Passion Struck with John R. Miles

What if the moments where you feel most "disengaged," "perfectionistic," or "paralyzed" as a parent aren't character flaws, but the result of a "Trauma App" running in the background of your brain?
In this groundbreaking episode of Passion Struck, Dr. Robyn Koslowitz, clinical child psychologist and author of the definitive guide Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle and Become the Parent You Always Wanted to Be, joins the show. With over 20 years of experience helping more than 10,000 families, Robyn explains why post-traumatic parenting is fundamentally different from typical parenting. She reveals how "Secret ACEs" (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and hidden trauma history can hijack your nervous system, making it nearly impossible to "share your calm" with your children.
John and Robyn discuss the neurological reality of parenting after trauma, moving past the "fad" social media trends of gentle parenting to focus on the science of nervous system regulation. Koslowitz introduces her trademarked AIM Method (Acceptance, Integration, and Meaning-making) to help parents reclaim their "admin permissions" from their trauma. The conversation centers on a profound truth: your inner child cannot raise a child, but raising your real-world child can be the ultimate path to healing trauma through parenting.
If you have ever asked, "How can I give my kids a normal childhood when mine was anything but?"—this episode provides the validation, neuroscience, and practical "hacks" needed to break generational trauma and foster an earned, secure attachment.
Check the full show notes here: https://passionstruck.com/post-traumatic-parenting-robyn-koslowitz/
Download a Free Companion Workbook with reflection prompts tied to this episode.
To contact John about Keynote speaking, his books, and podcast: https://linktr.ee/John_R_Miles
Pre-order You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/
For more about Dr. Robyn Koslowitz: https://posttraumaticparenting.com
Book: Post-Traumatic Parenting available wherever books are sold.
In this episode, you will learn
Post-traumatic parenting explained: Why your body reacts to your child's behavior as a survival threat.
The "Trauma App" Metaphor: How early experiences shape emotional regulation and override your parenting instincts.
The 5 Subtypes of Post-Traumatic Parents: Identifying if you lean toward paralysis, perfectionism, or disengagement.
Building Secure Attachment: How to move from trauma responses in parents to creating attachment and emotional safety.
The AIM Method: A 3-step clinical framework for intergenerational healing and trauma recovery.
Why "Gentle Parenting" isn't enough: The importance of structure, play, and nervous system regulation for the "cycle breaker."
Healing the Inner Child: How to stop "Trauma Poker" and start raising emotionally secure children after trauma.
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.

What if the chronic overwhelm, emotional chaos, and sense of being "too much" or "not enough" stem from Invisible ADHD rather than personal shortcomings?
In this revealing episode of Passion Struck, Shanna Pearson, founder of the world's largest one-on-one ADHD coaching program and author of the bestseller Invisible ADHD: Proven Mood and Life Management for Smart Yet Scattered Women, joins John R. Miles. With over 26 years of experience and her own late-diagnosed ADHD journey, Shanna explains why ADHD in women often remains hidden or misdiagnosed as anxiety, depression, or character flaws. She draws from hundreds of thousands of coaching sessions to highlight internal struggles like masking, rejection sensitivity, rumination, and burnout that intensify in midlife amid hormonal changes.
John and Shanna discuss the neurological roots of these experiences, why traditional strategies fall short for women, and practical tools from her book. The conversation centers on reclaiming agency: moving beyond endless effort to sustainable approaches that align with an ADHD brain, restore momentum, and foster genuine self-worth.
If you have ever felt smart yet scattered, unseen by others and sometimes yourself, or exhausted by success that drains rather than fulfills, this episode offers validation and clear steps forward.
Passion Struck was recently 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: https://passionstruck.com/invisible-adhd-in-women-shanna-pearson/
Download a Free Companion Workbook with reflection prompts tied to this episode.
All links gathered here, including books, Substack, YouTube, and Start Mattering apparel: https://linktr.ee/John_R_Miles
Pre-order You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/
For more about Shanna Pearson: https://expertadhdcoaching.com
Book: Invisible ADHD available wherever books are sold
In this episode, you will learn
Why adult ADHD in women frequently goes undiagnosed or gets mislabeled as anxiety or depression
How masking, people-pleasing, and emotional overwhelm conceal core ADHD traits in females
The impact of rejection sensitivity, self-doubt, and identity erosion on self-worth
Why symptoms often escalate in midlife due to perimenopause, burnout, and hormonal shifts
Practical tools from Shanna’s coaching and book for managing mood, creating state changes, and building self-trust
How to shift from constant overcompensation to strategies that work with an ADHD brain
Why naming the experience and accessing targeted support restores clarity and meaning
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.

What if the "stones" of your success, the titles, the trophies, and the milestones, feel loose and unconnected because you’ve ignored the invisible bond meant to hold them together?
In this powerful solo episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles explores "The Mortar of Connection." Drawing on the collective intelligence theories of Steven Sloman and the psychological insights of Alex Imas, John explains why the "Hollow High" occurs when we optimize for the "win" while neglecting the "join."
This episode takes you from the ancient Giza plateau to the modern boardroom to discover the "alchemy of the mix." You will learn how to transition from Quiet Disorientation to a life of Unity over Uniformity, using your Sacred Values as the grit that makes your connections unshakeable. It’s an invitation to stop bidding on a life that doesn’t fit and start building a structure that can finally support the weight of a life that matters.
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: https://passionstruck.com/finding-meaning-after-success/
All links gathered here, including books, Substack, YouTube, and Start Mattering apparel: https://linktr.ee/John_R_Miles
Key Quote: "The cost of conviction is the grit in the mortar; without it, connections crumble under pressure, but with it, meaning seals the architecture against isolation’s erosion." — John R. Miles
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
The Alchemy of the Mix: Why meaning lives in the "Between Us" space and how collective intelligence turns a pile of rocks into a sanctuary.
The Grit of Conviction: How to identify your Sacred Values and why they are the non-negotiable "grit" required for connections to hold under pressure.
Avoiding the Winner’s Curse: A deep dive into Alex Imas's research on why we overpay for "stones" that actually weaken our internal structure.
The Application vs. The Pit: Why meaning is an act of application, and how to move your values from the "pit of someday" to the joints of your current relationships.
The Miracle of the Cure: Understanding the "Setting" process of our choices and why unity—not uniformity—is the ultimate goal of a cured life.
Extraction vs. Circulation: How to stop treating life as an auction to be won and start seeing it as an architecture to be inhabited.

