• Keijhon Francis spent over a year unemployed during her job search.
• She relied on therapy, support from friends, and strategic job searching to persevere.
• Francis emphasizes self-worth, resilience, and the importance of community during unemployment.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Keijhon Francis, a 29-year-old communications specialist based in Brooklyn, NY. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Losing my job last year completely upended my sense of self. I'd never been let go before, and I panicked.

I'd moved to New York for my job — a communications associate role — and didn't know how I'd continue to live my life without it.

I called a friend, and we agreed that after a few hours, I had to stop crying and accept what had happened.

Months later, I'd applied to over 100 jobs, and nothing was working. I withdrew my entire retirement savings just to make ends meet.

The journey taught me that if you're not open to people being there for you, they won't be. So open yourself up to it and let them help.

I'd never faced unemployment before, and I didn't know what to do with all the time I had

It was close to the holidays when I was let go, and hiring is usually slow during that time. I decided not to focus too much on my job search right away and to figure it out in the new year.

I started to go stir-crazy with all the time I suddenly had. I had a lot of thoughts going through my head about whether I was good enough or deserved certain levels of respect at work. It altered my self-perception and put me in a bad place mentally.

I was still applying to jobs, but also spent my time taking walks, enjoying New York during the holiday season, and talking to my friends as much as possible because that really helped me level out.

I was mass applying until I realized I needed to be more strategic about my job search

Once the new year arrived, I was home all day, sending in applications as if it were my full-time job.

I applied on LinkedIn and Indeed, and if I saw a job posting on Instagram, I'd send my résumé. I used AI to help tailor my applications, find roles I could apply for with my skill set, and optimize my LinkedIn profile.

By late spring, I realized I needed to be more strategic because I wasn't getting anywhere, and rejection after rejection was wearing on me. I started tailoring my applications heavily to each role and applied to around three suitable roles a day, versus 25 roles with the same generic résumé.

I saw a slight increase in responses after switching my strategy, but still nothing came through.

I had to pull my retirement savings out to get by, but then I ran out of that money

I went into my retirement account, which had about $10,000, and I withdrew the entire amount as a safety net for myself. I was also receiving about $500 a week in unemployment benefits until May.

In July, I was flat broke with nothing coming in and nothing to fall back on. That got rough. I realized that I needed any job as soon as possible and couldn't focus on my search on a full-time role anymore.

I got a job as a cashier at a local market in Brooklyn. A week later, I added a job as a host at a bar, which I still host at. Those two combined brought me back to being able to make it through the months financially. But I was feeling very negative internally and trying not to show it.

Therapy and my support system helped me regain my self-worth

Through attending therapy and dedicating time to working on freelance gigs and mock projects to boost my portfolio, I realized my old role hadn't been the right fit for me and didn't reflect my worth.

Having so many people pray for me, check in, encourage, and uplift me made me realize that I'm loved and worthy of love. It made me feel less alone during one of the most critical periods of my life.

Through some of those really hard moments, when I didn't know how I would make rent or afford food, I'd think of the positives that came with this newfound free time. I was able to see my best friend of 17 years give birth to her first baby. My relationship with my father has grown immensely, which has been incredible.

It was really beautiful to form stronger bonds with those people, as well as gain a deeper understanding of who I am and what I need.

I found my next job through my network of friends

A friend that I used to work with messaged me one day and asked if I was still looking for a job because she knew someone leaving their role, and she thought I would be a great fit.

I immediately applied, and then I didn't hear from them for a couple of weeks. I went through the interview process, which was pretty long. However, I got the call in October that I had landed the job.

I couldn't even let her finish her statement before I started sobbing. It just felt like that chapter of my life was finally closed. It was everything I had been hoping, praying, and fighting for over the last year.

This experience taught me how to advocate for myself and reframe work in my life

I've learned a great deal about myself and my priorities. When I lost my job, I was feeling so bad about myself because my identity was tied to my work performance in many ways.

I realized that I always wanted to bring my best self to a role, but I never want to lose myself in it again. That's something I'll take with me as I continue to move forward in life.

To anyone newly unemployed: Take it one day at a time. Use this time to figure out what truly makes you happy. Do what you need to do to ensure that your bills are paid and all the necessary things are taken care of, but let the people who love you be there for you.

Do you have a story to share about long-term unemployment? Contact this reporter, Agnes Applegate, at aapplegate@businessinsider.com.

• Marc Andreessen says the right prompts can turn AI into the "world's best coach."
• People should start treating AI like a "thought partner," the venture capitalist said.
• He shares some prompts that can push AI to analyze, improve, and rethink your work.

