Adaptive Humans

When change hits at work—a layoff, reorg, or new leadership—it doesn’t just shake your job. It shakes identity, belonging, and the body’s sense of safety.

In this episode of Adaptive Humans™, host Jami de Lou shares practical, compassionate tools for navigating those first few days after everything changes. You’ll learn how to spot your body’s stress patterns, build a 72-hour plan to find stability, and support others through uncertainty.
This episode is for anyone who’s been laid off, “survived” a reorg, or leads a team in transition.

In This Episode
  • What fight, flight, freeze, and fawn look like at work — and how to move through them
  • How to create a 72-hour plan for your first three days of transition
  • Self-care cues, breathing resets, and short focus sprints to re-regulate
  • Text and meeting scripts to set boundaries and ask for help
  • Practical actions for managers supporting impacted teams

What is Adaptive Humans?

Adaptive Humans™ is the podcast for real talk and intentional growth. Hosted by Jami de Lou, each episode blends meaningful stories with practical tools you can use in your next meeting, tough conversation, or high-pressure moment—and just as easily in everyday life. Together, we’ll explore how to work with emotions instead of against them, bridge differences with respect, and steady ourselves when stress runs high. With signature segments like Beyond the Bio, Brave Enough Moment, and Just Be Reset, this podcast invites you to practice adaptability in the moments that matter most.

Chapters
00:00 Welcome + why this episode
01:20 The moment the calendar ping lands
03:00 How identity and culture shape our reactions
05:25 Fight / Flight / Freeze / Fawn at work
12:40 Your 72-Hour Plan — Day 1: Triage
17:50 Day 2: Meaning Map
22:30 Day 3: Momentum
26:00 Micro Tools for Regulation
32:00 Manager Moves That Actually Help
36:00 Closing Reflections + What’s Next
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Quick Guide: Fight / Flight / Freeze / Fawn at Work
Fight → push back, sharp tone, micromanaging
• Self-care cue: tension in jaw/neck
• Reset: exhale longer than you inhale (in 4 / out 8)
• Script: “I’ll have more to say after I process this. Can we schedule a follow-up?”
Flight → avoid email, overbook, doom-scroll
• Cue: restlessness, urge to multitask
• Script: “I’ll review this and send one question and one recommendation by [time].”
Freeze → blank mind, can’t prioritize
• Cue: numbness, shallow breath
• Reset: 5-4-3-2-1 orienting (see/hear/feel/smell/taste)
• Action: open a note titled “Next 24 Hours.”
Fawn → over-apologize, say yes to everything
• Cue: automatic yes before checking capacity
• Script: “I can do X by Friday or Y by Wednesday—what’s most useful?”
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The 72-Hour Plan
Day 1 — Triage: separate facts from fears, list benefits + coverage, make two calls (practical + empathetic), steady your breath.
Day 2 — Meaning Map: write down what’s ending, what stays, and what’s next for now.
Day 3 — Momentum: make three reach-outs (intro, advice, offer help), protect your energy, and schedule rest.
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Micro Tools for Reset
• Box Breathing + “I Feel / I Need” — in 4 / hold 4 / out 4 / hold 4
→ e.g., I feel anxious and I need one clear next step.
• 12-Minute Focus Sprint — one screen, one task, one percent forward
• Orienting 5-4-3-2-1 — name what you can see, feel, hear, smell, and taste
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Manager Moves
• Clarity check: What changed / What didn’t / What’s unknown
• Human sweep: who needs a check-in today?
• Stabilizing message: “We’re still processing. Here’s what I know and don’t know.”
• Ask: What do you need most this week, and what can I take off your plate?
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Closing Reflection
Transitions ask us to be brave in small and honest ways. Emotional intelligence helps us name what’s real. Cultural intelligence reminds us others experience change differently. And nervous system regulation keeps us steady enough to choose curiosity over reactivity.
If this episode resonates, share it with someone navigating a layoff, a manager leading through change, or anyone finding their footing again.
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Next Episodes
✨ Support & Advocacy in Birthwork — with Leah Hairston, founder of Sweet Bee Services
💭 Caregiving and Belonging — coming soon
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Connect
Host: Jami de Lou
🎧 Adaptive Humans™ — Real Talk. Intentional Growth.
🔗 deloustrategies.com/podcast