Human School

Donald Miller, bestselling author and founder of StoryBrand, dives into why the villain's journey holds transformative power. He reflects on personal struggles like father abandonment and poverty, illustrating how our darkest moments can fuel empathy and success. The conversation touches on the significance of forgiveness in leadership, the impact of cognitive load on communication, and the healing powers of writing. Donald also explores his evolution into fatherhood, underscoring the importance of congruence and vulnerability in relationships.

What happens when you stop hiding from the hardest parts of your story? What if the moments that nearly broke you are actually the ones that wake you up? Joshua Bassett—Emmy-winning actor, musician, and creator of the deeply honest album The Golden Years—opens up about navigating heart failure at a young age, surviving public heartbreak, wrestling with suicidal ideation, and discovering that vulnerability isn't weakness, it's the pathway to freedom. From growing up homeschooled with emotional distance in his family to living in his car in Los Angeles at 16, Joshua shares how he's learned to turn pain into purpose, shame into connection, and fear into art. In this raw and revealing conversation, Joshua talks about the family meeting that changed everything, the lies he believed about his intelligence, the spiritual awakening that followed a psychedelic experience, and why he believes chronic fight-or-flight is the biggest problem of our time. He introduces practical tools like his "thought-feeling-impulse-truth" exercise, breathing techniques to calm your nervous system, and why artists have to "pave the road" through their own pain so others can walk it more easily. Joshua also shares about Sammy Sundays, the homeless outreach he co-founded, why safety matters more than talent in the creative process, and how learning to say the unsaid became his greatest act of courage. This isn't a conversation about fame or celebrity. It's about what it takes to become fully human in a world that rewards performance over presence.And if you want to hear more of Joshua's story, his book ROOKIE comes out May 5, 2026. Pre-orders are available on joshuatbassett.com. In this conversation, you'll learn:How to Use the "Thought-Feeling-Impulse-Truth" Framework to Process AnxietyHow Vulnerability Creates Connection, Even When It's TerrifyingHow to Get Out of Fight-or-Flight Using Science-Backed TechniquesHow to Stop Apologizing for Your Unique Way of ThinkingHow to Recognize When You're Pushing Emotions Down Instead of Processing ThemHow to Create Safety in Creative SpacesHow to Stop Letting Other People's Perceptions Define Your IdentityHow Love Is Worth Living For Even in Your Darkest MomentLearn More About OnsiteDiscover the transformational experiences that support deep healing and growth. Visit experienceonsite.com to learn about Onsite's immersive programs in Tennessee and Southern California, or call 1-800-341-7432. Follow Human School:YouTube - Human School PodcastInstagram - @humanschoolofficialThreads - @humanschoolofficialTikTok - @humanschoolofficialWhat We Discuss:00:00:00 Welcome to Human School00:00:41 Meet Joshua Bassett00:03:19 Why Vulnerability Is Always Met With Vulnerability00:07:53 The Hospital Room Confession: When Heart Failure Brought His Family Closer00:10:33 The Family Meeting Where Everything Shifted00:19:17 Why Polarization Sells and Productive Conversations Don't Have Winners00:22:29 How Artists Are the Ones Who Will Bring Culture Back Together00:28:04 The Film Role That Gave Him Back Pain From Vicarious Trauma00:30:02 Mirror Neurons: How We Catch Emotions Like a Cold00:35:09 Why Fight-or-Flight Is the Biggest Problem of Our Time00:39:27 The 20 Tools He Uses to Get Out of Fight-or-Flight00:41:21 Thought-Feeling-Impulse-Truth: The Framework That Changed His Life00:43:10 Life Lessons from Universal Studios Experiences00:50:14 Sammy Sundays: The Homeless Outreach That Radically Changed His Life00:53:07 The Vagus Nerve and Science-Backed Ways to Calm Your Nervous System00:57:09 Guided Breathing Exercise: 4 Seconds In, Hold for 7, Out for 801:00:36 Why He Can't Be Attached to Someone Else's Plan01:10:05 What Brought Him Back to Music01:13:08 Why Safety Matters More Than Talent in the Creative Process01:18:09 How Public Perception Shapes and Distorts Who We Think Someone Is01:21:25 The Night He Almost Gave Up01:28:18 What He'd Say to Someone at a Crossroads Right Now

