Podcast Summary

Podcast: Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF

Host: Vivian Tu
Episode: So You Got Fired – Now What? How to Find Your Next Job!
Date: October 22, 2025
Guests: Laura Brown & Christina O’Neill, co-authors of All the Cool Girls Get Fired

Episode Overview

In this episode, Vivian Tu explores the emotional and practical realities of losing a job in today’s turbulent market. Joined by media veterans Laura Brown (former Editor-in-Chief of InStyle) and Christina O'Neill (former top editor at The Wall Street Journal), the discussion reframes the stigma around being fired—especially for women—and offers guidance for anyone navigating a career setback. Drawing from personal stories and interviews with high-profile women (including Oprah and Katie Couric), Laura and Christina share advice on bouncing back, the power of community, and how to craft your next chapter after a firing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Do “Cool Girls” Get Fired?

• Modern Reality: Career setbacks are increasingly common and should be seen as part of a normal professional journey rather than personal failure.
• Taking Ownership: Publicly acknowledging you’ve been fired removes shame and opens doors to support and new opportunities.
• Quote:
  • Laura Brown: “Getting fired is part of national life now… The cool girls who get fired take it on the chin, own it, and move on.” [02:49]

2. Personal Firing Stories

• Laura details being laid off on Zoom with her entire team after ownership changes at InStyle.
• Christina recounts being let go one-on-one after a new leadership shakeup at the Journal.
• Both emphasize immediately embracing the truth of what happened rather than spinning a story.
• Quote:
  • Christina O’Neill: “I instantly knew that I had to own what was happening and not sugarcoat it…if I was trying to carry a lie forward, it would be harder for me to build what came next.” [04:33]

3. Women, Shame, & The Scarcity of Fired Female Role Models

• Women feel harder hit because it takes longer to rise and prove themselves in corporate environments not designed for them.
• Men’s firings are often part of comeback legends (e.g., Steve Jobs, Mike Bloomberg), but few women’s stories are celebrated in this way.
• Quote:
  • Christina O’Neill: “We don’t have a lot of fired role models as women… if we could unlock more stories for women to tell each other… it would encourage women to be less ashamed.” [08:48-09:32]
• The guests aim to normalize the conversation and reduce stigma for women facing layoffs.

4. Common Threads From Interviews With High-Profile Women

• Recollection of being fired is vivid and emotional, regardless of later success.
• The grief must be acknowledged; it’s a genuine loss.
• Quote:
  • Laura Brown: “It could be Oprah… everybody remembered exactly who was in the room, what they said, what they wore… being fired is actually a key memory in your life.” [10:46]
• Sally Krawcheck’s advice: “Nobody cares”—others aren’t gossiping as much as fired workers fear. [12:32]
• Oprah’s wisdom: “The setback is a setup,” highlighting how failure can set the stage for greater opportunities. [13:44]

5. Today’s Job Market: A Rough Landscape

• The market has shifted dramatically: layoffs and hiring freezes are rampant; there are more job-seekers than decent jobs.
• AI and economic shifts have further destabilized the landscape.
• Entrepreneurial Opportunities: Many are seizing the moment to become self-starters—substacking, podcasting, consulting, etc.—and alternative career paths are more visible.
• Quote:
  • Laura Brown: “Work is no longer linear… sometimes the corner office need not be the goal anymore.” [17:32]

6. Practical & Emotional Advice: What To Do When You’re Fired

First 24–48 hours:

• Do NOT sign anything right away: Take all materials home, seek legal or professional advice.
• Rest, don't retreat: Take a minute to breathe, but don’t isolate entirely; people will reach out.
• Be honest with your network: Humility and openness lead to more authentic support and opportunities.
• Quote:
  • Christina O’Neill: “Don’t sign anything. You really think everyone’s gossiping about you, you feel like you’re wearing a scarlet F… nobody cares.” [00:08 & 12:32]
• Stay away from negative posts: Never disparage your former employer online.
• Put out your “bat signal”: Signal to your network (LinkedIn, personal contacts) that you’re looking for new opportunities.

