When Melanie Ehrenkranz, the founder of the "Laid Off" Substack newsletter, launched her newsletter for unemployed workers in August 2024, she didn’t expect to create a vibrant, active community of over 11,000 readers in less than a year.
In addition to the newsletter, Ehrenkranz also runs a Discord community, which offers its members additional ways to connect, support each other and navigate the uncharted waters of unemployment during the second Trump term. This community is private for paid readers at the monthly fee of $5.
