Getting laid off might be the best way to start the year. In 2025 nearly 250k tech jobs were impacted by layoffs (*via TrueUp), plus >5k people already in 2026. But it doesn't have to be a disaster if you're facing an uncertain future. Take inspiration from these 8 opportunities you now have:

Delighted to become a Level Up Partner for games industry mental health awareness and advocacy charity @safeinourworld.org. After surviving my own burnout, menopause and ADHD, I'm just as passionate about de-stigmatising talk around wellbeing and inclusion, and can't wait to help. safeinourworld.org

Week 1 back: surfing that fresh install energy Week 2: realising you're still on same old OS that was crashing before Career feels like it's buffering while everyone else is upgrading? Time for more than just a restart. Let's clear the cache. www.identityspark.net/events/careercraftingfeb26

Great testimonial from a career coaching client that reinforces the magic that can come when you find the right coach/client match. Could WE be a match? Sign up for my FREE 'Pre-Year's Resolutions' career coaching workshop on 3 Dec to find out. Link in pinned post. #NationalCareerDevelopmentMonth

As #NationalCareerDevelopmentMonth comes towards a close, there are still places left on my FREE career reflection and coaching workshop next week. Make sure your career works for you and allows you to lean on your superpower values and skills. Sign up now to work out your pre-year’s resolutions!

It's OK to spend time thinking about yourself this December instead of just others. I’m running a free coaching workshop on 3 Dec to help you take stock of your job, reflect on your 2025 achievements, and properly plan your 'Pre-Year's Resolutions' for 2026. #NationalCareerDevelopmentMonth

Great response to the 🧑‍🎓 Student Career Firelighter 👩‍🎓 coaching sessions I just launched. If you're a student aged 16+ who wants meaningful, constructive and actionable help to take your next step then get in touch. #NationalCareerDevelopmentMonth #students #studentcareers #careers #careercoaching

Great to catch up with @andrewbrazier.bsky.social at Warwickshire College. Ace to see they're continuing to deliver incredible, forward-thinking courses for games, esports & digital creative media students. A great option for anyone after a career in creative tech. #NationalCareerDevelopmentMonth

Do students know how great they are? And can they tell you? Even with ace exam results and extra-curriculars, students can struggle to join dots into a clear path that they're excited by and can articulate. The Student Career Firelighter is the answer! Just £40 for #NationalCareerDevelopmentMonth

Great AMA chat this morning with the wonderful @seffers007.bsky.social via the Great Northern Games Discord. We did a deep dive on my recent blog, and the importance of understanding how we get in our own way when having business conversations. Thanks again for having me, Jamie!

The biggest thing our teenagers need is the ability to recognise and value their own strengths. Spent the morning mock interviewing Y13s at my son's school. The most common theme was how few of them were able to give themselves credit for their strengths and values, if they recognised them at all.

Joyous and energised time at last week's awesome inaugural @gamerepublic.bsky.social New Horizons event. Huge props to @seffers007.bsky.social & team for a thoughtful, engaging and positive couple of days, and for your ongoing support and encouragement. Looking forward to next year!

I'm heading to @gamerepublic.bsky.social New Horizons on Wednesday, for my first games event since Covid. My nerves about hitting the circuit again led me to realise that the most important networking conversations we ever have are the ones we have with ourselves. Check out my blog for more. <3

Proud to have joined @gamerepublic.bsky.social! Still inspired by founder @seffers007.bsky.social, GR’s such an important presence in the North of England. 💪 Look forward to seeing folks at GR’s New Horizons event next month too – LMK if you want to meet there. (Coaching discounts for GR members!)

Delighted to have earned a Merit in my Life Coaching Diploma this week, 9 months to the day since I started the course. If you’re a games, tech or creative pro and interested in compassionate, empowering coaching from someone who truly understands your sector and its challenges then do get in touch.

It costs on average £2,000,000 a year to run SpecialEffect, providing free support and access to tech for physically disabled people all over the world. Sign up to become a regular giver, and you’ll help support people like Shaz for the rest of his life! www.specialeffect.org.uk/news/your-re...

Ever notice how anti-DEI folks lift up some of the least qualified people, proving why DEI matters? Obama went to Harvard and taught constitutional law at U Chicago; now we get a guy who can’t grasp high school economics. Yet we hear nonstop about diversity hires. Seen in a Toronto Star headline.

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“You can’t have your cake and eat it too” is such a damn stupid phrase…I don’t want to own a cake for, like, display purposes. Is that a thing people want?? A /liability/?? No, I want to put it in my god damned mouth.

Nothing - absolutely nothing - prevented news organizations from running this headline before the election, when it was equally true as now and could have made a difference.

Excited to announce my new business – Identity Spark Coaching. After 35+yrs in games (and surviving burnout), I'm prioritising my wellbeing and using my strengths to help lift up others. Limited free coaching sessions now available to help me build my practice hours: app.delenta.com/ta/@Identity...

I'm sorry for raining on this parade, but the "transgender mice" talking point is bullshit, but not because someone mistook "transgenic" for "transgender." The blog post that kicked it off (from a partisan bullshit website) listed a number of papers testing the effects of sex hormones on animals.

America, just in case you thought Friday went well here’s how the London Times saw it …..

Thanks for the Department of Truth tip-off on the pod @nndroid.bsky.social! I'd totally missed the new volume. Now enjoying a rainy Friday with a mug of Earl Grey and an internal anxiety attack about what's fact and what's fiction. I mean, that's how most political issues are best processed, right?

Starting a new studio or biz & need tech or marketing advice? Or stuck in a rut & need some fresh perspective / a sympathetic ear / coffee / cocktail? Ansible is heading out to these events soon, or ping me a line - I'd love to hear what you're up to & help if I can 👐

I mean, it already felt pretty damn bad but seeing it all presented in this way is pretty stark…

no no we don't say "empty carbs" anymore. the preferred term is "emotional support carbs"

I don’t understand those on the left who respond to someone agreeing with them with “What took you so long?” Take the win. Welcome the convert. Grow the coalition.

@iandunt.bsky.social @dorianlynskey.bsky.social listening to Fascism book (thanks for the podcast preview btw). Horrifying but vital. Thank you both. One exceptionally banal complaint tho - any idea why the audiobook edition isn't on Goodreads? How am I supposed to correctly validate my reading?!