Narcissistic Fathers & Jeremy's Story: How He Chose His Boss over His Family

SmartEmpath® Podcast | Dr. Michael Haggstrom | Free Newsletter

Why would a man sacrifice his marriage to keep pleasing his boss?

In this deeply emotional and eye-opening episode of the SmartEmpath® Podcast, Dr. Michael Haggstrom dives into the real reason so many men grind themselves to the bone at work—even when their relationships are falling apart.

This isn’t about work ethic. It’s not just bad boundaries.

It’s the father wound.

Meet Jeremy—a man stuck in a cycle that millions of men silently live every day. He’s overworked, emotionally shut down, and running on fumes. At home, his wife is on the verge of leaving. His kids barely see him. His body is screaming from stress. And yet… he can’t stop. Because somewhere deep inside, his nervous system has been hijacked by trauma. He’s chasing approval from a boss who mirrors the narcissistic, emotionally absent father he never stopped trying to impress.

This episode unpacks:

• How the father wound forms and why it’s so common
• The freeze–fawn trauma response and why it keeps men stuck in submission
• Why some men equate setting boundaries with losing their identity
• How narcissistic bosses exploit unhealed childhood trauma
• The true cost of performance-based masculinity
• What men need to finally break the cycle

Dr. Haggstrom shares powerful clinical insight, lived experience, and real examples of how early wounds shape adult choices. If you’re an empathic man—or love one—this episode will change how you see the pressures men face and why emotional healing is not optional anymore.

This is a call to every man still trying to earn the love he never got.

Because masculinity was never meant to be submissive.

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