10 Little Rules When Good Jobs Go Bad. Learn, Grow, and Reclaim Your Power at Work and in Life book cover.

Publications

10 Little Rules When Good Jobs Go Bad. Learn, Grow, and Reclaim Your Power at Work and in Life

Buy the book
About the book
Interviews
Reviews
Upcoming and Past Book Events
Other publications

Buy the book

Now available in E-book format along with paperback and hardback options. Order on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org, Books & Books at the Studios Key West, 10 Little Rules Publishing, and anywhere books are sold.

About the book

It’s a career self-help guide on managing eventual change in every job and pivoting when things don’t go as planned.

It’s full of simple, actionable tips that can help you change your mindset and regain some control. Even if the job itself isn’t improving, things like setting boundaries, improving communication, or finding ways to build skills on the side all help you survive and even thrive while you’re in a rough patch.

The book features 10 true stories that illustrate lessons learned (rules) and proven strategies. At the end of each chapter, readers reflect on journal prompts to write their own rules for greater job satisfaction.

Issues include: bad bosses or companies, work-life balance problems, toxic cultures, boredom, and unrealistic expectations. They are all reasons why good jobs can go bad. They can wreck your emotional, professional, and financial life, sometimes at the same time.

We take every job, assuming it is a good one. Yet at any point, our intuition tells us something has changed. It could be the organization or us. Regardless, only we can fix our work and our lives. This book helps you do that.

The book has become the gift book of the season for fired workers, job seekers, career changers, and new graduates. Other buyers include working parents, professional coaches, and anyone who wants to get unstuck and reinvent their career.

Interviews

Bold Journey Magazine profile about Unlocking Creativity and Overcoming Creative Barriers in the Productivity section of the magazine.

(New) Jump Back Now What podcast interview in New York City at Edge Studio. This exciting new, major media podcast series about shared stories and shared solutions will premiere in early 2026. UPDATE: The podcast series debut has been delayed. Stay tuned for more info.

Voyage Baltimore Magazine profile interview at Voyage Baltimore Magazine’s Inspiring Stories section.

Evolving Women podcast interview with host Teresa Lisum on YouTube

Online for Authors podcast interview with host Teri M. Brown on Apple, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio

The Stories of Service (S.O.S.) podcast interview with Theresa Carpenter on LinkedIn, YouTube, Parade Deck, Spotify and Apple.

The Career in Technicolor podcast interview with Baiba Wisse on  Facebook, X , Apple, Spotify, RSS feed.

The Career Flipper podcast interview with Jenny Dempsey on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, Instagram.

Reviews

A unique blend of engaging storytelling and insightful advice. Professionals at all stages of their careers can find inspiration and value in this helpful guide.” Richard Sammon, Writer, Editor and Commentator, Kiplinger, Congressional Quarterly, CNN, C-SPAN, National Public Radio, MSNBC, FOX, Former National Press Club President

Difficult career choices and job environments can lead to self-doubt and paralysis. This wise, honest and deeply personal book points the way forward from stagnation to growth.” Patricia Linderman, Well-Being Coach for Women, Co-author, The Expert Expat, and Co-editor, Realities of Foreign Service Life 

Professional Coaches will embrace this book…each story defines ‘work traps,’ lessons learned, and strategies to help clients create their own rules. The guided journaling format, reflective questions, and resource list will help every reader reinvent their career.” Natalya Pestalozzi, PCC, MAPP

“10 Little Rules When Good Jobs Go Bad by Kathleen Goggin takes a hard look at changing jobs, what it looks like, what it means, and when you might consider the switch. I love how Kathleen seasons the book with her work history story, allowing us a peek into her decisions, both good and not so good. Teri M. Brown, author and host of the Online for Authors podcast

Amazon

  • A wonderful read no matter where you are in your career.
  • An interactive and engaging “how to.”
  • An insightful “workbook for life,” not just for job-seekers!
  • A quick, useful read with engaging stories.
  • A great book for navigating job decisions.
  • Read this book while you are still young enough to learn from it.

Upcoming and Past Book Events (link to new web page)

Other Publications

Technical, Scientific, and Freelance Writing Samples

Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon.”

William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction