Why does work that once energized you start to feel like something you can’t turn off?

Dr. David Shar studies what happens when people fall out of love with their work and why that shift often happens long before anyone notices. His research shows that for working dads, the challenge is not just workload. It is how work connects to identity, purpose, and the life you are trying to build at home.

This conversation reframes passion in a way most people never consider. Not all passion is healthy. Some of it quietly creates burnout, tension, and distance from the people who matter most.

David shares how to:

• Understand the difference between healthy passion and the kind that leads to burnout
• Recognize when guilt at home or at work is a signal of misalignment 
• Identify when your work is integrated into your identity versus competing with it
• Avoid work patterns that look productive but create long-term strain
• Shift from obsessive work habits to a more sustainable, balanced approach
• Take ownership of your environment instead of reacting to it
• Influence culture and energy at work even without a leadership title
• Align your impact at work with who you are as a parent
• Create meaningful work without sacrificing presence at home
• Close the laptop without guilt and still perform at a high level

At its core, this conversation is about fatherhood, identity, and work-life balance that actually holds up under real pressure. Not less ambition, but better alignment between who you are, how you work, and how you show up at home.

Dig Deeper
University of Maryland: https://umd.edu
Cold Stone Creamery: https://www.coldstonecreamery.com
The Crips and Bloods: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crips%E2%80%93Bloods_gang_war
Safeway: https://www.safeway.com/
ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com
Wicked: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262426/
Marvel Cinematic Universe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Cinematic_Universe
Dinosaur Train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkMCYae7ua4
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nCqRmx3Dnw

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On his website: http://www.davidshar.com
On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidshar

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