Marc Andreessen has some tips for getting the most out of AI.

The venture capitalist said on an episode of the "a16z Podcast" published Tuesday that AI tools can act as the "world's best coach, mentor, therapist, advisor, board member" for anyone who asks the right kind of questions.

AI is probably "the most democratic" technology of all time, said the cofounder of VC firm Andreessen Horowitz. "The very best AI in the world is fully available on the apps that anybody can download."

Andreessen said the real power of AI is unlocked when the user starts treating it like a "thought partner." "Part of the art of AI, right, is what questions to ask it," he said.

He laid out several examples using a small business. A bakery owner, for instance, could feed AI anything from staffing schedules to customer emails to ad copy, and let the model critique all of it.

Andreessen also said product development works the same way: Give AI your recipe and ask how to improve it.

"What's the best cinnamon roll recipe in the world? Work backward from that," he said.

"You could also say, 'Look, I want to make the best one in the world, but I need to do it at 1/10 of the price,'" he said. "What are the ways to cost-optimize?"

Andreessen said that meta prompts can help users determine the best questions to ask AI. They surface blind spots and reshape one's approach.

"What questions should I be asking?" he said users should query the bot. "Teach me how to use you in the best way."

Knowing how to prompt is key

Other tech leaders have echoed Andreessen's point that knowing how to prompt AI is critical to unlocking its full value.

Google Brain founder Andrew Ng said at the Masters of Scale Summit 2025 in October that having an "extended conversation" with a model produces a better response.

"AI is very smart, but getting context in is difficult," Ng said, adding that he uses AI in voice mode to brainstorm work ideas while driving.

EY's Americas chief technology officer, Matt Barrington, said in an interview with Business Insider earlier this year that managing context in AI is crucial.

"I keep separate AI 'workspaces' for different focus areas — such as technical Q&A or drafting client communications," he said in the report published in February.

"I also give the AI clear instructions about the style and depth of response I want, like 'Provide a concise, bullet-point summary,' or 'Act as a finance expert,' or 'Cite credible sources or references and provide links,'" he added.

• Linda Hamilton, 69, says she is embracing the lines on her face.
• "I have just completely surrendered to the fact that this is the face that I've earned," the actor said.
• Hamilton said her twin sister's death five years ago pushed her to start tackling her bucket-list goals.

Linda Hamilton, 69, says she's feeling at home in her own skin.

Speaking to AARP in an interview published on Wednesday, the "The Terminator" actor said she wants to age with grace by embracing the lines and features that show the life she has lived.

"I do not spend a moment trying to look younger on any level, ever. I have just completely surrendered to the fact that this is the face that I've earned. And it tells me so much. And sometimes it's stuff I don't want to hear," Hamilton told AARP.

At this point in her life, there are more important things to worry about than her appearance.

"I don't chase beauty, and I don't chase longevity particularly," she added.

Still, Hamilton said she aims to stay healthy while living "fully planted in the moment."

"But not all the time — sometimes it is just a jelly donut. I'm not rigid, which is a fantastic way to get older," she said, adding that she's tried "to stay as fluid as possible" throughout her life.

"One definition of happiness is being in the middle of a fast-moving river and not trying to swim to the left or the right side. And that, truly, is kind of what my life has been. It's been a great, fun ride," she said.

Hamilton, who stars in the latest and final season of "Stranger Things," said she attends physical therapy three times a week to stay in shape for her role.

She added that her workouts change depending on what her body needs that day.

"It was Pilates, it was yoga, a lot of free weights, machines, cables, everything. And I kind of love that: to go in and not have a chest and back day, but just have a 'what do you need to loosen up and stretch out today,'" Hamilton said.

Embracing aging also means finally taking on the bucket-list items she'd delayed, a change she said was fueled by her twin sister's death five years ago.

"It sure did shake me up a little bit, the huge loss of my other half. I started doing some bucket-list things. I started jumping horses again after 40 years," Hamilton said.

Despite all that, she's found plenty to appreciate about getting older.

"I fully inhabit myself in a way that I never did when I was younger. I'm not trying to please anyone or prove anything or show off," she said.

Hamilton added that she's satisfied with her career, and that she'd found "a great balance between work and life."

"And yet I'm managing to still be part of my community and not leave all my friends behind because I'm working. I have found a way to weave it together very beautifully. I certainly feel like everything is a blessing right now," she said.

Hamilton has spoken about aging in the past, too.

In an October 2019 essay for Glamour, Hamilton said she's proud to be her age.

