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Layton Chaney shared thisWe've lost a lot of glitter in this world. The sparkle has felt a little dimmer lately. And losing people like Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, two wildly different artists who gave generations of people permission to be louder, stranger, kinder, more creative, and more themselves, certainly didn't help. ✨ But this isn't really a post about celebrity. It's about us. For the last several years, we've watched families splinter over politics. We've watched anger become entertainment. We've watched powerful people discover that fear, outrage, and "othering" are remarkably effective ways to hold attention. You can feel it everywhere. Billboards. Bumper stickers. Commercials. Social media. Sporting events. Family dinners. Pick a side. Find an enemy. Stay angry. But lately, I feel something else happening. I don't think it's working as well anymore. I think people are tired. Not apathetic. Not defeated. Tired of hating each other. And there's actually something deeply human behind that. One massive analysis of 148 studies and more than 300,000 people found that people with stronger social relationships had a 50% greater likelihood of survival. Think about that. Connection isn't weakness. Community isn't some sentimental idea we invented because it feels nice. We are literally built to need each other. Human beings survived because we formed tribes. We shared food. Protected children who weren't ours. Cared for the injured. Told stories around fires. Warned each other about danger. Made music. Made art. Laughed. We survived because somewhere along the way, "me" became "we." That's older than any political party. Older than any algorithm. Older than any ideology trying to convince us that our neighbor is our enemy. And I think "we" is fighting its way back. I see people craving community again. Choosing kindness without needing agreement. Checking on neighbors. Supporting strangers. Finding each other. Maybe the glitter isn't disappearing. Maybe we've just been looking for it in the wrong places. Dolly wore enough rhinestones to light a small city, but the brightest thing about her was how she treated people. Her Imagination Library ultimately put hundreds of millions of books into children's hands. That's glitter. Tim Curry spent a career reminding generations of wonderfully weird humans that there was room in this world for them, too. That's glitter. And every time we choose curiosity over contempt, community over division, laughter over outrage, and humanity over ideology, we put a little bit of it back. So keep being weird. Keep being kind. Keep finding your people. And for God's sake, keep throwing glitter. The world needs it. ✨ #Community #HumanConnection #Leadership #Kindness #Hope #Humanity #ChooseKindness #BeTheLight
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Layton Chaney shared thisOkay, y’all. I wrote a children’s book about my best friend. She was a chicken. Her name was Karen. And there was a period in my life when that ridiculous chicken helped me through one of the hardest times I’ve ever experienced. The book is called Karen, The Last Chicken Standing. 🐔❤️ If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ve probably heard Karen stories. She was very real, very stubborn, not particularly gifted in the intelligence department, and somehow exactly what I needed at the time. During a pretty serious bout of depression, there were days when people and the world felt like too much. But Karen felt safe. So I would sit with her. I talked. She listened. Occasionally she ate a bug. It was a surprisingly effective therapeutic arrangement. Years later, I turned that experience into a children’s story for my daughter. It's funny and ridiculous because, well...Karen was funny and ridiculous. But underneath that, it's a story about loneliness, friendship, survival, and what it means to just keep going. My daughter loves it. That was really all I ever needed it to be. But then I started sharing it with people. And people kept saying: “Layton, you need to publish this.” So... I'm sharing the whole thing. And I could use your help. I’m not looking for a traditional publishing deal. Honestly, I'm not particularly interested in making money from Karen. I'd love to find an illustrator who connects with the story and wants to help me bring the final version of Karen to life. Then I'd like to find a creative way to self-publish it while keeping the cost as close to free as humanly possible for families who want it. And if the book ever does generate money beyond the costs of making and distributing it, I'd love to find a great organization to benefit from it. That's the dream. So I'm attaching the entire book. Read it. Seriously. It’s 32 very short pages. It'll take you a few minutes. Then tell me what you think. And if you know a children's book illustrator, someone who understands self-publishing, a nonprofit that might connect with the message, someone with a brilliant idea I haven't considered, or just someone who knows someone who knows someone... Send them my way. I'm apparently incapable of sitting still. So somewhere between interviews, figuring out what I want to be when I grow up, and navigating this whole career-change adventure, I decided I needed another creative outlet. Naturally, I wrote a children's book. About a chicken. Named Karen. Because of course I did. Thanks for reading my weird little story. And thanks, Karen. You were one hell of a chicken. ❤️🐔 — Layton #ChildrensBooks #WritingCommunity #ChildrensBookIllustration #Illustrators #SelfPublishing #MentalHealth #Storytelling #CreativeCommunity #KeepGoing
