Career & Life Changes with The Happy Hour Crew

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Since the beginning of this podcast, which now dates back over 8 years, we always had a set group of people who joined me for Happy Hour. Starting in 2023, we’re going to test out a rotating one or two seats for Happy Hour. This decision has come because of a few reasons, first of all, the monthly commitment required to co-host the happy hour is difficult for people to make when they have other businesses and interests as these seats are voluntary and there is no financial upside for the happy hour guests. Secondly, I’ve heard for years many of you wanting to join a happy hour and share your thoughts and honestly, I’d love to hear them because I have shared drinks with many of you in person and would love to also do it virtually and finally, this is a great way for us to amplify many of the voices in this community and discuss topics that you’re passionate about.

Joining us for this month’s happy hour is long-time listener, Financial Gym client, and multi-time guest, Jennifer Dane. She joined initially wanting to talk about the military and LGBTQ+ protections and benefits for its current staff as well as veterans and we did discuss this, but first we addressed the big and surprising life change that happened to Jenn only a few weeks before we were set to record. Jenn has always been brave and honest on this show and she shares more about that today.

What are we drinking?

Melanie from Dear Debt & The Mental Health and Wealth Show - Hot ginger tea

Joy, Certified Financial Trainer & Head of Marketing - An empty water bottle 

Jenn Dane - A big glass of water 

Shannon - Gin & Tonic 

Podcast Notes

  • Losing a job can feel like going through a breakup. After three years at Jenn's dream job, running a national nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQIA Veterans, the board decided not to renew her contract, leaving her out of a job unexpectedly. 

  • This loss was incredibly disappointing because this job felt like Jenn's dream job, and she was part of a lot of important work there. 

  • Jenn isn't sure exactly what's next, but she's casting the net wide. She's thankful for her community and the support she's been receiving through this time. Before this job, she was on a completely different path. Things always change. 

  • Shannon talks about her experience in 2007/2008 when the recession hit. Coworkers who had been working for 20+ years were laid off. Witnessing that taught her never to be attached to a job or company. You can't be too attached to anything because life has other plans for us sometimes. 

  • Tech companies have been laying folks off in droves the last few months, and we expect to see more people lose their jobs. Even if you're preparing for it, it's still a challenge when it happens. Things always work out in the end, but it is tough in the moment. 

  • The Financial Gym has been looking for a partner and was introduced to an interested party in October 2022. After spending a lot of time talking with this new partner, they got a letter of intent, equivalent to an engagement ring. Once they had the deal, it had to be approved by the board, which took a lot of wounds to get approved. They found out last week the company is not moving forward. It felt like a gut punch. 

  • Similar to losing a job, this feels like a breakup, and it's a tough one. 

  • When this happens, it's essential to pause and feel your feelings. Instead of rushing to the next thing instantly, take a beat and get grounded. The stillness, recovery, and healing are important parts of the process. 

  • There are bigger and better things out there, even if it's hard to see. It can be devastating when you're set on something, and the universe sends you in another direction. Resilience is about getting back up again when the time comes, but you have to take your own mourning time.

  • We're socialized to jump in and problem-solve right away. These situations are why we advocate an emergency fund. Even if you don't have one, that's okay; we can make a plan. We only have so much time to enjoy things and be truly free. 

  • Even though Jenn is not at the same nonprofit, she plans to continue advocating for Veterans and the LGBTQIA community.  

  • Jenn is an Air Force Veteran and got into this work because she was investigated under the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy in place at that time. While this policy was in place 30,000 women were discharged. She was investigated because of a report she made, and when Jenn got out, she felt quite a bit of anger at the military. 

  •  The Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy was passed in 1993, which allowed LGBT service members in the military, but being 'found out' led to a dishonorable discharge. Dishonorable discharge forces people to leave, and once back in the civilian world, they are stripped of all benefits. Thousands still have not had their benefits restored, even though this policy is no longer in effect. It has lasting effects on new issues. 

  • The military used this policy to push women out of service for various reasons. It can take years to restore your benefits, and the pandemic caused many of these services to close. 

  • The benefits are not just discounts but job opportunities, internships, and things like basic healthcare. People were dying during the pandemic and were not allowed military funerals. 

HOW CAN FOLKS GET INVOLVED?

  • Call your congress representatives. They are there to listen. 

  • If you're eligible to vote, be a voter. 

  • Daily, vote with your dollars. Spend money at companies that align with your values. 

  • Be informed about the issues going on in your local community. 

  • Speak up about ways to make things more inclusive in areas you're involved in.

  • You don't have to make substantial life changes. Every little bit helps. 

  • Pick the cause you care about, learn as much as possible, and focus your time, energy, and money on that cause. 

  • No matter where you are in life, remember past performance does not guarantee future results. 

Takeaway: My biggest takeaway is the importance of seeing a layoff as a gift. Most of life is all about how we react to what happens to us and in my 23 years of working, I can tell you that 100% of the time, a layoff, while unexpected and unwanted initially, always turns out to be a gift in disguise. The sooner we embrace that, the easier our transition into the next phase will be.  

Resources mentioned in the episode:

If you have any topics you would like me to cover on this podcast, or if you’d like to get in the financially naked hot seat, I encourage you to email me at Shannon@fingyms.com, or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group, and let me know what you want to hear.

A recent Finhealth study revealed that only 31% of Americans were financially healthy and only 23% of women and only 15% of black people were. Financial health is a crisis in the US but it doesn’t need to stay that way. At the Financial Gym, we’ve spent the last 10 years working one-on-one with our members to help them achieve their financial health goals with a 90% success rate and with memberships starting as low as $35 a month Financial Gym is not only the inflation-proof source for financial wellness for anyone but also a trusted and capable partner for your financial wellness journey. So head over to, or send friends to, financialgym.com and schedule a warm up call today. As a reminder, our warm up call team is staffed with amazing and current Financial Gym clients that can answer any of your questions about our program without any pressure to join. We just want to find out where you are so we can help guide you down the path of what you hope to become. The call is free, so you have nothing to lose. 

Shannon McLayComment