RAW with Uma
The Brutal Truth About Ageism, Relevance and Surviving The Modern Job Market
Everyone was taught the same corporate bargain: keep your head down, work hard, build experience, and eventually you will be rewarded. But what happens when decades of hard work no longer guarantee safety? In this episode, Uma sits down with executive career strategist and TEDx speaker Loren Greiff to expose why hard work is not job security, why calling yourself a “seasoned executive” may actually damage your career, and why relevance matters far more in today’s market. Loren explains why social media has become the new CV, how professional invisibility carries an expensive price tag, and why nobody can hire, promote, or advocate for someone they cannot clearly see. This conversation is a practical guide to staying visible, valuable, and employable at every age. From Loren’s 68 TEDx rejections and being fired at 55 to the exact framework she uses to identify your unfair advantage, the episode breaks down how to position yourself around urgent and expensive problems, build an evidence file of your impact, find sponsors before you need them, and create a network that can carry your reputation into rooms you are not in. Loren also shares the powerful reminder at the heart of her work: we do not age out by living longer—we age out by living smaller. IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 | Teaser 01:00 | The Hard Work = Safety Myth 04:27 | Why “Seasoned” Is a Red Flag 05:03 | Relevance Over Tenure 06:33 | Social Is Your New CV 08:51 | The Cost of Invisibility 10:18 | The Mountain Climber Story 15:13 | Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable 17:41 | Embarrassment Is the Cost of Entry 19:04 | 68 Rejections and Spiritual Sandpaper 25:26 | The Unfair Advantage Framework 31:41 | Building Your Evidence File 37:39 | Networking Before You Need It 40:12 | Loren’s Story: Fired at 55 43:45 | Mentors and Inspiration 48:42 | Closing: Don’t Age Out by Living Smaller Loren Greiff | President | Portfoliorocket.com Loren Greiff is an executive career strategist who helps experienced leaders remain relevant, visible, and competitive in a rapidly changing job market. After being fired at 55, Loren rebuilt her career and transformed her experience into work that helps other professionals position themselves around the problems they are uniquely qualified to solve. Her TEDx journey included 68 rejections before she finally reached the stage—a process she describes as “spiritual sandpaper” that built resilience, humility, and conviction. Now in her sixties, Loren openly challenges the idea that age determines a person’s professional value. Her work focuses on helping executives move beyond outdated titles, generic experience statements, and traditional CVs to communicate their relevance, judgment, impact, and unfair advantage. Through her writing, speaking, coaching, and online presence, she advocates for taking courageous risks, building relationships before they are needed, and refusing to become professionally invisible. Connect with Loren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff Raw With Uma Do you feel like you're working harder than everyone around you but still getting overlooked for the opportunities you deserve? Take the free Discover Your 2026 Visibility Stage assessment and find out what's actually standing between you and being seen. → https://form.jotform.com/252218729975470 Follow RAW with Uma: On Instagram → https://instagram.com/rawwithuma On LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/raw-with-uma/ Follow Uma Thana : Follow Uma on Instagram → https://instagram.com/uma_raw Connect with Uma on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana Listen on: Apple Podcast → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/id1821559768 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e
