Instagram story viewer> @gowithkelly> Posts

Kelly Lauren Black

@gowithkelly

undefined

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

I’m almost 39, recently got laid off, and apparently this is the moment I decided to start posting on social media again.

This definitely wasn’t part of my plans for 2026.

What’s been surprising is that even before I lost my job, I was already asking myself some bigger questions about work, purpose, and what I actually want the next chapter of my life to look like.

I’ve found a lot of comfort recently in other people sharing their own layoff and reinvention stories online, so I figured I’d do the same.

I have no idea exactly where this journey is headed.

Maybe back into corporate.

Maybe building something of my own.

Probably a few wrong turns in between.

But if you’re also trying to figure out what’s next, you’re welcome to come along for the ride. taken in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca by @gowithkelly

275

95

2 months ago

I came for tomatoes and left with flowers, a coconut, and no plan for dinner 🍅💐🥥😅

This is basically how every trip to this market goes for me. I go in with a plan, I leave with a new bikini, a croissant, and zero actual groceries.

Saturday mornings here are honestly one of my favorite things about living in Puerto. No plan, just wandering.

#jjyapchallenge puertoescondido taken in Mercado Zicatela by @gowithkelly

11

0

14 hours ago

Girl vs. car battery. Girl wins.

Watched exactly one YouTube video on how to change a car battery and immediately decided I needed coffee first. So Ilan and I hopped on the moto to this new spot right on the beach in Zicatela. Danced with our coffees and watched the surfers at @guinocafe

Then it was time to actually get to work. Ilan knows how to do this, but I really wanted to figure it out myself. I think all of us girls should know the basics about our own cars. Still very much a work in progress on that front.

Funny story though, my first trip to @autozonemexico did not go smoothly. I walked in like I had this handled and they asked what kind of car I had. I said four door, four by four. Turns out there were like three different versions of that exact model in that year, so that didn't help much. Then they asked where my old battery was so they could recycle it and give me a discount. I had absolutely no idea I was supposed to bring it. Had to come back a second time with the actual battery in hand.

Round two, much smoother. Tested it, confirmed it was very dead, bought the new one, cleaned the connectors, put it all back together.

Something I actually really appreciate about living in Mexico, it's a lot less "drop it off and they handle everything" and a lot more learn how things actually work. People repair things instead of just replacing them. I'm slowly becoming a little more mechanical because of it, and I'm here for it.

Moment of truth. Turned the key. It worked.

No men needed. 💁‍♀️💅

#diycarmaintenance
#womenwhofixthings
#themovementproject taken in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca by @gowithkelly

22

11

a day ago

Are you waiting for your life to get better without actually changing anything?

I've been guilty of this too.

Last episode I told you I was starting an experiment to bring more fun back into my life. Then I realized something. "I'm going to have more fun" isn't a plan. It's just a nice idea.

So here's the actual experiment. Three commitments: something daily, something weekly, something monthly. The one rule, it can't be something I'm already doing. I already have my gym schedule, my classes, padel. This isn't about doing more of what I'm already good at. It's about the parts of my life that have quietly gotten neglected.

Because I think we all do this. We wait to meet people until life gets less busy. We wait to try something new until we feel more confident. We wait for the perfect plan before we make a change.

Turns out it works the opposite way. You move first. Then things change.

Next episode I'm deciding my daily commitment. If you want to do this with me, start thinking about yours too. Not something impressive. Just one small thing that would make your life feel a little more full.

Episode 3 coming soon. I'll tell you what I picked. 👇

#themovementproject #millennial #reinvention #jjyapchallenge taken in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca by @gowithkelly

11

4

2 days ago

For the last year or two I’ve been living on the opposite side of town from where most stuff happens. Spikeball, sunset hangs, dinners, all on the other side.

So people would text me. Come watch the sunset. Come play spikeball. Come to dinner.

And I’d say, I’ll let you know. Which sounds harmless. It’s really not.

Sunsets are the one I’m the most guilty of. It’s such a casual invite, so it’s the easiest one to bail on. Which is dumb because I should be stopping work around that time anyway. It should honestly be a hard stop for me to go watch the sky do something amazing instead of staying on my laptop.

Padel is actually the one thing I’ve gotten good about. Once I committed to it, I started locking in play times and actually showing up when I said I would. And it’s made me realize how different everything feels when you commit instead of leaving it open.

Because when you leave it open, backing out is so easy. I’m tired, long day, I’ll just stay in. One week I looked back and realized I hadn’t done anything. Just work. That was it.

So I’ve been working on actually committing. Telling people yes I’m coming, because once someone’s expecting you, backing out for no real reason gets a lot harder.

Here’s the line I’ve been using to tell the difference. If three days before, I already know I don’t want to go, that’s real, that’s an actual no. But if three days before I wanted to go? Whatever resistance shows up in the moment is just tiredness talking.

Staying home felt easier in the moment. It wasn’t making me happier. It was just making me more isolated.

Anybody else guilty of leaving things open so you can back out quietly? 👇

#themovementproject #millennial #reinvention #jjyapchallenge #jjyapchallengecohort2 taken in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca by @gowithkelly

14

2

4 days ago

I used to be really fun. Like, life of the party fun. Sometimes a little too fun, which is probably part of why I don't drink much anymore.

Somewhere over the last few years, settling down in Mexico, working full time, getting laid off, job hunting, figuring out what's next, I stopped putting attention into the parts of my life that actually make me happy.