What if the loneliest position you'll ever hold is the one you worked your whole life to achieve?What if everything you learned about leadership left out the most important part?Janet McDonald, CEO of Onsite, didn't start her career planning to lead with vulnerability. She started at 14, running a ladies boutique in downtown Franklin, TN while her friends worked as her employees. At nine years old, she was already holding her family together after her parents' divorce, learning early that "if it is to be, it's up to me." That message drove her through a successful career in management consulting, always climbing and achieving, until she realized something was missing. Janet first heard about Onsite the way many do: someone told her, "It changed my life." Then another person said it. Then another. Her curiosity piqued, but she was skeptical. Either they had a really good marketing campaign, or something real was happening an hour outside Nashville, TN. When she applied to be Chief Operating Officer, she thought, "Who in their right mind is going to drive an hour every day out here?" But as she drove up the hill to the campus, something shifted immediately. What makes Janet's leadership distinctive is that she bridges two worlds that rarely meet: strategic clarity and courageous vulnerability. In this conversation, Janet opens up about the cost of leadership, including the loneliness and isolation, and reveals how her pre-teen self still shows up in boardrooms. She shares why curiosity is the number one skill of any leader, and why the 18-inch journey from head to heart is the hardest one you'll ever make.In this conversation, you'll learn: How to Lead from Behind Instead of in FrontHow Your Nine-to-Fourteen-Year-Old Self Still Shows Up in BoardroomsHow to Change Your Observer to Open Up New Possibilities for ActionHow to Ask "What Is It Like to Be on the Other Side of Me?"How to Depersonalize Conflict After Establishing ConnectionHow to Navigate the 18-Inch Journey from Your Head to Your HeartHow to Bring Soul Back into Leadership and LifeHow to Love Others Really Well by First Learning Everything About YourselfHow to Unlock Capacity in Already Successful PeopleHow to Fill in the Blanks Without Assuming You're Right Welcome to Human School, where we learn what matters most. - Miles AdcoxLearn More About OnsiteDiscover the transformational experiences that changed Janet's life and leadership. Visit experienceonsite.com to learn about Onsite's immersive programs in Tennessee and Southern California, or call 1-800-341-7432 to explore how we can support your journey.Follow Human School:YouTube - Human School Podcast Instagram - @humanschoolofficial Threads - @humanschoolofficial TikTok - @humanschoolofficialWhat We Discuss:00:00:00 Welcome to Human School00:00:31 Meet Janet McDonald: Leading from Alongside, Not in Front00:03:04 Getting Interested in Leadership at a Young Age00:06:56 Second Half of Life: Helping Others Have Their Best Career00:09:23 What Leadership Afforded Her and What It Cost00:11:48 What's Missing from Traditional Leadership00:15:30 Everyone Kept Telling Her About Onsite00:17:25 Applying to Be COO at Onsite00:22:00 Teaching What Traditional Leaders Are Starving For00:25:42 The Onsite Effect: Watching Transformation Happen in Real Time00:26:58 You Become a Better Leader by Becoming a Better Human00:29:00 Our Observer & It's Impact00:31:56 Your Inner Child Is Always with You00:35:49 The Exercise: What's It Like on the Other Side of Me?00:38:30 Making Assessments and Acting Like They're Facts00:40:00 Onsite: Growth as a Human, Not Just a Leader00:45:28 How Dialog Changes After Connection00:50:10 The Myth of Work-Life Balance 00:57:00 The Number One Skill Is Curiosity 01:00:25 Regenerative Leadership: Bringing Soul Back 01:01:58 Three Lessons from Janet's Living Centered Program 01:04:28 The Plot Twist: It's Not Just Leadership, It's Life 

