Passion Struck with John R. Miles

What if everything you’ve been told about midlife is wrong?

If you’ve ever worried that your best years are behind you, that it’s too late to change, or that getting older automatically means losing your energy, purpose, or sense of possibility, this episode is for you. Today, John R. Miles sits down with Dr. Margie Lachman, a leading lifespan psychologist and author of Primetime: A New Vision for Midlife, who has spent more than 30 years studying what actually happens to us during the middle years of life.

Margie reveals why the idea of a “midlife crisis” is largely a myth—and why midlife can actually be one of the most powerful periods of growth, confidence, purpose, and control. She explains why you are not locked into who you are, why the choices you make in midlife can shape how well you age, and how your relationships, health, and sense of purpose can influence the decades ahead.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why midlife isn't the crisis we've been led to believe it is

Why your personality and sense of control can continue to change

Why it’s never too late to make meaningful changes

How your choices in midlife can affect your health later in life

Why purpose and contribution become so important as we age

How giving and receiving support affects your well-being

Why staying connected can protect against loneliness and isolation

What “generativity” means and why it matters

How to think differently about the second half of your life

This is an episode about challenging the story you've been told about aging—and realizing that you may have far more time, possibility, and influence over your future than you think.

Your best years may not be behind you. They may be ahead of you.

Catch the full show notes.

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Website: https://johnrmiles.com
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Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/
Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/

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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.

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What if the thing you regret most someday isn't what you did—but what you never tried?

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with behavioral economist and bestselling author Dan Ariely to explore why we make decisions that don't always serve our long-term well-being.

Dan's research reveals a surprising pattern: in the moment, we tend to regret the risks we take. But when we look back over our lives, we often regret the risks we didn't take.

The conversation goes far beyond risk.

John and Dan explore why vulnerability is one of the biggest areas where people play it safe, how bureaucracy can drain passion from work, why companies struggle to measure the things that matter most, and what we may lose when we optimize everything for efficiency.

They also discuss:

Why we often choose short-term safety over long-term fulfillment

The difference between regretting action and regretting inaction

Why romantic relationships are one of the biggest areas where people avoid risk

How bureaucracy can quietly kill motivation and passion

Why companies measure productivity but struggle to measure care, connection, and meaning

What happens when organizations treat people like functions instead of human beings

Why AI's pursuit of efficiency could come at the expense of meaning and human development

How feeling appreciated can influence motivation and performance

Why investing in human capital should be treated differently than simply treating people as a cost

The question you should ask yourself: Where in your life are you playing it safer than you really want to?

Dan's larger message is difficult to ignore: the life we build isn't shaped only by the choices we make. It's also shaped by the chances we decide not to take.

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.

What would change if you stopped worrying so much about what everyone else thinks of you?

Actor, entrepreneur, and father Josh Duhamel has spent decades in the spotlight, but he says one of the biggest things he has learned with age is that he no longer needs to pretend for anyone—and that caring too much about other people's opinions once kept him from living his “full version” of himself.

In this deeply personal conversation, John R. Miles sits down with the actor, entrepreneur, and father to talk about identity, success, fatherhood, presence, and what it means to build a life that actually feels like your own.

Josh opens up about:

Why success doesn't automatically make you feel like you've done enough

How the need for validation can keep you chasing the next achievement

What helped him stop caring so much about other people's opinions

Why his cabin in Minnesota brings out a different version of himself

How changing his environment helped him become more present

Why fatherhood completely changed his definition of success

What he hopes his children remember about him

Why family memories now matter more to him than material success

How he's learning to embrace simplicity, curiosity, and being present

One of the most revealing moments comes when Josh talks about what success means to him now. Despite everything he has accomplished, he admits that he still feels like he has more to prove and achieve.

Click here for the full show notes

Learn more about Gatlan

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.

What if protecting your brain from cognitive decline starts decades before you ever notice a problem?

In this powerful conversation, John R. Miles sits down with neurologist and bestselling author Dr. David Perlmutter to explore the emerging science behind his new book, Brain Defenders, and why the brain’s immune system may hold one of the most important keys to long-term brain health.

David explains how specialized immune cells called microglia can either support the brain or become destructive when challenged by inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, poor sleep, and other environmental factors.

The hopeful part is that many of the factors influencing this process are within our control.

You’ll learn:

Why the brain’s immune system may be central to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, PTSD, and other brain disorders

What microglial cells do and why their metabolism matters

How poor sleep can affect inflammation after just one night

Why exercise, metabolism, diet, and relationships all influence brain health

The surprising connection between oral health and the brain

Why traumatic brain injury and PTSD can share common biological pathways

How alcohol, ultra-processed foods, and a sedentary lifestyle can affect the brain

Why brain health should be addressed decades before cognitive decline appears

What David thinks about supplements, vitamin D, B vitamins, and personalized testing

What the emerging research on GLP-1 medications could mean for neurodegenerative disease

Why David believes we are the architects of our brain’s destiny

David also explains why he believes the conversation around Alzheimer’s needs to shift from simply treating disease after it appears to understanding and addressing the factors that may influence brain health much earlier in life.

His message is ultimately one of agency: the choices you make today are helping shape the brain you will have tomorrow.

Check the full shownotes here

Download the 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.

Have you ever had a breakthrough that felt like it was going to change your life, only to find yourself back in the same patterns a week later?

In this powerful conversation, John R. Miles sits down with three-time New York Times bestselling author Mark Manson to unpack one of the biggest traps in personal growth: confusing insight with actual change.

Mark explains why reading another book, learning another framework, or becoming more self-aware can make you feel like you're changing without actually changing your behavior. Real transformation requires something much harder: doing things differently when they're uncomfortable or letting go of an identity you've outgrown.

You'll learn:

Why insight can become a form of procrastination

The difference between personality, adaptation, and identity

Why changing your environment may be easier than changing yourself

How old adaptations can become identities that hold you back

Why motivation isn't always the problem

Why “optimal is suboptimal”

How to recognize when your mental model no longer matches reality

Why sometimes the best way to grow is to stop trying to become someone else

Mark also shares the powerful advice his father gave him about becoming the goose instead of chasing the golden eggs—and why developing your ability to create value is more important than protecting what you've already built.

This conversation is a reminder that you don't always need more information to change your life. Sometimes you need the courage to behave differently, release an identity that no longer fits, and create an environment that brings out who you actually are.

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.