What if the most valuable lesson about self-worth came from the back of a restaurant kitchen?

In this deeply personal episode of RiseWithLee, Lee takes listeners back to a childhood memory that never left him—a moment sitting in the back of a Friendly's restaurant while watching his mother endure the daily weight of being overlooked, undervalued, and mistreated. One simple sentence she spoke that day would stay with him for the rest of his life:

"If I had a dollar for every time I was mistreated, we'd be rich."

Years later, after navigating the pressures of corporate America, including his experiences at PepsiCo, Lee realized that while workplaces have evolved, the struggle for dignity and respect remains remarkably unchanged.

This episode explores:

• The hidden emotional cost of workplace mistreatment
• Why so many people tie their worth to their productivity
• How corporate culture often reduces people to numbers and metrics
• The lessons Lee learned from his mother's resilience
• Why setting boundaries is not selfish—it's necessary
• How to reclaim your identity when the world treats you as replaceable
• The power of choosing self-respect over silent suffering

Whether you're working retail, driving deliveries, climbing the corporate ladder, building a business, or simply trying to make it through another difficult week, this episode is a reminder that your value is not determined by a paycheck, a title, or someone else's opinion of you.

You are more than a number.
You are more than your output.
And you deserve to be treated with dignity.

If you've ever felt unseen, unheard, or undervalued, this episode is for you.

RiseWithLee — Because your circumstances don't define you. Your response does.