Passion Struck with John R. Miles

What if doubt isn’t a weakness to overcome, but a gravitational force that pulls us toward meaning?

In this powerful solo episode, John R. Miles kicks off the new Forces That Pull Us series by exploring doubt—an invisible psychological and cultural force that shapes our choices, our growth, and our sense of self. Drawing on insights from performance psychologist Michael Gervais, physician-researcher Brennan Spiegel, and bus...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with Dr. Bidhan “Bobby” Parmar, Shannon G. Smith Bicentennial Professor of Business Administration at UVA’s Darden School and author of Radical Doubt: Turning Uncertainty into Surefire Success. Together, they unpack why doubt isn’t a weakness to overcome but a force to harness.

Bobby explains how our brains rely on three systems—pursue, protect, and pause—and why le...

Gravity is everywhere—yet we rarely think about its impact on our health. In this episode, Dr. Brennan Spiegel, UCLA Professor and author of the groundbreaking new book Pull: How Gravity Shapes Your Body, Steadies the Mind, and Guides Our Health, joins John R. Miles to reframe gravity not just as a force of physics, but as a hidden variable in human health and resilience.

They explore how posture, balance, grip strength, an...

What is the story you’re telling yourself right now?

It may not feel like it, but every single one of us is living inside a story. Psychologists call it a self-narrative — the ongoing script that explains who we are, how we got here, and where we’re headed next. These stories shape what we notice, what we ignore, and what we believe is possible.

If your inner story says, “I’m not enough,” then every critique, silence, or set...

Life has a way of testing us in ways we never imagined. For some, those tests are inconveniences or temporary setbacks. For others, like Sandy Yozipovic, there are battles that most of us could not even fathom. Imagine one day waking up paralyzed from Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the nervous system. And then, years later, you are told you have Stage 4 cancer, and the prognosis is grim.

Mos...

What does it really take to start over — to walk away from something you’ve built and chase something entirely new? In this inspiring conversation, John R. Miles sits down with Joel Beasley, technologist, entrepreneur, and host of Modern CTO, one of the most respected podcasts for technology leaders worldwide.

But this episode isn’t about scaling tech companies, it’s about scaling yourself. Joel opens up about the mindset s...

Most of us spend much of our lives trying to fit in, smoothing our edges, editing our quirks, and becoming who the world wants us to be. But fitting in isn’t the same as belonging.

Belonging is about coming home to yourself and then building spaces where others can do the same. It’s about creating deep connection and living a life that feels both meaningful and aligned.

In episode 669 of Passion Struck, John tackles the ques...

In this episode of Passion Struck, I sit down with Robert Glazer — serial entrepreneur, five-time best-selling author, and founder of Acceleration Partners — to explore his powerful new book The Compass Within. Robert shares why success can still feel empty if your life is out of alignment, and how identifying your actionable core values becomes the starting point for lasting fulfillment.

Whether you’re at a crossroads in y...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles is joined by Olga Khazan, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of Me, But Better, for a transformative conversation about the science and promise of personality change.

For much of the 20th century, psychologists assumed that our personalities were largely fixed by adulthood — that who we are at 30 is who we’ll be for life. But Olga’s work brings together groundbreaking r...

What if legacy isn’t what you leave behind, but what you build every day? In this solo episode, John R. Miles shares how to build a personal legacy using the C.H.O.I.C.E. framework: six daily principles that turn values into action and intention into impact. Discover why your quiet choices matter more than loud success and how to lead a life that lasts.

Visit the Link for the Full Show Notes.

Drawing on personal stories, exp...

In this insightful episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with psychologist and author William von Hippel to unpack the central theme of his latest book, The Social Paradox: Autonomy, Connection, and Why We Need Both to Find Happiness. Together, they explore how modern life has tilted heavily toward autonomy—careers, smartphones, and endless options—often at the expense of deep connection and belonging.

Drawing ...

In this Passion Struck episode, John R. Miles sits down with Cheryl McKissack Daniel, President and CEO of McKissack & McKissack—the nation’s oldest minority-owned design and construction firm—to explore what it takes to build a life and legacy that truly matter. From the story of her ancestor, Moses McKissack, who learned the art of brickmaking while enslaved, to her role in leading billion-dollar infrastructure proje...

Not all trauma is visible—but that doesn’t mean it stops shaping us. In this episode, John R. Miles explores the concept of invisible trauma and introduces H.E.A.L., a four-part framework for confronting what’s hidden, softening self-judgment, identifying destructive patterns, and stepping into liberation. You’ll hear powerful insights from experts like Dr. Ingrid Clayton and Dr. Nicole Cain and walk away with practical to...

In this episode, Dr. Nicole Cain—naturopathic doctor, clinical psychologist, and author of Panic Proof—shows how to design a personalized Panic-Proof plan that addresses anxiety at its source. We unpack the nine anxiety types and why labeling everything as “panic” misses the root drivers.

She lays out a practical blueprint: nervous-system regulation (breath, cold exposure, somatic mapping, paced recovery), gut–brain repair ...

In episode 661 of Passion Struck, trauma psychologist Dr. Ingrid Clayton explains why so many high-achievers, caregivers, and leaders default to “keep the peace at any cost,” and how that pattern quietly erodes identity, boundaries, and well-being.

We unpack how complex/relational trauma encodes “safety over self,” why talk-only approaches often stall, and the practical sequence for unfawning: notice → name → normalize → lo...

In the debut of the Decoding Humanity series, John R. Miles explores what he calls The Living Code: the deeper foundation beneath our lives that determines whether we stand strong or collapse when the inevitable storms come. Drawing on timeless wisdom from the Gospel of Matthew, insights from neuroscience, and reflections from recent guests Dr. Bruce Miller, Dr. Virginia Sturm, and Dr. Caroline Fleck, John reveals the four...

In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Caroline Fleck—clinical psychologist, researcher, and author of Validation—explores why so many of us struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, and burnout, not because we’re broken, but because our need for validation has gone unmet. She explains how validation is more than comfort—it’s proof that we matter.

Drawing on her clinical work and scientific research, Dr. Fleck demonstrates why v...

In Episode 658 of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles sits down with renowned neuroscientists Dr. Bruce Miller and Dr. Virginia Sturm, co-authors of the book "Mysteries of the Social Brain," to explore their groundbreaking work on the social brain. Together, they explore how empathy, fairness, altruism, and connection are not just cultural ideals but are also hardwired into our neural architecture. From the role of specific...

Most people think of flow the way psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described it — being “in the zone” during peak performance. But in this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles redefines flow as something much deeper: the coherence of living one life instead of many fractured selves.

Drawing on conversations with Dr. Jodi Blinco and Jay Vidyarthi, John explores the Fragmentation Gap — the hidden divide between the ro...