The Hidden Cost of Proving Your Worth: What Happens When Money Can't Fix What's Broken with Brandon Lucero
Wed Feb 04 2026
Ever wonder why hitting the million-dollar milestone didn't feel the way you thought it would? Brandon Lucero built a million-dollar business in nine months, bought the dream car, and proved to everyone he'd made it. But on the inside, he was working such long hours he wasn't seeing his kids some days, chasing significance instead of fulfillment, and walking on eggshells in his marriage to avoid rocking the boat. What he didn't realize was that his relentless drive to prove his worth was actually rooted in low self-worth, one that would take his divorce and three years of wild discomfort to finally face.
Brandon's Story: From Dead Broke to Million Dollar Business to Facing Who He Really Was
Brandon started from the bottom. Living with his in-laws with less than $1,000 in his bank account, watching his friends buy houses and build careers while he was a college dropout with nothing to show for it. Money became his measure of worthiness. If he could just become a millionaire, then he'd finally feel like he mattered.
And he did it. Brandon built his first million-dollar business in nine months. He bought the Jaguar F-Type, the dream car that was supposed to signal he'd arrived. But when he caught himself driving it to the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton, seeking significance, trying to feel better than other people, he realized something was deeply wrong. The car wasn't the problem. His relationship with worthiness was.
Then came the real reckoning. His 25-year marriage ended. The identity of "husband and dad" that he'd wrapped his entire sense of self around got ripped away overnight. He was just Brandon. Just dad. And he had to face the parts of himself he'd been avoiding for decades: the people-pleasing, the walking on eggshells, the constant abandonment of himself to keep everyone else comfortable. The hidden signs of low self-worth that look like being the nice person, the accommodating one, the one who never rocks the boat.
Over the past three years, Brandon has been in a constant state of discomfort as every area of his life that he was comfortable with got blown up at once. His business, his relationship, his parenting, his identity, his financial security. And through it all, he's learned that the most spiritual work you can do isn't meditating for hours. It's sitting in the wild discomfort of rediscovering who you are when all your armor falls away.
What we talk about in this episode:
What it actually costs to build a million-dollar business in nine months - Working before your kids wake up and coming home after they're asleep. There was a six-month period where Brandon has no memories with his kids because he was working until he was tired. The quiet regret of wishing he'd slowed down just a little, delayed the million-dollar year, to have those memories back.
The divorce that stripped away every identity he'd built - Being with someone for 25 years since age 16. The massive attachments and dependencies. What it feels like to have your soul split in half. The identity crisis of no longer being "husband and dad," just Brandon, just dad. And having to finally look at all the ways he'd been abandoning himself.
This episode is for you if you've ever:
Worked before your kids wake up and come home after they're asleep, justifying it as building their future while a part of you knows you're missing moments you can't get back
Gone through a major life transition (divorce, career shift, identity crisis) and suddenly had to face patterns you'd been running for decades
Looked back on a period of your life and realized you have no memories because you were so consumed by work
How to stop proving your worth through achievement and start building success that actually feels good
Brandon's story reveals something most high achievers don't want to admit: the relentless drive to prove yourself is often rooted in low self-worth. Not the obvious kind where you talk negatively about yourself. The hidden kind that looks like success on the outside. Being the reliable one. The nice person. The high achiever who can handle anything. Never saying no. Never setting boundaries. Constantly bending to accommodate everyone else.
The cost of this pattern isn't just burnout. It's working such long hours you don't see your kids some days. It's having six-month periods where you have no memories because you were working until you were tired. It's relationships where you've been walking on eggshells and abandoning yourself for years. It's hitting every milestone and still feeling empty because you never actually defined what success means to you beyond the next goalpost.
When Brandon's marriage ended, he had to finally face all the ways he'd been people-pleasing and abandoning himself. The three years since have been a constant state of discomfort as every area of his life got blown up at once. But through it all, he's realized that worthiness isn't something you earn through achievement. It's something you claim by finally stopping the abandonment of yourself. By sitting in the discomfort instead of numbing it. By taking personal responsibility instead of staying in victimhood. By getting curious about who you are underneath all the armor you built to survive.
The transformation isn't about doing less or lowering your standards. It's about redefining what you're building toward. Not millions in the bank and a mansion and a Ferrari. Just being financially comfortable, doing work you love, and being hyper-present in your life. That's success. That would be enough.
Get The Hidden Cost Assessment at: lisacarpenter.ca/bonus
Ready to stop abandoning yourself in the name of success?
If Brandon's story hit close to home, if you're finally ready to stop proving your worth through achievement and start creating success that actually feels good, it's time for a conversation.
The Congruency Audit is where we look at the gap between the success you've built on the outside and what you're actually feeling on the inside. We'll identify the exact patterns keeping you stuck in people-pleasing and over-functioning, the wounds driving your need to prove yourself, and what it's going to take for you to finally create success that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.
You don't have to keep working yourself into the ground. You don't have to keep having periods where you're so consumed by work you have no memories. You don't have to keep chasing significance when what you actually want is fulfillment.
Book your free Congruency Audit: lisacarpenter.ca/audit
If you listen on Spotify:
Open the Spotify app on your phone.
Search for Lisa Carpenter and open her podcast page.
