4 Surprising Lessons I Learned When I Was Fired While Pregnant

4 Surprising Lessons I Learned When I Was Fired While Pregnant Getting fired is never an easy pill to swallow. But add being pregnant on top, and youve got a recipe for outright panic. That situation is exactly what happened when I was working as an executive at a major publishing company and my CEO was fired. Shortly after, I lost my job too, as part of that management shakeup. I hadnt disclosed my early pregnancy to friends and family yet, much less to my employer. So while Im sure my pregnancy wasnt the reason for my termination, it definitely played a large role in how I personally experienced this massive change.I learned a lot from losing my job and looking for a new one while two months pregnant including how to manage stress and network like Id never networked before. But here are fur other lessons that have stuck with me.1. You find unexpected strength in your darkest moments.After being fired from a job Id worked so hard for and coming out on the other side alive, I realiz ed that I could do anything. Losing my job wasnt the end of the world. The sun still rose the next morning, and I still had a life to live. Even mora, I had another life on the way that I needed to support. And I did.Theres something about tough times that builds resilience. I knew I couldnt give up, so I didnt. And now, its easier for me to tackle any challenge that comes my way large or small because I know I can make it through tough times.2. True friends and family will be supportive.When I lost my job, many of my close friends and family didnt know that I was pregnant. But when I disclosed the full scenario, the people that truly cared about me were more than willing to lend a hand.It can be so hard to ask for help, but realizing I had so many people who were willing to vouch for me changed my entire worldview. I learned that relationships are meant to be give and take, and that theres no shame in reaching out to those you love for support (as long as youre willing to return the favor when your time comes around). My friends, family, and former colleagues supported me in my job search. And eventually, they supported me when I decided to start my own company.3. Getting fired isnt always a bad thing.Generally, our society sees getting fired as the worst case scenario for your career. We see it as proof of failure or a disruption in our lifes plan. And trust me, Ive generally been the type of person that liked having a plan. But when I was fired, I learned that life is not about always having control. And sometimes, what you consider the worst case scenario isnt actually as bad as imagine it will be.Yes, I lost my job when I especially needed it to support the family I was growing. It definitely was an overwhelming experience. But I didnt die. And I found another job that has turned out to be the best job Ive ever had. Although I worked hard at my brde job and believed in my work, I was fundamentally trying to turn around a product and business line on the wrong side of history. And sometimes, you have to realize that getting fired is just the consequence of taking a big career risk. Often, women find themselves on the glass cliff theyre put into leadership roles when the chance of failure is highest and they accept because, well, when else will they get that kind of role? Failure in these circumstances should be celebrated you put it all on the line.Ultimately, getting fired happens to many people over the course of their career. Its not proof of personal moral failure. And neither is not having a perfectly linear career. Being fired taught me a lot of life lessons bringing into clear focus the specific workplace experiences woman uniquely face, about the job search, about finances, and about myself and my risk tolerance levels and ultimately brought me to create something Im even more passionate about.4. You may even feel inspired.Being fired was a big aha moment in terms of my coming to grips with my own identity. Interviewing while two months pregnant (and hiding it) was the first experience in my career when I couldnt deny that as a woman, I do have different professional experiences than men that could negatively affect my job search. I needed to know that whatever job I took would allow me to rise through the ranks to become the executive I wanted to be despite also being a mother. But it was almost impossible to get information on how employers really treat female employees. I knew women required (and deserved) better. That inspired me to found Fairygodboss, the largest career community for women, with Romy Newman.In 2015, Fairygodboss began as crowdsourced job review site, for women, by women. And over the last three years, it has evolved to be the largest career community for women. I wouldve never realized this gap in the market or this gap in society had I not been fired. The difficult emotions and tough conversations I tackled led me to build this product, lead a company, and learn more about myself than had everything gone smoothly.--Georgene Huang is the CEO of Fairygodboss.