What if the real reason you regret conversations is not because you said too much, but because you said too little? In this episode, we explore the science of opening up with Leslie John, a leading behavioral scientist at Harvard Business School. Her research reveals that we fixate on the risks of oversharing while overlooking […]
In this Joan Lunden Interview, we sit down with one of America’s most trusted broadcast journalists to explore what happens after the spotlight shifts. For nearly two decades, Joan Lunden helped define morning television on Good Morning America, becoming a familiar presence in millions of homes. But this conversation is not just about her years
JOAN: Life Beyond the Script – Joan Lunden on Identity, Courage, and Never Retiring Read More »
Most people move through life productive, busy, responsible, and exhausted. They meet deadlines, pay bills, show up for obligations, and keep achieving. Yet beneath the surface, many carry a quiet sense that something essential is missing — a deeper experience of mattering. In this episode of Passion Struck, I sit down with Ken Lizotte to
In this episode of the Passion Struck Podcast, John R. Miles sits down with Dr. Martin Shaw, mythologist and author of Liturgies of the Wild, for a profound exploration of mythic imagination, spiritual longing, and the spiritual thinning many people feel in modern life. Their conversation moves far beyond literary discussion and into lived experience.
Liturgies of the Wild: Dr Martin Shaw on Myth, Longing, and the Ancient Good Read More »
There is a quiet question that follows us through childhood, adulthood, achievement, relationships, and even aging: Do I matter? Feeling like you matter is more than a comforting thought. It is a psychological foundation. When people experience a consistent sense of mattering, they develop resilience, confidence, and emotional stability. When that foundation weakens, something far
Why We Need to Feel Like We Matter (and What Happens When We Don’t) Read More »
In this special solo episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles introduces The Mattering Mirror, a powerful framework for ending performance-based self-worth and reclaiming intrinsic value in a culture obsessed with metrics, productivity, and external validation. From the schoolyard to the boardroom to the algorithm-driven world of social media, we are taught to see ourselves
The Mattering Mirror: How to Reclaim Intrinsic Worth in a Performance-Obsessed World Read More »
What if the way we pursue love has been shaped more by cultural scripts than by science? In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with Paul Eastwick to explore how attraction really works and why lasting connection grows through bonding, emotional safety, and shared experience rather than performance or ranking. Drawing
Many people know they are loved, yet still feel unseen, disconnected, or emotionally distant in their closest relationships. In this powerful episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky and relationship scientist Harry Reis to explore why feeling loved is different from simply being loved. Drawing on their new
What if the quiet question shaping our lives isn’t “Am I successful?” or “Am I happy?” but something far more elemental: “Do I matter?” In this deeply moving episode of the Passion Struck Podcast, John R. Miles sits down with MacArthur Fellow philosopher Rebecca Newberger Goldstein to explore her powerful new book, The Mattering Instinct
Many adults spend their lives achieving, producing, and performing, yet still carry a quiet, persistent feeling of being unseen. Healing childhood trauma often begins when we recognize that this sense of invisibility didn’t start in adulthood—it was learned early, in moments when our presence wasn’t mirrored, protected, or fully received. In this special solo episode
Healing Childhood Trauma: Why You Still Feel Invisible and Don’t Matter as an Adult Read More »
In this episode of Passion Struck, I sit down with Daniel Ellenberg to explore why so many men feel isolated, overwhelmed, or empty despite outward success, and how the traditional scripts of masculinity often leave men emotionally undernourished and unsure how to ask for more. Drawing from decades of clinical work and men’s groups, Daniel
Strength with Heart: A New Model of Masculinity for a Lonely World | Daniel Ellenberg Read More »
Choosing wisely has become one of the defining challenges of modern life. In a world filled with options, metrics, and algorithms, decision-making often feels heavy rather than freeing. In this episode of Passion Struck, renowned psychologist Barry Schwartz joins John R. Miles to explore why choice feels so exhausting today and how recovering judgment restores
Why Choosing Wisely Requires More Than Rational Choice Theory Read More »
