John R. Miles

A moment when the noise eases.

Intentions come into focus and we get to ask ourselves, not what do I want to do, but who do I want to become this year?

And if you're like me, it's also that stretch of the calendar where you're gearing up for the college football and NFL playoffs.

A reminder that preparation, timing, and teamwork matter just as much as raw talent, which makes today's conversation especially fitting.

Over the past month, we've been in what I call the season of becoming, exploring identity, discomfort, leadership, flow,

creativity, and compassion.

With voices like Susan Grau, Anne Libera, Brent Gleason, Hannah Pryor, Nirbha Shahan, David Nurse, Mark Murphy, Olly Raisin, Horace McGuire, Rick Hansen, and Joshua Green.

Today's conversation continues that journey by going into deeply human territory.

This is not an episode about politics, and I want to be clear about that.

And it's not just an episode about fertility.

It's an episode about agency, what it looks like to choose yourself without abandoning your purpose.

My guest today is Representative Sarah Jacobs, a third term member of Congress representing California's 51st District.

She's one of the youngest women serving in Congress, and she's also been remarkably open about a deeply personal decision, freezing her eggs while serving in public office.

Sarah chose to speak publicly about that journey, the physical toll, the emotional complexity, the body scrutiny, and the invisible labor, not because she was seeking attention, but because lived experience makes better leadership possible.

In today's conversation, we explore what it means to take agency when biology, ambition, and service collide.

Why not yet can be a powerful values-aligned choice.

how stigma around women's bodies quietly shapes policy and culture, why leadership without embodied understanding leads to blind spots, and how vulnerability, when chosen intentionally, becomes a form of strength.

At its core, this episode asks a bigger question.

What would change if we designed our systems around real human lives?

not idealized timelines.