Rebuilding Yourself After the Fall

Why Your Identity Should Come From Your Values—Not Your Employer

Never build your entire identity around a corporation—unless you own it, and even then, nothing’s guaranteed. I spent 13 years at Apple. Thirteen years of dedication, thousands of hours, doing the right thing, being the “Apple Guy.” I drank the Kool-Aid. Then one day, someone snapped their fingers and I was out. Just like that. And when the dust settled, I was left sitting there with a pretty brutal question: Who am I without this?

For a long time, people came to me with their questions, their tech drama, their “which iPhone should I buy?” moments. I taught Apple products every day. And honestly? I wanted to see Apple take responsibility for the rising anxiety and depression tied to the devices we all carry. Especially for younger people. There was (and still is) such a massive need for real education around tech addiction. But the truth is simple: these devices are designed to keep you hooked. You don’t fix the thing that makes you money.

So here I am, asking not only “Who am I?” but “Who do I want to be next?” Job hunting forces you to imagine yourself in roles you haven’t stepped into yet, while also remembering you’re not defined by any of those roles—no matter how much you feel pressured to convince interviewers otherwise.

That’s why, if you’re going to anchor your identity to anything, let it be your own work. And even that gets messy when it grows. Look at Dan Harris—the journalist who had a panic attack on live TV, discovered meditation, and co-founded the 10% Happier app. When he split from the company, it shook him to his core. Or Steve Jobs—booted from the very company he built. Luckily he came back and saved Apple once…but he’s not here to save them from themselves now.

So how do you protect yourself? I think the trick is tying your identity to your values, not your job. If I know I’m a creative person at my core, then I’ll bring that creativity to any job—whether I’m hired for it, doing my own thing, or in between gigs entirely. Losing a job doesn’t take your values away. You’re still you.

Because let’s be honest: corporations love to tell you you’re “family,” that you “matter,” that they “care.” It’s all marketing. If they were truly a family, if they were truly empathetic or enlightened, forgiveness and humanity wouldn’t be conditional. But corporations don’t have empathy. They have profit margins.

So this holiday season, try not to get crushed by the chaos. Give yourself the gift of figuring out your core values. Write them down. Keep them close. In those hard moments—job loss, change, uncertainty—they’re the anchor that reminds you who you actually are.

Take it easy,

James