John R. Miles

What he shared with me, the more we got to know each other and became friends.

is that he was putting so much energy into his job.

By the time he got home, he was completely wasted.

And so his kids started to do this routine where they actually bought a brick and painted the brick

and any time that he was phasing out they would put the brick in front of him as a reminder for him to be present the reason i'm telling this story is here you have a highly performing person who ended up later in his career getting burned out like so many people are but i think

What was happening to you, what's happening to him is happening to millions of parents around the world, where whether it's work, whether it's a trauma, whether it's something else, we're tuning out on life.

And I call this, we become invisible in our own life.

You describe this kind of as a disassociation or your lifelong coping mechanism.

But what do you recommend for parents or even partners who are facing the same situation?

you think about that scenario with your son you're a psychologist so you already understand trauma on a professional level but that moment for you was really personal so i'm interested in how did it shift your relationship with your own expertise

but then putting your human self in there as a mom and an individual.

What did it teach you about the two and did it help you become a better counselor?

Before we continue, I want to pause for a moment.

Conversations like this offer insight.

Reflection turns insight into integration.

Inside the Ignited Life, each episode in the Meaning Makers series is paired with guided prompts and tools designed to help you recognize patterns, clarify values, and apply what you're learning with steadiness and care.

You can join us at theignitedlife.net.

Now a break for our sponsors.

Thank you for supporting those who support the show.

You're listening to PassionStruck on the PassionStruck Network.