If part of you is quietly running the math on what happens if the job goes, you’re not being dramatic. That fear is more common than most men admit, because saying it out loud feels like admitting you’ve already lost.

And right now, it’s not paranoia. Trade tensions between Canada and the U.S. have already cost tens of thousands of jobs this year, with new tariffs landing on both sides of the border this month. If you’re in manufacturing, steel, trades, or anything tied to cross-border trade, that’s not background noise. That’s your industry.

Here’s what I’ve learned, including from going through it myself at 42: the fear that keeps you up isn’t really about money. It’s about not knowing who you are without the paycheck. And most of what’s driving the panic isn’t fact — it’s a story your mind has been running on repeat, uninterrupted.

The Real Risk Audit is the exact worksheet I use to pull those two apart. Three parts, about ten minutes, and you walk away with one concrete move to make this week — whether the layoff ever happens or not.

What’s inside

• Part 1: What’s actually true about your risk right now — runway, skills, network
• Part 2: Naming the story your mind keeps repeating, and testing it against reality
• Part 3: The one move to make this week