10 years ago I was on a trajectory to enter the C-suite of a company that was operating in an industry that I’ve long since lost interest in.

In 2012, I was abruptly laid off of my job after the company I worked for acquired another company and let go of employees in duplicate/similar roles.

In that moment I was devastated. I loved the work that I did and enjoyed my co-workers.

I used the opportunity of becoming unemployed to attend graduate school at CSUN Music Industry Administration to earn a Masters Degree in Music Industry Administration. Simultaneously, I bet on myself by investing $1,000 into developing my first tech startup. Yes, I racked up over $50k in student loan debt, but partially due to my education, I was able to get my company acquired and paid off all of my debt, including the student loans.

Since then, I’ve earned industry-wide recognition for my work and research, I became an educator at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music teaching a class on a topic that I’m deeply passionate about (music industry entrepreneurship), I’ve built and sold 3 tech startups in the music industry, and I’ve championed initiatives for and advocated on behalf of music creators’ rights.

There were definitely some setbacks, but I bounced back and charged forward into my purpose.

When I was derailed from my journey in 2012, just a few weeks shy of being unable to pay my rent or my car lease, I leaned into my passion and bet that my ambition was greater than failure.

Whatever you’re going through in your professional life right now, know that it is not your end. It may very well be the exit or pivot you need to a better future.

Here’s an interview that I did in September 2012 about my transition from being laid off to becoming a music tech founder.

https://yfsmagazine.com/2012/09/05/former-vp-of-marketing-turns-layoff-into-multimillion-dollar-deal-with-former-employer/?fbclid=IwAR1jpSVKYzRrN_m8XfCiyCThFbKJMoAtTXqEVr0SvRZR1cMyFy5co3Zd_p8