What if the person you became after tragedy is exactly who you were meant to be?Can you rebuild a friendship after the world watched it fall apart? Tyler Hubbard built one of the biggest acts in country music history with Florida Georgia Line: breaking records, selling out stadiums, and changing the genre forever. But before the charts and the spotlight, he was a kid from small-town Georgia washing cars to make ends meet, learning work ethic from a father who collected people the way most collect things, and finding solace in music during the hardest moment of his life. In this raw conversation, Tyler opens up about losing his father, Roy Hubbard, at 20 in a tragic accident, and the real story behind Florida Georgia Line's breakup. A story that is not the political narrative the internet created, but the human one about boundaries, business decisions, and two friends navigating an impossible season during a pandemic. Tyler also shares stories about why he played the inauguration, how he met his wife, Hayley, and knew she was the one, and why he's finally ready to let people see the man behind the brand. This is a conversation about second chances, choosing faith over fear, and why sometimes the hardest thing to do is simply tell the truth. In this conversation, you'll learn:How to Turn Tragedy Into Faith Instead of BitternessHow Your Childhood Work Ethic Shapes Your Adult SuccessHow to Navigate Partnership Breakups Without Destroying the RelationshipHow to Set Boundaries When Your Business Partner Wants Something DifferentHow to Handle Public Criticism Based on False NarrativesHow to Stay in the Middle When the World Demands You Pick a SideHow to Process Grief While Building a CareerHow to Rebuild a Friendship After Years of SilenceHow to Lead with Your Values When Everyone's WatchingHow to Be Vulnerable Without Being a Victim Follow Human School:YouTube - Human School PodcastInstagram - @humanschoolofficialThreads - @humanschoolofficialTikTok - @humanschoolofficialLearn More About OnsiteExplore Programs - www.experienceonsite.comTalk with Our Team - (800) 341-7432What We Discuss:00:01:21 The Man Behind the Brand You Think You Know00:03:09 Why Tyler Has Been Afraid to Tell His Story00:06:15 The Victim Narrative vs. Authentic Vulnerability00:17:14 Growing Up Small Town Georgia00:22:30 Dad's Advice: "You Do Not Let Them Outwork You"00:35:17 When Music Became More Than a Hobby00:40:26 The Cultural Diversity in Georgia That Shaped Tyler's Sound00:49:38 Going Against the Grain - Why Tyler Never Fits the Mold00:51:21 The Day Everything Fell Apart - Losing His Dad01:00:03 The Unexplainable Peace That Came Through Tragedy01:09:05 Meeting Brian Kelley & the Birth of Florida Georgia Line01:19:03 The Groundwork Years - Building Florida Georgia Line From a Van01:26:51 When "Cruise" Took Off and Changed Everything01:34:10 Meeting Haley and Choosing Home Over the Road01:42:11 The Fall of 2020 - When Tyler's World Collapsed01:51:55 The Phone Call That Ended Florida Georgia Line01:57:02 Why Tyler Unfollowed BK - The Human Mistake That Went Public02:08:10 The Inauguration Invitation That Created a False Narrative02:20:24 "I Don't Follow a Politician, I Follow Jesus"02:27:43 The Truth About the FGL Breakup vs. What the Internet Says02:39:17 Where They Are Now: Rebuilding What Was Lost with BK 02:51:03 What Tyler Wants His Kids to Know03:12:16 The Problem With Picking Sides in a Divided System03:14:10 When Being Patriotic Doesn't Mean Picking a Party03:17:00 Message to the Critics - Know the Truth Before You Judge

What does it mean to have more number one songs than anyone in country music history and still struggle with sleepless nights, wondering if any of it matters?What if the machine everyone thinks you are is actually just a person trying to figure out why they're here? Ashley Gorley has written more number-one songs than anyone in country music history. His work has shaped the sound of modern country music through hits recorded by Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Morgan Wallen, and countless others. But the numbers don't tell his story. Ashley grew up in Danville, Kentucky, a small farm town where sports were everything and nobody he knew loved their job. He moved to Nashville for college, then spent eleven years grinding before his first real success. He has built a career on a simple goal: to write "songwriter" on his taxes. Despite achieving what most would consider impossible, including 85+ number one songs, induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and running one of Nashville's most successful publishing companies, Ashley found himself wrestling with the weight of wondering what it all means. Partnering with The Onsite Foundation, the success of the hit "I Am Not Okay" with Jelly Roll funded the Creatives Support Network, a place where songwriters can process their stories and struggles in a therapeutic space for no charge. Today's conversation is an honest look at what it takes to stay human when everyone expects you to be a machine, how to carry success without letting it carry you, and why the best legacy has nothing to do with the songs you write. In this conversation, you'll learn:How to Navigate Rejection Even at the Top of Your FieldHow Your Greatest Compliment Might Have Nothing to Do With Your CareerHow to Set Goals You Can Actually ControlHow to Recognize When Being "Used" Is Actually OkayHow to Build Time for Vulnerability Into High-Pressure Creative SpacesHow to Dissolve Yourself and Write for Someone Else's VoiceHow to Protect Your Family When Your Career Demands EverythingHow to Process the Gap Between Achievement and FulfillmentHow to Turn Success Into Service for Your Creative Community Welcome to Human School, where we learn what matters most. - Miles Adcox Follow Human School:YouTube - Human School PodcastInstagram - @humanschoolofficialThreads - @humanschoolofficialTikTok - @humanschoolofficial What We Discuss:00:01:38 Ashley Gorley: Introduction00:07:03 Growing Up in Danville, Kentucky: Where Sports Were Everything 00:14:18 The ACL Tear That Changed Everything 00:17:08 The Moment He Discovered Songwriting Was Actually a Job 00:19:01 The Eleven-Year Grind Before Anything Made Money 00:21:13 The Truth About Networking in Nashville00:26:00 When the Spotlight Gets Too Bright: Protecting Privacy in a Public Industry 00:30:05 Why Being Critical of Songs for a Living Makes Life Harder 00:38:35 The Counterbalance: His Wife 00:41:09 Curating Environments vs. Living in Them—The Trap of High Expectations 00:43:17 The Myth That You Have to Choose Between Success and a Life 00:49:03 Why "I Am Not Okay" Became More Than a Song00:52:08 The 95% Rejection Rate Nobody Talks About 00:58:11 Never Set Goals You Can't Control—The Wisdom That Changed Everything 01:03:53 His Daughter's Hall of Fame Speech: The Greatest Thing Ever Written About Him 01:06:15 Why Being Present Matters More Than Being Prolific 01:09:34 The Myth of the Machine—And the Human Behind the Hits 01:14:05 Opening the Door to Vulnerability in the Writing Room 01:18:03 Writing "I Am Not Okay"—The Ten-Minute Freestyle That Became a Movement 01:21:29 The Creative Support Network: Fully Funded Therapy for Struggling Songwriters 01:29:30 The Struggle He Still Can't Shake: "Does This Even Matter?" 01:31:30 Go After Your Core Relationships the Way You Go After Your Career 01:34:25 The Moving Target of Success and Why Small-Town Sideline Parents Might Have It Right