Here's the ironic part. I got laid off so I'd technically have more free time. Instead I've been on my computer like 10 hours a day. AI bootcamp, a social media course, job applications, building my own content. Going hard on all of it. Which is crazy because I'm unemployed right now. I should also be enjoying some of this free time while I have it.

So I'm starting an experiment. Calling it The Movement Project. Making actual time for the things I know bring me joy, instead of just saying I will eventually.

Episode 2 is coming later this week and I'll show you exactly what I'm changing first.

For now, just sit with this. What's one part of your life that's been getting less attention than it deserves?

Don't answer yet. Just think about it. And if you want to do this with me, even better. It's always more fun with company. 👇

#themovementproject #millennial #reinvention #thirties #forties taken in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca by @gowithkelly

43

17

5 days ago

Just two girls navigating the Oaxacan countryside on our way to a meeting.

The beginning of getting a cool new project off the ground here in Puerto. 👀🌸.

Details to come hopefully soon 🤞 taken in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca by @gowithkelly

9

0

7 days ago

5 things that helped me not spiral after getting laid off.

The exit agreement one is worth expanding on. I noticed something I'd been verbally told wasn't actually included in writing. I sent it back and asked for the revision. They had zero issue fixing it.

That's actually the real lesson. If a company genuinely means what they told you, they won't push back on putting it in writing. If they do push back, that tells you something too.

The creative project piece is the one I'd tell anyone to prioritize. It doesn't have to be a business. It could be a class, a hobby, anything that keeps you using your skills and your energy moving instead of feeling stagnant. You genuinely never know where it might lead, but even if it leads nowhere specific, it keeps you motivated through everything else.

And on the doom scrolling, here's what actually worked. Once you stop interacting with the negative content, it doesn't disappear immediately. It takes a week or two of actively scrolling past it, not engaging, before your feed actually shifts. For me it eventually filled with other people talking honestly about being laid off and rebuilding, which was exactly the energy I needed.

None of this fixed everything. But it made the difference between spiraling and actually feeling okay, some days even inspired.

#layoff #millennial #mentalhealth #reinvention taken in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca by @gowithkelly

41

5

8 days ago

If you're laid off right now, it might be time to consider a pay cut. Hear me out.

We're all trained to never go backwards on salary. Six weeks ago a recruiter offered me something slightly below my old salary and I said absolutely not.

Two months into searching, here's where I've landed. The economy genuinely isn't in our favor right now. More qualified candidates than jobs, companies cutting budgets. A lot of us are going to wait a long time holding out for our old salary.

To be clear, I'm not saying take a pay cut for a job you'll hate. That's punishing yourself twice. I'm saying consider it for a role that teaches you new skills, a new industry you've always been curious about, or just less stress and better work-life balance.

The economy ebbs and flows. When it swings back, you negotiate the raise, or take your new skills and move to a company that pays what you're worth.

I don't love this take. I just think it might be the realistic one right now.

Am I alone in this? What are you all doing with your job search? Accepting lower salaries or holding firm?

#layoff #jobsearch #millennial #economy #jjyapchallenge #jjyapchallengecohort2 by @gowithkelly

21

12

9 days ago

Are you sick of being the worst person at sports in your friend group? So was I.

One of my New Year's resolutions, and my friends absolutely laughed at me for this, was to become more competitive. I was always that person at spikeball or pickleball who'd play a few rounds, get bored or embarrassed, and just sit and watch instead.

I never played racket sports growing up. Cheerleading and gymnastics were my thing, so all that hand-eye coordination and team sport instinct just never developed. And I hang out with a lot of naturally athletic people here in Puerto, so I always felt like the one lagging behind.

But then I remembered something. I wasn't naturally fast at learning Spanish either. It took me years of private lessons to actually get good. Some people just pick things up quickly. I'm not one of them. And I finally decided that's fine, I just do it my way, I take the lessons, I put in the extra work, and I don't quit.

Two months of weekly padel lessons later, I'm actually decent. People want me on their team now. And the better you get, the more fun it gets, and the more you can actually be competitive instead of just showing up.

So if this is you, here's your sign. Go get a coach. Put in a little extra effort. It's worth it.

@club.bacocho

#millennial #padel #puertoescondido #growthmindset #jjyapchallenge
. taken in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca by @gowithkelly

38

4

10 days ago

Tonight I'm taking you somewhere a little different.

It's the new moon, which means it's time to shed what's no longer serving you, set new intentions, and call in what you actually want.

Tonight that means a yin yoga and sound bath, something I do pretty regularly here in Puerto.

I hope you can also take a little time today to let go of what isn't serving you anymore, and think about what you actually want to call in.

We both deserve the good stuff. 🌙

@thatshredlife @hotelnectar

#newmoon #puertoescondido #soundbath #yinyoga taken in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca by @gowithkelly

15

0

11 days ago

THIS is why I still love social media

She slid into my DMs after watching my videos and now we're getting sunset drinks.

She just moved here from Florida a few days ago and didn't know anyone yet. Saw one of my videos, messaged me, and I said let me know when you're actually here.

Car wouldn't start today so Ilan had to drop us off instead. Very glamorous start to the evening.

We all know the downsides of social media. But here's one of the genuinely awesome upsides, making a connection with someone you never would have met otherwise, and turning it into an actual real life experience. I don't think there's a better use of this technology than that.

This is exactly what I want social media used for. So if you ever find yourself down here in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, slide into my DMs and let's hang out.

@paraisoescondido_lapunta

🌊

#puertoescondido #immigrant #socialmedia #oaxaca ##méxico taken in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca by @gowithkelly

50

12

12 days ago