The Ignited Life: Build a Life That Matters | John R. Miles | Substack

Let Something End Before the Year Begins: A Christmas Reflection

On release, gentleness, and making room for what’s next

16 mins ago • John R. Miles

The Quiet Light

“On this night, the world holds its breath.”

Dec 24 • John R. Miles

The Kid Who Told the Ocean "Not Today"

How a 16-Year-Old Surfer Ignored the Experts and Started Rebuilding the World’s Dying Reefs

Dec 23 • John R. Miles

Why High-Pressure Schools Are Driving the Youth Mental Health Crisis

The School Mental Health Crisis No One’s Talking About

Dec 21 • John R. Miles

The Moment I Realized I Was Missing My Wife’s Entire Day

A painfully ordinary moment that revealed what relational mattering really means

Dec 19 • John R. Miles

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The Power of the 1% Rule

Explore how running exposes the 1% of you that endures—revealing the quiet power of persistence, meaning, and becoming who you’re meant to be.

Oct 30 • John R. Miles

The Secret Language of Connection

Charles Duhigg on The Surprising Way to Heal a Broken Bond

Oct 23 • John R. Miles

The Science of Fearless Organizations

Behind every fearless organization lies one principle: safety. Discover how Amy Edmondson’s research rewrote the rules of leadership.

Jun 10 • John R. Miles

Gary Vaynerchuk on Emotional Intelligence and Why Most of Us Are Soft but Stressed

Gary Vaynerchuk gets real about emotional intelligence, accountability, and why the middle ground is the only place worth living.

Jun 10 • John R. Miles

Social Media

Book John for Speaking Engagements

The Ignited Life: Build a Life That Matters

The Ignited Life: Build a Life That Matters

The Ignited Life uncovers how mattering fuels every facet of human behavior—purpose, belonging, performance, and well-being. If you want to live with clarity, courage, and intention, this is your place.

the forces that pull us

The Power of the 1% Rule

Explore how running exposes the 1% of you that endures—revealing the quiet power of persistence, meaning, and becoming who you’re meant to be.

Oct 30 • John R. Miles

The Secret Ingredient of Great Leadership: It Isn’t Strategy. It’s Heart.

While most leaders focus on confidence and performance, Claude Silver shows why empathy and belonging build stronger teams — and better humans.

Oct 28 • John R. Miles

The Power of Language in Leadership

How Language Builds Trust, Shapes Identity, and Screws Us Without Warning

Oct 24 • John R. Miles

The Secret Language of Connection

Charles Duhigg on The Surprising Way to Heal a Broken Bond

Oct 23 • John R. Miles

decoding humanity

Why Your Brain Thinks You’re the Villain

Turns out your brain is less Morgan Freeman narrator, more awkward screenwriter. Here’s how to edit the story before it edits you.

Oct 3 • John R. Miles

Choosing Faith Over Fear

How Sandy Yozipovic Beat the Impossible

Oct 2 • John R. Miles

Joel Beasley On Creating A Life That Matters

Why Success Without A New Dream Can Leave You Empty

Sep 30 • John R. Miles

The Six Pillars of Belonging

Discover the six pillars of belonging — practical choices that help you stop fitting in, reclaim your identity, and build real connection and purpose.

Sep 26 • John R. Miles

reclaiming wellness

The Fragmentation Gap

Discover how to close the Fragmentation Gap—align your roles, values, and attention to live with flow, coherence, and true well-being.

Aug 29 • John R. Miles

Reclaiming Your Mind in the Digital Age

Reclaim your attention and find authentic flow as Jay Vidyarthi shares insights from Reclaim Your Mind on technology, mindfulness, and presence

Aug 28 • John R. Miles

The Fulfillment Gap

Why most jobs drain us—and how to reclaim meaning before it’s too late.

Aug 22 • John R. Miles

The Phantom Limb of Founders

Discover Tien Tzuo’s lesson on instincts, reinvention, and leadership—why founders must evolve to grow companies, culture, and themselves.

Aug 21 • John R. Miles

The Hidden Brain Glitch That Saved Our Ancestors

And Is Quietly Tearing the World Apart Today

Dec 18 • John R. Miles

Why a CEO Wept in the Wilderness

and Why It Changed Everything

Dec 16 • John R. Miles

The 10-Second Vote That Quietly Changed Google Forever

The keystone habit hiding in the moment before you feel ready.

Dec 12 • John R. Miles

Beyond Us vs Them: A Live Conversation with Rick Hanson and Joshua Greene Hosted by John R. Miles

Key Lessons on how we can build cultures and communities where everyone belongs, and know that they matter.

Dec 11 • John R. Miles

1:02:41

The Day I Got Schooled by a Carton of Strawberries

...and learned that awkward is the price of becoming

Dec 11 • John R. Miles

The Day Comfort Almost Won

And How a Navy SEAL Made Me Realize I Was Losing

Dec 9 • John R. Miles

Internal Affairs Would Like a Word

Turns out your life keeps detailed records, and mine just submitted them as evidence.

Dec 5 • John R. Miles

Your Life Called. It Wants You to Stop Auditioning.

A practical lesson in becoming from someone who teaches comedians how to stop pretending

Dec 4 • John R. Miles

Your Gut Was Right. You Just Called It Doubt.

How to stop betraying the one voice that’s never lied to you

Dec 2 • John R. Miles

Revenge Isn’t Personal. It’s Patterned.

It turns out revenge isn’t nearly as personal as we think. It’s patterned. Predictable. Practically automated.

Nov 28 • John R. Miles

Why Thanksgiving Quietly Became America’s Loneliest Day

The truth most of us won’t say out loud and the conversation that finally explains why we feel this way.

Nov 27 • John R. Miles

The Day I Let the Wave Win

How breaking became the only way to become whole

Nov 25 • John R. Miles

I Asked AI to Write My Resignation Letter From Being Human

And then I realized I could never sign it

Nov 21 • John R. Miles

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