Passion Struck with John R. Miles

What if you've spent your whole life believing you needed to become someone different—when the qualities you need have been inside you all along?

Most of us think flourishing is something we earn after we've accomplished enough, healed enough, or finally have everything figured out.

But what if science says otherwise?

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with pioneering neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson and contemplative scholar Court Dahl to explore the groundbreaking science behind their new book, Born to Flourish. Drawing on decades of neuroscience research, contemplative traditions, and the work inspired by the Dalai Lama, they explain why awareness, connection, insight, and purpose aren't personality traits—they're innate capacities that every human being can strengthen through practice.

You'll learn:

Why flourishing is part of your nature—not something you have to earn.

The surprising neuroscience showing the brain can be trained throughout life.

How awareness, connection, insight, and purpose form the four pillars of human flourishing.

Why early adversity influences your life without determining your future.

What decades of studying long-term meditators have revealed about the human brain.

Why flourishing is contagious—and how your presence shapes the people around you.

How brief moments of awareness and appreciation can gradually transform your baseline well-being.

Practical ways to cultivate resilience, compassion, and purpose in everyday life.

If you've ever wondered whether it's possible to become calmer, more connected, and more resilient without changing who you are, this conversation offers a hopeful answer: you don't have to create a better self—you simply have to nurture the one you were born with.

Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.
Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.
Connect with John
Website: https://johnrmiles.com
Book John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/
Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/
Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/

Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.
Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.

Disclaimer

The Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Your brain is changing every single day. The question is: Is it changing for the better or for the worse?

Most people don't think about protecting their brain until something goes wrong. But according to renowned psychiatrist and brain health expert Dr. Daniel Amen, the decisions you make every day—from how you sleep and eat to how you manage stress, relationships, and negative thoughts—are either building a healthier brain or slowly damaging it.

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with Dr. Amen to explore the science of brain health, neuroplasticity, and why you're never stuck with the brain you have. Drawing on decades of research and hundreds of thousands of brain scans, Dr. Amen explains how modern life is rewiring our brains, why mental health begins with brain health, and the practical habits that can improve memory, focus, resilience, and emotional well-being at any age.

You'll learn:

Why brain health is the foundation of mental health.

The everyday habits that quietly damage your brain—and how to avoid them.

How chronic stress, trauma, loneliness, and social media reshape the brain.

Why automatic negative thoughts can keep you stuck in destructive patterns.

The science of neuroplasticity and why it's never too late to create a healthier brain.

Dr. Amen's practical strategies for improving memory, focus, and cognitive performance.

The surprising connection between purpose, relationships, and long-term brain health.

Simple daily choices that can help protect your brain and improve your future.

If you've ever wondered whether it's possible to think more clearly, feel better emotionally, or protect your brain as you age, this conversation offers a hopeful, science-backed roadmap for creating lasting change—because you're not stuck with the brain you have.

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Full Shownotes Here.

Download the FREE Companion Digital Workbook here.

Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.
Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.
Connect with John
Website: https://johnrmiles.com
Book John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/
Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/
Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/

Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.
Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.

Disclaimer

The Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Most of us are waiting for the moment everything changes.

The breakthrough. The perfect habit. The morning you finally wake up feeling motivated enough to become the person you've always wanted to be.

But what if that moment never comes?

In this solo episode, John R. Miles challenges one of the biggest myths in personal growth: that transformation happens in an instant. Instead, he reveals why the future version of you is created through the ordinary practices you repeat every single day.

Drawing on the timeless Zen teaching of Chop Wood, Carry Water, legendary coach John Wooden's relentless focus on fundamentals, and insights from neuroscientist Dr. Jud Brewer, Stanford behavior scientist BJ Fogg, former Hindu monk Dandapani, and astronaut Chris Cassidy, John explains why your habits don't just shape what you do—they shape who you become.

You'll learn:

Why breakthroughs rarely create lasting change—and what does instead.

The powerful lesson behind the Zen principle Chop Wood, Carry Water.

Why John Wooden believed greatness begins with mastering the smallest fundamentals.

How your brain rewires itself through repetition, attention, and curiosity.

Why Dandapani says, "We are what we practice."

The surprising reason presence is a skill you train—not a state you find.

BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits method for creating lasting behavior change.

The one question that can transform every habit you build: What am I practicing my way toward?

If you've been waiting until you feel ready to change your life, this episode will show you why the practice—not the breakthrough—is what changes everything.

Check the Full Shownotes Here

Download the FREE companion Digital Workbook

Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.
Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.
Connect with John
Website: https://johnrmiles.com
Book John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/
Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/
Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/

Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.
Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.

Disclaimer

The Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Are you your own harshest critic? If you constantly second-guess yourself, replay mistakes, or feel like you're never doing enough, this episode is for you.

Today, you'll discover why self-compassion isn't about lowering your standards—it's about giving yourself the emotional foundation to become more resilient, more confident, and more fully present. You'll learn how your inner dialogue shapes your relationships, why high achievers often stay trapped in survival mode, and how changing the way you speak to yourself can transform the way you live.

Joining John R. Miles is Dr. D. Ivan Young, executive coach, neuroscientist, leadership expert, and author of Leading from the Heart. For decades, he's helped Fortune 500 executives, elite athletes, entrepreneurs, and public figures overcome limiting beliefs, heal emotional wounds, and build lives rooted in self-awareness and compassion.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why self-compassion is the foundation of resilience

How childhood experiences shape the way you see yourself

Why high achievers often struggle with self-worth

The difference between empathy and "weaponized empathy"

How to quiet your inner critic without lowering your standards

Why the relationship you have with yourself determines every other relationship you build

Practical ways to move from survival mode to flourishing

If you've spent years extending grace to everyone except yourself, this conversation may change the relationship that matters most—the one you have with yourself.

Full Shownotes Here

Download the FREE Digital Companion Workbook here.

Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.
Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.
Connect with John
Website: https://johnrmiles.com
Book John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/
Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/
Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/

Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.
Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.

Disclaimer

The Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's episode is your ultimate guide to unlocking more potential than you ever thought possible.

If you've ever wondered whether you're capable of more—but aren't sure how to break through self-doubt, build real confidence, or reach the next level in your life or career—this episode is a must-listen.

Today, you'll learn why extraordinary performance isn't reserved for a gifted few. It's built through belief, culture, intentional habits, and a willingness to challenge the limits you've accepted for yourself.

Today, John sits down with legendary running coach Sean Brosnan, author of Beyond Fast. Sean built one of the greatest high school distance running programs in history, producing Olympians, national champions, and American record holders—not by finding extraordinary athletes, but by helping ordinary people discover what they were truly capable of.

Whether you're leading a team, building a business, raising a family, pursuing a dream, or simply trying to become your best self, this conversation will change the way you think about performance and human potential.

You'll learn:

Why belief is one of the most powerful performance tools you have

How great leaders build cultures where excellence becomes the norm

Why confidence follows evidence—not positive thinking

The daily habits that matter more than ambitious goals

How to overcome the invisible mental barriers limiting your success

Why individualized coaching unlocks the best in every person

The surprising role adversity plays in building resilience

How to create an environment where people consistently outperform expectations

If you're ready to stop living beneath your potential and start believing in what's truly possible, this episode will give you the mindset and tools to begin.

Get the Full Shownotes Here: https://passionstruck.com/how-to-build-an-elite-team-culture-sean-brosnan/

Download the FREE Companion Digital Workbook HERE

Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.
Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.
Connect with John
Website: https://johnrmiles.com
Book John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/
Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/
Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/

Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.
Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.

Disclaimer

The Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.