John R. Miles

For someone listening or watching today who has someone they need to thank, forgive, or honor, what would you want them to do before today ends?

Well, we will end there, Walter.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

It's been such an honor to have you on Passion Struck.

That brings us to the end of today's conversation.

And honestly, what stayed with me most is how many people may be carrying uncertainty about whether their lives truly matter to someone else.

Walter shared something profound during this episode.

Many people spend their entire lives influencing others in ways they never fully realize because nobody ever tells them.

Sometimes a single conversation, act of belief, or moment of encouragement quietly shapes the trajectory of another human being for decades.

And yet our culture often waits until funerals to express those truths.

What Walter is challenging us to do is radically simple.

Say it now, not someday, not eventually, not when it's too late, now.

And I also think this conversation reveals something deeper about human flourishing.

People don't simply want achievement status or success.

They want evidence that their existence carried meaning inside another person's life.

That is part of what creates belonging, emotional resilience, and I increasingly believe it's part of what heals the growing disconnection so many people feel today.

Next week, we begin an entirely new monthly series calling The Connection Crisis.

Why we feel so disconnected and how we find our way back to each other.

Over the next month, we'll explore why modern life increasingly leaves people feeling isolated from themselves, each other, and the institutions meant to support human flourishing, and what it takes to rebuild trust, belonging, and authentic connection.

We begin with entrepreneur and author Eric Ries.