AQ'S Corner

Photo Credit: My daughter’s 3rd grade teacher at our Barnes & Noble book signing on July 20, 2025

How I turned a layoff into five months of building, speaking, innovating, and leading, while still seeking stability.

On March 28th, I received official notice that my role was ending. On April 15th, I completed my final day.

Today, September 15th, marks five months since then, five months without stable income. But it has not been five months without work. In fact, these months have been some of the most productive, challenging, and defining of my career.

Building a Business

I formalized AQ’s Corner LLC, a vision I had held onto for years, and turned it into a functioning business. Through this platform, I co-authored and published Emani and the CyberHero Response Team alongside my daughter. The book has grown into more than a story; it has become the foundation for workshops, community programs, and events that bring cybersecurity education to families and classrooms. We have partnered with Barnes & Noble, schools, the Girl Scouts, nonprofits like the Salvation Army, libraries, and independent bookstores. Most recently, we celebrated our very first independent bookstore placement on September 6th, followed just one week later, on September 13th, by our very first out-of-state independent bookstore placement.

Expanding Professional Horizons

While building my business, I have remained engaged in the job market, actively applying, interviewing, and positioning myself for opportunities that align with my expertise in cybersecurity, compliance, incident response, and cloud security. Alongside the inevitable rejections, new doors have opened.

One highlight was an innovation lab assignment, my very first AI/UX research project, that was supposed to be a single-day engagement. The feedback I provided was valued so highly that, just two days later, I was invited to join their full cohort. Being able to contribute to research and analysis around AI Ethics, Privacy, and Responsibility has been an incredible experience that has expanded my skills in human-centered technology and innovation. It reminded me of what I can do when given a chance: deliver insights that make an immediate impact, while underscoring the long-term value I can bring to the right organization.

Exploring Every Avenue

In these five months, I’ve been open to trying different avenues to keep moving forward. At one point, I even tested out delivery driving. It was honest work, but after a safety concern on the road, I realized it wasn’t for me. That experience reminded me of something essential: adaptability matters, but so does alignment. I need to channel my energy into work that is both impactful and safe, whether that’s through cybersecurity, compliance, or the business, I continue to grow.

Tackling Problems Beyond Myself

This season also pushed me to think beyond my own circumstances. In navigating the job market, I saw how employment scams prey on people searching for stability. Out of that experience, I created Project TRUSThire, a proposal I shared with NIST to support their work in developing a framework that protects jobseekers from fraudulent opportunities. (You can read more about Project TRUSThire here.)

For me, this wasn’t just about my own job search; it was about contributing ideas that could help safeguard others, too.

Public Speaking and Community Engagement

I also stepped forward as a speaker and educator. Being recognized by Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Small Business Center as a “Most Impact” honoree list was an important milestone.

Beyond recognition, I’ve been investing in growth, attending classes and workshops to strengthen my public speaking skills, and learning how to deliver with more confidence and energy. Tackling the fear of public speaking has been a deliberate part of my journey, because I know leadership requires not just expertise but the ability to engage and connect.

And one of the highlights of these past five months was helping Girl Scouts earn their cybersecurity badges. Standing in front of young girls, guiding them through digital safety concepts, and watching them proudly receive their their CyberHero Certificates that would later lead to them getting they cybersecurity badges was a reminder that this work has ripple effects. It’s not just about me or my daughter, it’s about preparing the next generation to thrive safely in a digital world.

Leading as a Mother and Example

Throughout this journey, motherhood has remained central. My daughter has been an active partner in this work, as a co-author, co-presenter, and inspiration. Together, we are demonstrating what resilience and creativity look like in practice, building both a book and a movement that makes online safety engaging and accessible for the next generation.

Redefining “Fit”

One of the biggest lessons of these five months has been around the idea of “fit.” I’ve heard it in rejection emails: “We were impressed with your background, but at this time we’ve chosen to move forward with another candidate who we feel is a better fit for our current needs.” And that’s fair, every company has the right to define what they need. I understand that as a job seeker, and I understand it even more as a business owner myself. But being told I wasn’t a fit pushed me to define my own fit. It has reminded me that my skills, my experiences, and my values have a place, even if it isn’t always within the traditional boxes others build.

My “fit” is in the work I’ve already created, the impact I’ve already made, and the opportunities that are still ahead. My fit is leading workshops for families, helping Girl Scouts earn their cybersecurity badges, building frameworks to protect job seekers, and expanding into AI and UX. My fit is creating solutions, sharing knowledge, and helping people stay safe in a digital world. So when someone says I’m not the right fit, I don’t see it as an ending. I see it as a redirection. And every redirection so far has led me closer to where I’m truly meant to be.

These five months have taught me that while income may be unstable, impact and purpose do not have to be. Losing a role did not mean losing momentum, it meant redefining what work looks like, broadening the ways I contribute, and sharpening my vision of where I can deliver the most value. I am still working, still creating, and still moving forward: through entrepreneurship, through professional development, through community impact, and through the continued search for the right opportunity to bring stability to this next chapter. Five months in, I stand not as someone waiting, but as someone working, carrying persistence, creativity, and leadership into every space I step into.