This Is Grief Too with Laverne McKinnon
This Is Grief Too explores the human side of professional loss, career grief, and what’s next. Laverne McKinnon shares stories, honest reflections, and practical tools to help you make sense of what happened, rebuild, and move forward. thisisgrieftoo.substack.com
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You’re Fine. So Why Are You Crying? 😭
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thisisgrieftoo.substack.com<br/><br/><p>If you’re familiar with the 110 freeway in Los Angeles, you may know that the on-ramps are unbelievably short and ridiculously tight — because they were designed when cars topped out around 45 mph. Some of those on-ramps require a full stop and then a balls out sprint to get to at least 60 mph within 15 feet before merging into speeding traffic. Yowsa.</p><p>So you might be able to imagine my terror on a lovely Saturday morning when my car broke down just...
What Letting Go Helped Me See 🦋
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thisisgrieftoo.substack.com<br/><br/><p>I’m a late-to-the-party big believer in taking a break from the normal routines and structures of life to gain fresh perspective. This year, I took about five weeks off from Substack and client work over the summer. The intention was to create space to move out of the home we’ve been in for 28 years so we could radically downsize and try a completely different lifestyle.</p><p>We’ve left the gorgeous wildlife corridor and serenity of Laurel Canyon in the...
I’m Grieving the Home I Chose to Leave 🏡
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thisisgrieftoo.substack.com<br/><br/><p>I’m in a contorted cat-cow pose holding a toothbrush with my right hand, leaning heavily on my left to take the pressure off my legs, wondering if this is a good choice at this moment in time. The white tile I’m scrubbing is pretty, but man, it is unforgiving on my bones, especially my knees, which are already showing signs of bruising.</p><p>When I was in high school, I cleaned houses for a summer to make extra cash...
What Happened to You at Work Matters (And I Need Your Help)
<p>Hi friend.</p><p>When I was fired from a job I cared about deeply, I was devastated.</p><p>At the time, I didn’t have language for what I was experiencing. I thought I needed to get back on the horse, get a thicker skin, and get over it. It took me ten years to realize that I was carrying grief.</p><p>Career grief.</p><p>Once I understood that, I got unstuck. I gave myself permission to mourn what had happened and all that had been lost alongside my job title.</p><p>Today, I’m wr...
What is My Purpose
<p>The week I got fired from a job I loved, I kept opening my laptop and staring at a blank screen.</p><p>I didn’t know what to update. I wasn’t sure who I was updating it for. My job title had been the answer to so many questions, including, it turned out, the question of who I was.</p><p>That’s the thing nobody warns you about: career disappointment. The professional loss is real. But the identity loss is the one that knocks you sideways.</p><p>And somewhere in that fog, a question surfaces. Usuall...
Starting Over at the Top 😳
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thisisgrieftoo.substack.com<br/><br/><p>Robert got the call on a Friday afternoon. After trying to find a job in his industry for eighteen months, he faced the hard truth that for someone at his level, there were no viable openings. So he pivoted to Pharma doing sales. A far cry from Vice-President of Marketing at a film studio. He would start the new gig in two weeks.</p><p>Robert was elated to have a gig, but he was dejected because his degree, his experience...
I Know I Should Reach Out 🙈
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit moonshotmentor.substack.com<br/><br/><p>I asked a room full of smart, ambitious professionals to rate how important relationship building is to their careers right now. On a scale of one to ten, the answers came back: Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.</p><p>Then I asked a follow-up question: how does that actually show up in your day-to-day? My favorite response: “Actual importance: ten. How I’m treating it: three.” We all laughed. Because we recognized ourselves.</p><p>It may seem like that gap between knowin...
I Know I Should Reach Out 🙈
<p>I asked a room full of smart, ambitious professionals to rate how important relationship building is to their careers right now. On a scale of one to ten, the answers came back: Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.</p><p>Then I asked a follow-up question: how does that actually show up in your day-to-day? My favorite response: “Actual importance: ten. How I’m treating it: three.” We all laughed. Because we recognized ourselves.</p><p>It may seem like that gap between knowing relationships matter and actually building them is an issue of will-power, discipline, or follow-through, but it’s actually...
Why Is No One Getting Back to Me? 😩
<p>If you want to know where you stand with someone, don’t listen to what they say. Watch what they do.</p><p>It’s taking me years to learn this. And I got a great reminder of it a few weeks ago. It was late afternoon in Mammoth Lakes, California, fifty degrees with a little cloud cover, and the trails near our favorite place to stay, Tamarack Lodge, were enticing. I mean, the mountain looked absolutely pristine, birds were chirping like they were auditioning for Pitch Perfect, and there was hardly anyone around. Ideal conditions.</p><p>So I’m...
Waiting for the Axe to Fall 😰
<p>Rebecca, a senior executive at Warner Bros., just wants to know the truth of what’s going on with the Paramount merger and when she’s going to be axed. The uncertainty is “killing her.”</p><p>She’s not alone. Not even close. 2026 is packed with mergers and consolidations across industries: Devon Energy and Coterra. SpaceX and xAI. Engie and UK Power Networks. Tens of thousands of people going to work every day inside organizations mid-transformation, wondering the same thing Rebecca is wondering.</p><p>Am I going to be okay?</p><p>And here’s the thing: she’s not be...
