We are taught from the schoolyard to the boardroom that our value is a variable, something that fluctuates based on our last win, our latest promotion, or our ability to remain relentlessly productive. But what happens when the "doing" stops? In this deeply personal solo episode of Passion Struck , John R. Miles pulls back the curtain on a phenomenon he calls the "speech impediment of the soul." Drawing from a life-altering traumatic brain injury at age five and his subsequent climb through the ...
Feb 06, 2026•34 min•Ep. 727
What happens when strength is defined as self-sufficiency, emotional restraint, and constant proof? In this episode of Passion Struck , licensed psychologist and leadership coach Daniel Ellenberg, PhD, joins Passion Struck to explore how traditional masculine scripts shape identity, relationships, and the lived experience of mattering often at a hidden cost. Ellenberg has spent more than four decades facilitating men’s groups and workshops, guiding thousands of men through questions of emotional...
Feb 05, 2026•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 726
What happens when the frameworks we use to make decisions no longer reflect how human lives actually work? In this opening episode of the You Matter series on Passion Struck , renowned social psychologist Barry Schwartz joins the show to examine how modern decision-making systems—built on metrics, optimization, and rational choice theory—can quietly erode agency, judgment, and our sense of mattering. Schwartz is best known for The Paradox of Choice , which revealed how an abundance of options of...
Feb 03, 2026•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 725
We spend much of our lives searching for meaning through work, relationships, contribution, and purpose. But beneath that search lives a quieter, more fragile question, one we rarely say out loud: Do I matter even when nothing is being made of me? In this solo episode of Passion Struck , John R. Miles moves beneath meaning itself to explore what actually holds a life together when direction, productivity, and explanation fall away. Through a deeply personal reflection on his final walk with his ...
Jan 30, 2026•29 min•Ep. 724
What happens when the systems we trust most struggle to correct themselves and the cost is paid by patients, families, and society? In this deeply consequential episode of Passion Struck , investigative journalist Charles Piller joins the show to discuss his groundbreaking book Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s . Piller, a senior writer for Science magazine, has spent years examining how Alzheimer’s research became shaped by incentives, reputation, and inst...
Jan 29, 2026•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 723
What if peak performance isn’t created by intensity, control, or relentless self-pressure, but by inner stability? In this powerful episode of Passion Struck , Jim Murphy, performance coach to elite athletes and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Inner Excellence, joins the show to explore what truly sustains excellence under pressure. Many listeners first encountered Inner Excellence when A.J. Brown was shown reading it on the NFL sideline during a playoff game. That moment sparked a n...
Jan 27, 2026•48 min•Ep. 722
What if the most important things you will ever say to those you love are the things you never speak aloud? In this moving solo episode, John R. Miles shares a deeply personal story about a final walk with his sister, Carolyn, by Lake Austin. He explores the "wordless tie" that binds us together and explains the science of why silence often carries more weight than speech. Drawing on the groundbreaking fMRI research of Dr. Lisa Miller and her work on The Awakened Brain, John reveals how our brai...
Jan 23, 2026•18 min•Ep. 721
What if the moments where you feel most "disengaged," "perfectionistic," or "paralyzed" as a parent aren't character flaws, but the result of a "Trauma App" running in the background of your brain? In this groundbreaking episode of Passion Struck, Dr. Robyn Koslowitz, clinical child psychologist and author of the definitive guide Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle and Become the Parent You Always Wanted to Be , joins the show. With over 20 years of experience helping more than 10,000 fami...
Jan 22, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 720
What if the chronic overwhelm, emotional chaos, and sense of being "too much" or "not enough" stem from Invisible ADHD rather than personal shortcomings? In this revealing episode of Passion Struck, Shanna Pearson, founder of the world's largest one-on-one ADHD coaching program and author of the bestseller Invisible ADHD: Proven Mood and Life Management for Smart Yet Scattered Women , joins John R. Miles. With over 26 years of experience and her own late-diagnosed ADHD journey, Shanna explains w...
Jan 20, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 719
What if the "stones" of your success, the titles, the trophies, and the milestones, feel loose and unconnected because you’ve ignored the invisible bond meant to hold them together? In this powerful solo episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles explores "The Mortar of Connection." Drawing on the collective intelligence theories of Steven Sloman and the psychological insights of Alex Imas, John explains why the "Hollow High" occurs when we optimize for the "win" while neglecting the "join." ...
