When passions become side hustles

Why does work feel so empty right now? 

Like…we followed the rules and did the hustle. 

We even swallowed parts of ourselves to survive professionally, and yet, here we are grieving something we can’t quite name.

I often say that the most interesting things about me have nothing to do with my career, and it’s nice when those things have time to shine, y’know?

I sat down with Ayanna Kelly to dig into the hard stuff: why we're all grieving the workplace we thought we'd have, why monetizing our passions sometimes kills the joy, and what it actually means to decenter work from our identity when we've spent our whole lives tying our worth to our job titles.

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It’s vulnerable, but somehow still hopeful

00:01:55 - The First Time Hebba Met Ayanna

00:08:40 - Something New Ayanna Wants to Learn This Year

00:11:15 - Why Does Fulfillment at Work Feel so Hard Right Now?

00:17:06 - What We’re Grieving About Work That We Haven’t Talked About Out Loud

00:24:51 - Why Are We Expected to Monetize Our Passions?

00:38:40 - Being Your True Self at Work After Years of Emotional Suppression

00:46:55 - Why Meaningful Work Doesn’t Have to Be Central to Your Identity

00:52:49 - Ayanna’s Advice for Rethinking About Fulfillment

And if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration.

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And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out  https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!

Follow Ayanna:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayannaskelly/

Follow Hebba: 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef