Agile Unemployment: Normalizing the Way We Talk About Being Out of Work

Regaining Traction Without Blaming Yourself: From Shame to Agency There is a difference between failing and being overwhelmed. There is a difference between self-sabotage and survival. And there is a difference between losing traction and losing your future. In this episode, Sabina talks about what happens when someone is operating under prolonged threat while still trying to build a future. A har...

Episode Description In this episode of Agile Unemployment, Sabina Sulat examines the workplace term “insubordination” and why it often operates less like a clear behavior and more like a subjective label. Prompted by recent public commentary around Scott Pelley’s departure from CBS (while acknowledging we don’t know what happened inside the room), Sabina explores how “insubordination” can be used...

Rethinking Ready: What the Class of 2026 Needs to Know to Read the System They're Entering Agile Unemployment Podcast | Sabina Sulat Every May, new graduates get handed the same story: the market is brutal, the odds are against you, good luck. That is not this episode. The Class of 2026 doesn't have a job market problem. They have a Work Literacy problem. And those are not the same thing — and the...

Unemployment often shrinks your world at the exact moment you need visibility, truth, and support. This episode reframes connection as a career and nervous-system necessity, not a social performance. Sabina explains why the turning point for many job seekers is not a new résumé, but a conversation that delivers context and truth. You’ll learn what a real “tribe” does, how to build a signal network...

Reconnect: Why Connection Is the Real Infrastructure of Unemployment What We Cover in This Episode Unemployment doesn’t just disrupt income—it disrupts identity, routine, and community. And the longer it lasts, the more it pushes people inward. The paradox? The way out often requires moving outward—into conversations, relationships, and communities that restore truth, trust, and momentum. In this...

Welcome to the latest episode of the Agile Unemployment Podcast! What this episode covers: Why transparency and empathy are intertwined (empathy isn’t just tone—it’s orientation) Why “the truth” is the most elusive—and most needed—commodity in job search How silence fuels anxiety, self-blame, and “résumé theater” Why hiring teams default to opacity (and why it backfires) What practical transparenc...

Unemployment is brutally real — but “the market is brutal” is often the wrong diagnosis. In this episode, Sabina separates the market, the hiring system, and your job-search model—then gives you the levers to upgrade. Episode Summary  LinkedIn is full of competing messages about unemployment: “it’s brutal,” “it’s luck,” “apply more,” “stay positive,” “network.” For long-term job seekers, it can fe...

Episode Overview In the last episode of Agile Unemployment, we focused on what happens after toxic work—and why recovery and restoring agency are essential before returning to a new role. This conversation shifts the lens to prevention. Sabina Sulat is joined by organizational development and workplace culture expert Ryan McCrea to explore how toxic work cultures reveal themselves before you accep...

Episode Overview Leaving a toxic workplace is often described as a relief—but for many people, it’s when the real impact finally begins. In this episode of Agile Unemployment, Sabina Sulat explores why people often feel worse after leaving toxic work, how prolonged exposure to unhealthy environments affects self-esteem and agency, and why simply “finding another job” can unintentionally repeat the...

Agile Unemployment | Episode Notes 2026 doesn’t call for louder goals or better resolutions. It calls for a new way of understanding how work actually operates. In this opening episode of 2026, Sabina Sulat reframes how we approach work, unemployment, and career decisions—not through motivation or hustle, but through clarity, strategy, and agency. Rather than focusing on what to do next, this epis...

2025 is being described as a year of disruption, collapse, or instability in the job market. This episode offers a different interpretation. Rather than focusing on trends, milestones, or predictions, Sabina Sulat steps back to name what actually shifted beneath the surface in 2025: how we understand work, how we relate to it, and what we now know it can and cannot provide. This was not a year of...

Episode Overview In this end-of-year episode, Sabina Sulat goes back to the predictions she made at the close of 2024 and holds them up against the reality of 2025. Rather than offering hot takes or new speculation, this episode is a thoughtful review of what held up, what shifted, and what none of us fully anticipated. From federal layoffs and prolonged job searches to AI, hybrid work, and the gr...

Episode: Renaissance: Believing in Yourself — Finding Your Confidence Again in a Season That Asks Us to Believe in Magic Podcast: Agile Unemployment with Sabina Sulat Runtime: 30 minutes Episode Summary At a holiday party filled with toy cars and twinkling lights, a six-year-old girl announced with perfect confidence: “I’m going to be really good at racing.” Her certainty sparked a question that s...

