No matter what career stage you’re in, finding the right job for you can seem like a daunting task. Whether you’re fresh out of college looking for your first career step, reevaluating your profession in your mid-career, or just lost your job and are looking for a redirection, career uncertainty can feel overwhelming and it can be hard to stay motivated. In this case, it’s important to know how to find a job that feels right.

Empower Work is thrilled to welcome two new members to our Board of Directors, Megamo Nesbit and Adam Rosenzweig, at such a pivotal time for the organization.

The need for Empower Work is growing. And so are we. Since launching in 2018, we’ve served over half a million people with 90% reporting improved mental health and agency after a conversation with a peer counselor. As we look ahead at an uncertain economic and political landscape, strengthening our board and team—with workers we serve at the center—helps us rise to meet the challenges ahead and ensure everyone has the ability to thrive across the country.

Ashley is a career and leadership coach and founder of the coaching practice Unstuck Collective. She brings 10 years of experience in Human Resources, with a strong background in organizational dynamics, performance strategy, and systems thinking. Through her coaching, she helps people navigate difficult workplace challenges, recognize their own agency, and make intentional changes to build the careers and lives they want.

For millions of American families, food insecurity has little to do with whether someone is working. It has everything to do with whether work pays enough, stays consistent, and comes with the stability needed to plan for basic needs. This is the reality Lemontree, a nonprofit food assistance platform, confronts every day — and it's a reality that overlaps closely with the workplace and employment challenges Empower Work exists to address.

Feeling constantly overworked, emotionally drained, and disconnected from your job? These are some signs that you may be having more than just a rough week. You may be experiencing burnout.

When you’re struggling at work, finding the right words to describe what you’re feeling is hard. And finding those words in a language that isn’t your first can feel deeply isolating. If English isn’t your native language, you’re not alone.

Ever wonder what it’s like to text Empower Work? Meet Dawn. Dawn was struggling with long-term unemployment for two years when she reached out to Empower Work for support. She is a caretaker, a mother, and now a CNA who found light at the end of the tunnel of a long and harrowing job search where she’d felt like she’d tried everything. Our writer, Mackenzie, met with Dawn to get a sense of what her job search was like, and what it was like to text Empower Work. 

At Empower Work, we hear from thousands of workers navigating challenges related to career growth, job searches, workplace stress, finding stable employment, and more. We’re proud to support people through these moments via our peer support text line, and through partnerships with trusted community spaces like public libraries. We’re thrilled to be testing a new partnership with public libraries starting with the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), with the goal to supplement the jobs and career support that public libraries offer the library patrons with the Empower Work text line.

Emily Cunningham is a people leader and audit professional that has volunteered with Empower Work for 5 years and almost 400 conversations on the line. Her superpower is adding structure to the unstructured through project management, cross-collaboration, and communicating with transparency. She currently lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two adorable cats, Pika & Zuka.

Challenging work moments are tough and can consume your entire life. Bad managers, toxic coworkers, an overload of work without being paid what you deserve, gaslighting, job loss, long job searches—these work issues can leave you feeling helpless. Not addressing these work issues can lead to long-lasting effects like burnout, anxiety and stress, and poor mental well-being. 

In short, these workplace issues are putting your mental health at risk.  

So, what’s the best first step? Talk to someone. 

This post is part of our peer counselor Q&A series, which shares perspectives of our dedicated and talented volunteers about why they joined Empower Work.

Daniela is a creative professional with a background in marketing, currently working as a freelance designer and photographer. She volunteered with Empower Work for two years, drawn by the organisation’s power of making an impact. For Daniela, every project is an opportunity to make a human difference, and volunteering with Empower Work became one of the most meaningful chapters of her journey.

Losing a job can feel like the ground disappears beneath you. One moment you have structure, income, and a sense of direction. Next, you're faced with uncertainty, difficult questions, and a long list of things you didn’t expect to manage all at once.

This blog offers 5 ways to protect your well-being during unemployment.

This post is part of our peer counselor Q&A series, which shares perspectives of our dedicated and talented volunteers about why they joined Empower Work.

Jenifer Child has volunteered with Empower Work since November, 2021 and has reached 378 hours on the text line! Her work history has included leadership roles across various tech companies all working with program management teams and organizations. Currently she is focused on creating digital art and illustrations. 

At Empower Work, 90% of people report feeling better about their work issue after a conversation with a peer counselor. Volunteer peer counselors are here to listen, ask questions, and help you move forward and take your next steps. Sometimes, you just need to talk to someone who gets it.

If you’ve ever wondered what actually happens when you text Empower Work, this guide walks you through the experience, step by step.

There are moments when the weight of the world feels especially heavy. The news may feel relentless and the future may feel unclear. And somehow, in the middle of all that, you’re still expected to show up to work, answer emails, meet deadlines, and carry on like nothing is wrong.  

If work feels impossible right now, you’re not alone.

A new year is often wrapped with language of fresh starts and resolutions, making January feel hopeful and inspiring. You typically hear the phrase, “new year, new me.” There are new calendars, new goals, new promises to ourselves that this year will be different or better in some ways. 

But what if you’re dragging in the same work stress from last year into a new one? 

Whether you’re searching for your first role or making a major career pivot, job hunting can be overwhelming. At Empower Work, we hear from people every day navigating the uncertainty, stress, and self-doubt that can come with the process. The good news? You're not alone—and these actionable steps will bring more clarity, confidence, and community into your search. In this blog, we share 8 tips to help you stay grounded and empowered along the way.

It usually starts on Sunday afternoon. You’re trying to enjoy your weekend, but a familiar dread begins to creep in—an overwhelming, feeling you just can’t shake.

That’s the ‘Sunday Scaries’—the anxiety many people feel as the weekend winds down and the workweek looms. It’s a real and common experience, often tied to stress about deadlines, meetings, or difficult dynamics at work.

Some days it hits you like a wave. Other days it creeps in slowly. But it’s there: the anxiety, the dread, and the exhaustion from a job that you hate. If you’ve ever thought, “My job is destroying my mental health and I don’t know what to do,” you’re not alone. At Empower Work, we hear from people every day who are struggling—not just with heavy workloads or toxic managers—but with the toll it’s taking on their well-being. And many feel stuck, afraid, or unsure of what the next step could be.

Losing your job can feel like the floor has dropped out from under you. Whether you saw it coming or it happened suddenly, getting fired is overwhelming. There’s the financial pressure and emotional weight, and there can also be a sense of shame or fear about what’s next.