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Layton Chaney shared thisI need to express an ocean of gratitude to my support team right now. And honestly, I’m not sure I have words big enough for it. So many of you who have followed me for years, and even some of you who have only recently boarded the Layton Crazy Train, have reached out to ask one simple question: “How can I help?” People from literally all corners of the world. You’ve introduced me to friends, colleagues, hiring managers, and people you thought I simply needed to know. You’ve jumped on calls with me. You’ve sent messages just to check in. You’ve shared opportunities, offered advice, made introductions, and reminded me of things I’d forgotten about myself. I’m even meeting with a friend in Europe who finally got me to use WhatsApp. 😂 Yes. WhatsApp. Apparently I have officially entered the international job market of the 21st century. But underneath all the introductions, calls, messages, and opportunities is something much bigger: You showed up. And I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve that kind of generosity, but I need you to know that it humbles me to my core. There are days when, given the choice between spending time with people or animals, I’m picking the animals without hesitation. Like...not even a close vote. 😂 But lately, so many of you have reminded me of something I desperately needed to remember: The human heart is still here. It’s still beating away in quiet acts of kindness. In people making introductions with nothing to gain. In someone halfway across the world saying, “I believe in you. How can I help?” In friends making time. In strangers becoming friends. In people simply choosing to care. And maybe that’s how we make it through the darkest times. Not because someone magically turns on the light. But because enough of us keep carrying little pieces of it for each other until we can see the way forward again. So, thank you. Thank you for the calls. Thank you for the introductions. Thank you for the encouragement. Thank you for believing in what comes next for me. But mostly... Thank you for staying human. If my ole best friend Karen the chicken were still with us, she'd pluck you right on the cheek for me! 🐔 💝 Sending you love & light, Layton ❤️ #Gratitude #Community #JobSearch #CareerTransition #Networking #Leadership #HumanConnection #Kindness #CareerJourney #LoveAndLight
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Layton Chaney shared thisI’ll be honest: this is the first time in more than a decade that I’ve actually applied for jobs. And WOW. Y’all have been out here doing this?! I haven’t been searching nearly as long as many talented people in my network. But even in a few weeks, I have stories. So here’s the good, the weird, and the “did that really just happen?” THE GOOD ❤️ I applied for a job at an animal welfare organization here in Asheville. The salary was a fraction of what I’m used to making. I didn’t care. The mission checked every box, and my wife and kids supported me. I made it to the final round. Then a consulting opportunity came along doing meaningful work for significantly more money. I followed the money. And regretted it. Later, one of my daughters told me she wished I’d followed my heart. Oof. A few weeks ago, I emailed the hiring manager and told her I thought I’d made a mistake. She owed me nothing. She responded anyway. There wasn’t a job, but she offered to meet for coffee, learn more about what I’m looking for, and see how she could help. Who does that?! Really good humans, apparently. THE WEIRD 🤠 One application required a video explaining why I wanted the job. Fine. I’m a former comedian. You want a video? You’re getting a VIDEO. I wrote it. Recorded it. Put on a cowboy hat. It made sense in context, I promise. I spent about four hours. I hit Submit. Seconds later: “We’ve decided not to move forward with hiring for this position.” THE WORST I interviewed for a role I knew I was overqualified for. I didn’t care. It was work I genuinely enjoy. The recruiter was exceptional. The hiring manager was the opposite. I felt talked over, unheard, and like my presence was an inconvenience. Then I asked a question that matters a lot to me now: “What fulfills you about working here?” Her answer? “Nothing.” Not kidding. After more than a decade of hiring people myself, I keep coming back to two rules: 1. Treat candidates like human beings. Whether there are 500 applicants or five. Whether they get the job or not. 2. Recruiting IS your brand. The person you reject today could be tomorrow’s employee, customer, buyer, partner, or referral source. I have enormous respect for recruiters. But this experience has reinforced something for me: An interview isn’t a company deciding whether you’re worthy of working there. It’s two parties deciding whether they’re worthy of working together. I don’t care if my search takes eight days or eight months. I’m not saying yes to the dress until there’s mutual professional respect, shared purpose, and excitement about what we could build together. Even in this market. Especially in this market. And speaking of that... I have an interview this afternoon with a company I genuinely LOVE, in a space I respect, doing work that helps people. So I’ll shamelessly accept your good vibes, positive energy, lucky rabbit feet, or whatever else you've got. Send it my way. Sending you love & light, Layton #opentowork
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Layton Chaney shared thisIt's terrifying to write a post like this while I'm looking for a job. I know potential employers may see it. I know someone may decide I'm "too political," "too outspoken," or simply too much of a risk. But I cannot make myself smaller out of fear. Because silence is part of what allows this to continue. There has never been a publicly known transgender woman playing in the WNBA. Not one. Ever. And yet somehow, transgender women in the WNBA have become the subject of national outrage, political commentary, protests, and endless debate. Think about that for a moment. We are fighting over people who aren't even there. The President of the United States has repeatedly claimed that children are going to school and being medically transitioned without their parents' consent. Schools cannot perform gender-affirming surgery on children. They don't. Yet somehow we have reached a place where something that extraordinary can be said from the highest levels of government. Meanwhile, actual transgender people are living with the consequences. Here's another number worth knowing: Transgender people represent roughly 1% of Americans age 13 and older. One percent. We are an extraordinarily small minority of people who have somehow become one of the largest political conversations in America. And while adults argue about bathrooms and basketball, transgender kids are listening. I talk with transgender people and parents of transgender children constantly. I hear about families choosing homeschooling because their children no longer feel safe. Kids struggling with depression. Parents considering leaving states they love because they are afraid of what the next law will mean for their child. Families moving across the country. Some families even leaving the United States. Not because their children are hurting anyone. Because their children are transgender. And I need people to understand something: These aren't talking points to us. This is our life. I'm transgender. I've watched relationships change. I've watched professional connections disappear. I've wondered whether speaking openly will cost me opportunities. And yes, while looking for my next job, I have wondered whether writing this very post could cause someone to quietly move my résumé into the "no" pile. That's terrifying. But what frightens me more is becoming so afraid that I stop standing up for people who don't have the platform I have. You don't have to understand everything about being transgender. You don't have to understand every medical question. You don't even have to agree with me about every policy. But surely we can agree on this: A tiny minority of human beings should not have to wake up every morning wondering whether today's political strategy requires making their existence the enemy. Trans people are not a crisis. Trans kids are not a political strategy. We are human beings. And this has gone on far too long. #lgbtqia #humanrights
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Layton Chaney shared thisMy wife ruined my job. Not intentionally. She just had the audacity to show me what it looks like to love what you do. My wife is a Nurse Practitioner who has spent most of her career caring for people who often have the least access to care. She's worked in community health, Trans healthcare, emergency medicine, and now leads care across multiple community-based facilities. She works impossibly long hours. There are days she comes home and I realize she hasn't eaten. And somehow, she still has more to give. She's there for our two college-aged girls and opened her heart to my young daughter, essentially saying, Okay, let's do this parenting thing all over again. I've watched her drop everything because someone's life was quite literally on the line. And somewhere along the way, watching her changed me. After years of consulting, I realized something I hadn't wanted to admit: I was lonely. Consulting has given me an incredible career. I've advised executives, stepped into fractional leadership roles, built teams, solved difficult problems, and spent years teaching future Chief Customer Officers. I'm proud of all of it. But I missed belonging. I missed colleagues who weren't temporary. I missed building something with people I would still be sitting beside after the engagement ended. I missed the inside jokes. The hard meetings. The celebrations. The shared failures. I missed being part of a team. Over the last few months, as I struggled to understand why something that once energized me no longer did, my wife asked me a ridiculously simple question: "Why can't you just go find a great company to be part of?" Well... Damn. Why can't I? So that's what I'm doing. Returning to a permanent role after years of consulting isn't necessarily the slam dunk I assumed it would be. Sometimes the breadth of my experience creates questions instead of eliminating them. Will someone who's advised executives want to be inside one company again? Will someone who's had autonomy be happy on a permanent team? Will a longtime consultant actually stay? Yes. Because I'm not running away from consulting. I'm running toward belonging again. My wife may spend her career saving lives. I probably won't. But I can save mine. I can save the part of me that loves building something with other people. The part that gets energized solving impossible problems together, and celebrating when we finally figure it out. I can choose purpose again. So if you're wondering why the career you worked so hard to build doesn't feel the way you thought it would, maybe you don't need to burn it all down. Maybe you just need to listen to what your heart has been trying to tell you. Sometimes the people we love don't give us the answers. They simply live their lives in a way that reminds us what we're looking for. Sending you Love & Light, Layton #Leadership #CareerChange #JobSearch #CustomerSuccess #PurposeDriven #NewBeginnings