Jan 16, 2026•31 min•Ep. 718
What if “winning” isn’t proof of intelligence, but evidence that something went wrong? In this compelling episode of Passion Struck , behavioral economist Alex Imas joins John R. Miles to unpack The Winner’s Curse, a powerful concept from behavioral economics that explains why smart, capable people systematically overpay, overcommit, and double down on bad decisions. Drawing from his research and his forthcoming book co-authored with Nobel Laureate Richard Thaler, Alex reveals how the Winner’s C...
Jan 15, 2026•55 min•Ep. 717
What if many of our most heated debates and divisions aren't really about facts or outcomes, but about clinging to sacred values that feel absolute and non-negotiable? In this eye-opening episode of Passion Struck, cognitive scientist Dr. Steven Sloman joins John R. Miles to unpack his groundbreaking book, The Cost of Conviction: How Our Deepest Values Lead Us Astray (MIT Press, May 2025). Drawing on decades of research into how we think individually and collectively, Steven reveals why we often...
Jan 13, 2026•54 min•Ep. 716
What if the quiet emptiness after achieving "success"—the promotion, the house, the milestone—isn't failure, but a signal to build deeper meaning? In this solo episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles introduces the architecture of significance: a blueprint for shifting from a life that's a monument to yourself to one that becomes a shelter for others. Building on insights from Dr. Stephen G. Post and Mark Nepo, John explores the hidden foundation of inherent worth, the pillars of circulati...
Jan 09, 2026•23 min•Ep. 715
What if living with an open heart, especially in times of loss, uncertainty, and division, is not a matter of willpower or optimism, but a quiet and courageous practice of presence? In this episode of Passion Struck , poet, philosopher, and cancer survivor Mark Nepo joins John R. Miles for a deeply human conversation about acceptance, aliveness, and what it means to live with an open heart in a fractured world. Drawing on his lifelong body of work, including The Book of Awakening and his newest ...
Jan 08, 2026•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 714
What if the most powerful force for healing division, reducing stress, and finding lasting inner peace wasn't elusive or mystical, but a practical, science-backed way of living accessible to everyone? In Episode 712 of Passion Struck, renowned researcher, bestselling author, and founder of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, Dr. Stephen G. Post, joins John R. Miles to explore "Pure Unlimed Love" as the ultimate unifying energy, blending science, spirituality, and compassionate action, ...
Jan 06, 2026•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 713
What if the key to thriving in 2026 isn't expanding your network or chasing global impact, but intentionally shrinking your world to the size your brain was built for? In this first solo episode of 2026, Episode 711 of Passion Struck, John R. Miles explores the profound mismatch between our hunter-gatherer brains (evolved for tribes of under 150 people) and the demands of an 8-billion-person world. Drawing on Dunbar's number, psychology, and the themes of The Season of Becoming, John unpacks why...
Jan 02, 2026•23 min•Ep. 712
What if one of the most personal decisions a woman can make (when and whether to become a mother) became a public act of courage that shifted the conversation for an entire generation? In Episode 710 of Passion Struck, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA) joins John R. Miles for a deeply human conversation that has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with agency, worth, and vulnerability. At 31, newly sworn into Congress, Sara froze her eggs to preserve the option of motherhood on her o...
Jan 01, 2026•47 min•Ep. 711
What if entering "the zone" wasn't a rare accident reserved for elite athletes, but a repeatable skill anyone could train, just like strength or focus? In Episode 709 of Passion Struck, NBA mindset coach, bestselling author, and peak performance expert David Nurse joins John R. Miles to reveal why flow state has been misunderstood as elusive when a science-backed, step-by-step system actually governs it he calls The Flow Code Formula. Drawing from his work with over 150 NBA stars, Fortune 500 CE...
Dec 30, 2025•45 min•Ep. 710
What if the real reason most teams fail has nothing to do with talent, effort, or motivation? In Episode 708 of Passion Struck , New York Times bestselling author and Leadership IQ founder Mark Murphy joins John R. Miles to reveal why even the most innovative, most driven teams quietly fall apart. Drawing on decades of research and his latest work on high-performance teams, Mark explains why misalignment, unclear roles, and unspoken expectations are the hidden forces that derail results. Togethe...
Dec 26, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 709
What if real transformation does not begin with what we add, but with what we finally allow to end? In this deeply reflective Christmas Day solo episode of Passion Struck , Episode 707, John R. Miles invites listeners into the quiet, liminal space between the year that is closing and the life that is still taking shape. Rather than rushing toward resolutions, this episode explores the power of gentle endings and the release of old stories, habits, and self-protections that have outlived their pu...
