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The John Passadino Show

The John Passadino Show

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 The John Passadino Show delivers compelling insights on self-awareness, mental health, and spirituality through in-depth interviews with international authors, educators, and philosophers.

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  • Healing Hearts: Navigating Grief, Coping with Loss, and Finding Peace

    Healing Hearts: Navigating Grief, Coping with Loss, and Finding Peace
    Sep 10 2025
    Author Adrienne Bender—photo credit https://adriennebender.com/In the latest episode of the John Passadino show, I interviewed Adrienne Bender, author of “The Almost Miracle Years” which chronicles her journey as a mother and caregiver to her two children and other family members. Her book is not simply a memoir — it’s a testament to her perseverance, transformation, and her pursuit of healing.Adrienne’s journey to motherhood began as a teen, a challenging position to be in. Yet, she completed schooling to become a psychiatric nurse. That position would anchor her when slammed with unthinkable challenges that would befall her and her family.At the heart of Adrienne’s story are her two children, each beset by a disease that would haunt their youth. Doctors diagnosed her daughter Mackenzie with leukemia when she was just eight years old. She would undergo aggressive surgeries and treatments, causing her horrendous pain and suffering to the point nurses tending to her were driven to tears. Meanwhile, her older stepbrother, Kyler, grappled with substance abuse and addiction in the shadows, with Adrienne torn between providing care for both.Adrienne spoke about the trauma of seeing her children suffer while she stood on the balance beam of motherhood. She described her longing prayers, which resulted in small but temporary normalcy such as her daughter’s five-year remission, and her son’s periods of sobriety. However, those incidents were steps on the ladder of a one step up and two steps down life story.Despite near miraculous recoveries her daughter’s disease returned, and in 2018, Mackenzie agreed to end the desperate attempts to save her life. The book documents fifteen-year-old Mackenzie’s heart-wrenching statement to family, saying it was time to end the fight.… it doesn’t seem like I’m going to make it back from this one. I don’t want my life to be filled with test tubes and hospital visits… I have made a decision that when it comes to that time, I will live to the fullest I can, cross off everything on my bucket list, and die happily…Then in 2023, Adrienne’s son Kyler, trying so hard to get his life together, passed away from injuries and fentanyl poisoning.Those losses and her journey to healing herself and others defined Adrienne’s life forever.We talked about her crushing grief — not just for the death of her core family members including her father, inexplicably from the same disease as Mackenzie, and grandfather from Dementia — but for disappointing partners, one of whom was a husband who left while she dealt with her children’s illnesses.Adrienne and I talked about a quote from her which I had messaged to my grieving nephew just before our interview. She said, “…grief and healing aren’t a straightforward course, it’s a maze, and it’s important for people to know that it’s ok to fumble through it.” She also said grief “feels like you’re drowning in an ocean that doesn’t even have a shore.”That is a small sample of the wisdom Adrienne earned and shared.Adrienne’s path to healing included her own struggles with depression and anxiety, including the use of alcohol to numb her pain. Despite those struggles, she found the strength to document not just her innermost feelings, but those of her mom, via her mom’s journals, who provided support every step of the way.Adrienne’s words, both in print in her book and via our conversation, relayed to me a view of her resilience and strength that enabled her to experience her grief while surviving. Her story is more than a common tragedy of an insidious disease; it is an analysis of the human spirit.Through her writing and her quest to educate others, Adrienne encourages others to speak openly about grief and loss, to resist the status quo of hiding it, and to allow themselves to mourn.While Adrienne would never call herself “healed,” she has found a sense of peace. She spoke movingly about the ways her children’s memories fill her days with meaning and described moments in which she feels their presence. She said, “I feel like they’re not dead. They’re just not here. I just can’t see them.” She also said, “…they’re stronger on the other side than they are here. I fully believe that.”Those statements are a testament to her faith and afterlife.Adrienne Bender’s journey — as a young mother, a nurse, an author, and a survivor — offers invaluable lessons for anyone grappling with loss, grief, or the complexities of life. Her book, “The Almost Miracle Years,” is a tribute not only to her children but to the human spirit.Our podcast conversation was more than an interview; it was an immersion into the depths of grief and resilience. Adrienne’s story challenges us to face our own suffering, to appreciate moments of grace, and to remember that, after the darkest storms, rainbows follow.If you or someone you know is struggling with loss, and we all are to ...
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    1 h et 4 min
  • Lessons from a Writer's Journey Through the Blogosphere

