Fear, Faith and the Forest
If you're unemployed, you know the struggle. Hundreds of applications. Ghosting. Late-stage rejections. The 3 AM panic. The identity crisis. The endless negativity about how "the market is dead" and "AI is taking over." Fear, Faith, and the Forest is a weekly podcast for people walking through unemployment. It's created by someone still in the trenches with you. Moving forward. Driven by faith.
Recent Episodes
April 8, 2026
Episode 6: Anxiety and The 3 AM Wake-Ups
Anxiety during unemployment is real, and it never goes away. It hits at 3 AM, but it also hits at 2:30 on a normal Tuesday afternoon, when the lull catches up to you. In this episode, I share a confession about dipping into m...
April 1, 2026
Episode 5: The Family Conversation - Navigating This Together
Unemployment doesn't just affect you. It affects everyone in your household. Your spouse, your kids, everyone who depends on you. And they can't support you if they don't know what's happening. In this episode, I share how I told my two sons about my layoff, why I chose the car ride to baseball pra…
March 25, 2026
Episode 4: You Are Not Your Title - Identity Detox
One of the hardest parts of unemployment isn't the job search—it's the identity crisis. Who are you without your title? In this episode, Rich talks about why so many of us tie our identity to our jobs, what happens when that'...
March 18, 2026
Episode 3: Assess - Taking Stock Without Panic
You've survived the first week. Now what? Before you can plan your next move, you need to know where you actually stand. In this episode, Rich walks through how to assess three critical areas of your situation — your financial runway, your skills inventory, and your support network — without spiral…
March 11, 2026
Episode 2: Survive the First 72 Hours
The first 72 hours after a layoff can make or break how you navigate everything that comes after. In this episode, Rich shares what he did in those first critical days—and what he wishes he'd done differently. From telling hi...
March 4, 2026
Episode 1: You Are Not Your Layoff
Rich Zapata introduces Fear, Faith, and the Forest — what it is, who it's for, and what to expect. He shares his nine-month unemployment story, from the 10-minute Zoom call that ended seven years at his company through hundreds of applications and rejections that tested everything he believed about…