Building HR's Most Subscribed Newsletter: Authentic Content Strategy with Hebba Youssef

What happens when your newsletter becomes the unofficial therapy session for HR professionals everywhere? In this episode, Rhona sits down with Hebba Youssef, Chief People Officer at Workweek and the creator of I Hate It Here, one of the most read and reshared newsletters in the People space. Known for her honest tone and spicy memes, Hebba has built a brand that balances leadership credibility with creative chaos. We unpack what it really looks like to speak truthfully in public while still leading a team, how she balances her executive role with her creator identity, and why memes sometimes say more than a whitepaper ever could. Hebba shares the systems and mindset that have made her newsletter essential reading for HR professionals who want to do better – and have fun while doing it. If you’re an HR or TA leader who’s wrestling with what to say, and how to say it, you’ll want to hear this. In this episode, we cover: 00:00 – Introduction 01:13 – How I Hate It Here became part therapy, part rebellion 02:14 – The pop culture DNA of the newsletter 10:20 – Writing from memes: the “GIF-first” creative process 21:49 – What it’s like being both a CPO and a monetized creator 24:17 – How content changes internal relationships at work 30:59 – Advice for HR leaders afraid to speak up 32:16 – What Hebba wishes more HR leaders would admit out loud 34:13 – What she hopes I Hate It Here gives readers 35:34 – Plead the Fifth: memes, fake advice, and a well-timed cop-out 38:01 – How to follow Hebba, join her community, and keep up Hebba Youssef is the Chief People Officer at Workweek and the creator of I Hate It Here, a viral HR newsletter that combines real talk, research, and memes to challenge how we think about work. She also hosts The I Hate It Here Podcast and runs the Safe Space community—all in partnership with Workweek. Hebba’s built one of the most trusted voices in HR by saying what others are afraid to, and making it impossible to look away. RESOURCES MENTIONED: ➡️ Subscribe to I Hate It Here: https://join.hateithere.co/e13d9d5b/13 ➡️ Join the Safe Space community: https://hateithere.co/community/safe-space/ WORKFLUENCER RESOURCES & TOOLS: 📬 Get the Newsletter: https://link.rhonapierce.com/YZEviw 🎬 Get 1 Month’s worth of social media videos done for you: https://perceptiblestudios.com/ ♻️ Repurpose Content Easier with CreatorHQ: https://creatorhq.co?aff=9qejn 🎧 Science-backed music for your brain. Try it FREE for 30 days: brain.fm/rhonapierce RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → How to Create Content That Gets Attention – with Mike Peditto **** 🌟 CONNECT WITH HEBBA 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hebbayoussef 🌐 Website: https://hateithere.co/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebbamyoussef/ 📹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here 🎙️ Podcast: https://hateithere.co/podcast/ 🌟 CONNECT WITH ME 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonabarnettpierce/ 🦋 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rhonab.bsky.social 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhonabpierce/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rhonabpierce 🌐 Website: https://www.rhonapierce.com/ 📹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RhonaBPierce/ HR newsletter, workplace content creation, authentic leadership, employee engagement, HR thought leadership, content creator, chief people officer, workplace culture, HR memes, professional branding, newsletter strategy, HR community, workplace communication, content marketing, HR trends, employee experience, workplace transparency, HR technology, content creation process, workplace humor 💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/workfluencer/id1740429498 🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4R6bJ4JZpqOlFdYelWwsBr