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Passion Struck with John R. Miles

Passion Struck with John R. Miles

By: Passion Struck Network
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Passion Struck® with John R. Miles is the #1 alternative health podcast about human flourishing: strengthening your brain, body, and spirit so you can live like you matter and become who you’re meant to be. Each week, bestselling author, former Fortune 50 leader, and human performance expert John R. Miles brings real, raw conversations with leading experts and people who’ve lived what they teach about growing with purpose and building a meaningful life you’re proud of.

New episodes every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.


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Episodes
  • The Question Beneath Meaning: Where Worth Actually Lives | John R. Miles EP 723

    The Question Beneath Meaning: Where Worth Actually Lives | John R. Miles EP 723
    Jan 30 2026

    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 sister, Carolyn, he reveals how worth is not something we build or earn, but something that must first be felt and recognized.

    This episode explores why meaning can feel unstable when the sense of mattering underneath it has not fully landed and why so many people feel unsettled, because worth has been quietly tied to motion, usefulness, or presence in others’ lives.

    Passion Struck is the #1 alternative health podcast and personal growth podcast dedicated to human flourishing and the science of mattering. It is ranked #1 on FeedSpot’s list of the Top Passion Podcasts on the Web, recognizing the show’s ongoing commitment to thoughtful, human-centered conversations like this one.

    Check the full show notes here:

    All links gathered here, including books, Substack, YouTube, and Start Mattering apparel:

    https://linktr.ee/John_R_Miles

    In This Episode, You Will Learn

    • The Question Beneath Meaning: Why worth precedes purpose and stabilizes identity at a deeper level.
    • Mattering vs. Meaning: How contribution organizes action, while mattering allows the self to rest without fracture.
    • Quiet Disorientation: Why internal drift can emerge even when life feels externally complete.
    • Why Modern Systems Can’t Register Worth: How productivity, engagement, and output crowd out presence.
    • Carolyn as the Proof Point: How shared presence transmits belonging without instruction or legacy-building.
    • Contingent Worth: Why motion becomes a stabilizing strategy when worth hasn’t fully integrated.
    • Stillness as Recognition: How pause, silence, and rest allow worth to land without performance.
    • The January Inquiry: A gentle question to carry forward without urgency or fixing.
    • What Comes Next: How the upcoming You Matter series turns recognition outward into daily life, choice, and belonging.

    Companion Reflection & Integration Resources

    Inside The Ignited Life, each episode in The Meaning Makers series is paired with reflection prompts and grounding practices designed to help you stay with the question long enough for real integration to occur—not to solve it, but to let recognition settle.

    Explore the community: https://TheIgnitedLife.net

    Connect with the Ecosystem

    • Pre-order You Matter, Luma (releasing February 24): https://youmatterluma.com/
    • Support the Movement: https://StartMattering.com

    Disclaimer

    The Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a licensed physician, therapist, or other qualified professional.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    29 mins
  • Alzheimer’s Research, Doctored Data, and the Human Cost | Charles Piller – EP 722

    Alzheimer’s Research, Doctored Data, and the Human Cost | Charles Piller – EP 722
    Jan 29 2026
    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 institutional inertia—and what that meant for scientific progress and human lives.At the center of this conversation is a pivotal 2006 Nature paper that helped cement the amyloid hypothesis as the dominant explanation for Alzheimer’s disease. That study shaped decades of funding, drug development, and clinical trials. Years later, independent analysts and researchers began raising concerns about manipulated images and the integrity of the data—concerns that moved slowly through formal channels while the research continued to guide practice.In this episode, John R. Miles and Charles Piller explore how systems communicate mattering through responsiveness, how delay and diffusion affect trust, and how institutional silence carries human consequences. They also examine the role of independent watchdogs, whistleblowers, and investigative journalism in preserving scientific integrity, even when doing so carries personal and professional risk.This conversation is not about cynicism toward science. It is about accountability, permeability, and the conditions that allow truth to remain alive within powerful systems.If you care about medical ethics, scientific integrity, or how institutions shape human mattering, this episode offers a vital and clarifying perspective.Check the full show notes here: https://passionstruck.com/charles-piller-alzheimers-research-fraud/Download a Free Companion Reflection Guide:Connect with JohnKeynote speaking, books, and podcast: https://linktr.ee/John_R_MilesPre-order the Children’s BookYou Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/Learn More About Charles Pillerhttps://www.science.org/author/charles-pillerBook:Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’sAvailable wherever books are sold.In This Episode, You Will LearnHow Alzheimer’s research became shaped by incentives, prestige, and institutional coherenceWhy responsiveness is a central signal of trust and mattering inside systemsHow a single scientific paper influenced decades of funding and drug developmentThe role of independent analysts like Elisabeth Bik in protecting scientific integrityWhy whistleblowers such as Matthew Schrag face extraordinary personal and professional pressureHow delays and procedural diffusion affect patients and families in real timeThe human story of Stephen Price and what clinical trials represent for those living with Alzheimer’sWhat healthy systems require in order to remain open to correction and learningSupport the MovementEvery human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter.Wear it. Live it. Show it. https://StartMattering.comDisclaimerThe Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a licensed physician, therapist, or other qualified professional.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Inner Excellence: How to Build Inner Stability Under Pressure | Jim Murphy – EP 721

    Inner Excellence: How to Build Inner Stability Under Pressure | Jim Murphy – EP 721
    Jan 27 2026

    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 national conversation—but Jim’s work has been shaping elite performers quietly for years.

    In this conversation, John and Jim examine the inner architecture that allows people to remain grounded when the stakes are high. Jim explains how fear, ego, and self-centered thinking destabilize performance, and how cultivating love, wisdom, and courage creates inner freedom that carries across athletics, leadership, parenting, and everyday life.

    Rather than focusing on tactics or motivation, this episode centers on the internal conditions that allow clarity, presence, and sustained performance to emerge. It offers a framework for anyone seeking excellence that endures—without burnout, anxiety, or collapse under pressure.

    If you’ve ever wondered why success alone doesn’t steady the inner world—or how to remain anchored when everything is on the line—this conversation offers a path inward.

    Check the full show notes here: https://passionstruck.com/inner-excellence-jim-murphy/

    Download a Free Companion Workbook with reflection prompts tied to this episode.

    Connect with John

    Keynote speaking, books, and podcast: https://linktr.ee/John_R_Miles

    Pre-order the Children’s Book

    You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/

    Learn More About Jim Murphy

    Website & newsletter: https://innerexcellence.com/

    Book: Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life

    Available wherever books are sold.

    In This Episode, You Will Learn

    • What Inner Excellence really means and why inner stability precedes peak performance
    • Why fear escalates under pressure and how “fear of fear” disrupts clarity and presence
    • How ego destabilizes performance by creating self-centered thinking and internal noise
    • The three pillars of Inner Excellence: love, wisdom, and courage
    • Why the heart plays a central role in sustained performance and fulfillment
    • How elite athletes remain grounded when expectations, scrutiny, and stakes rise
    • How to apply Inner Excellence beyond sports—in leadership, relationships, and daily life
    • What creates excellence that endures rather than collapses under pressure

    Support the Movement

    Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter.

    Wear it. Live it. Show it. https://StartMattering.com

    Disclaimer

    The Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a licensed physician, therapist, or other qualified professional.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
    Show More Show Less
    48 mins
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