Healing After Being Fired: How Silence Became My Starting Point
- Karen Waleska
- Apr 22
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 hour ago
Have you ever had a moment that shattered your sense of direction—when everything you’d built suddenly disappeared without warning? I have. And that moment changed everything.
The Day Everything Went Quiet
It happened on January 15, 2025 — a day that split my life into “before” and “after.”
A last-minute Teams meeting popped onto my calendar.
No subject line. No context. Just an empty invite that carried a weight I didn’t want to acknowledge.
At 2:30 p.m., I clicked “Join.”
Two faces appeared.
Two scripts.
Two people who practiced sounding human without being human.
There was no thank-you.
No explanation.
No softness.
Just a sterile sentence delivered through a screen:
“Because of policy we are going to have to let you go.”
And in that moment, my entire world went quiet.
Shock. Rage. Betrayal. All of it.
But beneath all that… there was a thin, steady whisper:
You’re still standing.
You’re still here.
And your story isn’t done.
What I didn’t know then was that my journey of healing after being fired was about to begin — not loudly, but quietly.
💌 If you’re navigating your own season of uncertainty, join The Clarity Letter.
Monthly guidance, gentle resets, and notes that remind you you’re not rebuilding alone.
How Mimi Helped Me Begin Healing After Being Fired
The day I was fired, my rescue dog Mimi nudged me toward the door.
She didn’t need words.
She just knew.
We walked slowly.
My thoughts were a blur.
My chest felt tight.
But with every step, something inside me softened — not healed, not fixed, but softened.
The world felt steady for the first time since that meeting.
It was Mimi who reminded me of a truth I had forgotten:
Motion heals.
Silence teaches.
And rebuilding begins when you simply take the next step.
That walk became my turning point — the moment I realized that even in grief, my life was still moving.
🐾 Want support while you begin healing after being fired?
I created a free, gentle reflection page inspired by my walks with Mimi.
→ Join The Clarity Letter for monthly guidance
Rebuilding from the Desk of a New Life
Weeks later, I opened my laptop with a different intention.
Not to job hunt.
Not to panic-scroll listings.
But to write — to myself, to my future, to the version of me that was still buried under the shock.
Slowly, Kioki Reimagine was born.
A space where healing meets design.
A place where clarity doesn’t rush you.
A reminder that you can rebuild with softness, presence, and truth — even when everything feels lost.
This desk didn’t just help me rebuild my brand.
It helped me rebuild my belief in myself.
📥 You’re Not Broken. You’re Editing.
For anyone navigating job loss, identity shocks, or unexpected endings — this is for you.
I created: 🐾 Walk & Reflect: A Mimi Companion for Gentle Momentum
A free, one-page guided journal to help you:
• ease the emotional noise
• process what happened
• find clarity in small steps
• begin rebuilding with compassion
💌 Let’s Stay Connected
Join The Clarity Letter — your monthly guide to creative resets, emotional growth, and new journal drops. → Join Here
→ Follow us on Lemon8 @ClarityConCarino
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