Catalyze 2024: John R. Miles, Passion Struck

We’re asking thought leaders, business people and creatives to talk about the upcoming year and give us catalyzing ideas for making St. Pete a better place to live. What should our city look like? What are their hopes, their plans, their problem-solving ideas? This is Catalyze 2024.

John R. Miles has spent nearly three decades on the front lines of military leadership, entrepreneurship, global business, life coaching and business strategy. After a successful career in Fortune 50 leadership, Miles turned inward, embarking on a journey of self-discovery that led him to start a podcast called Passion Struck that unpacks the wisdom of well-known guests and “everyday heroes.”

“I love Tony Robbins, but if you’re talking about personal change, people see Tony and they’re like, ‘How am I supposed to become Tony Robbins?’” Miles said. “If you take someone who’s made a couple of different choices and seen a tremendous change in their life, I think that resonates with people more. I wanted to use this as a way of teaching people that they can create lives of significance, that they could come out of this feeling of being stuck or living on autopilot or feeling bored, and they can intentionally craft the life they want. A life that matters.”

Miles, a Navy Veteran who lives in St. Pete, launched his podcast in 2021. In the past two years, listenership has soared and the roster of guests continues to grow. 

“Passion Struck is one of the top 100 podcasts in the world, one of the top four health podcasts in the world, the number one alternative health podcast in the world and we have over 23 million downloads and over 25,000 five-star reviews on Apple,” said Miles.

As he looks to 2024, Miles has some major accomplishments and aims on the horizon. Passion Struck has been picked up by a major radio/podcast platform, the details of which Miles plans to announce in January. He’s also putting his knowledge to paper, publishing his Passion Struck book in February 2024. As his reach grows, Miles aims to expand with new variations of his podcast and a potential move to television.

“My goal is just to keep bringing on guests that people can relate to, and I have an all-star lineup coming up,” Miles said. “I can’t even believe some of the people that are coming on the show. I just recently interviewed Maria Menounos, which was really big, and I’ve got more guests of her caliber and vigor coming on the show.”

Miles believes his message of purposeful, lasting change and the actionable advice he and his podcast guests impart on listeners is what draws so many in. In the new year, he hopes readers find his book just as valuable.

“A huge factor for me is getting this book out, which has been just a labor of love, and into the world so that people can start using the concepts,” said Miles. “What brings me joy is that the message is resonating with people and, more importantly, hopefully we’re helping people.”