S11 E4: Decentering Work: What Happens When Your Job Isn't Everything with Ayanna Kelly

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

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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