Symbolic Capitalism

Reclaiming Dignity

"Dignity isn't a perk. It's not a leadership style. It is the foundation for safety, collective action, and honest work." IN THIS EPISODE In our Season 1 finale, Aparna and Lars lay down the ultimate baseline for what it actually means to be human in modern work structures. For months, we have built a meticulous structural, historical, and embodied case for why contemporary white-collar systems make us feel so profoundly small. In this episode, we bring it all home to a single, non-negotiable word: Dignity. Featuring real, unfiltered field recordings from grassroots organizers, tech coalition members, and national culture changemakers, we break away from corporate compliance theaterto analyze how our current economic environments treat human value as a conditional commodity rather than an inherent truth. From backhanded managerial compliments to the paralyzing trap of professional code-switching, this final conversation unmasks how late-stage capitalism intentionally decommissions human agency - and map out exactly how we can start reclaiming it person-to-person. THE QUESTION WE'RE LEAVING YOU WITH THIS SEASON What choices would you make, and what would you build entirely differently, if human dignity were your absolute, non-negotiable starting point at work? TAKE THIS WITH YOU INTO THE SUMMER - Dignity Cannot Be Earned: Stop outsourcing your self-worth to corporate performance ratings or manager validations; dignity belongs to you simply because you exist. * Exhaustion is Structural Extraction: When you feel physical wrongness but force your body to override it for the sake of "business as usual," you are actively participating in your own behavioral extraction. * Bring It Into the Room: Dignity is highly contagious when it is somatically and intentionally lived out; when you hold onto your own self-respect, you force the system to react to your truth. RESOURCES MENTIONED * What It Takes to Heal [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/726173/what-it-takes-to-heal-by-prentis-hemphill/] by Prentis Hemphill - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/726173/what-it-takes-to-heal-by-prentis-hemphill/ [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/726173/what-it-takes-to-heal-by-prentis-hemphill/] * The Politics of Trauma [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608550/the-politics-of-trauma-by-staci-haines/] by Staci Haines - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608550/the-politics-of-trauma-by-staci-haines/ [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608550/the-politics-of-trauma-by-staci-haines/] * Inside Organizer School [https://www.insideorganizerschool.com/] — Founded by Jaz Brisack - https://www.insideorganizerschool.com/ [https://www.insideorganizerschool.com/] * Tech Workers Coalition [https://techworkerscoalition.org/] - https://techworkerscoalition.org/ [https://techworkerscoalition.org/] CONNECT WITH US Our digital home: https://www.circleback.club/ [https://www.circleback.club/] Drop your career survival stories directly into our inbox pod@circleback.club [https://gemini.google.com/app/551b16fcf79aec18] Thank you for walking with us through Season 1. Stay subscribed for exclusive between-season drops, and get ready for Season 2.

Symbolic Capitalism

IN THIS EPISODE "The institution isn't failing in spite of us. It's failing because we keep it going the way it is." In this deeply personal and reflective solo episode, Aparna and Lars hold up a mirror to the white-collar workforce. Diving into the works of sociologist Musa al-Gharbi (We Have Never Been Woke) and cultural theorist Catherine Liu (Virtue Hoarders), they break down two uncomfortable frameworks: Symbolic Capitalism and the Professional Managerial Class (PMC). If you deal in symbols, ideas, and knowledge from the neck up, you are likely part of this class. But here lies the contradiction: while white-collar progressives fiercely perform moral goodness, they are often deeply allergic to the structural economic changes that would actually cost them their material safety. From language policing to the commodification of trauma culture, Aparna and Lars unpack the distractions we use to avoid real class solidarity. THE QUESTION WE'RE SITTING WITH What are you avoiding, and who are you protecting with that avoidance? TAKE THIS WITH YOU Track Your Discomfort: Notice when you over-index on righteousness or jargon. Ask yourself: is your reaction serving a collective movement, or just your own moral ego? Build Consciousness, Not Just Literacy: Move past performative "diversity literacy" and build deep race and class consciousness by understanding how systemic policies actively protect wealth hoarding. Start Outside If You Can't Inside: If labor organizing doesn't feel feasible at your desk job yet, plug into local mutual aid networks where real resource redistribution is happening. RESOURCES MENTIONED • We Have Never Been Woke [https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691232607/we-have-never-been-woke?srsltid=AfmBOopC3RgPK_NEmfD8MN2pH-bmnP0A9kkKv5_NTJXMRU7_G1MX-9lW] by Musa al-Gharbi - https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691232607/we-have-never-been-woke?srsltid=AfmBOopC3RgPK_NEmfD8MN2pH-bmnP0A9kkKv5_NTJXMRU7_G1MX-9lW [https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691232607/we-have-never-been-woke?srsltid=AfmBOopC3RgPK_NEmfD8MN2pH-bmnP0A9kkKv5_NTJXMRU7_G1MX-9lW ] • Virtue Hoarders [https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517912253/virtue-hoarders/]: The Case Against the PMC by Catherine Liu - https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517912253/virtue-hoarders/ [https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517912253/virtue-hoarders/] • Jason Hickel [https://jasonhickel.substack.com/]'s research on economic democracy and degrowth - https://jasonhickel.substack.com/ [https://jasonhickel.substack.com/] • Get on the Job and Organize [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Get-on-the-Job-and-Organize/Jaz-Brisack/9781668080801] by Jaz Brisack - https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Get-on-the-Job-and-Organize/Jaz-Brisack/9781668080801 [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Get-on-the-Job-and-Organize/Jaz-Brisack/9781668080801] CONNECT WITH US Visit us at https://www.circleback.club/ [https://www.circleback.club/] Aparna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aparnarae [https://www.google.com/search?q=http://linkedin.com/in/aparnarae]; aparnarae.com [http://aparnarae.com/] Lars on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lars-gallien [https://www.google.com/search?q=http://linkedin.com/in/lars-gallien]; https://www.larsgallien.com/ [https://www.larsgallien.com/]

