Two Former Magazine Editors Turn Getting Fired Into Career Success

Owning the Experience

Kristina O'Neill and Laura Brown are both editors who lost their jobs after restructures, and they initially thought it was the end of the world. Laura Brown was given 20 minutes' notice by her immediate boss and an HR person when she was fired from her editor-in-chief role at InStyle in 2022. Kristina O'Neill was fired after a 10-year spell at WSJ Magazine after a regime change at the top and the arrival of a new editor.

Rather than hiding behind corporate euphemisms, both women made a bold choice. They both chose to use the word fired after they lost their roles and say being open about it can help you deal with what's happened. "But the faster you own it, the faster you're honest about it, the faster you can move on. That's the fast track to whatever you want to do next," adds Laura.

Their candid approach led to an unexpected revelation. When they posted a selfie on Instagram with the caption "All the cool girls get fired," the response was overwhelming—so many women commented, "I've never said this out loud, but I got fired too." This honest moment became the foundation for their book and a new perspective on career setbacks.

Shifting the Shame Narrative

Kristina stresses that so much of the shame of being fired is "in your head". "In the US, especially hundreds of thousands of people being laid off, it's not personal. It's likely very much not you, so don't take that ball of shame and carry it around." The statistics support this perspective: 91% of executives who had been fired found a new job that was as good as or better than the one they were forced to leave.

O'Neill calls the emotional aftermath "The Scarlet F," the sense that everyone knows you've been fired. "It's all in your head," she said. Talking about it helps dissolve that shame. Both women discovered that most people are far more understanding than expected, and that visibility helps restore confidence faster than isolation.

The key insight is reframing the experience entirely. As women, they carry generations of not running things, and that's why it hits harder when they're fired. But they're trying to unleash women from that and own what happened to them.

Practical Recovery Strategies

Sarah Ellis, co-founder of careers website Squiggly Careers, says it is important to reflect on the past year before diving into a new job search. She encourages people to think about what they want to do more or less of, and what inspires or drains their energy. Rather than desperately applying for any position, she suggests an exercise called "scanning" - narrowing your search down to job descriptions that sound interesting to you, gathering around 10 to 15 that you like the look of.

They advise getting organized quickly: confirm final pay, review benefits, and know how long your savings will last. They also warn against rash financial decisions made in panic. Financial clarity provides the breathing room to make smart career choices instead of desperate ones.

Laura Brown emphasizes: "It's really important to rest, but don't retreat. If you spend too much time alone, you just always feel worse. All those bad thoughts compound. So don't do that, but listen to yourself." The balance between self-care and staying connected proves crucial for recovery.

Building What Comes Next

Now, they are thriving in new jobs, with Laura owning her own media company and Kristina editor in chief for Sotheby's magazine. Their success stories illustrate a powerful truth: losing their dream jobs was also an opportunity to ask whether those roles still defined success. Many people realize after being fired that the job they once considered their dream no longer feels like it.

Both women found new energy in carving their own paths forward. Brown launched LB Media, her own company, while O'Neill became head of media at Sotheby's. Neither tried to rebuild the same career they'd lost. Each chose a path that offered more flexibility, creativity, and control — and both say that's what made the next chapter better.

Their experience demonstrates that getting fired doesn't have to be career-ending. Instead, it can become the catalyst for building something better aligned with your values and goals. The key lies not in hiding from the experience, but in owning it completely and using it as a springboard for what comes next.