    Lessons from a Writer's Journey Through the Blogosphere
    Aug 20 2025
    Blogger is a term used for a writer who writes articles and posts them online for an audience to read. The word “log” as in a captain’s ship log, forms the core of the word. I first “blogged” on a Google-owned site called Blogger in the early 2000s. The white screen with a blinking cursor would beckon me to spill my soul, and I tapped away after a long day at work. The page welcomed me. It didn’t talk back. It just listened.However, I worked an IT job by day, and ninety percent of my eye and mind-numbing work involved me facing the screen and typing until my fingers literally hurt. I stopped blogging to gain my equilibrium.After I left Blogger, blogging became a fixture in the gig economy, with many writers making a living from it. Mainstream media outlets paid attention to what leading writers said. Some drew hundreds of thousands of followers.When I left my full-time job in 2021, I set out to write what I wanted. However, using my retraining money from my layoff package, I attended Writers Digest University, where I learned the art of novel and short story writing, so my focus became fiction writing. The instructors could be brutally honest, as were fellow students when we interacted. It bruised my ego, but I learned story structure, grammar and usage.However, long-form writing felt like an insurmountable mountain. I wanted a quicker path to publication. It was then that I discovered Zulie Rane on YouTube. Her unbound enthusiasm for a blog site called Medium was infectious. She said it was a great place to write and earn. Her face shone, and her articulate voice beckoned me. I thought back to Blogger and all the writing I did. I had discovered the missing link. My personal non-fiction stories!In 2023, I wrote my first articles on Medium. Months went by, and I saw little reaction. I had three followers and no readers. I stopped trying and went back to fiction and published a short story book instead.A turning point came in 2024 when I received an invitation from Medium to attend an online seminar. My eyes widened as I realized all I had missed. I learned I could apply to write for publications where editing teams under the leadership of publishers like Susan Brearley and Kiki Walter would review my writing and give me the feedback I missed. Once again, I learned my writing required refinement, and I learned that following a process, could lift my words to a higher level.In parallel, I signed up for courses with a company called Write, Build, and Scale that showed me an in-depth view of Medium from every angle. Their lighthearted, professional and detailed approach raised my writing to even greater heights. Zulie appeared again, acting as a consultant to the creators of the course.My writing centers on memoir, humor and self-improvement, and I have achieved success at it. In one year, my follower count increased dramatically, with people who are not friends and family and not “follow for follow” users showing interest. Also, curators on Medium boosted my articles so they would get more reads, which translated to more earnings.My article views and earnings skyrocketed. I encouraged other writers to join Medium. “Join Medium where you can earn instantly.” A statement like that is music to a writer’s ears.However, in 2025 my reads and earnings dropped despite my working hard on each article. Unfortunately, a shift had occurred as Medium adjusted to the proliferation of “gig economy” listicle articles, AI-generated material, and spammers imitating writers. They entered an era of quality control to ensure genuine writers wrote genuine stories. I believe the expression “baby thrown out with the dirty bathwater” applied because although I enjoyed a boost here or there, overall, I lost the attention of readers.My next adventure brought me to Substack, where the business model centers on earning money from a newsletter. I joined Write Build Scale to learn the ropes. The course, just like the Medium course, is well planned and detailed, but I didn’t gain traction.Between my experience on Medium and Substack, I wondered if I belonged in the blogosphere at all.Then I viewed an article that compared Substack to Medium by Zulie. Remembering her expert advice as YouTuber and consultant, I invited her to my podcast to talk about her history as a blogger, AI and its impact, changes at Medium and how I can find a target audience.As I suspected, her effervescent personality and charismatic voice burst through the screen.Like me, she started out slow as a blogger. She needed to learn the ins and outs of what made an article successful. Not only did she do that, but she built a business to teach others how to.Last I looked, she had 175,000 followers on Medium on her personal blog page. Lately, she has transitioned to a new page in her life and career as a Medium employee who guides readers and writers on how to navigate and appreciate the site.Zulie was forthcoming with me when I asked what ...
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    1 h et 15 min
  • A Mental Health Revolution: Finding Peace in the Present

    A Mental Health Revolution: Finding Peace in the Present
    Aug 13 2025

    Host John Passadino welcomes guest Promise, a former Buddhist monk turned meditation and wellness coach. The conversation explores Promise’s unique journey from monastic life to modern mindfulness practice, highlighting how his spiritual background informs his current work in mental health and personal growth.

    Driving force:

    Promise’s mental health challenges, experience as a Buddhist monk and how it shaped his worldview.

    Cultural contrasts:

    John reflects on growing up in a Christian environment and how encountering Promise’s story offers a fresh perspective.

    Mental health insights:

    The discussion emphasizes the importance of mindfulness, emotional awareness, and holistic wellness in today’s fast-paced world.

    Practical advice:

    Promise shares accessible techniques for managing stress and cultivating inner peace, especially for those unfamiliar with meditation.

    Here are some compelling quotes from the show:

    Promise:

    “Monastic life taught me that silence isn’t empty—it’s full of answers.”

    “Meditation isn’t about escaping reality. It’s about meeting yourself in it.”

    “Mental health isn’t just about fixing what’s broken—it’s about nurturing what’s whole.”

    Conclusion: My enlightening discussion with Promise yielded a view I never saw before in mental health. He dealt with his issues holistically and grew a fresh and practical perspective. Also, he carefully documented his system with the goal of sharing it to help others.

    What’s so refreshing about him is his willingness to share much of his Mental Health Revolution material for free.

    You can find Promise’s Mental Health Revolution material here.

    The audio version of the interview can be heard in its entirity via the John Passadino show here on Substack or on the following platforms:

    Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Audible.

    The video version is located on YouTube

    All content is copyright and all rights reserved by Passadino Publishing LLC



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    1 h et 14 min
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