Episode 16 - Work, Worth, and Manhood

Series: Unmasking Manhood

Episode 16- Work, Worth, and Manhood

More Than a Paycheck: Escaping the Productivity Trap

We spend years, sometimes decades chasing milestones we’re told will define us. Promotions, pay raises, bigger titles, busier calendars. And yet, when we finally arrive, the satisfaction is fleeting, and the question still lingers: Who am I beneath all this striving?

In this episode: Work, Worth, and Manhood, Eric Miller steps behind the polished surface of career success to share a deeply personal story, one marked by constant achievement yet an unsettling sense of emptiness. Together, we trace the hidden forces that tie a man’s worth to his productivity and explore how those narrative shapes relationships, self-esteem, and even the way men respond to power and authority.

We also pull back the curtain on how systems from workplaces to political movements exploit this performance-driven identity to keep men striving, competing, and conforming. And we ask a deeper question: What’s left when the goals are stripped away?

This isn’t a conversation about ambition versus apathy. It’s an invitation to step beyond the paycheck and uncover a richer definition of strength, one rooted in integrity, character, and the quiet confidence of knowing your value doesn’t have to be earned.