July 2025 Defined Departures: Creating Your Own “Good Goodbye” with Katrina Mitchell

While most of our speakers join us with reflections and guidance gleaned from long past endings, sometimes people are reporting to you from the thick of it. This was the case when community member Katrina Mitchell reached out to me to propose sharing about what she was going through in the midst of a layoff from her work in the global health space earlier this year. Despite the fear, shock, and distress, of this untimely layoff, Katrina was able to “make lemons out of lemonade” and craft an ending — and a burgeoning framework — she could be proud of!

Here is some of what she shared:

Pause Is A Radical Act

Katrina by sharing that immediately upon being informed that she was to be let go from her organization, she decided to get up from her desk and go for a crisp, winter walk along the river near to where she lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Similar to past speakers like Sarah Weiler, Katrina spoke about the perspective she gained from being out in nature. The time outside gave her a quiet resolve to do her best to leave this role in a way that worked for her.

I knew that I was gonna need something for myself. The HR meeting wasn’t going to be enough, and the tactical hand-off of my work wasn’t gonna get me to closure. I knew I needed to craft something that would be a bridge to hope.

3, 2, 1……Go!

Using a version of the 3,2,1 reflection exercise, Katrina used her final 60 days on the job to conduct over a dozen, healing and informative conversations with colleagues to give her a better sense of what she had accomplished during her time there. She asked the all to:

• Name 3 things they had transformed in their short time together
• Identify 2 areas of work that would need to be released
• Describe 1 “super power” that the other person possessed

Using these three prompts as a jumping-off point, Katrina was able to facilitate conversations that invited in grief while honoring the impact that she had made during her time in this role. The fruits of these conversation have and continue to provide nourishment to Katrina as she navigates this time of transition.

The 4Ps: Purpose, People, Process, Pause

Katrina went on to share her evolving 4P list of considerations for crafting a good goodbye. She thinks it is important to first determine what you are hoping to get out of your hand-crafted goodbye. After deciding that, you can select who you want to be part of it. Unlike the ill-conceived ice cream social that her organization held to send-off the laidoff employees, she was able to pick and choose who would —and would not— be involved.

Once she knew was clear on her purpose and which co-workers she wanted to loop in, she then selected the activities she wanted them to engage in. Finally, she encourages people to take a pause if they are able to reflect on what they learned and strategize about where they want to go next. For this “pause period”, she shared the Strategy Triage Tool from the Center for Community Investment. She also shared her own Crafting A Good Goodbye worksheet, which is available for anyone to copy and use.

Thanks so much to Katrina for her time, expertise, and vulnerability during this moving session!