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Fear, Faith and the Forest

Fear, Faith and the Forest

Written by: Rich Zapata
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About this listen

Fear, Faith, and the Forest: A Podcast of Hope for the Unemployed

If you're unemployed, you know the struggle. Hundreds of applications. Ghosting. Late-stage rejections. The 3 AM panic. The identity crisis. The endless negativity about how "the market is dead" and "AI is taking over."

Fear, Faith, and the Forest is a weekly podcast for people walking through unemployment—created by someone still in the trenches with you. Moving forward. Driven by faith.

About the Host

Rich Zapata is an unemployed software engineering leader with 12+ years of experience. After 7 years at a fintech company, his position was eliminated in January 2025. Nine months later, he's still searching—and he's not waiting until he "makes it" to share what he's learned.

This podcast isn't a victory lap. It's a real-time guide through the Forest.

© 2026 Fear, Faith and the Forest
Christianity Ministry & Evangelism Spirituality
Episodes
  • Episode 8: Handling Rejection — It's Not Personal, It's Process
    Apr 29 2026

    Rejection is not a possibility in this job search, it's a certainty. In this final episode of Phase 1, Rich tackles one of the hardest parts of unemployment: handling rejection without letting it erode your confidence or derail your momentum.

    He brings back the online dating parallel, introduces the baseball analogy, and shares a lesson from Roger Federer's Dartmouth commencement address that reframes failure entirely. The takeaway is simple but not easy: read it and close it. Step back in the box. And remember, you're not swinging for the fences. You're just looking for a hit.

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    19 mins
  • Episode 7: Your Health — The Non-Negotiables
    Apr 16 2026

    Unemployment is a full-time job, and like any demanding job, it will break down the vessel carrying you through it if you're not careful. In this episode, Rich breaks down the non-negotiables: the things you cannot skip, and the things nobody else is going to do for you.

    He frames it around two concepts, your mind and your body, and walks through five areas you have to protect: sleep and the science behind why it matters more than you think, mental health habits, positive mindset, spiritual grounding, and nutrition and exercise. He also shares the sticky habit trick that helped him lose 25 pounds since January 2025. No crash diet, no gimmick, just basic physics.

    If you've been neglecting yourself while chasing the next opportunity, this episode is your reminder: you can't pour from an empty cup.

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    22 mins
  • Episode 6: Anxiety and The 3 AM Wake-Ups
    Apr 8 2026

    Anxiety during unemployment is real, and it never goes away. It hits at 3 AM, but it also hits at 2:30 on a normal Tuesday afternoon, when the lull catches up to you. In this episode, I share a confession about dipping into my retirement fund, explain the "eye of the storm" moments when panic sets in, and introduce the flat spin recovery; an aviation analogy for pulling yourself out of a mental spiral. I also share how a part-time contract came through a 14-year friendship, and why I believe you are the one who gets you out of this; not a book, not a podcast, not someone else's words. Today's verse is Psalm 94:19: "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." You can't eliminate the anxiety. But you can answer it with facts, starve it with productivity, and outlast it with the knowledge that you are the one who gets you out.

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    Thank you for listening!

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    22 mins
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