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Hey Reader!
My guest this week has returned hundreds of thousands of dollars to clients whose values didn't align with hers. She's called out the biggest names in HR by tagging them directly. And she's built a thriving fractional business across 125+ organizations in 33 countries — all while refusing to play by the industry's unspoken rules.
Anessa Fike is the founder of Fike + Co, a fractional HR leadership consultancy, and author of "The Revolution of Work" But what sets her apart isn't just her pioneering role in fractional HR (she's been doing it for 12 years, longer than anyone else we've found in the US). It's her unwavering commitment to calling out injustice, even when it costs her business.
"If you don't sacrifice something, if there's not something you've ever had to give up, if you are allowed to remain comfortable more often than not, you are not doing the right thing — you're performing," Anessa told me in this week's episode of The Workfluencer Podcast.
In this episode:
- 🎯 The real difference between being bold and being performative
- 💰 Why she's returned hundreds of thousands in client fees
- 🎤 What's wrong with the HR conference circuit (and who's to blame)
- ♍️ How astrology confirmed her life's purpose
- 💡 The surprising origin story of fractional HR in the US.
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The Accidental Entrepreneur Who Changed HR
 "I looked at it and went, well, how would I design it if I could design however I wanted to work?" Anessa Fike knows that traditional business models weren't built for revolutionaries. After working as Global Recruiting Director at The Motley Fool, she faced a choice: pay $8,000 monthly for DC living expenses or create something entirely new.
When she approached leadership about working remotely from North Carolina, they countered with an unexpected proposal: "What if you started your own business and we were your first client?"
That conversation in 2012 sparked what would become a new model for HR leadership. Anessa created the fractional executive model — combining strategic advisory with hands-on implementation, all on a subscription basis with recurring revenue.
Today, she's worked with over 125 organizations in 33 countries, pioneering an approach that's only now becoming mainstream. But success hasn't softened her edge.
"I've given hundreds of thousands of dollars back to clients and said, 'Nope, here's your money back. We can't work together.'" In 12 years, she's only fired three clients — all for "morally misaligned values." Each had prepaid significant sums ($80,000 to $100,000), and each got their money back.
🎧 Listen to the full episode, available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
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THE AUTHENTICITY PLAYBOOK
What Anessa taught me about authentic influence
The line between bold and performative isn't complicated. Here's how Anessa breaks it down:
1. Sacrifice is the price of authenticity If you're not giving something up, you're probably not pushing hard enough. Real advocacy costs something — comfort, money, opportunities.
2. Use your privilege as a megaphone, not a shield "I am able to say more things because of my packaging. I am able to sacrifice more because of my packaging," she explains. If you have a platform others don't, use it to amplify voices that need to be heard.
3. Call out by name Vague criticisms change nothing. When she calls out Adam Grant for dismissing personal branding while promoting his books, she tags him. When conference organizers recycle the same speakers, she names them.
4. Your real people will find you when you're real "I didn't find my people in our industry until I started to lean heavily into being myself. You find your crowd and your crew that is so aligned to you when you are authentic."
5. Expertise requires breadth, not just depth "You can't have just worked at one place and done one job and been that expert. Can you do it at more than one place? Can you do it in a different type of environment?"
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The Plead the Fifth Lightning Round
In our signature "Plead the Fifth" segment, Anessa didn't skip a single question. When asked to name overrated thought leaders, she didn't hesitate, and the names she dropped made my jaw hit the floor.
Her most unhinged DM? It reveals a disturbing assumption about who owns businesses in America.
The full segment is... exactly what you'd expect from someone who says, "If white people continue to hate me, I'm probably doing the right thing." 🔥
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WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
Anessa's approach offers crucial lessons for anyone building a voice in the professional space. Your expertise is already there. Your stories are already happening. The question is whether you'll share them authentically or keep performing.
"There is such beauty in being your authentic self and leaning into that," Anessa reflects. "I didn't find my people in our industry until I started to lean heavily into that."
For those inspired to join the revolution, find Anessa on LinkedIn, at Fikeandco.com, or through her book "The Revolution of Work"
The revolution isn't just about work. It's about having the courage to be exactly who you are, even when — especially when — it costs you something.
Listen to the full episode of The Workfluencer Podcast with Anessa Fike wherever you get your podcasts.
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