Passion Struck with John R. Miles

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 insigh...

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 h...

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...

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....

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 fra...

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...

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...

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....

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 act...

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 misali...

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 gent...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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 ero...

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 r...

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...

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...

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...

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 Irrep...

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 c...

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...

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 weav...