Wellness Theater

We’ve all seen the emails that start with "Now more than ever, we need to talk about wellness." But whose problem is it really? IN THIS EPISODE Lars and Aparna are joined by Hebba Youssef, Chief People Officer at Workweek and founder of the "I Hate It Here" newsletter. We’re digging into the $60 billion workplace wellness industry to ask: Are meditation apps and sound baths actually helping, or are they just cheap bandaid solutions that allow companies to avoid fixing structural problems? Hebba shares her raw experience navigating grief and EAPs, the dark side of workplace "weight loss challenges," and why "burnout" is often just a corporate rebrand for workplace depression. THE QUESTION WE'RE SITTING WITH Why are wellness programs being used more by managers and not individual contributors? And is it a "benefit" if doesn't change how people experience work? TAKE THIS WITH YOU * The "CPO of the People" Standard: Why tiered benefits (where executives get better care than hourly or salaried workers) are a moral system set up to fail. * Destigmatize the Calendar: Follow the lead of founders who put therapy sessions publicly on their calendars to signal that taking care of yourself is part of the job. * Exhaustion is Data: Reframe your burnout. If the system is making you sick, the problem isn't your "lack of resilience"—it’s a lack of reciprocity. RESOURCES MENTIONED * I Hate It Here [https://hateithere.co/] — Hebba Youssef’s HR newsletter - https://hateithere.co/ * Maintenance Phase [https://www.maintenancephase.com/] — A podcast exploring the flaws in the wellness industry - https://www.maintenancephase.com/ * Minda Harts [https://www.mindaharts.com/] — Author of The Memo, discussed regarding trust in the workplace - https://www.mindaharts.com/ CONNECT WITH US Visit us at https://www.circleback.club/ [https://www.circleback.club/] Aparna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aparnarae [https://www.google.com/search?q=http://linkedin.com/in/aparnarae]; aparnarae.com [http://aparnarae.com/] Lars on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lars-gallien [https://www.google.com/search?q=http://linkedin.com/in/lars-gallien]; https://www.larsgallien.com/ [https://www.larsgallien.com/]

