A CHRO's Framework to Rebuild Your Identity After a Layoff in the Age of AI

Bernie Borges speaks with Jess Smith, a former Chief People Officer and founder of Reframing HR, to explore one of the most overlooked challenges of the AI era: the identity crisis that follows a layoff. Jess shares her personal experience being laid off from Meta, how she rebuilt herself from the ground up, including becoming a certified Zumba instructor and launching a mobile fitness business, and what it taught her about leadership, humanity, and reinvention.  She introduces her ANCHOR Framework, a practical tool for leaders guiding teams through mass transformation, and offers a candid look at why protecting your identity from your job title may be the most important leadership skill of the decade. Watch the Life Fulfilled podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@lifefulfilledpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Who This Is For This episode is for founders, CEOs, and senior executives leading growth-stage companies navigating the disruption of AI-driven transformation. If you're managing teams through restructuring, supporting people through layoffs, or quietly wrestling with your own sense of identity and purpose at the top, Jess's framework and story will give you both the language and the tools to lead through it with humanity intact.In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why the hardest part of a layoff isn't the job search, it's the identity crisis How to lead your team through disruption with empathy while you're personally impacted Jess's ANCHOR Framework — six principles for guiding people through mass transformation How to disconnect your identity from your title before a crisis forces you to Why AI disruption is also an invitation for personal reinvention Life Fulfilled Podcast host Bernie Borges, offers a complimentary strategy session. Schedule yours here: https://calendly.com/midlife-fulfilled-podcast/employee-20-minute-strategy-call  Get the Life Fulfilled newsletter delivered to your inbox weekly. Some creators charge for their newsletter. My newsletter is free! Subscribe here. https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/newsletter/ About Fulfilled Leadership: The Fulfilled Leadership YouTube channel helps growth-stage leaders replace burnout, disengagement, and turnover with a fulfillment-based operating system without sacrificing results. If you are a founder, CEO, or leader running a company with 100–3000 employees, you are in the right place. 👍 Like this video if you’re rethinking how you lead your team.🔔 Subscribe to the Fulfilled Leadership YouTube channel 👉 Learn more at FulfilledAtWorkAcademy.com Want to know more about Fulfillment Centric Leadership™? https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/  About Jess Smith Jessica Smith is a Chief People Officer with 15 years of experience leading global HR teams across Amazon, AWS, and Meta. She has guided organizations through large-scale transformation across the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Europe, and Asia Pacific. In 2026, she completed MIT's program in Leadership for the AI Age, deepening her expertise in how AI is reshaping organizations from the people side. She holds a BS in Finance from Hampton University and an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, and is bilingual in English and Spanish. Today, Jess is the founder of Reframing HR, a platform built to help senior HR leaders shape — not just survive — the future of work. 🎙️ Subscribe for weekly conversations at the intersection of leadership, fulfillment, and performance.#LeadershipDevelopment #HighPerformanceLeadership #AILayoffs #ExecutiveLeadership #CareerReinvention #OrganizationalChange #Leadership #CHROLeadership #FulfilledLeadership Main Takeaway The most resilient leaders in the AI era are the ones who built an identity before the disruption hit. Jess Smith's ANCHOR Framework offers a practical, human-centered path for executives to guide their teams — and themselves — through layoffs and transformation without losing what matters most. Connect with Jess Smith Website: https://www.reframinghr.com/   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesssmithm/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershiplessons_from_life 📅 Book a Complimentary 30-Minute Strategy Session with Bernie Life Fulfilled Podcast host Bernie Borges, offers a complimentary strategy session. Schedule yours here: https://calendly.com/midlife-fulfilled-podcast/employee-20-minute-strategy-call  Connect with Bernie Borges Website: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernieborges/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernieborges/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bernieborges   Speaking: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/speaking/ Music attribution: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Old Bossa ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Twin Musicom⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Suno⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices