According to an article on American Progress “In a Stagnating Job Market Job Seekers are Struggling to Find Opportunities”, the current US unemployment rate is at 4.4%, which is lower than the long-term average but is at its highest amount since before COVID began almost 5 years ago.

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/in-a-stagnating-job-market-job-seekers-are-struggling-to-find-opportunities/

When Jackie Cetera of JNC Innovations introduced me to Melinda Stoops, I knew I had to have her on the show. Melinda has taken her own job loss and tried to help others through it with her work with the Reluctant Free Agent.

With the state of job seeking today, I knew I had to take our conversation live right away.

In my discussion with Melinda, we chatted about:

1. Her personal job loss story and what prompted her launch her LinkedIn newsletter and book, The Reluctant Free Agent.
2. Her advice with being emotionally resilient, especially when shame and waiting for an extended period for the next right job opportunity comes alone.
3. The power of community to your job search because the process can be lonely.
4. Resources that Melinda recommends you take advantage of, especially if you are in the middle of a search.
5. What the biggest learning Melinda has had during the last several months of her personal search.
6. How you can register to receive Melinda’s newsletter and grab a copy of her book.

Here’s more about Melinda:

Melinda Stoops PhD helps people navigate change—with clarity, compassion, and measurable results.

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As a licensed psychologist, executive coach, and strategic consultant, Melinda works with individuals and institutions facing transition, disruption, or reinvention. Whether you're processing personal loss, recalibrating your career, or leading organizational change, Melinda offers a space that’s both emotionally grounded and outcome-driven.

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Melinda’s psychotherapy practice supports adults seeking insight, healing, and growth. Her coaching and consulting work empowers leaders to transform uncertainty into strategic clarity. Across both domains, Melinda brings:

• Deep clinical expertise and emotional intelligence,
• Frameworks for decision-making and change, and
• A personal understanding of transition, as reflected in her book The Reluctant Free Agent.

Melinda believes transformation is possible when we honor our lived experience and build toward what’s next.

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