The Mortar of Connection Companion Resources
Download our free digital companion workbook featuring practical reflections on avoiding the Winner's Curse, identifying your "sacred grit," and mapping your own collective layers of meaning. Explore the guide:
Connect with the Ecosystem
Pre-order You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/
Support the Movement: https://StartMattering.com
Join The Ignited Life Community: https://TheIgnitedLife.net
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.

What if “winning” isn’t proof of intelligence, but evidence that something went wrong?
In this compelling episode of Passion Struck, behavioral economist Alex Imas joins John R. Miles to unpack The Winner’s Curse, a powerful concept from behavioral economics that explains why smart, capable people systematically overpay, overcommit, and double down on bad decisions.
Drawing from his research and his forthcoming book co-authored with Nobel Laureate Richard Thaler, Alex reveals how the Winner’s Curse shows up far beyond auctions and markets—shaping career choices, relationships, investments, leadership decisions, and even how we interact with AI-driven systems. When competition, uncertainty, and ego collide, the “winner” is often the person who misunderstood the situation the most.
John and Alex explore why human decision-making breaks down under uncertainty, how mental representation distorts the choices we think we’re making, and why loss aversion and sunk costs keep us chasing outcomes that no longer serve us. They also examine how modern technology and algorithms don’t correct these flaws but often amplify them.
At its core, this episode is about reclaiming agency in an irrational world: learning to recognize when confidence is misleading, when winning comes at too high a cost, and how better decisions begin not with smarter thinking, but with clearer framing. If you’ve ever wondered why success sometimes feels hollow, why “winning” creates regret, or why intelligent people repeat the same costly mistakes, this conversation will change how you see choice itself.
Passion Struck was recently 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: https://passionstruck.com/the-winners-curse-alex-imas/
Download a Free Companion Workbook with reflection prompts tied to this episode.
All links gathered here, including books, Substack, YouTube, and Start Mattering apparel:
https://linktr.ee/John_R_Miles
Pre-order You Matter, Luma:
https://youmatterluma.com/
For more about Alex Imas:
https://www.chicagobooth.edu/faculty/directory/i/alex-imas
In this episode, you will learn
Why the Winner’s Curse means the “winner” often made the biggest mistake
How behavioral economics challenges the myth of rational decision making
What mental representation is and how it distorts the choices we believe we’re making
Why loss aversion and sunk costs keep us chasing bad outcomes
How uncertainty, competition, and ego interact to produce overconfidence
Why AI and algorithms often magnify human bias instead of correcting it
Practical ways to slow down decisions and avoid costly “wins.”
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.

What if many of our most heated debates and divisions aren't really about facts or outcomes, but about clinging to sacred values that feel absolute and non-negotiable?
In this eye-opening episode of Passion Struck, cognitive scientist Dr. Steven Sloman joins John R. Miles to unpack his groundbreaking book, The Cost of Conviction: How Our Deepest Values Lead Us Astray (MIT Press, May 2025).
Drawing on decades of research into how we think individually and collectively, Steven reveals why we often prioritize "right vs. wrong" sacred values over practical consequences—leading to oversimplification, outrage, polarization, and even extremism. From the illusion of explanatory depth (where we overestimate our understanding) to taboo and tragic trade-offs, this conversation explores how sacred values unite communities, define identities, and drive history, yet also create barriers to dialogue on issues such as abortion, immigration, climate change, and political conflict.
John and Steven dive into real-world examples: the rise of zealotry from ancient Judea to modern times, the shifting values among young men, the role of belonging in group identity, and why reframing conversations around consequences (rather than slogans) offers a path to better decisions, adversarial cooperation, and reduced division. At its heart, this episode is a call to question certainty, respect expertise, and balance conviction with humility—reminding us that true wisdom lies in thinking harder about outcomes, even when sacred values feel compelling.
Passion Struck was recently 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: https://passionstruck.com/sacred-values-cost-of-conviction-steven-sloman/
Download a Free Companion Workbook with prompts about this episode
All links gathered here, including books, Substack, YouTube, and Start Mattering apparel: https://linktr.ee/John_R_Miles
Pre-order You Matter, Luma - https://youmatterluma.com/
For more about Dr. Steven Sloman: https://copsy.brown.edu/people/steven-sloman
Purchase The Cost of Conviction: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262049825/the-cost-of-conviction/ (Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook)
In this episode, you will learn
Why sacred values simplify decisions but often ignore real consequences, fueling polarization and conflict
The difference between consequentialist thinking (outcomes-focused) and sacred values (right/wrong actions)
How the knowledge illusion leads us to rely on community slogans rather than deep understanding
What taboo tradeoffs (refusing to compromise sacred values for gain) and tragic tradeoffs (competing sacred values) reveal about human nature
Why sacred values tie us to belonging and identity, but drive us to distinguish and demonize "the other side."
Practical ways to spot sacred value reliance: Ask "Why am I doing this?" and focus on explainable consequences
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.