Welcome to “The Ignited Life” with John R. Miles
Intentional living for people who want to matter.
Hi, I’m John — host of the Gold Stevie award-winning Passion Struck podcast, bestselling author of the 19-time award-winning book Passion Struck, keynote speaker, and lifelong seeker of what it means to live a life that truly matters.
I believe that with intention, small choices can spark extraordinary transformation.
For the past two decades, I’ve been exploring a different kind of human question: not how we chase more, but how we become more—more present, more intentional, more alive.
I’ve studied what ignites transformation—from brain science to battlefield decisions, from boardrooms to quiet moments of clarity. What I’ve found is this: the most fulfilled people aren’t the loudest or the busiest. They’re the most deliberate.
Yet in a world obsessed with hustle, noise, and surface-level wins, living intentionally can feel like rebellion.
If you're someone who craves meaning over motion—who’s tired of drifting and ready to design a life that matters—The Ignited Life is for you. It’s a place for those who believe that purpose isn’t found. It’s created. One choice at a time.
*
The Ignited Life is a labor of love—and like anything worth building, it takes real energy, intention, and a small army of behind-the-scenes magic to keep the flame burning.
To make this space sustainable, we offer free, paid, and scholarship memberships:
🌱 Free: As a free subscriber, you'll receive my weekly “Spark Notes”—short, actionable insights to help you lead with clarity and live like you matter. You’ll also get access to selected essays, interviews, and curated tools to fuel your journey.
*Paid: When you join the Ignited Life as a paid member, you’ll also be able to:
Join the conversation.
Comment on posts, swap ideas with other readers, and contribute to a growing community of curious, courageous, and intentional humans. The Ignited Life is best lived together.
Access a treasure trove of deep, soul-shifting conversations from the Passion Struck podcast AD FREE archive—hours of intimate, unscripted dialogue with some of the most fascinating minds of our time.
You’ll hear from bestselling authors and groundbreaking thinkers like Sharon Salzberg (legendary meditation teacher), Susan Cain (quiet revolutionary), Scott Barry Kaufman (renegade psychologist), Dan Harris (mindfulness skeptic turned seeker), Joseph Nguyen (spiritual philosopher of the moment), Jon Kabat-Zinn (father of modern mindfulness), Seth Godin (marketing provocateur), Angela Duckworth (grit pioneer), Amy Edmondson (psychological safety trailblazer), Gretchen Rubin (happiness curator), and Gary Vaynerchuk (brand builder and truth-teller)—and many more.
Each episode is crafted to spark something real in you. These aren’t just interviews—they’re invitations to think bigger, live bolder, and lead with purpose.
Monthly Fireside Sessions.
Paid members get invites to monthly live sessions—featuring guest conversations with thought leaders, authors, neuroscientists, and changemakers. These are part masterclass, part community gathering, and 100% human.
Access bonus AMA content + behind-the-scenes lessons
Sometimes, the richest lessons come from what doesn’t make it onto the mic. Paid subscribers will get behind-the-scenes insights from Passion Struck interviews, exclusive takeaways, and deeper reflection prompts.
Share your own breakthroughs.
Want to write your own story of transformation? We’ll open up curated threads for you to share what’s working—and what’s hard—as we all keep evolving toward lives that matter. Share your own creative work and writings.
What Makes This Place Different:
The Ignited Life is not about hustle. Or perfection. Or five-step plans to manifest millions.
It’s about learning how to matter—on your terms.
It’s for people who are done drifting. Who want to show up fully—in their work, their health, their relationships—and live like their time actually counts.
Here, we explore:
🔥 How to shift your mindset and behavior to reclaim focus and agency
🔥 The neuroscience and psychology of motivation, purpose, and performance
🔥 Real stories of people who made hard pivots—and found meaning on the other side
🔥 And the deep human need we all have: to feel like we matter
This isn’t therapy. And it’s not a newsletter telling you to wake up at 5 a.m. and hack your way to meaning with lemon water and cold plunges.
This is about living intentionally in a distracted world—and learning to turn down the noise so you can finally hear your own voice again.
This space is more than a platform—it’s a movement to reclaim what makes us human: the need to feel seen, heard, and valued.
You're invited to contribute your own stories, reflections, and ideas—because your voice matters here. Together, we're building a community where significance isn't earned through achievement, but expressed through connection and authenticity.
My hope is that this will become a home for those who are tired of drifting and ready to live like they matter—not someday, but now.
What you’ll get:
Free subscribers:
3x weekly insights—short, practical emails on behavior change, mindset, and meaning
Personal stories, tools, and “micro-actions” to start applying today
The best of what I’m reading, listening to, and learning
Paid members ($8/month or $80/year):
All of the above
Early access to new episodes of the Passion Struck podcast, ad-free
Deeper essays unpacking the science behind purpose, resilience, and identity
Exclusive live Q&As and behind-the-scenes access
Community engagement: comments, discussion threads, bonus content, and more
Founding Members ($250):
You believe in this work—and you want to help others access it too. Want to help us grow this community and fund scholarships for those who can’t afford to join? Founding Members get everything above, plus the joy of knowing you're lighting someone else’s flame. There are no extra perks—just deeper purpose.
Scholarships available
If this content speaks to you but money’s tight, email us at info@passionstruck.com. No one should be turned away from The Ignited Life because of cost.
About Me
Let’s face it: most of us are busy—but not fulfilled. Accomplished—but not aligned.
We’re checking boxes, chasing metrics, and hoping one day it’ll all feel like it adds up.
I know that feeling well. I had the titles. The security. The applause. I was a Fortune 50 CIO, a private equity CEO, a Navy officer. But somewhere along the line, I realized I wasn’t living—I was drifting.
So I made a choice. I left it all behind to explore a deeper question:
What does it take to live a life that matters—by your own definition, not someone else’s?
That question became Passion Struck®, a top-ranked podcast, bestselling book, and thriving community. And now, it’s become The Ignited Life—your weekly spark to help you lead a life driven by intention, not inertia.
Join the Movement
This isn’t just a newsletter. It’s a global movement to help people live like they matter.
When you subscribe to The Ignited Life, you become part of a community that’s rewriting the rules of success, well-being, and human potential.
Let’s stop living stuck—and start living ignited.
Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives.
To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.
