On a Monday in October 2023, I woke up a little late, made coffee, and opened my laptop. I checked my non-work co-worker group chat and saw this message:

May the Layoffs be in your favor.

I instantly responded, “They started?”

All summer, we knew cuts were coming. We were all notified during the summer that layoffs were coming and were patiently waiting. My coworker and I hoped, wished, and did everything short of tell our bosses that we wanted to be laid off..

Another teammate noticed a last-minute meeting invite with our MD. She was a star and had just joined. There was no way they were letting her go.

I NEVER gave corporate the privilege of sending work emails to my phone. I opened my computer before my work hours, which I rarely did. My phone was also on DND until 9:30.

I opened my computer and logged in to see that I had a Teams message from the same MD. The message asked if we could meet.

I hop on the call with my MD whom I’d worked closely with and had multiple conversations about altering communications if layoffs were to come around the same time as an all-hands meeting.

No LinkedIn Essay. No TikTok (Yet). Just EXCITEMENT.

No “I’m excited to announce” post. No thinkpiece. Just Freedom.

Because truthfully? I wanted this.

I didn’t love hated my job. Now I couldn’t wait to leave, AND now they were paying me for 60 days AND giving me severance. I hit the jackpot. As someone who lived in the Bay Area (San Francisco & Oakland) as a grad student and then nonprofit employee, I’d seen what my tech friends had done with their severance packages, and now I was getting one. It felt like I’d found the golden ticket. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was my favorite movie as a kid.

I told friends. I even texted for an Instacart referral—then actually read my severance agreement (pro tip: always read the fine print) and realized I couldn’t do anything until the 60 days ended. Tough for a hustler. Manageable for a human.

Bottomless Brunch on a Monday

I messaged my former teammate, who quit 6 months prior, and who had sworn I’d never be cut because my salary was insignificant to the overall budget—WRONG. We met for bottomless brunch where she asked:

“Will I see you in Barcelona with my mom this summer?”

Record scratch. I could travel. I could move. One of my three life could finally be marked off.

(…to be continued in the next post: “How I Turned a Layoff Into a One-Way Ticket”—visa options, budgeting with severance, planning a multi-city Europe jump, and the honest timeline.)

Key Takeaways (if you’re facing a layoff)

• Read your agreement. Know the do’s/don’ts during your notice period.
• Buy time, not things. Severance is breathing room—use it to make aligned decisions.
• Celebrate the pivot. A small ritual (hello, weekday brunch) helps mark the moment.
• Name the dream. Travel? Move abroad? Freelance? Naming it turns it into a plan.

FAQs

Is it normal to feel relieved after a layoff?
Yes. Layoffs are complex. Relief, fear, excitement—mixed emotions are normal.

Can severance help you travel or move abroad?
It can. The key is budgeting, timing, and visa research. I’ll share my exact steps and numbers in the next post.

What should I do first after a layoff?
Gather documents, read the agreement, map your finances, and sketch a 30/60/90-day plan.

If you’ve ever secretly wished a layoff would pick you, I see you. Subscribe to get Part 2: the exact steps I took to turn that Monday surprise into a boarding pass.