We recently had the chance to connect with John Miles and have shared our conversation below.
John, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
What I’m most proud of building isn’t a podcast, a book, or even a company—it’s a quiet movement that lives in the moments no one captures.
Every day, I hear from people who’ve listened to an episode of Passion Struck® or read Passion Struck: Twelve Powerful Principles to Unlock Your Purpose and Ignite Your Most Intentional Life and decided to take a small step—mend a relationship, change a habit, believe they matter again. Those stories don’t make headlines. They happen in kitchens, classrooms, and commutes. But to me, they’re everything—the invisible proof that transformation is real.
I’ve always believed the greatest things we build aren’t measured in downloads or awards—they’re measured in ripples.
That belief became the foundation for something new: The Matteringverse™—a story world where every tale, every character, and every ripple is connected by one universal truth: we all need to feel seen, valued, and capable of making a difference.
It begins with You Matter, Luma, launching in February 2026—a children’s book that introduces kids to the idea that self-worth isn’t something you earn—it’s something you already have. It’s a story about kindness, courage, and belonging, told through the eyes of a small bunny who learns that even the quietest voice can make a big difference.
The Matteringverse is more than a world of characters—it’s a living ecosystem of meaning, spanning picture books, early readers, classroom experiences, family activities, and real-world challenges that invite kids (and grown-ups) to pass their ripples forward. Every story reinforces the same heartbeat: when one person feels they matter, the whole world grows brighter.
So what I’m most proud of building is the unseen architecture of mattering—the conversations, lessons, and sparks of courage that remind people, often for the first time in a long time, that their lives have meaning. You can’t see it on a balance sheet, but you can feel it in the ripple effect it creates. And that’s enough for me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m John R. Miles—an award-winning author, visionary speaker, and pioneering voice in the science of mattering, intentional living, and human flourishing. A former U.S. Navy officer and Fortune 50 executive turned global thought leader, I now bridge behavioral science and storytelling to help people rediscover what it means to truly matter.
I’m the creator and host of Passion Struck®—the #1 alternative health podcast in the world and a top-five show in health and wellness—with more than 75 million downloads and a global audience in over 150 countries. The show features many of the world’s most inspiring thinkers—from Angela Duckworth and Susan Cain to Seth Godin and Robin Sharma—and has earned multiple top honors, including the Gold Stevie Award for Best Podcast and the Davey Gold Award for Social Impact.
My first book, Passion Struck: Twelve Powerful Principles to Unlock Your Purpose and Ignite Your Most Intentional Life (Post Hill Press, 2024), became a #1 international bestseller, a Next Big Idea Club Must-Read, and the winner of more than twenty international awards, including the Gold Stevie Award for Best Business Book.
Now, I’m expanding that mission to the next generation with my upcoming children’s book, You Matter, Luma (Morgan James Publishing, February 2026)—a story about a small bunny who learns that even the quietest voice can make a big difference.
At its core, everything I build is driven by one belief: when people feel they matter, they change the world.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a curious, quiet kid who loved to dream big—even if I didn’t always feel like I belonged in those dreams. After a traumatic brain injury at five, I spent years wearing an eye patch, going to speech therapy, and feeling like an outsider. I learned early what it felt like to be invisible.
But beneath the struggle, there was still this spark of wonder—a kid who believed in kindness, imagination, and the power of small moments to make a big difference. Over time, though, that curiosity was replaced by armor. I learned to chase achievement rather than meaning, success instead of self-worth.
It took decades—and a lot of unlearning—to come back to that original version of myself. The child who didn’t yet need permission to dream or to matter. That rediscovery became the foundation of everything I do today through Passion Struck and my upcoming children’s book, You Matter, Luma. Because every child—and every adult—deserves to know that who they are before the world labels them is already enough. That’s where mattering truly begins.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Years ago, while I was a senior executive at a Fortune 50 retailer, I was taking a class called Discipleship 1 when I experienced what I can only describe as a divine message. It wasn’t from the instructor—it was something deeper. I heard a clear calling to serve “the lonely, hopeless, broken, bored, and beaten of the world.”
At the time, I assumed it meant serving others. I didn’t realize that I was one of them. Despite the external success, I had become invisible in my own life—numb, disconnected, and going through the motions. I had mastered achievement but lost meaning.
It took years of self-work and reflection to understand that the person I was truly called to serve first was me. I needed to rediscover my own worth—to believe that my life still held purpose. That realization revealed something larger: we didn’t stop mattering; we just stopped believing we do.
It’s a truth I see everywhere—from the forty percent of teens who say they feel hopeless to adults quietly carrying the same weight. My mission now is to help people remember that mattering isn’t something we earn; it’s something we already have.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I believe that every human being carries an inherent need—and a divine right—to matter. Not because of what we achieve or produce, but because of who we are. You can’t quantify it or prove it with data, yet it’s the quiet force that holds the world together.
When people feel they matter, they thrive. When they don’t, they fracture—emotionally, relationally, even spiritually. I’ve seen that truth play out in boardrooms, on battlefields, and in everyday lives. It’s not philosophy; it’s the lived pulse of our humanity.
What I can’t prove but deeply know is that this need to matter isn’t just biological—it’s sacred. Every faith tradition, from Christianity to Buddhism to Hinduism, affirms some version of it: that we each carry an inherent worth simply for existing. When someone feels seen, valued, and loved, something holy shifts inside them. Every act of kindness, every courageous choice, every spark of creation is an echo of that truth.
You can’t see it, measure it, or fully explain it. But when you witness that transformation—when someone begins to believe their life has weight—you know you’ve touched something real. Something invisible, yet undeniably true.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say that I helped them remember what the world so often makes us forget—that they matter, simply because they exist.
Not because of what they achieved or produced, but because they began to see the quiet beauty within themselves—the same beauty I see reflected in others. Dacher Keltner calls it moral beauty: the awe we feel in witnessing courage, kindness, and compassion. For me, that awe isn’t reserved for extraordinary people—it lives in everyday acts of love, patience, and hope.
That’s what I want my legacy to be: helping people rediscover the moral beauty in their own lives and in one another.
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche teaches that personal mattering doesn’t begin with external validation; it begins with recognizing our innate basic goodness—the awareness, love, compassion, and wisdom that already live within us. I’ve come to believe that hope itself is born from this place. When we remember our own goodness—and the goodness in others—we heal.
If people remember me at all, I hope it’s as someone who helped them see that truth. Because once we remember that we matter, we begin to see the world not just as it is, but as it could be—beautiful, connected, and alive with possibility.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://johnrmiles.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_r_miles/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milesjohn/
- Twitter: https://x.com/John_RMiles
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnrmiles.com
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTLdXATpxf8LP3riC0_mkKw
- Other: https://youmatterluma.com/
https://passionstruck.com/
https://www.theignitedlife.net/
https://startmattering.com/
https://www.tiktok.com/@john_r_miles
Image Credits
Cover image and back cover of the book should be credited to my illustrator Nejla Shojaie
