LISTEN: https://www.thepozcast.com/521
Recorded live on Day 3 of Transform 2026, this is the most human episode in the series. Angel Cruzado is the founder of Respiris — a career transition and outplacement services company — and he showed up to this conference, and to this conversation, while living with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. What unfolds is part job search masterclass, part meditation on community, resilience, and what it means to keep moving forward when the odds are against you.
Angel and Adam share a unique bond here: Adam has his own personal experience with pancreatic cancer in his family, and that shared humanity is felt throughout the conversation. Angel opens up about how a cancer diagnosis reshapes your relationship with community —
the emotional inner circle, the logistics network, and the extended family of strangers on the internet who show up with prayers, good vibes, and sometimes financial support. He talks about the unexpected challenge of accepting generosity, and how he's learned to receive it.
The professional conversation is equally rich. Angel lays out his full job-search framework — a step-by-step approach that starts not with a resume but with deep empathy for yourself. Who are you right now, in this moment of your life? What do you actually need? Only once you answer those questions can you move to purpose, resume, LinkedIn brand, and network activation. He introduces the concept of the Career Prayer — a LinkedIn post format that combines personal storytelling, professional context, and authentic humanity — and explains why it activates dormant networks in ways that job applications never will. He also shares a sharp, AI-powered tactic for identifying which contacts in your LinkedIn network to reach out to first, and why.
Angel closes with his guiding framework for living with a terminal diagnosis: the 1-4/14 — plan for 14 months (medical directives, wills, trustees) and plan for 14 years (legacy, purpose, impact). His North Star: making it to his 11-year-old's high school graduation. This episode will stay with you.
Connect with Angel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelcruzado/
Learn more: https://www.respiris.com/
These episodes of #thePOZcast, live from Transform 2026 in Las Vegas, are proudly brought to you by our friends at PIN. AI recruiting tools that automate candidate sourcing, screening, and scheduling across 850M+ profiles. Built for recruiters, agencies, and hiring teams.
Learn more and check out a demo: https://www.pin.com/book-a-demo?via=adam-posner
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