EPISODE · Apr 15, 2026 · 12 MIN
Episode 115 - What to do when a career opportunity you were counting on disappears
from Career Espresso
What to do when a career opportunity you were counting on disappearsYou weren't just hoping it might happen. You'd actually been working towards it, observing, positioning, getting yourself ready. And then a restructure was announced, or the budget disappeared, or a new director arrived who had no interest in anything that existed before them. The thing you were heading towards was gone. Nobody chose someone else. Nobody said you weren't ready. Which, if anything, makes it harder to know what to do with.This episode of Career Espresso is about that specific kind of career loss, the one that doesn't fit neatly into failure or rejection, and why that makes it so much harder to process than most setbacks.What you'll discoverWhy the absence of an explanation doesn't make this easier, and what your brain tends to do to fill that gapWhat the rush to have a new plan is really about, and why the first two weeks are the worst time to act on itThe part of the loss that nobody talks about, and why it deserves to be treated as the specific thing it isWhy the most common well-meaning responses miss the point entirelyWhat the path through this actually looks like, and when you'll know you're ready to take itPerfect for women who've had the ground move beneath them through no fault of their own and aren't sure what to do next.Want more support with real-world leadership challenges? Head to How to Build a Leader on Substack for in-depth guides and scripts.Never miss an episode. Sign up for the weekly Espresso Brief email and get each episode with quick takeaways in your inbox.Get the full episode transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
What to do when a career opportunity you were counting on disappearsYou weren't just hoping it might happen. You'd actually been working towards it, observing, positioning, getting yourself ready. And then a restructure was announced, or the budget disappeared, or a new director arrived who had no interest in anything that existed before them. The thing you were heading towards was gone. Nobody chose someone else. Nobody said you weren't ready. Which, if anything, makes it harder to know what to do with.This episode of Career Espresso is about that specific kind of career loss, the one that doesn't fit neatly into failure or rejection, and why that makes it so much harder to process than most setbacks.What you'll discoverWhy the absence of an explanation doesn't make this easier, and what your brain tends to do to fill that gapWhat the rush to have a new plan is really about, and why the first two weeks are the worst time to act on itThe part of the loss that nobody talks about, and why it deserves to be treated as the specific thing it isWhy the most common well-meaning responses miss the point entirelyWhat the path through this actually looks like, and when you'll know you're ready to take itPerfect for women who've had the ground move beneath them through no fault of their own and aren't sure what to do next.Want more support with real-world leadership challenges? Head to How to Build a Leader on Substack for in-depth guides and scripts.Never miss an episode. Sign up for the weekly Espresso Brief email and get each episode with quick takeaways in your inbox.Get the full episode transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episode 115 - What to do when a career opportunity you were counting on disappears
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