Victor Oliveira, an inspiring entrepreneur and founder of 'The Good Boss,' shares his transformative journey from prison to uplifting those facing homelessness and addiction. He discusses how a simple question—'Do you want help?'—can change lives. Victor emphasizes the importance of tough love, strong support networks, and second chances. His nonprofit not only creates jobs but has also sparked a movement that empowers individuals through dignity and respect. With plans for a supportive app, he highlights how storytelling fuels generosity and connection.

Explore the idea that feeling tired can be a privilege of living a fulfilling life. Miles Adcox shares a poignant story about his dog Dakota, revealing how grief and gratitude coexist. He challenges the notion that tiredness indicates failure and discusses the fine line between exhaustion and growth. Through the concept of reframing, he encourages listeners to shift perspectives on their experiences. Ultimately, this conversation invites a deeper understanding of balancing honesty with gratitude amid life's challenges.

What if the anger you've been running from is actually the fuel you need? What happens when an 11-year-old discovers manifestation, commits a decade to basketball, then rewrites his entire life story with a poem on a bus? Dax has built a career on saying what most people are afraid to say out loud. He is blending hip hop, gospel and country influences into music speaking from a place of raw vulnerability. But before the millions of followers and sold-out tours, he was a kid who felt invisible. In this conversation, Dax opens up about discovering the Law of Attraction at age 11, spending ten years in what he calls an "unhealthy commitment" to basketball, and the pivotal moment on a team bus when he wrote his first poem and opened up a new outcome for his life. He reveals his ten-month journey of sobriety, confronting the tough questions and realizations of his lifestyle that changed everything. Dax shares how anger became his alchemy; not something to escape, but a force he learned to harness through repetition and mental discipline. From mental health walks to the liquor store to performing sober for the first time, Dax's story is about transforming every rejection, every missed opportunity, and every uncomfortable emotion into art that changes lives. This is a conversation about standing in your divinity, taking the jump when it matters most, and discovering that the person you're chasing when you drink is actually who you already are when you're fully present. In this conversation, you'll learn:How to Transform Anger Into Your Greatest MotivatorHow the Law of Attraction Changed Everything at Age 11How to Use Repetition as Your Only Real SuperpowerHow Missing Your Shot Can Become Your Greatest TeacherHow to Build an Audience From Zero to Millions Through Strategic FocusHow to Know When Alcohol Has Stopped Being a Tool and Started Being a CrutchHow to Perform Without the Substance You Thought You NeededHow to Quiet the Noise of the World So You Can Hear God's VoiceHow to Give Yourself Six Months of Real Focus to Change Your Life Welcome to Human School, where we learn what matters most.- Miles Adcox Follow Human School: YouTube - Human School Podcast Instagram - @humanschoolofficial Threads - @humanschoolofficial TikTok - @humanschoolofficial What We Discuss:00:00:00 Intro - Welcome to Human School 00:00:30 Meet Dax: Artist, Poet, and Truth Teller 00:03:45 Discovering The Secret and the Law of Attraction at Age 11 00:09:00 Walking Into Seventh Grade Feeling Completely Invisible 00:11:40 Kobe vs. Jordan: What Dax Learned From the Greatest 00:19:10 When Anger Becomes Alchemy Instead of Destruction 00:25:35 The Hidden Cost of Medications We Use to Numb 00:30:50 Writing His First Poem on a Bus to a Basketball Game 00:34:55 Mental Health Walks to the Liquor Store in College 00:37:15 The Game That Changed Everything: Getting Called In With 30 Seconds Left 00:45:50 How to Get Your Art to the People Who Need It 00:50:25 The Oprah Story: Learning to Stand in Your Divinity 00:59:05 From 0 to 10K Followers: The Button Poetry Strategy 01:03:15 Why We're Losing the Ability to Think and Only Learning to Feel 01:08:40 When Dax Realized Drinking Had Become Unsustainable 01:12:30 Writing "Dear Alcohol" and Confronting the Truth 01:16:49 Why Presence Is the Currency the World Is Starving For 01:21:30 Discovering He Could Sing in a College Class He Almost Skipped 01:26:24 Faith, God, and a Mother Who Prays All Day 01:36:40 The Importance of Visual Storytelling: Why Dax Makes a Video for Every Song 

