At the start of 2025, as I do for each new year, I come up with a word or words that are my North Star for the year ahead. In January, I declared it my year of “fun and freedom” — freedom from body image baggage, job stress, and anything that dimmed my creativity. I wrapped up a book, tackled my bucket list, and leaned hard into joy.
Then life delivered its plot twist: an unpaid furlough, courtesy of an unelected bonehead and the felon who gutted USAID. The irony isn’t lost on me — now “fun and freedom” includes job boards and writing cover letters. But in a strange way, the theme still fits. This year has been about saying yes to what fills me up and getting clearer on what comes next.
It’s Not You, It’s Them: Unemployment in 2025
Job hunting today isn’t a market—it’s the Job Olympics. In a sea of 900 applicants, even landing an interview feels like winning bronze. I’m sharing the heartbreak behind my recent near-miss (and the haircut I booked for a job I didn’t get) to remind us all: if you’re still searching, it’s not because you’re not good enough—it’s because the system is broken.
I want to speak to something that’s really been weighing on me on behalf of everyone out there who’s navigating the exhausting reality of job searching right now.
Lately, I’ve seen so many posts from so-called experts telling the masses how to “optimize” our LinkedIn profiles or “fix” our résumés to catch a recruiter’s eye. And sure, those tweaks can help.
But let’s be real: this isn’t a job market—this the Job Olympics.
I was recently selected along with 8 others for a role where I was one of 900 applicants. And that’s not unusual. It doesn’t matter how many keywords you stuff into your profile, how expert your experience is, how tailored your cover letter reads, or if you’ve had the lived experience –sometimes, it’s luck. Sometimes, it’s timing. And too often, it’s neither.
Even when you do get noticed, the system is still broken. I had five rounds of interviews for a position–one with the CEO, one with the team I’d manage, and completion of reference checks. I was so sure I was going to get the job, I booked my first haircut in a year to look fresh for the first day (this is my new haircut).
And then? They decided to reopen the search. I didn't cry at the birth of my daughter, but I cried all day after receiving this email.
I’m not sharing this to discourage anyone. I’m sharing it to say: this is not your fault.
If you haven’t landed the job yet, it’s not because you’re lacking. It’s because the system is overwhelmed, imperfect, and broken.
Guest Speaking at a High School
I showed up to speak about my career journey—but after fielding questions like “Have you ever had to sacrifice what you believe in to get something accomplished?” from a room of fearless high school girls, I left more inspired than when I arrived.
I’ve been wanting to explore more ways to speak with young women and girls about purpose, creativity, and resilience, which led to this opportunity. Now that I’ve been placed on unpaid furlough, I suddenly have more room on my calendar to dedicate to it.
I recently spoke to a high school leadership class, and the teacher told me what students need most is to see themselves represented. That meant I needed to focus less on polished accomplishments and more on how I got here—my actual journey.
As I prepared, I found myself reflecting on the last 20 years and realized I’ve been doing some version of this “job” longer than I thought. With my first communion money, I bought a camera, I got involved in the yearbook in middle school, and journalism in high school. I was always trying to document the world around me. So in a way, it’s no surprise I landed where I am.
Of course, I couldn’t resist leaving them with a few nuggets of wisdom:
Lean into what gives you joy
Be the change you wish to see in the world
Appreciate the simple things—nothing is guaranteed
Then came Q&A, and wow—these high schoolers were next level:
“Have you ever experienced misogyny in the workplace?”
“How did having a kid change your career?”
“Have you ever had to sacrifice what you believe in to get something accomplished?”
Okay, little Andrea Mitchells. I came to share some wisdom, but in the end, I left inspired by their courage, clarity, and curiosity. They’re thinking critically, asking bold questions, and I truly hope they shake up the system. Actually—please, go do it.
A Love Letter To My Career
This Valentine’s Day, I’m professing my love—not for a person, but for my weird, unpredictable, deeply meaningful career in storytelling and mission-driven work, even as I face the uncertainty of an unpaid furlough.
Since it’s Valentine’s Day and all, I want to profess my love… of my career….
I started out producing fashion shows for kids and attending toy conferences at AOL (yes, that AOL). I moved onto National Geographic Society, where I helped produce games, content, and educational videos for kids. At Nat Geo, my team won a Webby and at the after party, I got to experience how it feels to be tightly embraced by Buzz Aldrin.
I realized that I wanted to expand my portfolio—I wanted to use content production and storytelling to make the world better than how I entered it. I entered the nonprofit world at No Kid Hungry. I wrote scripts for food-shaped puppets advocating for kids to receive food stamp benefits, ghost wrote blogs, oversaw the production of websites promoted on talk shows (and once asked to touch up an unnamed spokesperson’s hair to make it a little less gray).
I moved onto another mission-driven organization after three years, the National Endowment for Democracy, where I helped to elevate the voices of activists around the world. I remember feeling the weight of this important work while interviewing a Pakistani political cartoonist who survived an assassination attempt.
For the past three years at the International Rescue Committee, I have had the honor of leading a team dedicated to telling the stories of displaced people and refugees worldwide. If even one person’s perception changed about the 120 million people forcibly displaced, then it’s all been worth it.
The recent cut to USAID have put our client’s lives, programs, and critical aid efforts at risk, and much less importantly in the grand scheme of things, I now find myself placed on unpaid furlough for the next 30 days.
And yet, despite the frustration, heartbreak, and cruelty that sometimes overshadows the good, I still have the audacity to believe that we can make a difference.
I love my weird, unpredictable, deeply meaningful career, and I hope I can continue to use my voice, my skills, and my unwavering belief in change to keep making an impact—wherever I land next (or if I’m brought back at the IRC!).
Word of the Year: Fun & Freedom?
At the start of 2025, I declared it my year of “fun and freedom” — freedom from burnout, body image baggage, and anything that dimmed my creativity. Then life handed me a plot twist: an unpaid furlough.
At the start of 2025, as I do for each new year, I come up with a word or words that are my North Star for the year ahead. In January, I declared it my year of “fun and freedom” — freedom from body image baggage, job stress, and anything that dimmed my creativity. I was finished writing the book that kept me awake at night, continued to tackle my bucket list, and as always, leaned hard into joy.
Then life delivered its plot twist: an unpaid furlough, courtesy of an unelected bonehead and the felon-President who dismantled USAID without a second thought. After years of pouring myself into the nonprofit space and humanitarian work, it’s all unraveling and I’m just collateral damage in whatever this new system is.
The irony isn’t lost on me. Now “fun and freedom” includes job boards and writing a billion cover letters. But in a strange way, the theme still fits. This year has been about saying yes to what fills me up and getting clearer on what comes next.
If you want to follow the ride or just need a little push to chase your own joy, see the contact box below and hit “sign up for news and updates.” Let’s move forward—on purpose.