Who Are You Without the Title? James Wodek on Getting Let Go and Starting to Live
In this episode of “Work-Life Balance Is Bullshit,” host Adam Dellos sits down with James Wodek, his friend, skydiving student turned skydive coach, and fellow coach at Being In Action. After nearly 20 years in supply chain analytics, James was let go from his role leading a fulfillment strategy and analytics team at Carvana. Instead of rushing into the next job, he gave himself six months to live. James shares what that first stretch of free time really felt like, how he now splits his weeks between co-founding Exasperated Engineer Brewing, coaching business owners, and teaching skydiving, and why a set schedule keeps “free floating James” in check. He and Adam bust two myths: that getting let go is the worst thing that can happen to your career, and that your job title is who you are. Along the way, James gets put on the spot with a question neither of them saw coming: if your life were a product, what would it be? In this episode: * Getting let go from Carvana, and why James chose not to rush back * Learning how to handle all that free time after 20 years in a routine * How James decides where his time goes now that a job title isn’t deciding for him * Going from a prescriptive manager to a question-based coach * His quiz result, and what “money is the loudest” brought up * The two chapters of the book that hit him hardest * A thank-you to the three mentors who refused to let him stay small * Myths busted: getting let go is the worst thing for your career, and your job title is who you are Links: * [Work-Life Balance Is Bullshit Podcast](https://worklifebalanceisbullshit.com/podcast) * [Take the Quiz](https://worklifebalanceisbullshit.com/#quiz) * [Adam on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamdellos) * [Adam on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/adamd.beinginaction) Guest Bio: James Wodek is the co-founder of Exasperated Engineer Brewing (also known as Double E) in the East Valley of Phoenix, and a coach and consultant with Being In Action Coaching. He spent nearly 20 years in analytics and supply chain, most recently leading a fulfillment strategy and analytics team at Carvana. He is also a skydiving coach with more than 370 jumps who teaches first jump courses. Most days you can find him brewing, coaching, or falling through the sky, and he will always pick up the phone for a friend. Guest Links: * Exasperated Engineer Brewing on Untappd: https://www.exasperatedengineerbrewing.com/ * Find Double E on tap at Sacred Pint in Queen Creek and Mesa https://share.google/0uGPdc0X4pArc46md * Email: james.wodek@exasperatedengineerbrewing.com