"I keep saying, 'Why does 40 have to be the new 60? Why can't 60 be the new 60? Why do we have to color everything with this idea of eternal youth?'" she wrote.

Speaking to Us Weekly in November 2019, she criticized Hollywood's obsession with youth and her appearance.

"Of course people are going to look at me and say 'Oh, she got old.' Yes, I did, and I have so much more to say as a strong, experienced life-ridden woman," Hamilton said.

• Alison Brie, 42, says she and her husband, Dave Franco, have a simple way to get through the holidays.
• The key is in acknowledging "all the quirks of each other's families with no judgment," she said.
• Psychologists previously told Business Insider that holiday gatherings can be stressful for the brain.

Alison Brie, 42, says she and her husband, Dave Franco, have a simple fix for making holiday time with each other's families a lot more manageable.

"The holidays are about family in a way that is beautiful, but can also be a little stressful," Brie told People in an interview published on Wednesday. "So I think in a marriage, it's nice to kind of be one another's allies, acknowledge the kookiness of it all."

Brie and Franco first met in 2011 while celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans. They married in 2017 and don't have kids.

"I think the key to a happy marriage during the holiday season is being able to acknowledge privately, together, all the quirks of each other's families with no judgment," Brie said.

The "Community" actor also says there's "more acceptance and a lot of love" in the act of "venting with one another."

To make holiday shopping for family less stressful, Brie says she and Franco try to "divide and conquer."

"I will do the shopping for my family. He will do the shopping for his family, and the gifts are given from both of us," she said.

The couple's commitment to supporting each other extends beyond the holiday season.

Speaking to Marie Claire in August, Franco said they've made a habit of sending each other a "mini love letter" every night before bed whenever they're apart.

"It really makes you focus on the other person and let them know in a unique way, every single night, how much they mean to you," Franco said.

Holiday gatherings can be stressful for the brain, four psychologists told Business Insider in 2019.

"Overall, there's an intensity to the experience that we don't typically have in our day-to-day lives, so often our feelings and interactions feel heightened," Paraskevi Noulas, a psychologist at NYU Langone, said.

Testosterone, cortisol, and other hormone levels can also fluctuate more significantly over the holiday season, in part due to factors like travel stress, Robin Edelstein, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, said.

To manage holiday stress, the psychologists say it's essential to prioritize basic self-care, including getting sufficient sleep and staying physically active.

• Andrew Ng says he talks to and brainstorms with AI while on the road.
• The Google Brain founder said he uses multiple models and has extensive conversations in the car.
• A growing number of executives have shared how they use AI in their day-to-day workflows.

Andrew Ng says he brainstorms work ideas by talking to AI in voice mode while driving.

The Google Brain founder said at the Masters of Scale Summit 2025 in October that he uses AI as a "brainstorming companion much more than even my friends know."

"When I'm driving, I talk to AI quite a lot," he said in the discussion, which was published Wednesday.

Ng said he rarely sticks to a single chatbot. To brainstorm effectively, he rotates across different models and leans into their contrasting strengths. For coding, he prefers tools like Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex.

He added that staying longer in a conversation with the model yields a better response.

"AI is very smart, but getting context in is difficult," Ng said. "A lot of it is not, 'Let me say some stuff, then give me ideas.'"

Rather, it's about engaging in an "extended conversation" with the model: discussing ideas and providing feedback.

Ng said he would "just get work done while driving." Once he reaches his destination, he asks the AI to summarize their exchange and forward it to his team.

Earlier this year, Ng said that there are moments when "lazy prompting" — giving the AI minimal context or instructions — can actually be a more efficient approach.

"It's sometimes faster to be lazy and dash off a quick, imprecise prompt and see what happens," Ng said on X in April. "Most LLMs are smart enough to figure out that you want them to help understand and propose fixes, so you don't need to explicitly tell them."

"We add details to the prompt only when they are needed," he added.

How leaders are using AI at work

A growing number of executives have shared about how they are using AI and weaving it into their day-to-day workflow.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in June that he has been using AI to casually vibe code and build web apps.

"It's exciting to see how casually you can do it now," Pichai said. "Compared to the early days of coding, things have come a long way."

Box CEO Aaron Levie told Business Insider in a September report that he uses a mix of AI tools depending on the task. He turns to ChatGPT or Perplexity for research, switches to Cursor when he needs quick prototypes of new product features, and uses Box AI when he's working directly with data.

Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel told Business Insider in the same report that he has used AI to refine his public speaking skills. Fogel said he uploaded recordings of his keynote speeches to the models, and the LLM provides specific feedback, including flagging distracting hand movements.