from the ground up. In this episode, Tim shares:

• How he went from laid off to running a business generating over half a million in revenue

• The priority order that keeps his marriage, family, and business all thriving

• The values he inherited from his parents and carries into everything he does

• Why faith is the foundation of his unshakeable confidence

• How investing in your community always pays back dividends

• What he'd tell his sons and anyone thinking about making a leap of their own

If you're in the middle of a career transition or thinking about starting something of your own, you're going to want to hear this one.

Welcome… to The Unemployment Diaries.

Chapters

00:00 Meet Tim Akapo

01:03 From corporate to coffee

04:06 Balancing family and business

05:21 The importance of good communication

07:02 Prioritizing your home life

09:04 Putting your partner first

09:36 On giving back to the community

13:46 The ripple effect of connection

15:46 Why Tim has no regrets

17:44 The power of having faith

19:00 How to expand the business sustainably

21:38 You can't do it all alone

22:40 Where to begin if you want to start a business

24:10 Tim's advice to his boys: Don't be afraid

26:47 From pissed off to half a million in revenue

32:28 When customers become community

Visit Ludy Café

• https://ludycafe.com/

• https://www.instagram.com/ludycafe

For more from The Unemployment Diaries

• Stay up to date on Instagram

• Go behind the scenes on Substack

• Watch on YouTube

Disclaimer: Just to be clear, this podcast is still not sponsored by Nike. Yet…