MATT NAZARIO-MILLER

With November comes my birthday. I love my birthday. It’s always the day after Halloween and marks the start of a new month and the winding down of the Gregorian calendar year.

This year was different, though, because of the intense season of career transformation I find myself in. My partner and I took to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania to ring in the start of a new year of my life, and while there, I made space for reflection.

Mostly, I kept returning to a feeling of pride for what I’d been able to accomplish in those first 90 days since I got the layoff notice from Stanford University on July 30. In that time, I’ve managed to:

• land and start a contracted role with LinkedIn’s Global Talent Organization in NYC; 🎉
• catalyze the formation of a nationwide learning community with more than 70 professionals, the Higher Education Staff Hope Collective; ✨
• and, launch my own LLC called Scorpion Rising Strategies. 🚀

All of this has taken place while taking on new freelance clients and projects, actively applying for more than 65 full-time roles nationwide, and interviewing as a finalist for several roles including on-site visits to Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.

A real break soon is much needed, as you can imagine. Until we get to a year-end respite, though, I’m firing on all cylinders to make all the magic happen while I secure my next permanent role.

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Announcing Scorpion Rising Strategies, LLC 🦂🔥💫

At the end of October, I did something I should have done years ago. I finally launched my LLC, which will serve as the official operation for my consulting services and future workshop offerings focused on job search support. I feel so fortunate to be supported by phenomenal clients as my LLC kicks off and to step more fully into the freelance work I do that helps others realize their dreams and goals.

As a proud Scorpio (5 placements throughout my chart, all in my first house) with a track record of rising like a phoenix from the ashes, it felt right to incorporate these elements of my own story into the name of the LLC that brings other’s stories to life with effective marketing communications, compelling written and visual content, and engaging learning experiences.

I’m looking forward to sharing more along the trail as this takes shape—I’m just getting started!

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Nov. 13: Higher Education Staff Hope Collective Gathering ✨

Join tomorrow’s gathering for a presentation about using AI in your job search, a career panel of higher ed staff pivoters spanning tech, health care, and non-profits, and time for community building.

🔗 All current or former staff at any college or university are invited; register for free to get the Zoom link: mattnazario.com/contact

Event Details:
⏰ Nov. 13, 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET ➡️ Zoom (unrecorded)

💡 Presentation: Thomas Robertson and Alex Potashnik will join us to present about Catenate.AI, Inc., an AI-powered platform that offers personalized career guidance. Hear directly from Catenate.AI co-founders about how this tool can support your career next steps and engage in live Q&A.

💡 Career Panel: We will host a panel of professionals who have all successfully made the pivot from higher education staff roles to new career pathways—moderated by me, Matt Nazario-Miller, M.Ed.

I’m thrilled to be joined by:
⭐ Chris Kent, Program Specialist, California Department of Health Care Access and Information
⭐ Eva Long, M.Ed., Sr. Manager, Organizational Networks & Engagement, YMCA of the USA
⭐ Leilani Pecher-Reyes, Communications & Engagement Manager, Bay Area Center for Faith, Work & Tech
⭐ Michael Gamez, Culture Program Manager, VCA Animal Hospitals

Interested in getting involved with the Hope Collective as a guest speaker/facilitator? I’m always looking for collaborators to share expertise and resources with our community, which has grown to over 80+ colleagues globally. Send an email to explore getting on the 2026 program calendar: staffhopecollective@mattnazario.com

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Join Matt’s Job Search Updates Email List 📧

The first 100 or so days of my job search process have been wild, to say the least—there have been lots of twists and turns along the way already, and these monthly roundups on my site are missing many juicy details. I will be launching a casual weekly email update for colleagues and friends who are interested in staying in-the-know about how my search is going and how you can support me.

Thank you to Karina Macias Sandoval for the inspiration to start this weekly practice as my search for a permanent role continues. 👏🏼

I’ll be proactively adding folks who I am already keeping updated about my search, but if you want to be sure you’re on the list, email me directly to let me know and opt in: mattmnazario@gmail.com