Perfecting the Pivot: Tanya Hayles on Layoffs, Reinvention, Personal Branding, and AI for Women

Perfecting the Pivot: Tanya Hayles on Layoffs, Reinvention, Personal Branding, and AI for Women

From What She Said! by Candace Sampson

January 16, 2026 · 1h 21m

About this episode

Tanya Hayles discusses navigating layoffs, personal branding, and the impact of AI on women's careers.

Getting laid off is brutal. Getting laid off twice in one year can make you question everything, including yourself.In this episode, I sit down with Tanya Hayles, award-winning event planner, digital strategist, founder of Black Moms Connection, and creator of the Perfecting the Pivot workshop. Tanya shares what it’s really like to navigate forced career pivots in a tough economy, including the grief that comes first, the money realities nobody wants to talk about, and how to keep moving when the job market keeps ghosting you.We also dig into personal branding without the cringe. Tanya explains why your name is your most important brand, why you should own your domain, how to save your work “receipts,” and how to ask for help in a way your network can actually respond to.Plus, Tanya’s honest take on AI: the opportunities, the risks, and what women need to hold onto as work changes fast.If you’re pivoting, considering a pivot, or quietly panicking that you might have to, this one will make you feel less alone and a lot more ready. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Candace Sampson

Guest: Tanya Hayles

Topics covered

  • layoffs
  • reinvention
  • personal branding
  • AI
  • career pivots
  • women in the workforce

Keywords

  • layoffs
  • reinvention
  • personal branding
  • AI
  • career pivots
  • job market
  • Black Moms Connection

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Black Moms Connection

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