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The Podcast HR Doesn't Want You To Hear

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Workers Are Waking Up

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Weekly Episodes

✳︎ The Podcast HR Doesn't Want You To Hear ✳︎ Workers Are Waking Up ✳︎ Weekly Episodes

THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD

When 71% of workers are disengaged, that's not a morale problem. We unpack the power structures keeping workers isolated — and what collective action actually looks like in white-collar workplaces.

Now Airing · Weekly Episodes

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OUR MISSION

We're building a movement of workers whose BS-detector has been going off for a while now. You know who you are — and you're not alone.

We name the corporate nonsense, share the receipts, and — because we're builders not cynics — offer actual practices for building power and community with the person one desk away.

We're not selling productivity hacks or personal brand strategies. We're here to build community with people who see through the performance theater and are ready to take action.

A more human future of work is possible

WHAT WE BELIEVE

The principles we build on

  • If work feels wrong, that's data. We validate lived experience before we analyze it.

  • Individual optimization won't fix collective problems. The way out is together.

  • We name what's broken and offer real alternatives. Outrage without action isn't enough.

  • Every workplace norm has a history. Understanding the system is how you change it.

Transcripts & Resources

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Transcripts & Resources *

CIRCLE BACK CLUB EPISODES
Ep. 12 Reclaiming Dignity

What is dignity at work?

In our season finale, we define dignity as an inherent baseline of human agency and choice that cannot be earned or managed. Reclaiming workplace dignity requires strict structural analysis, organizational transparency, and a rejection of individualized compliance.

Ep. 11 Are We the Problem?

What if we’re the problem?

In this episode, experts Aparna Rae and Lars Gallien explain how certain classes frequently prioritizes individual self-improvement and "virtue hoarding" over genuine cross-class solidarity and material resource redistribution. What is a symbolic capitalist? Coined by sociologist Musa al-Gharbi, symbolic capitalists are white-collar workers whose capital relies on credentials, symbols, and knowledge.

Ep. 10 Wellness Theater

Is workplace wellness effective?

While the corporate wellness industry is worth billions, half of all U.S. workers experience acute burnout, which organizational psychologists reframe as workplace depression. Guest Hebba Youssef explains that wellness initiatives fail when they turn structural organizational issues into individual point solutions rather than destigmatizing care and mandating systemic change.

Ep. 9 Breaking Corporate Isolation

What is cross-class solidarity in the workplace?

It is the practice of working class and professional middle-class employees uniting against shared issues like corporate power and economic stagnation. In this episode, experts Glenn Block and Abdo Mohamed explain how to break corporate isolation by politicizing labor and using relative privilege to support collective movements.

Ep. 8 The self advocacy trap

Is it possible to imagine a world beyond girl boss leadership?

Technologist Hala Saleh joins the Circle Back Club to discuss why self-advocacy and the "Girl Boss" playbook aren't enough to fix toxic workplaces. Discover how mutual aid and collective reciprocity can disrupt corporate hierarchies and provide a survival strategy for marginalized workers.

Ep. 7 Your Body KNows

Is burnout inevitable?

Master Somatic Coach Giulio Brunini joins the Circle Back Club to explore how embodied leadership can prevent burnout and improve decision-making. Learn why overriding physical signals like chronic pain and panic attacks is a "numbing" strategy that ultimately costs leaders their creativity and trust.

SEE ALL

Season 1

The podcast HR doesn’t want you to hear.

This is the show where we stop pretending the system is fine — and start building something better. Real talk on work, power, and what it means to organize your life and your workplace.