Rest, Resistance, and the Protestant Work Ethic (in the Age of AI)

We’re kicking off 2026 with our most personal episode yet.This conversation wasn’t planned. We sat down intending to talk about what comes next for the show, and instead found ourselves in a deeper discussion about work, burnout, ambition, and what it means to live in a moment where AI is rapidly reshaping labor, identity, and trust.In this episode:Why “work is sacred” feels harder to believe and harder to let go ofBurnout, hustle culture, and the cognitive dissonance of automationLabor zero, post-labor economics, and the fear beneath productivityStatus, money, degrees, and inherited stories about worthRest as resistance and nervous system regulationAI, trust erosion, and the danger of slow confusionDopamine, addiction, and withdrawal at a societal scaleWhy connection may be the real antidoteSources:David Shapiro's Substack on Labor Zero: https://daveshap.substack.com/p/im-starting-a-movementHe, She, and It by Marge Piercy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He,_She_and_ItEthan Mollick's Substack on the temptation of The Button: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/setting-time-on-fire-and-the-temptationRest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey: https://blackgarnetbooks.com/item/oR7uwsLR1Xu2xerrvdfsqAThe Last Invention (AI Podcast): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-last-invention/id1839942885Leave us a comment or a suggestion! Support the showContact us: https://www.womentalkinboutai.com/