Don Martin on Why We’re Never Meant to Go Through Life Alone | EP 695

Passion Struck with John R. Miles

Passion Struck Network

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4.9 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 27 November 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if loneliness isn’t a personal failure, but a biological signal that you’re built for connection?

In this powerful Thanksgiving Day episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with author, researcher, and longtime podcaster Don Martin, whose upcoming book, Where Did Everybody Go? unpacks one of the most misunderstood challenges of modern life: the loneliness crisis.

This conversation continues our acclaimed series The Irreplaceables, exploring the human qualities no machine can ever replicate. Today, Don illuminates why true healing also requires returning to each other.

Airing this episode on Thanksgiving is intentional. It’s a day framed around togetherness, but for millions of people, it is one of the loneliest days of the year. Whether you’re surrounded by family, on your own, grieving, working, or simply navigating the quiet, this conversation offers science, compassion, and practical hope.

Don dismantles the myths we’ve been taught about loneliness, reveals the societal structures that have quietly unraveled our sense of belonging, and shows us how connection can be rebuilt..

If you’ve ever felt invisible, disconnected, overwhelmed by the state of the world, or unsure how to create stronger relationships in your community, this episode is a grounding companion.

Get the full episode show notes here: https://passionstruck.com/the-loneliness-crisis/

Listen, Watch, and Go Deeper

All episode links—including my books You Matter, Luma, and Passion Struck, The Ignited Life Substack, YouTube channels, and Start Mattering apparel—are gathered here:

https://linktr.ee/John_R_Miles

Download the companion workbook: The Connected Life Toolkit

Available now at TheIgnitedLife.net

Includes reflection prompts, community-building practices, and science-backed tools for strengthening meaningful relationships.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why loneliness is not an emotion but a biological survival signal

• The real reason half of Americans report feeling lonely (and why it’s not screens)

• Why kids and teens are the loneliest demographic in the U.S.

• How the decline of malls, walkable neighborhoods, and third places quietly rewired society

• Why feeling lonely in a crowd is normal and what your brain is trying to tell you

• How marginalized communities uniquely experience and overcome disconnection

• Why storytelling is a powerful tool for belonging and social change

• Practical steps you can take to rebuild connection

Support the Movement

Everyone deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter.

Show it. Wear it. Live it.

https://StartMattering.com

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The weight is over. Dive into Audubles' most anticipated collection, the best of 2025, featuring top audiobooks, podcasts, and originals across all genres. Our editors have carefully curated this year's must-listens, from brilliant hidden gems to the busiest new releases.
0:23.7	Every title in this collection has earned its spot.
0:28.3	This is your go-to for the absolute best in 2025 audio entertainment.
0:31.6	Whether you love thrillers, romance, or non-fiction,
0:33.6	your next favorite listen awaits.
0:38.8	Discover why there's more to imagine when you listen at audible.com slash best of the year.
0:41.8	Coming up next on Passionstruck.
0:48.2	A lot of times we engage with deep dark topics, loneliness, death, religion, politics, all of those kinds of things,
0:51.4	and come away just feeling really depressed and hopeless.
0:52.8	And who am I?
0:53.9	I'm just one person. I don't matter. And I think bringing it
0:56.9	back to something that you all talk about, I think giving people a sense of purpose and a sense that
1:02.5	this information isn't too much for you. You can learn it. You can learn a new thing. You can embrace a new
1:09.1	thing. You can talk about the big scary stuff in life.
1:12.2	And your opinion on it, your involvement in it, even just your willingness to learn about it,
1:17.6	matters because you matter. Welcome to Passionstruck. I'm your host, John Miles. This is the show
1:24.8	where we explore the art of human flourishing and what it truly means to live
1:29.0	like it matters. Each week, I sit down with change makers, creators, scientists, and everyday
1:34.3	heroes to decode the human experience and uncover the tools that help us lead with meaning,
1:40.1	heal what hurts, and pursue the fullest expression of who we're capable of becoming.
1:45.4	Whether you're designing your future, developing as a leader, or seeking deeper alignment in your life,
1:50.5	this show is your invitation to grow with purpose and act with intention.
	...

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