Skip to main content
Podcast

Ep 14. Stop Asking HR to Be Everyone’s Therapist

By April 17, 2025October 7th, 2025No Comments
Hebba Youssef

Hebba Youssef,

Founder of “I Hate It Here” Community

Stop Asking HR to Be Everyone’s Therapist

Who supports the people who support everyone else? In this episode, Hebba Youssef—founder of the “I Hate It Here” community—opens up about the emotional weight HR professionals carry every day.

They’re expected to coach, mentor, and even act like therapists—while managing burnout and unclear boundaries. Most companies don’t see the pressure they’re under.

We break down the unrealistic expectations placed on HR, the real difference between coaching, mentoring, and therapy, and why leaning on HR for emotional support may be causing more harm than good.

After this episode, you’ll never look at your HR team—or your company’s “support system”—the same way again.

Key Takeaways

  • Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur: Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
  • Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur: Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
  • Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur: Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
  • Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur: Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
  • Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur: Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Watch the full video of Stop Asking HR to Be Everyone’s Therapist.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:47 Meet Hebba Youssef

02:00 When Coaching Feels Misplaced

04:21 Defining HR’s Coaching Role

05:51 HR Burnout & Emotional Overload

08:12 Bias in Coaching & Mentorship

11:49 Coaching vs. Mentoring vs. Therapy

18:54 HR as Emotional Dumping Ground

21:06 Confidentiality & Mental Health

23:22 HR Identity Crisis

28:08 Old-School HR vs. Modern People Ops

33:10 HR Leaders Rising to the Challenge

35:17 3 Places HR Should Stop Coaching

37:30 Admitting That You Don’t Know

41:00 Where to Find Hebba

Stronger Teams Start with Boon

Scale

Scale

Personal and professional coaching accessible to all employees

Grow

Grow

Customized, cohort-based leadership development programs

Exec

Exec

Premium executive coaching designed for complex challenges

Together

Together

Collaborative coaching for teams, departments, and the entire company

Subscribe Here

Smash that Subscribe button to be the first to hear the latest about how to Have a Better Day. ✌️

Youtube

Youtube

Spotify

Spotify

Apple Podcast

Apple Podcast

Interested in learning more about how Boon can help you and your teams?

Book a Demo