Check out our website for additional resources: www.futureproof-you.com

We get asked this all the time: "How do you find the time to post consistently?" This episode is the answer. We talk through how we actually do it—what works, what doesn't, and how we've each built something sustainable.

How we got here:

Dan started with email chains on Wall Street. John was networking his way through grad school. Aaron was filming himself in front of a green screen for reasons he's still not sure about. We all came to content from different angles, and none of us had a plan.

What we talk about:

Getting past the early awkwardness of posting. Why you need somewhere to dump ideas the moment they hit—not when you finally sit down to write. How to figure out what you should actually post about by mashing up what you know with what you're into. (Pop culture, career pivots, Friday drink recipes—whatever.)

We also get into platform stuff: why commenting matters as much as posting, how to share links without tanking your reach, and why it's better to treat posts like experiments than finished products.

Topics:

Why we started posting in the first place

How to build a routine when you're scared to hit publish

Where to put ideas so you don't lose them

Figuring out your content lanes (like Pop Culture Friday)

How to look like a real person to the algorithm

Green screens, screenshots vs. links, and batching

Time Stamps for Chapters:

00:00 - Intro: Content Systems

01:08 - Why Start Posting?

03:14 - John's Motivation

04:22 - Aaron's Origin Story

07:34 - Building a Routine

12:08 - Idea Capture System

15:01 - Content Pillars

16:34 - Pop Culture Friday

23:08 - Friday Drink Recipes

27:17 - Platform Strategy

31:19 - External Links Strategy

33:24 - Green Screen Technique

35:25 - Parting Advice

38:14 - Outro

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:
Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments
🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

New Year, New Career

We talk about what the 2026 job market actually looks like and what to do if you're thinking about switching careers or jobs this year.

What we cover:

Latest labor stats: jobless claims ticked up, job openings dropped by 300K, and white-collar roles are still getting hit hardest.

We run through which job titles are popping up for 2026: most involve AI implementation, integration, or scaling. AI engineer, data annotator, AI trainer. These are entry points for people switching fields if they're willing to learn new tools.

Nurse practitioners and sales pros are still doing fine. Turns out emotional intelligence and people skills matter more when AI handles the rest.

From a recruiter lens: we watch product manager openings and recruiter job postings as leading indicators. When those move, the broader market usually follows.

We talk about "job hugging" during bonus season. Q1 is weird because budgets open up and hiring picks up, but a lot of candidates are still hesitating. If you're ready, you can move faster than most.

For job seekers: holidays are over, so now's the time to actually network. Host something. Attend something. Stop relying on "easy apply."

Our habit picks for 2026:

Dan says "yes, and"—try industries you'd normally ignore.

John says talk to people in your network before you need something from them.

Aaron says pick a content format you like and actually stick with it.

The takeaway: Habits beat resolutions. You can't control when opportunities show up, but you can be ready when they do.

Resources:

LinkedIn Quickstart Guide and other downloadable classes at www.futureproof-you.com.
Use code NEWYEAR for 50% off.

0:38 — Labor Market Statistics
2:04 — Emerging Job Titles & AI Impact
5:43 — Hiring Indicators & Recruiter Insights
8:14 — Job Hugging & Bonus Season
11:37 — Advice for Job Seekers
22:56 — Best Habits for Career Success
34:11 — What We're Working On
39:15 — Closing Thoughts

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:
Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments
🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In this episode, Aaron Makelky, Dan Yu, and John Lovig cover how to navigate layoffs, whether you're watching them happen around you or going through one yourself.

Dan shares the numbers: over 1.1 million layoffs in 2025, a 54% jump year-over-year, making it the worst since COVID and the 2008 financial crisis. Tech, telecom, retail, airlines, and food service have all been hit. Amazon, Verizon, IBM, Starbucks, Meta, Microsoft, and UPS have made cuts, and seasonal hiring is down by about half compared to previous years.

The hosts offer practical advice for those seeing colleagues get let go. Dan recommends downloading your contacts, performance reviews, and any kudos emails while you still have access. These documents become critical when job searching. John emphasizes starting to network before you need to: coffee chats, reaching out to recruiters, or posting content on LinkedIn. Aaron's mental test: ask yourself what you'd wish you were doing right now if it had been you on that list.

John introduces the concept of "layoff fatigue"—the psychological and emotional toll of either enduring a prolonged job search or surviving multiple rounds of cuts at your company. The hosts discuss how this fatigue shows up in interviews (recruiters can spot cynicism immediately) and offer strategies for combating it, including finding joy outside of work, getting accountability partners, and maintaining perspective on what's actually within your control.

The episode wraps with a discussion on outplacement services—what they actually provide, the right questions to ask, and how to maximize their value, including the tip to pause services during slow hiring periods like the holidays.

For more resources, visit futureproof-yu.com.

Timestamps

0:00 – Intro
0:49 – The state of the 2025 job market: 1.1 million layoffs, 54% year-over-year increase
2:08 – Which job market numbers to trust (government data vs. ADP reports)
3:10 – Industries hit hardest: tech, telecom, retail, airlines, federal government
4:29 – Seasonal hiring down by half—what it signals about consumer spending
5:10 – What to do when you see colleagues get laid off
5:59 – Download your contacts, performance reviews, and KPIs while you can
7:32 – Start networking before you need to
9:25 – The difference between a transactional reach-out and a genuine one
11:10 – Dan's story: calling a laid-off client every few weeks for 18 months
13:02 – Take your laid-off boss out for a drink
13:51 – Update your LinkedIn profile during any company change
14:59 – Keep a file of thank-you notes for tough days
15:51 – What is "layoff fatigue"?
17:30 – Finding joy outside of work to reduce stress
18:33 – Layoff buddies: accountability partners for your job search
19:35 – Start a corporate alumni networking group on LinkedIn
20:28 – Can recruiters spot layoff fatigue in interviews? (Yes, immediately)
22:30 – "Bitter, angry, sad, and despondent is not sexy"
24:00 – Separating your identity from job search outcomes
25:40 – Locus of control: what you can and can't hold yourself accountable for
27:26 – Increasing your surface area for good things to happen
27:49 – Give LinkedIn recommendations as "lotto tickets with extra juice"
29:00 – Outplacement services: what they actually do (and don't do)
31:17 – Questions to ask about outplacement: success rates, coaching, databases
32:22 – Tip: pause outplacement services during slow hiring periods
32:35 – Outro and wrap-up

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:
Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments
🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.