Passion Struck with John R. Miles

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,...

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 ...

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...

What if revenge is not a moral failure, but a biological addiction?

In this gripping episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with Yale psychiatrist James Kimmel Jr., author of The Science of Revenge, to unravel one of the most dangerous and misunderstood forces shaping our lives, our politics, our relationships, and our inner worlds.

This episode continues our acclaimed series The Irreplaceables, which explores th...

What if loneliness isn’t a personal failure, but a biological signal that you’re built for connection?

In this powerful Thanksgiving Day episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with author, researcher, and longtime podcaster Don Martin, whose upcoming book, Where Did Everybody Go? unpacks one of the most misunderstood challenges of modern life: the loneliness crisis.

This conversation continues our acclaimed serie...

What if the moment your life collapses is not the end of your story, but the beginning of your becoming?

In this intimate, live-recorded episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles sits down with Jane Marie Chen, global humanitarian, cofounder of Embrace (the infant warmer that has saved more than 1 million premature babies), and author of the stunning new memoir Like a Wave We Break.

Filmed in front of an audience at the ...

What if the future belonged not to the fastest, the smartest, or the most optimized, but to the most human?

In this milestone 200th solo episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles reveals why your humanity — your creativity, your emotional depth, your intentionality — is the sharpest competitive edge you have in an AI-accelerated world.

Drawing from insights across our Irreplaceables series and weaving in lessons from guests l...

What if the biggest barrier to your potential is not a lack of skill or opportunity but the quiet voice inside whispering, “You are not enough”?

In this powerful episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles sits down with former national news anchor Lynn Smith, who spent 15 years at NBC, TODAY Online, and CNN Headline News before making the courageous decision to walk away from a life the world told her was perfect.

What sh...

What if the future isn’t something that happens to us… but something we shape?

In this future-defining episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles sits down with innovation thinker and bestselling author Scott D. Anthony to explore the 11 epic disruptions that reshaped civilization and the hidden patterns that will shape the next era of human possibility.

Drawing on Scott’s new book Epic Disruptions and his decades of work...

What if the cure for modern loneliness… was sitting right beside you?

In this powerful solo episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles explores the ancient, biological, and emotional forces behind the human–dog bond and why it may be one of the most potent antidotes to isolation in our accelerated, camera-off, hyper-distracted world.

Drawing on insights from Elias Weiss Friedman (The Dogist) and Amina AlTai, John unpacks ...

Amina AlTai, executive coach and author of The Ambition Trap, joins John R. Miles to expose why top achievers burn out despite “having it all.”

They dismantle hustle culture’s grip, swap wound-driven ambition for gift-aligned purpose, and unpack Amina’s 3 E’s (Excellence, Enjoyment, Ease) plus the Resentment Line to end self-abandonment.

From her near-death wake-up to systemic ambition penalties, they prove rest is resistanc...

In this heartwarming and insightful conversation, John R. Miles sits down with Elias Weiss Friedman, the creator behind The Dogist, the beloved photo-documentary project with over 11 million followers, and author of This Dog Will Change Your Life.

Together, they explore how dogs have become not only our best friends but also our greatest teachers: modeling presence, emotional regulation, and unconditional love. From rescuin...

What if the most advanced intelligence on Earth isn’t artificial, but emotional?

In this opening episode of the new Passion Struck series, The Irreplaceables: Rediscovering Human Worth in an Age of Acceleration, host John R. Miles explores the rarest skill of all in the age of AI: how to feel.

We’re racing to make machines seem human while forgetting how to be.

Through powerful storytelling and science-backed insights, John r...

What if happiness isn’t something you chase—but something you build through resilience, purpose, and self-compassion?

In this episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles sits down with Dr. Zelana Montminy, a behavioral scientist, positive psychologist, and author of Finding Focus: Own Your Attention in an Age of Distraction to unpack the deeper science of happiness—and why our culture has misunderstood it for so long.

Dr. ...

In this raw and timely conversation, John R. Miles sits down with Dr. Zac Seidler, global director of men’s health research at Movember and one of the world’s leading voices redefining masculinity. Together, they explore how modern men are facing a silent crisis—one rooted not in strength or stoicism, but in disconnection, loneliness, and loss of mattering.

From the heartbreaking story of losing his father to suicide to lea...

What if the story you’re living… isn’t yours?

In this powerful solo episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles explores how culture, work, and media quietly script our lives — shaping what we value, chase, and believe we deserve — often without us realizing it.

Drawing on insights from Claude Silver (VaynerX Chief Heart Officer) and Nick Thompson (CEO of The Atlantic), John unpacks how the stories we inherit, absorb, and ...

In this powerful conversation, John R. Miles sits down with Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and author of The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest Sport. Together, they explore how running became a thread through Nick’s life—a tool for resilience, self-discipline, and understanding his father’s complex legacy.

From the early memories of running beside his dad during the American running boom to surviving thy...

What if the greatest transformation in your career doesn’t come from working harder—but from leading with more heart?

In this week’s episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles sits down with Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia, to explore what it really means to be yourself at work—and why authenticity, empathy, and belonging are the most underrated forces in leadership today.

Claude has spent the past decad...

What if the words you speak don’t just describe the world—but design it?

In this week’s episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles explores The Words That Lead Us: how language quietly builds the architecture of leadership—creating trust, guiding ethics, and shaping identity.

Drawing on insights from Dr. Sunita Sah, Charles Duhigg, and Dr. Alex Imas, John reveals how the words we choose influence every decision we make—wh...