In a culture that treats work as something to escape, retire from, or merely endure, we’re asking a deeper question:

What if work is actually part of your purpose?

In this episode of The Ordered Life Podcast, we explore how the Catholic vision of work is more than a paycheck.

Drawing from Laborem Exercens and the Christian understanding of the human person, we discuss:

Why you were not created for comfort, but for greatness

How work forms your character and strengthens virtue

The difference between using work for money vs. seeing work as participation in the good

How work allows us to co-create with God

Why retirement cannot be the ultimate goal

How discipline in work leads to freedom and interior peace

If we reduce work to income, we miss its deeper meaning. But when we see work as participation in God’s creative action, everything changes, including how we approach ambition, career, and finance.

Whether you’re early in your career, raising a family, building a business, or discerning what comes next, this episode will challenge you to rethink comfort, responsibility, and purpose.

You were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.

Keywords:

Purpose of work, dignity of work, Catholic teaching on work, virtue and career, faith and finances, ordered life, discipline brings freedom, money and meaning, co-creation with God.

Disclaimer: Sean Gregory is a Portfolio Manager and AJ Sanson and Anthony De Lazzari are Investment Advisors with iA Private Wealth Inc., member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. iA Private Wealth is a trademark and business name under which iA Private Wealth Inc. operates.

This content was fully or partially generated by artificial intelligence. The advisor reviewed the critical information independently.

Markets are volatile. Headlines are loud. Fear spreads quickly.

But is volatility really risk? And how should investors respond when uncertainty rises?

In this episode of The Ordered Life Podcast, we explore the virtue of fortitude and why it is essential in investing, especially during turbulent markets.

We unpack:

The difference between volatility and permanent loss

Why fear leads to poor investment decisions

The danger of herd mentality in markets

How humility and prudence support disciplined action

Why courageous investing often feels uncomfortable

The risks professional investors face and how incentives shape behavior

How virtue forms the foundation of long-term financial stewardship

Fortitude is not recklessness. It is the strength to act according to reason despite fear. In investing, and in life, disciplined courage allows you to pursue long-term goals instead of reacting emotionally to short-term noise.

If you want to build an ordered life rooted in clarity, purpose, and resilient financial decision-making, this episode is for you.

Disclaimer: Sean Gregory is a Portfolio Manager and AJ Sanson and Anthony De Lazzari are Investment Advisors with iA Private Wealth Inc., member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. iA Private Wealth is a trademark and business name under which iA Private Wealth Inc. operates.

This content was fully or partially generated by artificial intelligence. The advisor reviewed the critical information independently.

#OrderedLife #Fortitude #Investing #Volatility #RiskManagement #Discipline #MoneyAndMeaning #PurposeDrivenWealth

What is work really for?

In Part 4 of our series on Laborem Exercens, we dive into one of the most misunderstood realities in modern life: the dignity of work and the proper relationship between labor and capital.

Work is not merely a paycheck. It is not just economic output. It is not reducible to productivity.

The Church teaches that work is an obligation and a source of rights for the worker. When someone who is capable of work cannot find it, it is not just inconvenient, it is a tragedy. 

In this episode, we explore:

Why unemployment is a moral issue, not just an economic one

The right to just wages and safe working conditions

Why capital must serve labor, not the other way around

The injustice faced by agricultural and manual workers

Why man is meant for greater things than material prosperity

We examine what it means for employers, investors, and workers to act justly, and how Catholics should think about economic order in light of human dignity.

Disclaimer: Sean Gregory is a Portfolio Manager and AJ Sanson and Anthony De Lazzari are Investment Advisors with iA Private Wealth Inc., member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. iA Private Wealth is a trademark and business name under which iA Private Wealth Inc. operates.

This content was fully or partially generated by artificial intelligence. The advisor reviewed the critical information independently.

In this episode of The Ordered Life Podcast, we challenge one of the most common pieces of modern career advice: “Find work you love.”

Instead, we argue that work is not primarily about passion or self-fulfillment, but about justice, humility, and responsibility.

We explore why meaningful work begins with justice: rendering what is due to God, to others, and to society through the honest use of our talents. Discovering your mission isn’t about chasing feelings or prestige, but about humility: truthfully recognizing your strengths, limits, and where you are most needed.

Finally, we confront the uncomfortable truth that greatness does not come from comfort. Purposeful work always involves challenge, sacrifice, and perseverance. When work is ordered toward service and excellence rather than ease, it becomes a powerful path to freedom, dignity, and growth.

If you’ve ever felt restless, unmotivated, or confused about your career path, this episode offers a clearer framework rooted in virtue, order, and the pursuit of the good.

Disclaimer: Sean Gregory is a Portfolio Manager and AJ Sanson and Anthony De Lazzari are Investment Advisors with iA Private Wealth Inc., member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. iA Private Wealth is a trademark and business name under which iA Private Wealth Inc. operates.

This content was fully or partially generated by artificial intelligence. The advisor reviewed the critical information independently.

Most conversations about leadership focus on results. This one focuses on formation.

In this episode of The Ordered Life Podcast we reflect on our discussions with Alex Havard and talk about what leadership is actually for. Not managing people more efficiently but helping bring out what is best in them. And just as importantly allowing the work itself to shape who we are becoming.

We reflect on why virtue is formed through action rather than intention, why productivity is an incomplete measure of success, and why friendship responsibility and example matter more than control. Leadership is not just about what gets done but about whether the work is making us more virtuous.

