Whose Story Are You Living? How to Take Back the Pen w/ John R. Miles | EP 684

Oct 31, 2025

What if your life story isn’t truly yours? Explore how cultural and work influences shape your beliefs and values. Discover the difference between belonging and becoming, and how social media algorithms impact your identity. Learn to audit your inherited narratives and rewrite your life's script with courage. John emphasizes the importance of making intentional choices over following trends, inviting you to reclaim your authorship and craft a meaningful story that resonates with who you truly are.

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INSIGHT

Inherited Stories Shape Identity

We inherit stories from family, culture, and work that set values, metrics, roles, and rules.
Belonging to those stories doesn't guarantee becoming the person you're meant to be.

INSIGHT

Four Axes Of Inherited Scripts

Inherited stories come with four axes: values, metrics, roles, and rules.
These axes create a silent syllabus that defines how to belong but can cage identity.

ADVICE

Audit And Rewrite Your Script

Audit your inherited story: keep values that resonate and delete roles that fit someone else.
Then write a one-line philosophy that guides choices when no one is watching.

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What if the story you’re living… isn’t yours?

In this powerful solo episode of Passion Struck, host John R. Miles explores how culture, work, and media quietly script our lives — shaping what we value, chase, and believe we deserve — often without us realizing it.

Drawing on insights from Claude Silver (VaynerX Chief Heart Officer) and Nick Thompson (CEO of The Atlantic), John unpacks how the stories we inherit, absorb, and create define who we become — and how to reclaim authorship in a world that profits from your distraction.

You’ll learn why belonging isn’t the same as becoming, how the algorithms that shape your feed also shape your identity, and why the courage to rewrite your story might just be the most important act of your life.

This episode closes out our acclaimed series, The Forces That Pull Us — a month-long journey through the invisible forces that guide how we think, lead, and live.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re performing a role that no longer fits, this episode is your call to take back the pen.

Read the full shownotes here: https://passionstruck.com/how-to-reclaim-your-story/

🎧 Listen + Watch + Go Deeper

All episode resources—including my books You Matter, Luma, and Passion Struck, The Ignited Life Substack, and Start Mattering store—are gathered here:

👉 linktr.ee/John_R_Miles

To go deeper, download the free companion workbook:

The Stories That Shape Us Toolkit — available now at TheIgnitedLife.net.

Inside, you’ll find reflections and prompts to help you uncover the cultural, professional, and personal stories that have shaped your identity — and begin rewriting them with intention.

🧠 About the Episode

Discover how culture, work, and media quietly script your life — and how to reclaim authorship.
Learn why belonging isn’t the same as becoming — and how to rewrite the stories that hold you back.
Explore how algorithms shape what we see and believe, and how intentional awareness changes everything.
Understand why authenticity isn’t rebellion — it’s reclamation.
Gain practical steps to audit your inherited stories and realign them with your chosen values.

Let’s Continue the Conversation

What story are you living right now — and who’s holding the pen?

Share your reflection on The Ignited Life, or post it on social using #TheStoriesThatShapeUs.

John will feature select responses in next week’s newsletter.

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Everyone deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter.

Show it. Wear it. Live it.

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