Laid-off Wellstar employee leaning on faith, community and family while dealing with challenges

At the end of July, Georgia-based Wellstar Health System announced it was laying off nearly 800 employees.

Brian LeSage, a now-former senior consultant for leadership development, is one of the employees who lost their job. He said July 28 started off normally until he checked his email and saw a note from the CEO stating the company was preparing to restructure and cut jobs. Soon after, LeSage said he found out on a Teams call that his position was being eliminated.

"I felt a range of emotions," LeSage said. "Sadness, hurt, disbelief, not sure what's next. What am I going to do? Who am I outside of my job? A lot of emotions came up and realizing your job, your title, your paycheck can be eliminated in a day, but your values and your purpose don't have to die in that spot."

LeSage is a father of four kids ages 2, 4, 6 and 8. He said that within the last year, he has faced some of life's toughest challenges, including a divorce. LeSage said he moved into a new home one week before he lost his job, and the week of the layoff was also the first week he had his children.

"Go back one year ago: divorced, four kids under 8 years old, moving into a new house, finally finding structure and stability, to now a place of being unexpectedly laid off. Blindsided. It was tremendous amounts of hurt and a lot of pain. More tears than I even expected to come up for that whole loss. What is the next check? Am I going to get a next check? When is the next money coming in?"

LeSage said this period of venturing into the unknown has allowed him to focus on his foundation of faith and trusting God to lead the way. The former paramedic said it also gave him additional perspective on the importance of helping out one another.

"Saving and helping people in a time of need, to transitioning into developing people to help others, to then being on the receiving side of needing help really gave me the full picture of exactly what it is that we do and what we need as people. As humans," he said.

He said he hopes his story can help someone else navigate life's unexpected challenges. LeSage became vulnerable and took to LinkedIn to express his thoughts about losing his job and remaining optimistic. The post gained traction, and he said he also gained a sense of support and community from people who responded or reached out.

In an effort to turn what should be viewed as a negative situation, LeSage said he hopes to provide a positive impact to people who need a resource for growth, community, and figuring out ways to overcome adversity. He's doing so through his newly launched platform called Sageful.

"The newest reality or adventure is to be able to help people navigate the next steps of a life transition," LeSage said. "A life disruption. What is next? Who am I? What is my purpose? That's where Sageful really started out of. A company to help people find resources to answer those big life questions."

LeSage said he's prioritizing his titles of father and provider and leaning into his faith as he relies on his savings for the next few months while figuring out what's next.