Dec 25, 2025•22 min•Ep. 708
What if creativity were just the spark, and the real power lay in turning ideas into unbreakable solutions? In Episode 706 of Passion Struck, innovation expert Nir Bashan returns (his first appearance was Episode 36) to unveil the repeatable framework behind his new book The Solution Mindset . He reveals why brilliant ideas alone leave most people stuck, and how activating 10 innate problem-solving superpowers can transform frustration into impact. Through gripping stories: a teenager who rebuil...
Dec 23, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 707
What if the most profound regret we carry isn’t about what we did, but about the quiet ways we slowly drifted from the people we love most? In this heartfelt solo episode of Passion Struck, Episode 705, John R. Miles explores why the greatest gift we can give those who matter most isn’t more time, more gifts, or even more love, but simple, undivided presence. Drawing from personal holiday memories and the psychology of “relational mattering,” John reveals how relationships rarely break from conf...
Dec 19, 2025•25 min•Ep. 706
What if the most significant leadership challenge of our time isn’t strategy, speed, or scale but our shrinking capacity to care for one another? In an era of deepening polarization and quiet loneliness, this special episode of Passion Struck confronts the root of division: our brain's ancient "us vs. them" wiring that once ensured tribal survival but now fragments society. Host John R. Miles joins Harvard cognitive scientist Joshua Greene (author of Moral Tribes) and psychologist Rick Hanson (N...
Dec 18, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 705
What if the leadership answers you’ve been searching for can’t be found in another keynote, framework, or performance review but only by stepping completely out of the world you know? In Episode 703 of Passion Struck , John R. Miles is joined by Oli Raison and Boris Maguire , founders of Safarini Leadership , for a conversation that challenges everything we think we know about growth, leadership, and belonging. At a time when we are more globally connected than ever—and yet more polarized, distr...
Dec 16, 2025•56 min•Ep. 704
What if the only thing standing between you and the person you’re meant to become isn’t talent, time, or even confidence, but one small, uncomfortable decision you haven’t made yet? In this powerful solo episode, Episode 702 of Passion Struck, John R. Miles closes the Season of Becoming by distilling the single most consistent lesson from hundreds of world-class performers, Navy SEALs, near-death survivors, and everyday courage-builders: Courage is not a trait you’re born with. It’s a vote you c...
Dec 12, 2025•21 min•Ep. 703
What if the very thing you’ve been trying to hide, your awkwardness, was actually the key to deeper connection, stronger leadership, and unbreakable confidence? In Episode 701 of Passion Struck, workplace performance expert and bestselling author Henna Pryor joins John R. Miles to unpack her groundbreaking book Good Awkward and expose the hidden crisis she calls Social Muscle Atrophy, the slow erosion of our ability to handle normal human interaction in a world gone hybrid and hyper-polished. He...
Dec 11, 2025•54 min•Ep. 702
What if becoming who you are meant to be depends less on adding more and more… and more on eliminating the things holding you back? In this special EPISODE 700 of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with fellow veteran and former Navy SEAL combat operator Brent Gleeson , bestselling author of Embrace the Suck and All In . This milestone conversation goes deep into identity transformation under real pressure: military service, combat, losing a father, and rebuilding integrity from the inside ...
Dec 09, 2025•53 min•Ep. 701
There is a moment when you look at your life and realize something important. You have been waiting. You have been giving your energy away. You have been putting everyone else first. And somewhere along the line, you started disappearing from your own story. This solo episode is about that moment. The moment you choose yourself again. John R. Miles explores why so many of us learn to shrink to fit other people’s expectations, and what happens when you finally decide that your voice, your needs, ...
Dec 05, 2025•23 min•Ep. 700
What if becoming who you want to be has less to do with control and more to do with letting go? In this insightful episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with Anne Libera, longtime Second City director, educator, and author of Funnier: A New Theory for the Practice of Comedy . Together, they explore how improvisation offers a powerful model for personal growth, creativity, and identity transformation. Anne’s work blends comedy, psychology, and human behavior. Drawing from decades at ...
Dec 04, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 699
What if intuition isn’t mystical, but a form of deep perception we’ve forgotten how to trust? In this transformative episode of Passion Struck , John R. Miles sits down with internationally respected intuitive and spiritual teacher Susan Grau, host of Infinite Life, Infinite Wisdom , to explore one of the most profound capacities of the human mind: our ability to sense truth, meaning, and connection far beneath the surface of ordinary awareness. Susan’s work blends lived experience, grief healin...
Dec 02, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 698
