The Identity Crisis Nobody Warns You About - with Geoff Curtis, author of Embracing Your Own Purgatory

The Identity Crisis Nobody Warns You About - with Geoff Curtis, author of Embracing Your Own Purgatory

Redundancy has a way of doing something nobody really prepares you for. It doesn't just take the job it also dismantles the version of yourself that was built around it. Your title, the structure, the sense of purpose that came with knowing what you did and being good at it. And then one day, someone asks what you do, and you're not entirely sure how to answer. In this episode I'm joined by Geoff Curtis — former c-suite communications executive and author of Embracing Your Own Purgatory — to talk about what actually happens to identity during career transition, why high achievers often struggle most when the professional scaffolding comes down, and why the instinct to sprint back to normality as fast as possible might be working against you. We get into the difference between chosen and imposed transitions, the stories we tell ourselves to maintain the illusion of control, and what it actually looks like to sit with uncertainty rather than outrun it. If you've ever felt like the job loss was straightforward but the identity loss wasn't, maybe give this a listen. Embracing Your Own Purgatory by Geoff Curtis — https://amzn.eu/d/0fpfEGUn [https://amzn.eu/d/0fpfEGUn] Connect with Geoff on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffreycurtis/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffreycurtis/] For community and practical support during redundancy — https://theinvisiblequeue.co.uk [https://theinvisiblequeue.co.uk] Get in touch with the show — https://thenowwhat.co.uk [https://thenowwhat.co.uk]

When the Red Flags Are in the Job Ad

"Fast-paced environment." "We're like a family." "Hit the ground running." These could sound like reasons to apply - they could also sound like reasons to close the tab. Job ads are marketing copy. They're written to sell you on a role, not to tell you what it's actually like to work there. Somewhere between the free fruit and the ping-pong table that nobody's allowed to use, there are phrases doing a lot of heavy lifting to make chaos sound like culture. In this episode, I break down some of the corporate red flags hiding in plain sight in job descriptions — what they may actually mean, why companies use them, and the questions you can ask in interviews to find out what's really going on before you sign anything. Because redundancy already knocked your confidence once, your next role should be better than the last one. To connect with the show please visit ⁠thenowwhat.co.uk⁠ [thenowwhat.co.uk] If you're navigating redundancy and want practical support that actually gets how messy this bit is, head to theinvisiblequeue.com [theinvisiblequeue.com]

Navigating Unemployment: Recent Experiences from the Job Search

thenowwhat.co.uk⁠ [thenowwhat.co.uk]This week's episode is less polished structure, more honest reflection. I'm walking through some recent experiences from my own job search — the kind of things that happen when you're in the middle of redundancy and nobody's handing out a manual. I answer questions about what's been hardest lately, how interviews have gone (and the specific exhaustion that comes from smiling at a webcam while three people take notes), what motivation actually looks like when your laptop autocompletes "jobs in" before you've finished typing, and how to handle rejection emails that all start with "thank you for your interest." No neat solutions here. Just the reality of what this phase looks like when you stop pretending you've got it all figured out. If you're navigating your own unemployment or career transition, head to theinvisiblequeue.co.uk [theinvisiblequeue.co.uk] to connect with others going through the same thing.

Redundancy Support Platform: The Invisible Queue Founders on Why It Matters

theinvisiblequeue.co.uk [theinvisiblequeue.co.uk] Over the past six months, I've spoken with dozens of people navigating redundancy. Through the podcast, messages and numerous conversations that started with "I thought it was just me." Every single one echoed the same thing, this experience isolates people in ways most support systems don't acknowledge. So we built something different. The Invisible Queue is a community platform for anyone in that strange, grinding period between losing a job and finding solid ground again. The name captures what this actually feels like — you're standing in a queue, but you can't see how long it is, who's ahead of you, or when you'll reach the front. You just know you're in it. In this episode, I'm joined by Lisa, Vicky, and Russ — the team behind The Invisible Queue — to talk about why we built it, what it actually is and why the usual options don't cut it. Recruitment sites treat you like a pipeline problem. Wellness content offers breathing exercises when you need practical help. LinkedIn encourages performative-positivity (while your inbox stays empty). We're doing something else: practical tools, honest conversation and a space where you don't have to explain why this is hard. If you're in this position right now — or you know someone who is — this episode explains what we've built and why it might help.

Why Trying Harder Doesn't Fix Redundancy

thenowwhat.co.uk⁠ [thenowwhat.co.uk]The basics of job searching. Updating your CV, tailoring applications, following up; they don't stay done. You do them, they work or they don't and then you have to do them again the next day. And the day after that. It's not a checklist you complete once. It's a daily practice that never quite feels finished. Which would be fine if it delivered predictable results, but it doesn't. You can do everything right one week and hear nothing. Take your foot off the gas the next week and suddenly get an interview. The relationship between effort and outcome is broken in ways you can't fix by just trying harder. This episode is about what happens when you hit a week where you just… don't. Where you can't face another application form or another round of tailoring the same sentences to slightly different job specs. The guilt that shows up when you do less than you think you should. And why easing off isn't the same as giving up — it's often the thing that stops you from stopping entirely.