And yet, stubbornly optimistic.

As we return to work after the holiday break, there's a growing sense that the ground beneath us is less solid, and that old assumptions about stability no longer hold.

This economy isn't working for an unusual suspect: the "poor rich." And that's not just my personal frustration, it's a policy failure.

I wrote an op-ed published in the Chicago Sun-Times that builds on a The Wall Street Journal piece I contributed to because I kept seeing the same story repeat itself: My husband and I laid off within weeks of each other last spring. A PhD-educated researcher laid off alongside hundreds of others. A local small business owner forced to cut her professional staff in half. Long-stable careers suddenly unraveling.

I wanted to give voice to the layoffs rippling through nonprofits, academia, corporate America, and government, and to the erosion of stability many of us weren't prepared for. Multiply these experiences by tens of thousands of households and a bigger picture comes into focus: this isn't isolated bad luck. It's a structural shift.

And still, as we head into the new year, I remain stubbornly optimistic. I'm choosing momentum, one pedal stroke at a time. I'm energized by the work ahead and excited about what I'm building in my growing communications consulting practice. Naming the problem is the first step toward fixing it. Let's get this economy working for everyone. Our lives and our society depend on it.

P.S.- WBEZ Chicago interview with Sasha-Ann Simons and The New York Times journalist Noam Scheiber: College-educated job seekers are facing the music: A degree isn’t always enough.

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