7. Untangling Identity From Profession

• Many tie personal worth to job titles; losing a job can feel like losing a sense of self.
• Advice: Rediscover other aspects of your identity—family, hobbies, interests.
• The “library book” metaphor: Your employer borrows your skills, but you retain them when the job ends.
• Quote:
  • Laura Brown: “The employer borrows you, your experience, your personality, your skills… but you’re still the book.” [25:02]

8. Job Search Challenges & Navigating the Long Haul

• The average job search is now six months, even for highly qualified candidates.
• Ron Lieber’s advice: Use whatever time you have to reflect on what truly makes you happy.
• The risk of “spraying” job applications versus targeted, thoughtful searching.

9. Balancing the ‘Right Now’ Job With the ‘Right’ Job

• Sometimes, you need to take a job for immediate financial security and keep searching for a better fit.
• Resume gaps are less stigmatized. The gig economy has changed perceptions of career moves.
• Quotes:
  • Christina O’Neill: “You have to do a ton of research and a lot of soul searching… skills are more transferable than you think.” [30:09]
  • Laura Brown: “There is less judgment in the workplace now if you’re making changes.” [31:55]

10. Navigating Risky Career Moves/Quitting Without a Plan

• Younger generations increasingly quit jobs without something lined up; this may be viable or necessary depending on circumstances.
• Not everyone will succeed as a full-time content creator or influencer—it’s a glamorous but risky path.

11. Advice for College Grads & Entry-Level Job Seekers

• The classic catch-22 of needing experience to get experience persists.
• Practical solutions: Interning, cold outreach, finding mentors, and deep industry knowledge.
• Quote:
  • Christina O’Neill: “Sometimes it takes a little bit of moxie… but most of the time it takes just a real, almost clinical understanding of the industry.” [36:31]

12. The AI Flood

• The creative industries are (slightly) insulated but not immune.
• Advice: Stay vigilant, adapt, and study how AI affects your chosen field.

13. If You Could Talk to Your 21-Year-Old Self (in Today's World)

• Show up, be humble, follow your curiosity, and know things will be okay even if you get fired.
• Quotes:
  • Laura Brown: “Be nice, do good work, show up, be humble.” [41:29]
  • Christina O’Neill: “It all works out and everything is gonna be okay.” [41:51]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Getting fired is part of national life now.” – Laura Brown [02:49]
• “The setback is a setup.” – Oprah (as quoted by Laura Brown) [13:44]
• “Nobody cares.” – Sally Krawcheck (as quoted by Christina O’Neill) [12:32]
• “You are still the book…all your knowledge and experience is still yours.” – Laura Brown [25:02]
• “Be nice, do good work, show up, be humble.” – Laura Brown [41:29]
• “It all works out and everything is gonna be okay.” – Christina O’Neill [41:51]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Why Do Cool Girls Get Fired? [02:41–03:08]
• Personal Firing Stories [03:13–05:57]
• Shame & Lack of Female Firing Role Models [07:27–09:32]
• Learning From Famous Women's Stories [10:31–14:34]
• Advice for Immediate Aftermath [18:26–19:52]
• Untangling Identity from Career [23:07–25:15]
• Job Search Realities [26:26–28:19]
• Right Now Job vs. Right Job [30:09–32:40]
• Entry-level, Career Advice & AI [36:31–40:31]
• Advice to Your Younger Self [40:31–41:51]

Conclusion

In an episode filled with honesty and humor, Laura Brown and Christina O’Neill encourage listeners to reject shame, embrace transparency, and use job setbacks as a springboard for reinvention. The conversation is a rallying cry for women to support each other, own their stories, and find strength in community—because being fired isn’t the end; it might just be the beginning of something better.

For more, check out Laura and Christina’s book “All the Cool Girls Get Fired” and find them on social at @allthecoolgirlsgetfired.