Passion Struck with John R. Miles
Elias Weiss Friedman (The Dogist) on How Dogs Help Us To Matter More | EP 688
11 Nov 2025
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Coming up next on Passion Struck. The dog doesn't have to ask you a question of like, how are you doing? Just being in their presence and they have an ability to listen and sense the way you're feeling and whether it's eye contact, touch, warmth.
letting you connect with them there's just something that it has a powerful way of making you feel better and de-escalating and relieving stress they're the best listeners and even though they don't speak to you they know exactly what to say and there's also a stigma around mental health not everyone's going to raise their hand and say i need help so with a dog you don't have to raise your hand they just show up for you and
Welcome to Passion Struck. I'm your host, John Miles. This is the show where we explore the art of human flourishing and what it truly means to live like it matters.
Each week, I sit down with changemakers, creators, scientists, and everyday heroes to decode the human experience and uncover the tools that help us lead with meaning, heal what hurts, and pursue the fullest expression of who we're capable of becoming.
Whether you're designing your future, developing as a leader, or seeking deeper alignment in your life, this show is your invitation to grow with purpose and act with intention. Because the secret to a life of deep purpose, connection, and impact is choosing to live like you matter. Welcome back, friends, to Passion Struck.
I'm John Myles, your host, and this is episode 688 of our new series, The Irreplaceables, Rediscovering Human Worth in an Age of Acceleration. Whether you've been with us from the beginning or you're just joining our community of intentional changemakers, welcome. You're part of a movement to live with greater purpose and connection.
If this show has ever helped you take a step toward that life, here's how you can help it grow. First, share this episode with someone who needs it, and then leave a five-star rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It's the best way to help others discover these conversations. Last week, in case you missed it, we explored two deeply human frontiers.
First, with Dr. Zach Seidler, who unpacked the crisis of male loneliness and how belonging, not toughness, saves lives. Then, with Dr. Zalana Momeni, who revealed how to own your attention in a world that steals it. If you haven't heard those yet, they're the perfect foundation for today's conversation. Because today's episode explores one of the oldest and purest forms of connection we have.
That's why I invited Elias Weiss-Friedman, better known as The Doggist, to join me. Elias is a world-renowned street photographer and storyteller with over 11 million followers. And his new book, This Dog Will Change Your Life, is a joyful and deeply human exploration of how dogs don't just make our lives better, they make us better people.
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Chapter 2: How did Elias Weiss Friedman start The Dogist project?
And it's like the chow. Is it the Shiba Inu? A lot of them were Asian, started in Asia. The Canaan dog in, I guess, Africa.
Yeah.
That's just what all our dogs today have a bit of in them. If you do any of these DNA tests, you'll see there's always a sliver of chow in every dog. And so it's just interesting history lesson. If you look at the breed that they all started with a select few.
Well, one of the things that you just mentioned was dog shows. And you've been shooting Westminster, as I understand it, for a decade. What do you think dog shows reveal about us, not just the dogs?
I think they're of the variety of types of dogs they are in the most these are called confirmation shows as meaning that the dogs there's a very specific description of what each breed should be, quote, should be. And so the dogs that conform to that the most should be the ones that win.
So you have bloodhounds, you have Irish setters, you have Newfoundlands, you have poodles, pugs, shizus, bichons, the list goes on and on. And so each of the, what they call them, fanciers, dog fanciers, have chosen a breed that they love and have dedicated their life to showing them in this elite level, Westminster Dog Show, Crufts in England, and the National Dog Show in Pennsylvania.
to try and preserve their breed and to create the epitome of what these breed standards are. And a lot of them will also, a lot of the corgis that show up are actually working dogs. They're right off the farm chasing cattle one day and then walking around a show ring the next. And so it's a very niche industry. The whole thing is a bit wild.
For anyone who's seen the movie Best in Show, I remember asking one of the handlers and mentioning that to him. He was like, oh, the documentary? I said, no, that's like a mockumentary. He said, no, that's a documentary. The stereotypes that are portrayed in there have some truth to them. Each breed has its own variety of people. Poodle people, pug people.
Shizu people, it's, it's just like a interesting expression of our diversity and humanity and the dogs there are a representation of that.
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Chapter 3: What insights does Elias share about dogs as social connectors?
Dogs don't care what you do, own or achieve. They care that you show up. So here are three takeaways to carry forward with you this week. The smallest creature can awaken the deepest humanity. Second, connection begins when we slow down enough to notice. And love, in its purest form, asks for nothing but presence. If this episode moved you, help us keep growing the movement.
Leave a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps new listeners find the show. Share it with someone who loves a dog or needs a reminder to reconnect with what matters most. and subscribe to our YouTube channel for full video episodes, highlights, and exclusive behind-the-scene moments.
You can also find extended reflections and key takeaways at theignitedlife.net, our community hub built to help you live a life with more intention and meaning. Next week, we continue our series, The Irreplaceables, with Amina Altai, a powerhouse executive coach helping high performers redefine success around wholeness and authenticity.
Last year, as I was finishing up the book, I was working seven days a week. And now that I had a big burst of energy on the book tour, that finished, I have a bit of a slowdown period. So I've been working like three days a week for this. And that to me feels right. I'm recouping my energy. I talk about how ambition goes in cycles.
You have these peaks in the sun, and then you have these moments where you go back underground to recuperate. And I'm in an underground moment. And last year, when I was working seven days a week, nobody asked, are you okay? This year, when I'm working three days a week, people are like, are you okay?
Yeah, I'm great, but we're so indoctrinated to believe that going 90 miles an hour all the time is the way that when somebody slows down to take care of themselves, we think that's the problem. And so it's just so insidious and it's so pervasive that I feel like we have to question everything. I think the biggest lie is that the more you work, the more valuable you are.
Until then, be where your feet are, lead with empathy, and as always, live life passion-struck.
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