Feeling the Pressure

I’m keeping this short and sweet, because that’s honestly all I can handle right now.

For Mother’s Day, my 8-year-old filled out a worksheet “All About My Mom.” And of course it was very sweet (though so brightly colored that it’s hard to read in places).

In response to “My mom always says…” she wrote, “I feel like lousia.”

Who’s Luisa?

She’s from the 2021 animated film “Encanto” with music by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Luisa is most famous for her song, Surface Pressure (go head, take a moment to watch it if you haven’t seen it).

Luisa is a member of the Madrigal family who all have magical powers (I won’t say more in case you haven’t seen the movie). Luisa’s power is superhuman strength and she literally takes on the huge tasks the family needs her to do (see the above video for examples)

I'm the strong one, I'm not nervous
I'm as tough as the crust of the Earth is
I move mountains, I move churches
And I glow, 'cause I know what my worth is
I don't ask how hard the work is
Got a rough indestructible surface
Diamonds and platinum, I find 'em, I flatten 'em
I take what I'm handed, I break what's demanded

But Luisa develops a physical tick that her sister sees and asks about. And in this song Luis confides in her.

But under the surface, I feel berserk as a tightrope walker in a three-ring circus

Pressure that'll tip, tip, tip 'til you just go pop, whoa, oh, oh
Give it to your sister, it doesn't hurt, and
See if she can handle every family burden
Watch as she buckles and bends but never breaks, no mistakes

As a mom, a wife, a dog owner, a solopreneur, a freelancer who must constantly be looking for work myself, sometimes it feels like I’m in a circus juggling act with so many balls in the air that I’m feeling out of control.

Handling Pressure

When the overwhelming feeling hits, I know what I need to do. I need to rely on my community for support. I need to join with others in a way where we can all share the load threatening to make us collapse. We need to spread out the area of the surface the force is pushing on to reduce it’s pressure (physics 101, Pressure = Force/Area).

It’s not just asking for others to take away stressors, it’s a reciprocal relationship where I can help them in some way too. Where we both benefit from helping each other.

That’s why I’m writing this late at night because I want to make sure to let all of you know that I’m once again creating space for a genuine uplifting community in my LinkedIn Sprint for Job Seekers. This is my last Sprint for the next couple months as I need more time to rest this summer, get out into my garden, and replenish my energy.

But starting this Thursday with the kickoff meeting, and for each weekday from this Friday through next Friday, June 6, I will be focusing my energy on this Sprint. I’ll be encouraging, uplifting and, in some cases, simply commiserating, with my fellow job seekers as we move forward together.

If this sounds like what you need, the registration deadline is today, aka Wednesday if you read this right away (though I’m willing to extend that to Thursday morning if you promise to check your email that day for important instructions).

Let’s make LinkedIn a place of genuine connection and support, not just a place to find job listings that already have 100 applicants listed 1 hour after they’re posted (FYI, if you see those numbers, they’re not actually the number of applicants, it’s just how many people have looked at the job description).  

Will you join me at the starting line (or share with a friend?)

Resource Roundup

I’ve decided to mix things up in this section of my newsletter and share a variety of types of resources.

• I mentioned the value of someone “putting in a good word” for you at a company. Having someone advocate for you behind closed doors is really important. In a Newsweek article, The Differences Between Mentorship and Sponsorship, Rosalind Chow (author of The Doors You Can Open) offers the following advice for job seekers. “Resist the urge to draw close and hunker down. Now is the time to take a careful look at your network and reach out to people for help, particularly if those people tend to spend time in different spaces than you do. And once you reach out, be forthcoming about your need for sponsorship, not (just) mentorship.”

• Looking for folks to follow on LinkedIn who regularly post job opportunities? Check out the list at the bottom of my newsletters from November 29, 2024 to January 16, 2025.

• Struggling after being laid off? Listen to the podcast, Proxy with Yowei Shaw. Yowei is the former host of the NPR podcast Invisibilia but was laid off in 2023. She started Proxy as a way of trying to understand why she felt so terrible. She began this new podcast with “The Layoff Trilogy”. This series does an amazing job of combining research and storytelling as it address a devastating situation with compassion and generous helpings of humor. This is a must-listen resource if you’ve been laid off or if someone you care about has been.

Hi! I’m Sara Kobilka, owner of Renaissance Woman Consulting.

I am a Renaissance Woman (what’s THAT? Good question! Here’s my answer). My wide-ranging background includes time as a TV meteorologist/reporter, non-profit leader, higher education program coordinator, curriculum designer, and now, business owner. During each leg of this journey, I gained new skills that I was able take with me in my next step. Now, I work remotely with clients to help them confidently tell their story and navigate the transition to the next leg of their career journey.

Take the Next Step

• Follow me on LinkedIn where I actively cross-pollinate impactful ideas across industries and disciplines (and regularly share job opportunities I come across)

• Check out my one-on-one career coaching program or join a cohort of job seekers for small group coaching

• Sign up for my workshop Building Community with LinkedIn

• Participate in one of my LinkedIn Sprints 

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