# Waiting for the Axe to Fall 😰

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/moonshot-mentor-with-laverne-mckinnon-6611026/waiting-for-the-axe-to-fall
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/moonshot-mentor-with-laverne-mckinnon-6611026/waiting-for-the-axe-to-fall.md
Podcast: [Moonshot Mentor with Laverne McKinnon](https://stenobird.com/podcast/moonshot-mentor-with-laverne-mckinnon-6611026)
Published: 2026-04-27T12:06:00+00:00
Episode link: https://moonshotmentor.substack.com/p/waiting-for-the-axe-to-fall
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/195345298/12deb130cf47106985937abf9e071b5b.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/moonshot-mentor-with-laverne-mckinnon-6611026/episodes/waiting-for-the-axe-to-fall
Duration seconds: 493

## Resource

Rebecca, a senior executive at Warner Bros., just wants to know the truth of what’s going on with the Paramount merger and when she’s going to be axed. The uncertainty is “killing her.” She’s not alone. Not even close. 2026 is packed with mergers and consolidations across industries: Devon Energy and Coterra. SpaceX and xAI. Engie and UK Power Networks. Tens of thousands of people going to work every day inside organizations mid-transformation, wondering the same thing Rebecca is wondering. Am I going to be okay? And here’s the thing: she’s not being dramatic. The waiting — that particular brand of not-knowing — is one of the most exhausting places a career can put you. What Rebecca is experiencing has a name: anticipatory grief . It’s the grief we feel before a loss that hasn’t fully landed yet — when the change is coming but hasn’t arrived, when the future feels like it’s being written without you chiming in. And the reason it matters — the reason I’m writing about it — is because of what happens when it goes unrecognized. The Thing That Will Trip You Up If You Let It Most conversations about job uncertainty focus on the practical stuff. Update your resume. Build your network. Stay visible. All good. All useful. But they skip the thing that’s going to trip you up unless you recognize and take care of it now. When anticipatory grief goes unnamed, it tends to seed apathy . A low-grade helplessness. A “why bother” feeling that creeps into the edges of your days and makes it hard to invest in anything — your work, your relationships, your future — because some part of you has already checked out. This is you protecting yourself from a disappointment that hasn’t happened yet. I see this in high performers especially. They keep showing up. But their spark has gotten a litt…

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## Transcript

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