Last month, I found myself at a local concert—a dad band that had the perfect playlist for a packed bar full of Gen Xers (The Joker by Steve Miller Band nearly brought down the house!) —catching up with friends who’ve dedicated their careers to civil service and mission-driven work.
As we talked, a sobering pattern emerged. Despite working across different federal agencies, democracy-focused non-profits, and international development organizations, they all shared the same unsettling experiences. As the lone “corporate girl” in our circle, what struck me was how much it sounded like employee experiences when one company acquires another in the private sector — except these were public servants and non-profit leaders who had never experienced anything like this before.
The conversations stayed with me. Watching careers, agencies, and organizations unravel over the following weeks left me feeling helpless.
But Michelle Obama’s words kept surfacing in my mind: “When they go low, we go high.”
Instead of sitting with that helplessness, I decided to channel it into action by sharing what I’ve learned from the past year experimenting with AI and applying it to the unprecedented need for thousands of public servants and non-profit leaders faced with a career transition. This post is dedicated to anyone facing an unexpected career crossroads. I hope this helps you rise above what’s happening and find something that truly lights you up in this next chapter.
For the past year, I’ve been experimenting with AI assistants (primarily ChatGPT and Claude) to boost my productivity and effectiveness. What I’ve discovered is that these tools can be particularly valuable during career transitions when you’re trying to:
The good news? Many of these tools are accessible without specialized technical knowledge or a large subscription fee. And with the right approach, they can function as your personal career strategist.
Based on my experiments, I’ve created two resources specifically for people facing unexpected career transitions.
This guide provides an overview of how to access and use a custom GPT that I created. It is available to anyone with a ChatGPT account (free or paid). It serves as a specialized assistant that can help you:
What makes this particularly helpful is that it’s pre-configured with specific instructions and reference materials about career transitions from government and non-profit sectors. It provides consistent, relevant guidance without requiring you to provide extensive context each time.
What other questions are you trying to answer as you navigate this change? Send me an note and I’ll try to find more ways to make this better!
➡️ GUIDE: Build Your Own Personal AI Career Transition GPT
For those with a ChatGPT Plus subscription ($20/month), I’ve created a guide to building your own personalized career coach custom GPT. This approach allows you to:
The real value here is continuity. Rather than starting each conversation from scratch, your Personal AI Career Transition GPT retains project-specific details and can provide increasingly relevant support as you navigate your job search.
If you’d like more tutorials on how to set something like this up, drop me a note and let me know what you’d like to learn more about.
When you’re suddenly facing a career crossroads—especially one you didn’t choose—there’s an overwhelming amount of work ahead. From updating materials to researching opportunities to preparing for interviews, the process can feel like a full-time job itself. Additionally, negative self-talk and feelings of overwhelm can become major barriers.
AI tools can help by:
While AI won’t replace human networking, mentorship, or your own judgment, it can free up your mental energy for the human connections that ultimately lead to opportunities.
If you or someone you know is navigating an unexpected career transition from government, non-profit, or international development work, I hope these resources provide some practical and actionable support. The dedication and expertise you’ve brought to public service and mission-driven work represent valuable skills and perspectives that other sectors need.
As we navigate this challenging moment together, I’m reminded that career transitions—even unexpected ones—often lead to new possibilities we couldn’t have imagined. And sometimes, going high means using every tool at our disposal to move forward with purpose and resilience.Would you like to learn more about either of these AI resources? Or do you have questions about leveraging AI in your own career transition? Drop me a note—I’d love to help.
November 18, 2025
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