Sara Yahia
Bio
Welcome to The Unspoken Side of Work, sharing HR perspectives to lead with courage in JOURNAL. And, in CRITIQUE, exploring film & TV for their cultural impact, with reviews on TheCherryPicks.
More Here: Website | HR Insight | Reviews | Books
Stories (21)
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Sara Yahia Melted a City’s Cold Heart
It was a freezing morning in New York. The kind where the wind doesn’t just brush your face, it stings it. The sky was still that winter-gray shade that makes the whole city look like it hit snooze too many times. Picture rush hour chaos, everyone doing that fast-walk-slash-grumpy-face thing, shoulders hunched, eyes down, headphones in, coffee cups clenched like survival gear. You could almost hear the collective thought: Don’t slow me down.
By Sara Yahia2 months ago in Journal
When HR Meets Art: Sara Yahia’s Journey as Cultural Commentator, Film & TV Critic, and Storyteller
You know, I used to think I had to pick a lane. HR? Check. Film critic? Uh… maybe that’s a different lane. But turns out, you can dance on all the lanes at once, and oh boy, it keeps life interesting!
By Sara Yahia2 months ago in Journal
Global HR Summits: Insights and Innovations Shaping the Future of Work
For HR professionals, our Coachella is the Global HR Summit scene, except instead of neon wristbands and guitar riffs, you’ve got caffeine, strategy decks, DEI debates, and enough buzzwords to power a LinkedIn algorithm for a year.
By Sara Yahia3 months ago in Journal
An Interview with Sara Yahia: On Kindness, Curiosity, and Choosing to Show Up
People often ask me the same handful of questions. About kindness. About how I see the world. About why I do what I do. Instead of answering them one by one in scattered conversations, I thought I’d put them all here. Please think of this as an answer to your most frequently asked questions, in my own words.
By Sara Yahia3 months ago in Journal
Beauty in Black Season 2: Power, Money, and Chaos Are Back on September 11, 2025!
Okay, friends, grab your snacks and a comfy chair, because Beauty in Black Season 2 is almost here, on September 11, on Netflix. It promises even more drama, intrigue, and jaw-dropping moves than the first season. Yes, like before, there’s plenty of time to soak in the chaos, bringing the signature mix of charm and edge.
By Sara Yahia4 months ago in Critique
3 TV Shows and 10 Truths: From Background Hummus to Main Course
For decades, Hollywood treated Arab women like background hummus, flat, decorative, and just there to make someone else look exotic. Veiled, silent, or sighing theatrically, they were reduced to one-note caricatures. Finally, that’s changing.
By Sara Yahia4 months ago in Critique
Retro, Risqué, and Remarkably Relevant: Netflix’s "Aema" Makes History Sizzle
Netflix threw us a curveball this summer. On August 22, 2025, the streamer dropped a gem... a historical comedy-drama rooted in one of Korea’s most controversial pop-culture relics: Madame Aema. For the uninitiated, Madame Aema was a wildly popular and scandalous series of erotic films that exploded in 1980s Korea, sparking debates on censorship, morality, and who gets to control women’s stories.
By Sara Yahia5 months ago in Critique
Vanessa Kirby Breaks Bad in "Night Always Comes"
In a cinematic moment where thrillers are often dressed in glossy action tropes, Night Always Comes strikes a rawer note, placing Vanessa Kirby at the heart of a story as much about America’s crumbling safety nets as about a woman’s descent into crime.
By Sara Yahia5 months ago in Critique
VAR Leadership By Sara Yahia: A Real Approach To Leading With Presence
I remember working with a leader who never just sent emails from behind their desk. Instead, they’d casually pop by your workspace to check in, ask how things were going, not just about the project, but about you. That presence made a difference you could feel.
By Sara Yahia6 months ago in Journal
CEO & HR Chief Spark Corporate Scandal During Coldplay Concert
What happens at a concert doesn’t always stay at a concert, especially when you’re on the kiss cam and happen to be the CEO of a major tech company. That’s exactly what happened last weekend at Coldplay’s Massachusetts show, when Andy Byron, CEO of Astronomer, appeared on the stadium screen cuddled up not with his wife, but with Kristin Cabot, the company’s Head of HR.
By Sara Yahia6 months ago in Journal
