The Gravity of Doubt: How to Harness Uncertainty as a Force for Meaning | EP 675

2025-10-10

What if doubt isn’t a weakness to overcome, but a gravitational force that pulls us toward meaning?In this powerful solo episode, John R. Miles kicks off the new Forces That Pull Us series by exploring doubt—an invisible psychological and cultural force that shapes our choices, our growth, and our sense of self. Drawing on insights from performance psychologist Michael Gervais, physician-researcher Brennan Spiegel, and business ethicist Bobby Parmar, John examines doubt from three ang...

What if doubt isn’t a weakness to overcome, but a gravitational force that pulls us toward meaning?

In this powerful solo episode, John R. Miles kicks off the new Forces That Pull Us series by exploring doubt—an invisible psychological and cultural force that shapes our choices, our growth, and our sense of self. Drawing on insights from performance psychologist Michael Gervais, physician-researcher Brennan Spiegel, and business ethicist Bobby Parmar, John examines doubt from three angles:

The Psychological Gravity — How doubt shows up internally, why FOPO (Fear of People’s Opinions) can paralyze us, and how elite performers learn to work with uncertainty rather than against it.
The External Pull — How unseen technological and cultural forces shape what we notice and believe, based on Brennan Spiegel’s groundbreaking book Pull.
Radical Doubt as a Skill — How Bobby Parmar’s framework transforms doubt from a source of anxiety into a disciplined tool for better decision-making.

This episode offers practical tools for identifying, interrogating, and harnessing doubt in your own life—whether you’re making a major decision, leading a team, or confronting internal narratives that hold you back.

Full shownotes HERE

Go Deeper: The Ignited Life Substack

If this episode stirred something in you, The Ignited Life is where the transformation continues. Each week, John shares behind-the-scenes insights, deeper dives into the episodes, workbooks, science-backed tools, and personal reflections to help you turn intention into action.

Get the full companion workbook at TheIgnitedLife.net

Full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRMiles

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