Passion Struck with John R. Miles

Is technology making healthcare faster and more efficient, or is it making it more brittle, bureaucratic, and less human? Today, we zoom out to explore the systemic forces reshaping our lives with one of the most influential voices in modern medicine. Joining me is Dr. Robert “Bob” Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at UCSF and the "father of the hospitalist field," to discuss...

There is a moment most people never name. It’s not a dramatic collapse or a sudden crisis. From the outside, your life looks flawless—the routine is steady, the success is visible, and the applause is frequent. But inside, a silent shift has occurred. The wins that used to ignite you now feel borrowed, and the applause begins to echo in a hollow room. You’ve realized the old script of your life ha...

Why do some people recover from illness, trauma, or adversity stronger than before, while others struggle to regain their footing? Today’s episode explores one of the most overlooked drivers of health and healing: resilience. Joining me is board-certified cardiologist, ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent, and author Dr. Tara Narula to discuss her powerful new book, The Healing Power of Resilience...

Why do we find ourselves repeating the same emotional patterns, reacting to the same triggers, and feeling stuck in a loop of stress even when we know better? Today, we are diving into the intersection of biological optimization and psychological freedom with the founder of the biohacking movement. Joining me is the legendary father of biohacking, Dave Asprey, to discuss the groundbreaking insight...

There is a moment most people never name. Nothing dramatic happens—no big collapse, no urgent crisis. From the outside, the routine looks fine, the success is visible, and the applause is steady. But inside, something shifts: the wins that used to light you up start to feel borrowed, and the applause begins to echo hollow. In this profound solo deep dive, John R. Miles kicks off the Life Beyond th...

Why do we feel a "disclosure hangover" the moment we reveal something real, yet feel a persistent sense of loneliness when we stay silent? Today, we are diving into the complex psychology of human connection with one of the world's leading experts on the science of secrets and sharing. Joining me is Harvard Business School professor and author Dr. Leslie John to discuss her groundbreakin...

What happens when the script you’ve lived for decades suddenly ends, and you’re forced to write a new one? Today, I am joined by a true pioneer of broadcast journalism and a household name for nearly two decades as the co-host of Good Morning America, Joan Lunden. We are discussing her deeply personal new memoir, JOAN: Life Beyond the Script. In this conversation, Joan pulls back the curtain on th...

What if Henry David Thoreau wasn’t escaping work but redesigning it? In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with author and thought leadership expert Ken Lizotte to explore his transformative new book, Walden for Hire: Business Lessons from Henry David Thoreau. Together, they dismantle the myth of Thoreau as a solitary hermit removed from society. Instead, they reveal a discipl...

Why does modern life feel so "thin and frantic," even when we are more connected than ever? Today, we are venturing into the "Celtic fringe" to sit with the man widely considered the preeminent mythologist of our time. Joining me is New York Times bestselling author Dr. Martin Shaw to discuss his profound new masterwork, Liturgies of the Wild. In this conversation, we move beyo...

Why do so many children feel invisible, even in homes filled with love? Today, on the official launch day of my new children's book, You Matter, Luma, we are diving into the heart of why "mattering" is the most important foundation we can build for the next generation. Joining me is Dr. Gordon Flett, the world’s leading researcher on mattering and author of the groundbreaking paper on &q...

If you were to look into a mirror right now that didn't show your face, but showed your true value, what would you see? In this high-stakes solo episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles confronts the "Big Tobacco" moment of the tech industry: the landmark trial revealing how algorithms are engineered to replace our children’s self-worth with digital scorecards. Building on his deep-dive...

What if the stories we've been told about love are not just incomplete, but actively making dating and relationships harder and more painful? In this eye-opening episode of the Passion Struck podcast, renowned relationship scientist Dr. Paul Eastwick joins John R. Miles to unpack his groundbreaking new book, Bonded by Evolution: The New Science of Love and Connection (Crown, February 10, 2026).Dra...

What if the key to true happiness isn’t more achievements, more connections, or even more love poured your way, but actually feeling loved in the moments that matter? In this powerful episode of the Passion Struck podcast, world-renowned happiness expert Sonja Lyubomirsky and the preminent relationship researcher Harry Reis join John R. Miles to discuss their groundbreaking new book, How to Feel L...

If you could go back to the exact moment your "Performance Folder" was created—the instant you decided you had to be perfect, useful, or invisible to be seen—what would you say to that younger you? In this pivotal solo episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles introduces The Luma Effect: the lifelong cascade that begins when a child internalizes the truth of their intrinsic worth before t...

What if the secret to a meaningful life isn’t "high performance" but a state of being unusually alive? In this essential installment of the Passion Struck podcast, New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle joins John R. Miles to discuss his transformative new book, Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning, Joy, and Fulfillment (Feb 2026).The author of The Culture Code and The Talent Co...

What if the most human thing about us isn’t happiness, survival, or even love but the relentless need to feel we matter? In this profound installment of the You Matter series on Passion Struck, MacArthur Fellow and National Humanities Medalist Rebecca Newberger Goldstein joins the show to unpack her groundbreaking book The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us (Liver...

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 o...

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 decad...

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 matterin...

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, product...

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, ha...

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...

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...

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: Br...

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...