The AI fear is real—but it’s not the full story. In this episode, Sabina breaks down the growing anxiety around artificial intelligence and job security. Spoiler: AI might take over some tasks, but it can’t replace you. Not your judgment. Not your empathy. Not your leadership. Not your humanity. Whether you're in tech, healthcare, customer service, or logistics—this conversation will help you unde...

🎙️  Resisting the Resume Robot: AI Is a Tool, Not a Replacement   📝 Episode Description: In a world of instant resumes and algorithmic screening, it’s easy to let AI take the wheel. But at what cost? In this episode, I revisit one of my most requested topics: how to use AI in your job search without losing your voice, value, or visibility. We dive into: What’s changed in AI job search tools since...

What happens when the safety net fails? In this episode, host Sabina Sulat breaks down the unfolding SNAP crisis — how the government shutdown threatens to halt food assistance for more than 41 million Americans, including furloughed federal workers. Sabina shares her own vulnerable story of relying on SNAP when she was unemployed, explaining how food stability restored not just her health and fin...

Episode Details A hard-hitting, honest conversation for federal workers facing furloughs, layoffs, and career uncertainty—and anyone waiting for a rescue that needs to start with themselves. This weekend, a park ranger's safety warning became an unexpected metaphor: "Rescues will take hours." It's where so many of us are right now—waiting for someone else to fix what's broken, to recognize our val...

In this special anniversary episode, host Sabina Sulat reflects on four years since the launch of Agile Unemployment. What began as a deeply personal book has grown into a global movement, trusted by organizations, labor departments, and job seekers across 70+ countries. But this isn’t just a celebration—it’s a candid look at the raw, real, and often unexpected journey of turning lived experience...

  “Work isn’t broken. It’s the lens we’ve been taught to use that’s cracked. When you rethink work as a partnership instead of punishment, you reclaim your power.” Resources & Next Steps: 📖 Book: Agile Unemployment by Sabina Sulat 📖 Book Mentioned: Human First, Leader Second by Massimo Backus ✍️ Read more: Substack article → Why Work Feels Broken (and How to Rethink It) 📅 Join the Conversat...

In this episode, we unpack the perfect storm of fear hitting today’s job seekers—from federal layoffs and tax reform to AI disruption and confusing labor reports. But here’s the truth: chaos doesn’t mean “stop.” It means listen differently. You’ll learn how to: Turn overwhelming news into job search feedback Use AI anxiety as a spark for upskilling, not shutdown Shift industries without starting o...

Episode Summary Transform your Sunday anxiety into your biggest career advantage. Learn why that familiar Sunday afternoon dread isn't your weakness—it's your secret weapon for strategic job searching. Key Takeaways The Sunday Scaries Decoded Inventory Anxiety: Your brain tallying job search "failures" Future Spiral: Catastrophic thinking about career prospects Productivity Shame: The voice saying...

In this episode of the Agile Unemployment podcast host Sabina Sulat takes a look at the confusion and frustration that comes with not being able to land a job when all data points to the unemployment rate being low and job growth being higher than expected. It makes no sense-  until you break it down to how this is relevant to your search and what you can do to get the odds in your favor.    🎯 Ke...

🎙️ Red, White, and (Probably) a Little Blue A Special Episode of Agile Unemployment for Federal Employees Facing Layoffs and Cutbacks 🗓️ Released: July 2, 2025 🎧 Host: Sabina Sulat | Duration: 30 minutes 📌 EPISODE OVERVIEW This 4th of July week, many federal employees and USAID workers are waking up to something they never imagined: their first official day out of work. After months—sometimes ye...

📝 Episode Summary In this 30-minute episode of Agile Unemployment, we expose the harsh reality behind the so-called “Big Beautiful Tax Bill” and its devastating impact on unemployed and job-insecure Americans. We break down $30 billion in SNAP cuts and $180 billion in Medicare reductions, unpack how these changes will affect real people and local economies—and offer actionable steps you can take...

🎙️ Reasonable Expectations: The Expectations Game – Setting Realistic Standards for Your Job Search Hosted by Sabina Sulat Agile Unemployment Podcast  🙋‍♀️ Feeling like you're behind in your job search? Wondering why that application from three weeks ago hasn’t gone anywhere? You’re not alone—and you’re definitely not failing. In this episode, Sabina Sulat takes a hard look at one of the biggest...