Will Guidara, renowned restaurateur and author, shares his transformative journey from a pivotal dinner at The Four Seasons to shaping Eleven Madison Park into a global icon. He dives into how coming last on a prestigious ranking catalyzed a new definition of excellence, emphasizing the power of empathy in hospitality. Will reveals how COVID-19 prompted him to rethink his career, the significance of small gestures in relationships, and the need to separate identity from professional achievements. His insights turn hospitality into a philosophy for life.

What if the person who always makes things sound fun is actually doing the hardest work of all? What does it cost to be the bridge that connects people to their next true thing—knowing you might get walked on, knowing they might never come back, knowing you have to keep showing up anyway?Annie F. Downs has built a New York Times bestselling writing career, launched an award-winning podcast, and created a network that reaches millions. But beneath the joy she's known for is a woman who's learning to hold grief in one hand and hope in the other—and not let go of either. As an Enneagram 7, Annie's wired to chase joy and avoid pain, to keep moving, to make everything sound fun. But life doesn't work that way. And in this conversation, she opens up about what happens when the fun runs out and you're left sitting in the hard stuff alone.Annie reveals the true cost of being a "trusted bridge"—a person who connects others to what matters most, even when it means they'll walk right past you to get there. She shares about the loneliness that comes with public life, the parts people don't see: grieving alone, making impossible decisions, carrying financial weight, and the exhausting work of showing up when you'd rather disappear. She talks about losing someone who believed in her, about learning to sit in grief rather than run from it, and about why she's planning to shut down her entire company for the summer of 2027—a radical sabbatical practice inspired by biblical wisdom about letting fields rest. This is a conversation about what it means to make joy and grief roommates, to trust your calling when it gets hard, and to keep showing up as yourself even when yourself isn't always fun. In this conversation, you'll learn:How to Be a Bridge Without Getting Walked All Over How Your Enneagram Type Shapes Your Relationship with PainHow to Hold Joy and Grief in the Same Moment How to Lead a Public Life Without Losing Your Private SelfHow to Know Your Calling When Everything Feels HardHow to Rest From What You've Done and Toward What You're BuildingHow to Build Community When You're Deeply LonelyHow to Sit in Grief Instead of Running From ItHow to Make Peace With What You Can't ControlHow to Trust Your Voice Even When People Walk Right Past YouHow to Practice Sabbath in a World That Never StopsHow to Build Things That Don't Exist YetHow to Be "Both/And" in an "Either/Or" WorldHow to Keep Going When Your Why Gets HeavyWelcome to Human School, where we learn what matters most.- Miles Adcox Join the Human School community at humanschool.com for exclusive content, resources, and conversations that support the betterment of humanity. Follow Human School: YouTube - Human School Podcast Instagram - @humanschoolofficialThreads - @humanschoolofficial TikTok - @humanschoolofficial What We Discuss:00:00:00 - Intro: Welcome to Human School00:01:29 - Why Annie Calls Herself a "Trusted Bridge"00:05:30 - The Parts of Public Life People Don't See00:09:42 - How Enneagram 7s Avoid Pain by Chasing Joy 00:12:15 - When the Fun Person Has to Sit in Grief00:17:28 - Learning to Hold Joy and Grief at the Same Time00:24:56 - When Community Feels Far Away Even When You're Surrounded00:36:55 - When Your Mission Means Losing Your Audience00:46:09 - Making Peace With What You Can't Control00:53:42 - Planning a Full Summer Sabbatical in 202701:12:29 - Breaking Into New Areas of Media01:28:34 - Making Faith Attractive and Invitational Instead of Activating01:36:06 - Final Thoughts: We're Going to Make It