This episode is for anyone trying to lead in a way that is coherent with their faith, values, and long term goals, especially in work, family, and financial life.

If you want your career and responsibilities to serve something higher than output alone, this conversation offers a clearer and more human framework for leadership.

Disclaimer: Sean Gregory is a Portfolio Manager and AJ Sanson and Anthony De Lazzari are Investment Advisors with iA Private Wealth Inc., member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. iA Private Wealth is a trademark and business name under which iA Private Wealth Inc. operates.

This content was fully or partially generated by artificial intelligence. The advisor reviewed the critical information independently.

What does it mean to live and lead with greatness? In this episode of The Ordered Life Podcast, we share a powerful interview with Alex Havard, founder of the Virtuous Leadership System, on discovering your life’s mission, cultivating humility, and choosing the influences that shape your freedom. This conversation challenges the idea that leadership is merely a skillset and instead presents it as a way of being rooted in virtue, purpose, and responsibility.

Big thank you to Andrew Rebello who hosted this interview for a blog in Virtues at Work. You can check out his article here: 

If you’re seeking clarity, order, and a deeper understanding of virtuous leadership in your work, finances, and personal life this episode is for you.

Disclaimer: Sean Gregory is a Portfolio Manager and AJ Sanson and Anthony De Lazzari are Investment Advisors with iA Private Wealth Inc., member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. iA Private Wealth is a trademark and business name under which iA Private Wealth Inc. operates.

This content was fully or partially generated by artificial intelligence. The advisor reviewed the critical information independently.

In this final part of our conversation with Alex Havard, founder of Virtuous Leadership, we explore what true greatness really means and why it has nothing to do with status, wealth, or achievement alone.

Alex explains why greatness is fundamentally spiritual, how motive shapes every meaningful decision, and why leadership is ultimately measured by the growth of the people entrusted to us: our families, teams, and communities. We discuss virtue as the foundation of leadership, the danger of workaholism, and why success without justice leads to disorder in life and relationships.

This episode is for anyone striving to live an ordered life by integrating virtue, purpose, leadership, and responsibility into their life so that ambition serves the good rather than replaces it.

Topics covered:

What defines true greatness

Why motive matters more than outcomes

Virtue, leadership, and personal growth

Family, justice, and responsibility

Success, legacy, and the spiritual life

Keywords: Virtue, Leadership, Ordered Life, Purpose, Greatness, Catholic Leadership, Virtue Ethics, Personal Growth, Meaningful Life, Spiritual Growth, Servant Leadership

Disclaimer: Sean Gregory is a Portfolio Manager and AJ Sanson and Anthony De Lazzari are Investment Advisors with iA Private Wealth Inc., member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. iA Private Wealth is a trademark and business name under which iA Private Wealth Inc. operates.

This content was fully or partially generated by artificial intelligence. The advisor reviewed the critical information independently.

In this episode of The Ordered Life Podcast, we are joined by Alex Havard, founder of the Virtuous Leadership System and one of the world’s leading voices on virtue-based leadership and human greatness.

Alex explains why true greatness is not rooted in personality, power, or productivity, but in character and virtue. Drawing on psychology, he unpacks how understanding your temperament is not an end in itself, but a practical tool for identifying which virtues you are personally called to develop.

We explore the difference between management and real leadership, why leadership without virtue falls short, and how growth happens when we focus on the key virtue we are challenged in rather than every virtue we are lacking. This conversation is a powerful framework for anyone seeking personal growth, stronger leadership, and a more ordered life at work, at home, and in their interior life.

In this episode, we discuss:

Why leadership without virtue is just management

How temperament reveals your greatest growth opportunities

The role of character in achieving authentic greatness

Why virtue, not personality tests, is the path to lasting growth

How self-mastery enables service and leadership

Whether you are a leader, parent, professional, or someone striving to live with greater purpose, this episode offers a clear and practical vision: personal greatness is achieved by bringing out the greatness in others.

Disclaimer: Sean Gregory is a Portfolio Manager and AJ Sanson and Anthony De Lazzari are Investment Advisors with iA Private Wealth Inc., member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. iA Private Wealth is a trademark and business name under which iA Private Wealth Inc. operates.

This content was fully or partially generated by artificial intelligence. The advisor reviewed the critical information independently.

In this episode of The Ordered Life Podcast, we are joined by Alex Havard, founder of the Virtuous Leadership System, to explore the true purpose of business and leadership. Alex challenges the modern fixation on profit and efficiency, arguing that money is necessary but never the goal. Instead, business exists for personal and organizational greatness, formed through virtue, mission, and service.

We discuss leadership as a way of being, not a role; why magnanimity requires both contemplation and action; and how mission must always come before objectives. This conversation reframes work, ambition, and finance through a richer, more human lens: one ordered toward growth, responsibility, and the good.

Disclaimer: Sean Gregory is a Portfolio Manager and AJ Sanson and Anthony De Lazzari are Investment Advisors with iA Private Wealth Inc., member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. iA Private Wealth is a trademark and business name under which iA Private Wealth Inc. operates.

This content was fully or partially generated by artificial intelligence. The advisor reviewed the critical information independently.

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.

Disclaimer: Sean Gregory is a Portfolio Manager and AJ Sanson and Anthony De Lazzari are Investment Advisors with iA Private Wealth Inc., member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. iA Private Wealth is a trademark and business name under which iA Private Wealth Inc. operates.

This content was fully or partially generated by artificual intelligence. The advisor reviewed the critical information independently.