Perceived setbacks can spark pivots, and pivots can lead to something beautiful. These are the stories of women who are reinventing themselves, breaking new ground, and turning the page. Welcome to “The Pivot.”

This week, we’re talking with D’Janae Robinson, a Texas-based entrepreneur in her 30s. After experiencing four layoffs between 2019 and 2024, Robinson used those moments to pivot toward her purpose.

We often think of layoffs in dollars and cents and jump to the “what’s next.” But your layoffs were a spiritual reset of sorts in your Christian walk.

We end up chasing societal metrics of success, but simultaneously, we can feel empty and depleted with no sense of identity. My layoff experience was actually the best thing that ever happened to me, because it allowed me to pivot into purpose. God told me, “I allowed you to get laid off because you wouldn’t have left willingly.” My identity was in the status quo, and it wasn’t in who opened that door.

Four layoffs in five years is certainly a test. Let’s walk through that season for a moment.

Every time that I was laid off, I was employed and unemployed for the same amount of time. So I was on a job for about eight to nine months, and then unemployed for eight to nine months.

When the first layoff happened, I went through a season of being depressed, and was on LinkedIn every day, all day, over analyzing and over networking. I lost who I was. The second time, I had the mindset of “Forget it. I’m taking this unemployment check, and traveling the world.” Unfortunately, it led me into a season of missed stewardship and I did everything except what God called me to do. God was calling me into full-time entrepreneurship, and I hesitated, not because I didn’t hear Him, but because I had placed more faith in a paycheck than in God as my provider. 

The third time I got laid off I said, “Something is not right. There’s no possible way that I have this experience and I’m still getting impacted by the layoffs.”  I did some self reflection and considered what my non-negotiables were. I had to recondition myself to consider what does landing well and success look like now? Whatever was coming next, I could no longer afford to continue having the mindset I did in the tech world where my faith was aligned with that check.

But, you know, we’re always tested. My unemployment was about to run out and a job opportunity came. Because it was familiar territory at my alma mater, I took it. I moved to a different city, tied myself to a lease and then my position was dissolved in six months. I shouldn’t have taken that fourth job.

After four layoffs and much reflection, you realize perhaps the next move has been right there all along.

During COVID, I began speaking virtually for corporate clients seeking DEI experts. I capitalized on my network and leveraged social platforms to create opportunities. By the beginning of 2024, those virtual rooms turned into in-person bookings. But instead of staying the course, I made a pivot back into corporate. The opportunity felt familiar; it felt like home. But familiarity is not the same as alignment. It was the wrong decision because I chose a 9–5 over entrepreneurship; comfort over calling. Six months into the role, my position was dissolved. I found myself unemployed and locked into a lease for six more months. After my fourth layoff, I finally reached full surrender. I was tired of doing things my way. I was exhausted from resisting God’s way.

October 2024 is when the shift really happened, and then I attended Afrotech in faith, which led to 56 speaking opportunities. In November 2024, I declared to myself for the first time that I would be a full-time speaker. I said, “I’m D’Janae Robinson, a trusted keynote speaker known for helping leaders spark courageous conversations through interactive keynotes and workshops. And I’m here to expand my speaker clientele list.” It’s been a ride ever since. I’m closing out 2025 with 30+ speaking engagements, and for Q1 2026, I’m booked almost every weekend.

What financial decisions anchored you in the midst of that challenging season? And conversely, what scripture encouraged you?

​​The financial decision that anchored me was surrendering my past, present, and future income to the Kingdom. Faith, I’ve learned, is much like being a gardener. There are seasons when you plant a seed that requires tedious, intentional care. You may not see any visible growth, but what’s happening beneath the soil matters most. Roots are forming long before fruit appears.

Galatians 6:9 which reads  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

What would you say to a woman contemplating a pivot but is hesitant? 

We spend so much of our lives doing everything we have no desire to do. 

you  chase something you thought you wanted,  only to obtain this level of success and realize it’s not enough. Why not put that same energy into what you’ve been called to do? And I believe without a doubt, if it’s in alignment with purpose, you will never have to worry because the tools you used in doing the thing you really didn’t want to do are the transferable skills needed for the thing that you have been destined to do.

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