Tap the three dots under the podcast description.
Choose Rate show from the menu.
Select your star rating and tap Submit.
More
Ever wonder why hitting the million-dollar milestone didn't feel the way you thought it would? Brandon Lucero built a million-dollar business in nine months, bought the dream car, and proved to everyone he'd made it. But on the inside, he was working such long hours he wasn't seeing his kids some days, chasing significance instead of fulfillment, and walking on eggshells in his marriage to avoid rocking the boat. What he didn't realize was that his relentless drive to prove his worth was actually rooted in low self-worth, one that would take his divorce and three years of wild discomfort to finally face. Brandon's Story: From Dead Broke to Million Dollar Business to Facing Who He Really Was Brandon started from the bottom. Living with his in-laws with less than $1,000 in his bank account, watching his friends buy houses and build careers while he was a college dropout with nothing to show for it. Money became his measure of worthiness. If he could just become a millionaire, then he'd finally feel like he mattered. And he did it. Brandon built his first million-dollar business in nine months. He bought the Jaguar F-Type, the dream car that was supposed to signal he'd arrived. But when he caught himself driving it to the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton, seeking significance, trying to feel better than other people, he realized something was deeply wrong. The car wasn't the problem. His relationship with worthiness was. Then came the real reckoning. His 25-year marriage ended. The identity of "husband and dad" that he'd wrapped his entire sense of self around got ripped away overnight. He was just Brandon. Just dad. And he had to face the parts of himself he'd been avoiding for decades: the people-pleasing, the walking on eggshells, the constant abandonment of himself to keep everyone else comfortable. The hidden signs of low self-worth that look like being the nice person, the accommodating one, the one who never rocks the boat. Over the past three years, Brandon has been in a constant state of discomfort as every area of his life that he was comfortable with got blown up at once. His business, his relationship, his parenting, his identity, his financial security. And through it all, he's learned that the most spiritual work you can do isn't meditating for hours. It's sitting in the wild discomfort of rediscovering who you are when all your armor falls away. What we talk about in this episode: What it actually costs to build a million-dollar business in nine months - Working before your kids wake up and coming home after they're asleep. There was a six-month period where Brandon has no memories with his kids because he was working until he was tired. The quiet regret of wishing he'd slowed down just a little, delayed the million-dollar year, to have those memories back. The divorce that stripped away every identity he'd built - Being with someone for 25 years since age 16. The massive attachments and dependencies. What it feels like to have your soul split in half. The identity crisis of no longer being "husband and dad," just Brandon, just dad. And having to finally look at all the ways he'd been abandoning himself. This episode is for you if you've ever: Worked before your kids wake up and come home after they're asleep, justifying it as building their future while a part of you knows you're missing moments you can't get back Gone through a major life transition (divorce, career shift, identity crisis) and suddenly had to face patterns you'd been running for decades Looked back on a period of your life and realized you have no memories because you were so consumed by work How to stop proving your worth through achievement and start building success that actually feels good Brandon's story reveals something most high achievers don't want to admit: the relentless drive to prove yourself is often rooted in low self-worth. Not the obvious kind where you talk negatively about yourself. The hidden kind that looks like success on the outside. Being the reliable one. The nice person. The high achiever who can handle anything. Never saying no. Never setting boundaries. Constantly bending to accommodate everyone else. The cost of this pattern isn't just burnout. It's working such long hours you don't see your kids some days. It's having six-month periods where you have no memories because you were working until you were tired. It's relationships where you've been walking on eggshells and abandoning yourself for years. It's hitting every milestone and still feeling empty because you never actually defined what success means to you beyond the next goalpost. When Brandon's marriage ended, he had to finally face all the ways he'd been people-pleasing and abandoning himself. The three years since have been a constant state of discomfort as every area of his life got blown up at once. But through it all, he's realized that worthiness isn't something you earn through achievement. It's something you claim by finally stopping the abandonment of yourself. By sitting in the discomfort instead of numbing it. By taking personal responsibility instead of staying in victimhood. By getting curious about who you are underneath all the armor you built to survive. The transformation isn't about doing less or lowering your standards. It's about redefining what you're building toward. Not millions in the bank and a mansion and a Ferrari. Just being financially comfortable, doing work you love, and being hyper-present in your life. That's success. That would be enough. Get The Hidden Cost Assessment at: lisacarpenter.ca/bonus Ready to stop abandoning yourself in the name of success? If Brandon's story hit close to home, if you're finally ready to stop proving your worth through achievement and start creating success that actually feels good, it's time for a conversation. The Congruency Audit is where we look at the gap between the success you've built on the outside and what you're actually feeling on the inside. We'll identify the exact patterns keeping you stuck in people-pleasing and over-functioning, the wounds driving your need to prove yourself, and what it's going to take for you to finally create success that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside. You don't have to keep working yourself into the ground. You don't have to keep having periods where you're so consumed by work you have no memories. You don't have to keep chasing significance when what you actually want is fulfillment. Book your free Congruency Audit: lisacarpenter.ca/audit If you listen on Spotify: Open the Spotify app on your phone. Search for Lisa Carpenter and open her podcast page. Tap the three dots under the podcast description. Choose Rate show from the menu. Select your star rating and tap Submit.