Breaking Corporate Isolation

Corporate professionalism is often a tool used to isolate us from our coworkers and the world. It’s time to bridge the gap. IN THIS EPISODE Aparna and Lars are joined by tech veteran Glenn Block and organizer Abdo Mohamed to dismantle the insistent "professionalism" that prevents us from building meaningful solidarity. We explore the concept of Cross-Class Solidarity - the radical idea that whether you make $60k or $600k, we have more in common with each other than with the corporate structures that stifle our humanity. Abdo shares his experience being fired by Microsoft after organizing a vigil for Gaza, and Glenn discusses the "awakening" that happens when white-collar workers realize their technology is being used to facilitate global harm. This episode is an invitation to stop "keeping the peace" and start building power across the factory floor and the tech campus. THE QUESTION WE'RE SITTING WITH When the system is designed to isolate you to keep you compliant, what small move can you make today to reconnect with the collective? TAKE THIS WITH YOU * Politicize Your Labor: Understand that your daily tasks - whether coding or data entry - are connected to larger global systems of extraction or empowerment. * Talk to "Everyone" as a Coworker: Break the hierarchy by building relationships with culinary staff, data center workers, and contractors; we all work for the same machine. * Reject Purity Politics: Don’t let the fear of not doing "everything" stop you from doing "something." Any small action is better than doomscrolling in isolation. RESOURCES MENTIONED * No Azure for Apartheid — A campaign demanding ethical cloud and AI contracts - https://noazureforapartheid.com/ [https://noazureforapartheid.com/] * Tech for Palestine — A community of tech workers organizing for liberation - https://techforpalestine.org/ [https://techforpalestine.org/] * Empire of AI by Karen Hao — A book exploring the colonial roots of modern AI - https://bookshop.org/p/books/empire-of-ai-dreams-and-nightmares-in-sam-altman-s-openai-karen-hao/de10c251433f34d2?ean=9780593657522&next=t&next=t&prhc=PRHEFFDF5A7F1 [https://bookshop.org/p/books/empire-of-ai-dreams-and-nightmares-in-sam-altman-s-openai-karen-hao/de10c251433f34d2?ean=9780593657522&next=t&next=t&prhc=PRHEFFDF5A7F1 ] * CODE-CWA & EWOC — Resources for labor organizing and worker training https://code-cwa.org/ [https://code-cwa.org/] | https://workerorganizing.org/ [https://workerorganizing.org/] CONNECT WITH US Circle Back Club: http://circleback.club/ [http://circleback.club/] Aparna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aparnarae [https://www.google.com/search?q=http://linkedin.com/in/aparnarae] Lars on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lars-gallien [https://www.google.com/search?q=http://linkedin.com/in/lars-gallien] Email us: pod@circleback.club [https://gemini.google.com/app/551b16fcf79aec18]

The Self-Advocacy Trap

The Myth of Self-Advocacy: Beyond the Girl Boss Industrial Complex We did everything the playbook told us to do—the salary negotiations, the networking, the "leaning in." Why are we still hitting a wall? IN THIS EPISODE Aparna and Lars are joined by technologist and community builder Hala Saleh to dismantle the myth of self-advocacy. We look back at the era of the "Girl Boss" and the "Queen Bee" to ask: Is individual advancement enough when the system itself is designed to exhaust us? Hala introduces us to mutual aid at work as a survival strategy, moving from "advocating for myself" to "building for each other." From "ghost" job postings to the hierarchy of reciprocity, this episode is a roadmap for those ready to trade professional isolation for collective power. THE QUESTION WE'RE SITTING WITH When the system is designed to exhaust you individually, what does it mean to win together? TAKE THIS WITH YOU * Identify the Reciprocity Gap: Burnout often stems from a lack of reciprocity - where you give 150% and receive only "pennies" in return. * Hire Your Friends: If you have the power to make spending decisions, use that resource to provide work for those in your community who need it. * Speak the Name: Commit to speaking someone’s name in a room where they deserve to be acknowledged, recommended, or promoted. RESOURCES MENTIONED * Ya Hala [https://www.yahalaseattle.com/] — Hala’s community space built around connection and care - https://www.yahalaseattle.com/ [https://www.yahalaseattle.com/] * Entitled [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608442/entitled-by-kate-manne/] by Kate Manne — A look at gender dynamics and the pressure on women to "give" without receiving - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608442/entitled-by-kate-manne/ [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608442/entitled-by-kate-manne/] * Tech for Palestine [https://techforpalestine.org/] & UpScrolled [https://upscrolled.com/en/] — Examples of alternative platforms built on collective care - https://techforpalestine.org/ [https://techforpalestine.org/] | https://upscrolled.com/en/ [https://upscrolled.com/en/] CONNECT WITH US Visit us at https://www.circleback.club/ [https://www.circleback.club/] Hala: https://www.linkedin.com/in/halasaleh/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/halasaleh/]; https://halasaleh.substack.com/ [https://halasaleh.substack.com/] Aparna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aparnarae [https://www.google.com/search?q=http://linkedin.com/in/aparnarae]; aparnarae.com [http://aparnarae.com/] Lars on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lars-gallien [https://www.google.com/search?q=http://linkedin.com/in/lars-gallien]; https://www.larsgallien.com/ [https://www.larsgallien.com/]