Unemployable

In this episode of Unemployable, host Jillian Di Benedetto sits down with designer and social media manager Alex Mera to talk about what really happens after the layoff email hits your inbox and your identity goes with it. Alex shares his journey from a long tenure at Zappos to suddenly finding himself on the other side of the hiring circus. They talk about the emotional whiplash of unemployment, the strange grief that comes with losing a role you poured years into, and the slow process of rebuilding both confidence and community. Because when the job disappears, you realize something quickly: your network isn’t just professional, it’s survival.

The conversation dives into the emotional reality of the job hunt, the chaos of ghost jobs, and the bizarre expectations placed on creatives trying to prove their worth in a market that often doesn’t understand what they actually do. Jillian and Alex also explore the bigger industry shifts happening right now — the misconceptions surrounding creative roles, the rise of AI, and why design is so often reduced to “make it pretty” when the real work sits at the intersection of strategy, problem solving, and functionality. Along the way, Alex talks about resilience, the difference between helpful critique and soul-crushing noise, and why creatives need to get very good at filtering feedback in an industry that loves to hand it out. It’s honest. It’s messy. And it’s a conversation a lot of people in the creative world are quietly having right now.

If you’ve ever been laid off, ghosted by a recruiter, or questioned your entire career path while staring at LinkedIn… This one’s for you.

In this episode of Unemployable, Alfie Martin and I spiral (productively) through the wildest parts of the design world and the even wilder parts of the job market.

Alfie talks about her extremely non-linear journey from front-end development to art, design, and generally being cooler than most of us. We get into how social media accidentally became a career engine, why startup culture is basically controlled chaos, and why creativity still matters in a world that keeps trying to automate everything.

Naturally, we also rant about the modern job market, the absolute circus that interviews have become, and the strange new world where LinkedIn is somehow both networking platform and emotional support group.

We also touch on art, politics, AI, hiring nonsense, and the systemic weirdness of how companies try to evaluate humans.

Basically: design, jobs, chaos, community, and why being creative and slightly unhinged might actually be the only way forward.

GM GLITTER GOBLINS. Happy FriYAY.

Today’s podcast episode is extra special, like cry-in-the-car-after special. I’m sharing a conversation with one of my bestest, dearest humans on this planet, Briana D'Andrea. We’ve been friends since we were 10 years old. TEN. That’s decades of inside jokes, bad haircuts, questionable decisions, glow-ups, breakdowns, breakthroughs, all of it.

We’ve been in each other’s lives longer than we haven’t. Our husbands are best friends. All four of us stood in each other’s weddings. We’ve built a chosen family that feels more permanent than gravity.

And let me tell you, she's the SH*T. In the steady, powerful, built-from-the-inside-out way. You’re going to want to listen to this one, because what she shares is real, layered, and honestly? Inspiring as hell.

Go hit play. And maybe text your childhood best friend after. 

In this episode of Unemployable, I sit down with Jem Roberts, storyteller and astrology enthusiast, for an honest conversation about job searching in a market that feels exhausting, unclear, and deeply broken.

We talk about the emotional weight of the hiring process, the power of storytelling, and why clarity is so often missing on both sides. Jem shares how astrology can be a tool for reflection and growth when careers feel stuck or misaligned.

At its core, this episode is about naming what isn’t working, remembering we are not the problem, and using our collective voices to push for a better, more human job market.

astrology site: https://jpember.my.canva.site/astrology

substack: https://jpember.substack.com/

website: https://jpember.my.canva.site/portfolio

In this episode, Ben and I pull apart the advertising industry with care, curiosity, and a healthy amount of disbelief.

We dig into the slow shitification of services, how agencies, platforms, and processes have become bloated, transactional, and increasingly disconnected from actual value. We talk about the changing mindset of entrepreneurs, the rise of independent agencies, and why trust has quietly become one of the most endangered resources in client–agency relationships.

From there, we get into the realities of recruiting and interviewing in the creative world: performative interviews, vague expectations, and the exhausting pressure to package yourself as a “perfect fit” instead of a competent human. We unpack leadership gaps, pricing discomfort, and why so many businesses struggle to commit while still demanding full loyalty from creatives.

I share the thinking behind Untethered Creative, Ben talks about pricing, confidence, and why clients who don’t trust you shouldn’t hire you. Together, we examine how online discourse, personal branding, and AI are reshaping how creatives are evaluated, often badly.

It’s a candid conversation about modern advertising, broken systems, and what it actually takes to show up with clarity and integrity in an industry that keeps confusing polish for substance.

Equal parts insightful, unfiltered, and validating for anyone who’s ever worked in advertising and thought, “It didn’t used to be like this… right?”

Buy his book here! https://a.co/d/5LDzNVn

In this episode, I sit down with Jessica Layne, creative director, intuitive channeler, and full-time chaos conduit, to tear open the job market and read its aura like it owes us money. We dive headfirst into the hellscape of ghostwriting, the spiritual whiplash of being a creative in 2025, and the feral crossroads where intuition meets capitalism.

We drag ageism by the ankles, scream about authenticity until our throats hurt, and question whether AI copywriting is genius, demon magic, or both. Jessica spills on her personal symbols, energy rituals, and the sacred chaos that fuels her work, while also blowing up the delusional myths people believe about the copywriting profession.

We end by staring directly into the flaming dumpster future of work and declaring loudly, unhingedly, that the only real strategy left is staying violently true to yourself in a job market that would absolutely prefer you didn’t.

Tune in. Bring your crystals. And maybe a helmet.

Lola Lavish: https://www.facebook.com/thebluedollar

Jessica's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-layne-atx/

Jessica's Portfolio: https://www.resonatewithjessica.com/allthingscopy

In this episode of Unemployable, Rachel Schizas and I joyfully spiral into the unhinged circus of job searching, the rejections, the delusion, the unhinged energy of it all. We get into real community support (the kind where your friends shove carbs and compliments at you), networking without crying, and remembering you’re worth more than whatever HR troll sent that “we’re moving forward with other candidates” email from their ergonomic throne.

Rachel brings her battle-scarred wisdom, we laugh through the unemployment void, and together we attempt to redefine self-worth beyond job titles, layoffs, and corporate crumbs.

Rachel also just launched her exclusive community, Career Accelerator — join here:

https://www.skool.com/career-accelerator-community-9855/about

Welcome to Unemployable, where your meltdown is marketable, your chaos is the aesthetic, and unemployment is a personality trait we’ve decided to monetize

This week, Taylor Schumaker and I unpack the unhinged circus that is the job market, from Stranger Things–level upside-down interviews to falling for glitter-coated scams and why LinkedIn is basically The Sims with resumes.

Once upon a time, advertising was magic. Now it’s math. So excuse me while I keep choosing glitter over Google Sheets.

Tune in as Alex Martinez and I dive into the wild ride of advertising, from its history to whether strategy still holds up today, and wrap it all up with some future-focused insights and a few ✨motivational nuggets✨ to keep you going.