Pro-athlete turned writer on taking her skills off the court

Pro-athlete turned writer on taking her skills off the court

How many people do you know who are actually building the life they want, instead of the one they settled for? Jessica (Jess) Almeida played basketball for Portugal from the age of 13. At 24, she traded the sport for a corporate paycheck — and spent years wondering if she'd made a mistake. Today, she still works full time. But she found writing: same discipline, same obsession, different game. Now she's helping others do the same, building a framework for people with multiple interests and not enough direction. In this episode, we chat about: * How growing up in an elite athletic program shaped the discipline that still drives her today * The financial reality of women's sports that pushed her toward a corporate career * How writing became her coping mechanism through grief, identity loss, and coming out to her family * The "restart cycle" of side hustles that never stuck — and what finally did * How she manages her passion while working full-time * Her mental breakdown in 2024, moving back in with her mom at 31, and the moment she got sick enough of her own attitude to change * The Integrator Model: her framework for helping people with multiple interests find one direction that holds them all * The insight she’d give herself about generational impact  Chapters (00:00) Introducing: Jessica (Jess) Almeida (00:50) Jess, the pro basketball player (06:21 ) Jess, the side hustle queen (08:21) Jess, the writer (10:20) Comparing writing and basketball (13:58) The myth of the overnight success (15:57) Being disciplined about your passion (18:15) The power of writing as a tool (20:29) Why Jess stopped complaining (26:08) Managing time and creative energy (26:57) The integrator model (31:22) Having generational impact Where to find Jess  * The Integrator Model [https://jessdanara.com/freetool] * The JD Letter on Substack [https://thejessdanara.substack.com/] For more from The Unemployment Diaries * Stay up to date on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theunemploymentdiariespodcast/] * Go behind the scenes on Substack [https://aishaommaya.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips] * Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@theunemploymentdiariespodcast]

CEO of MindHug on why you can’t think your way to change

Change. Whether it's a shift in career, lifestyle, or behavior patterns — we usually know what we need to do differently. So then… why can't we do it? Raj Singh had the career everyone told him to want. LSE economist. Bank of England. Stable, prestigious, on track. And then one night, it fell apart. What followed wasn't just a pivot. It was a reckoning. With how the mind actually works. With what behavior is really signaling. With why knowing better almost never leads to doing better. Raj went from central banking to neuroscience research to founding MindHug, a company helping individuals and institutions get unstuck — not through mindset hacks or motivation, but by starting where most approaches never begin: the nervous system. In this episode, Raj shares his story and: * Why the breakdown was years in the making and what signals he wishes he'd paid attention to sooner * The difference between actual threat and perceived threat — and why your mind can't always tell them apart * What dopamine, neural pathways, and epigenetics have to do with your worst habits * The SURE model and why psychological safety is the non-negotiable first step to any real change * How MindHug uses VR, breathwork, and sound to help people experience (not just understand) new ways of being * Why building a new habit beats trying to quit an old one every time * What he'd tell himself before the night everything came crashing down Chapters (00:00) Introducing: Raj Singh (02:06) From autopilot to breakdown (03:59) From Bank of England to MindHug (07:27) Why info alone isn't enough to change behavior (08:04) How the mind gets hijacked (11:36) Innovative approaches to psychological safety (14:32) The role of tech and AI in behavior change (19:01) AI vs human readiness (20:50) The SURE model: Safety, Understanding, Reframing, Experience (26:08) Our reactions are pre-programmed (34:33) Like bio-hacking, but psycho-hacking (36:31) Perception and reality: The illusion of life (38:55) Reading your own signals (42:05) Case Study: Addressing phone addiction (46:53) Don't break old habits — build new ones (51:58) Advice before the breakdown Where to find MindHug * https://mindhug.com/ [https://mindhug.com/] * https://www.instagram.com/mymindhug/ [https://www.instagram.com/mymindhug/] Where to find Raj * https://www.instagram.com/rajmindhug/ [https://www.instagram.com/rajmindhug/] * https://www.linkedin.com/in/chitraj-raj-singh-583b46b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chitraj-raj-singh-583b46b/] For more from The Unemployment Diaries * Stay up to date on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theunemploymentdiariespodcast/] * Go behind the scenes on Substack [https://aishaommaya.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips] * Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@theunemploymentdiariespodcast]

Learning expert on the skill no one taught you

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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/romy-alexandra/] * Website [https://brainmattersconsulting.com/] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/trainingbyromy] For more from The Unemployment Diaries * Stay up to date on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theunemploymentdiariespodcast/] * Go behind the scenes on Substack [https://aishaommaya.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips] * Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@theunemploymentdiariespodcast]

Healthcare executive turned writer on “becoming you” after a stroke

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 [https://floacosta330.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips] For more from The Unemployment Diaries * Stay up to date on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theunemploymentdiariespodcast/] * Go behind the scenes on Substack [https://aishaommaya.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips] * Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@theunemploymentdiariespodcast]

Venture capitalist & founder on life after ego death

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/ [https://www.instagram.com/yannickkpodar/] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yannickkpodar [https://www.tiktok.com/@yannickkpodar] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yannickkpodar/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/yannickkpodar/] * Website: https://www.full-stack-ceo.com/ [https://www.full-stack-ceo.com/] & ⁠https://www.aventracapital.com/⁠ [https://www.aventracapital.com/] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@YannickKpodar [https://www.youtube.com/@YannickKpodar] For more from The Unemployment Diaries * Stay up to date on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theunemploymentdiariespodcast/] * Go behind the scenes on Substack [https://aishaommaya.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips] * Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@theunemploymentdiariespodcast]