"The day I got laid off, my manager didn't even look me in the eye. 'Restructuring,' they said. I was 32, $60,000 in debt, and suddenly jobless. That night, sitting on my couch with a half-eaten pizza, I considered leaving tech entirely. But something made me pick up the phone. I called every founder I'd ever met—not to ask for a job, but to ask about their lowest moments. Those conversations changed everything. They showed me that the messy middle isn't a bug in the system. It's the entire point."