In a world obsessed with productivity, efficiency, and measurable results, it’s easy to believe that the value of our work is determined solely by what we produce. But what if that vision of work is incomplete and ultimately dehumanizing?

In this episode of The Ordered Life Podcast, we explore the dignity of work through the lens of Laborem Exercens, focusing on a powerful but often overlooked truth: work is not primarily about output, but about who you become through it.

Drawing on the teaching of Pope John Paul II, we unpack the distinction between the objective dimension of work (what is produced, earned, or achieved) and the subjective dimension of work (the interior reality of the person who works). Whether your labor is physical, intellectual, visible, or hidden, its deepest meaning lies in how it forms you in virtue, responsibility, and love of the good.

We discuss why all work involves toil whether at a blast furnace or an intellectual workbench, and why that toil does not diminish human dignity, but can actually deepen it. When work is ordered toward a good purpose and grounded in the dignity of the human person, it becomes a means of growth, not merely a transaction for wages or status.

This conversation challenges the modern tendency to reduce work to productivity metrics and reminds us that you are always more important than what you produce. Your job does not define your worth but your work can shape your character, discipline your desires, and help you become more fully human.

If you’ve ever struggled with burnout, felt discouraged by unseen or uncelebrated work, or wondered how your daily labor fits into a life of purpose and virtue, this episode offers a deeper, more humane vision of work: one rooted in order, dignity, and meaning.

Key themes include:

• The dignity of the human person in work

• Subjective vs. objective dimensions of labor

• Why productivity is not the ultimate measure of value

• How work forms virtue and character

• The Catholic understanding of work and human flourishing

• Order over excess in career and ambition

The Ordered Life Podcast helps you integrate the virtues into your life and your finances so that your money can serve your goals, and your goals can serve the good.

In this episode of the The Ordered Life Podcast, we return to Laborem Exercens to ask a question many people feel but rarely articulate: what is work actually for?

In a world shaped by automation, artificial intelligence, and a growing obsession with comfort and efficiency, it’s easy to reduce work to income, or to see it as nothing more than necessary toil. But the Catholic tradition offers a far richer vision. Drawing on the thought of St. John Paul II, we explore how work is not only a means of providing for material needs, but a profound expression of human dignity, participation in creation, and a contributor to the moral and cultural development of society.

We also wrestle with one of the defining tensions of modern life: Is technology serving the human person or quietly replacing him? When does innovation elevate human labor, and when does it diminish it? From historical examples of automation to today’s AI revolution, this conversation challenges listeners to think clearly about the relationship between productivity, virtue, and the human soul.

Ultimately, this episode reframes work as an arena for growth rather than mere comfort. The Christian worldview does not see difficulty and effort as evils to be eliminated at all costs, but as opportunities for virtue, meaning, and freedom. If you’ve ever felt restless, burned out, or uncertain about the purpose of your work, this episode invites you to step back—and recover a more ordered vision of labor, technology, and the good life.

Why do we work? Is work merely a way to earn money? Or does it play a deeper role in shaping who we become and how we live?

In this episode of The Ordered Life Podcast, Sean Gregory, Portfolio Manager, AJ Sanson, Associate Investment Advisor, and Anthony De Lazzari, Associate Investment Advisor, of Serviam Capital at iA Private Wealth, explore the true purpose of work and its connection to meaning, discipline, and order.

Too often, modern culture frames work primarily around comfort, efficiency, or accumulation. When money becomes the sole objective, work can feel empty, exhausting, or disconnected from a larger purpose. This conversation challenges that mindset and proposes a more ordered approach: work as a means of personal growth, service, and contribution to the good.

The hosts discuss the tension many professionals face working for a paycheck versus working with purpose and how discipline plays a central role in restoring dignity and fulfillment to our daily labor. They examine how ambition, when properly ordered, can lead not only to professional excellence but also to freedom, clarity, and peace.

The episode also addresses modern realities such as technology and automation, including how tools like AI can either diminish the value of human work or elevate it depending on whether they are used to replace effort or to support excellence. Rather than seeking a life without work, the goal is to pursue work that is meaningful, intentional, and well-ordered.

Throughout the conversation, work is connected to broader life questions around money, goals, family, and responsibility. How we work shapes how we provide, how we lead, and how we serve others. When aligned with purpose, work becomes a training ground for discipline and a path toward a more integrated life.

This episode is especially relevant for professionals, parents, and young adults who feel caught between success and meaning—or who are seeking a framework for making career and financial decisions with greater intention.

Key themes include:

• Why work matters beyond income and comfort

• Purpose-driven work versus money-driven ambition

• How discipline brings freedom and fulfillment

• The relationship between work, money, and the good

• Restoring dignity and order to everyday labor

At The Ordered Life, we believe your money should serve your goals, and your goals should serve the good. This episode invites you to reconsider how your work fits into that hierarchy and how living with greater order can bring greater peace.