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Layton Chaney shared thisThe hardest part of looking for the right next chapter is having the courage to say no to the wrong one. Especially in this job market. Yesterday, I said no to moving forward with an interview that didn't fit right. I knew too many people were looking who would fit. I knew in my gut it wasn't the one. Not because the opportunity was bad. Not because the people were bad. But because enough of the stars didn’t align, and I’ve promised myself that this time, they need to. Ending my consulting chapter and finding my way back to working inside a company has never been about how fast I can find a job. It’s about finding work I can believe in again. A company I can get behind. A mission or product that does something meaningful. People I want to build alongside. A place where 20+ years of experience can be useful, but where I can also feel challenged and energized again. And, maybe most importantly, work that is good for both my career and the human being having the career. I recognize the privilege in being able to approach this search that way. I prepared financially for this transition. I’m incredibly fortunate to have a supportive partner who would rather see me take my time finding the right place than rush into something simply because it comes with a paycheck. That gives me the ability to say no. And I have. Several times. But privilege doesn’t make those decisions easy. There’s a particularly terrifying voice that shows up when you turn down an opportunity in a market like this: "What if another one doesn't come?" "What if you're being too picky?" And then I remind myself why I started this journey in the first place. I wasn't looking for another version of what I already had. I was looking for what comes next. So I’m trying to give my mental health, my sense of purpose, my family, and my happiness a seat at the table alongside salary, title, and opportunity. That may make this journey take longer. I’m okay with that. I’ve chosen to share this process publicly because I know a lot of people are navigating career uncertainty right now. Some are in much more urgent situations than mine. Some may be standing in almost exactly the same place. Wherever you are, I hope you remember: Your job search is not a measure of your worth. It doesn't have to look like anyone else's. And sometimes progress isn't getting the offer. Sometimes progress is knowing yourself well enough to say no. This is a journey for me, not a race. And to everyone who has called, texted, messaged, introduced me to someone, shared an opportunity, encouraged me, or simply reminded me to keep going: Thank you. You've carried me more than you probably realize. And I will gladly return that favor whenever you need someone in your corner. Onward. ❤️ I'm looking at this challenge from a different angle. Sending Love & Light, Layton #CareerTransition #JobSearch #Leadership #CareerGrowth #PurposeDriven #CustomerSuccess #LeadershipJourney #OpenToWork
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Layton Chaney shared thisApparently there are stages to a job search. 😂 Day 1: Resume polished. LinkedIn updated. Coffee poured. "I cannot WAIT to see what comes next!" Day 5: 47 applications. Three interviews. Two "we've decided to move forward with another candidate" emails. One company that apparently entered the Witness Protection Program after my interview. Still optimistic. Slightly twitchier. Day 30: Is this shirt clean? Define clean. Coffee is now a food group. I have applied to jobs I don't remember applying to. LinkedIn and I are in a complicated relationship. And apparently pizza is breakfast. But here's the thing... I'm still here. And so are you. This job market can be exhausting, humbling, confusing, and occasionally downright absurd. So if you're searching too, hold your head high. A rejection isn't a verdict on your talent. A slow week doesn't mean you're going nowhere. And somebody else's "I'M THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE..." post doesn't mean you're behind. Keep applying. Keep networking. Keep laughing. Keep believing that the right opportunity is still out there. And every once in a while, close the laptop, eat the pizza, and remember that your worth was never determined by an applicant tracking system. We've got this, fellow job seekers. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to check LinkedIn for absolutely no reason for the 137th time today. 😂 Sending Love & Light your way, Layton #JobSearch #OpenToWork #CareerTransition #JobSeekers #CareerGrowth #Networking #Leadership #KeepGoing #LinkedInHumor #Careers
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Cindy J. Fuller, Ph.D. Absolutely ✨✨✨
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Erika Water I would love to read and share your article if/when you’re ready 💕
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