We’ve been taught everything except how to be human. In a world obsessed with output, Human School is where we study what happens within. This podcast was born from a journal entry during a breakdown. A reminder that struggle isn’t weakness - it’s instruction.
Human School reframes pain as purpose, productivity as presence, and leadership as inner clarity. We’re building the education we never got. Through stories, tools, and raw conversations, we help people stop performing their lives–and start participating in them.
Welcome to Human School.
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Ashley McBryde on Sobriety, Generational Trauma, and Unlearning Survival
Episode 48
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 • Duration 01:39:51
"They said, 'We need you to stop.' And I said, 'I need me to stop, too.'"
Grammy-winning country artist Ashley McBryde joins Miles for a deeply moving, unfiltered conversation as she reflects on her roots in the Ozarks, the complexities of generational trauma, and what it truly means to be seen.
Ashley opens up about her long relationship with alcohol, the terrifying night that led her to treatment, and how getting sober allowed her to finally hear her own voice and recognize the person in the mirror. This is a powerful discussion on unlearning old programming, re-parenting your younger self, and why true art doesn't require a dark place.
If you’re ready to begin a new chapter, Onsite offers transformational experiences to help you live the life you deserve. Learn more: https://hubs.la/Q04zdx0K0
Episode Chapters:
00:00 – Introducing Ashley McBryde
05:00 – Growing Up in the Ozarks & Early Musical Roots
17:00 – Nervous System Responses, Childhood Trauma, and Inner Child Work
44:00 – Generational Trauma, Religion, and Re-framing Family Dynamics
56:00 – The Reality of "High-Functioning" Addiction & Stepping Into Recovery
1:18:00 – Finding Pure Joy in Sobriety and Making Art Without Suffering
Stay Connected to Human School
Human School Instagram: https://hubs.la/Q04zdtB60
Miles Instagram: https://hubs.la/Q04zdw7Z0
Subscribe on Substack: https://hubs.la/Q04zdt6t0
Onsite: https://hubs.la/Q04zdx0K0
How to Find Peace When a Relationship Can't Be Fixed with Matthias Barker (Live from the Transform Trauma Conference)
Episode 47
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 • Duration 01:05:45
What happens when the mental health expert becomes the one navigating a family crisis?
In this deep and deeply personal conversation, therapist and author Matthias Barker sits down with Miles at the Transform Trauma Conference –– Europe’s largest mental health and wellness conference in Oxford, England –– to open up about his own journey through family estrangement, grief, and reconciliation.
Together, they break down the real-world stuff we all deal with: why healing must come before forgiveness, the difference between setting a healthy boundary and running away, the traps of modern pop psychology, and what it actually takes to find "peace with what's possible."
Whether you're a mental health professional or just trying to navigate your own family system, this conversation offers real tools for real life.
Are you unfurling your own stories around family, trauma, and mental health? Onsite offers transformational experiences to help you live the life you deserve. Learn more: https://hubs.la/Q04xQ6_l0
Episode Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to Human School... LIVE!
01:45 - Meet Matthias Barker: From drama kid to building a platform
05:00 - The Family Crisis: Addiction, divorce, and estrangement
07:00 - Learning from Grief Expert David Kessler
The Selfish Reason to Be Generous with Philanthropy Expert Rondal Richardson
Episode 46
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 • Duration 01:48:39
What if the secret to improving your own life, health, and happiness had nothing to do with self-care and everything to do with giving back?
In this episode of Human School, host Miles sits down with long-time music industry veteran and philanthropist Rondal Richardson to flip the script on how we think about generosity. Because you don't need millions of dollars or a massive platform to make a real impact.
Today, Rondal shares remarkable behind-the-scenes stories from his 40-year journey in the music business—working alongside legends like The Judds, Garth Brooks, and Naomi Judd—and how an "almost Oprah moment" changed the trajectory of his life.
You’ll also discover practical ways to get involved in charity, how to know which organizations and causes to align with, and why the best way to heal your own life is often to show up for someone else.
If you're in middle Tennessee, join the Music Community Foundation for a Give Like Dolly event this weekend: https://www.giving9to5.com/
Stay Connected
Follow Human School on Instagram: https://hubs.la/Q04xQ4Zt0
Follow Miles on Instagram: https://hubs.ly/Q04xQ50V0
Subscribe to Our Substack: https://hubs.ly/Q04xQ55q0
Looking to dive deeper into your own story? Onsite offers the opportunity to come back to yourself. Learn more here: https://hubs.ly/Q04xQ53Z0
In this episode:
00:00 – Introduction to Rondal Richardson and entertainment philanthropy
What My Daughter Knows About Stress That I Forgot
Episode 45
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 • Duration 13:20
We spend an enormous amount of energy trying to learn how to be healthier, less stressed adults – but what if the answer isn't learning something new, but remembering what we knew before we got so complicated?
In this special solo episode of The Human School Podcast, host Miles Adcox hands the microphone to his seven-year-old daughter, Birdie Rose. With zero media training and absolute honesty, Birdie shares her thoughts on art, missing teeth, strawberries and ketchup, and what makes her feel closest to the people she loves.
In this conversation and reflection, Miles unpacks four unexpected lessons on stress, curiosity, presence, and connection that children carry naturally — lessons that adults spend a lifetime trying to find their way back to.
In this episode:
00:00 - Introducing Birdie Rose: The 7-Year-Old Podcast Guest
01:20 - Lesson 1: Curiosity Over Certainty (The Power of "I Don't Know")
04:00 - Lesson 2: Presence Over Productivity (Why Play Doesn't Need a Reason)
05:50 - Lesson 3: Expression Over Impression (Strawberries in Ketchup and PR Filters)
07:45 - Lesson 4: Relationship Over Performance (What Kids Actually Want From Us)
09:40 - Finding Courage: How We Regulate Fear Inside Relationships
11:45 - Final Encouragement from Birdie (And How to Keep Showing Up)
If you’re looking for ways to connect back to yourself, Onsite can help. Learn more about our experiences: https://hubs.la/Q04xcj150
Follow Human School: https://hubs.la/Q04xcj450
How to Rewire Your Brain for Peace, Creativity, and Purpose with Dr. Martha Beck
Episode 44
Tuesday, September 8, 2026 • Duration 01:47:45
Are you living the life you actually want, or are you just trying to please everyone around you?
In this episode of Human School, Miles sits down with world-renowned author, sociologist, and life coach Dr. Martha Beck for an exceptionally honest and deep conversation on human nature, breaking free from anxiety, and finding your true path.
Martha shares her personal journey — from her time writing for Oprah’s Magazine and earning degrees from Harvard, to radically transforming her life by committing to a full year of total honesty. Together, Miles and Martha explore the biological roots of anxiety, how societal expectations force us to sell out our true nature at an early age, and how simple creative acts can serve as a direct antidote to mental distress.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
The Root of Modern Anxiety: Why our current educational and social systems conflict with human evolution.
The "Visual Cliff" Study: How children learn to judge their own worth by watching the adults around them.
The Power of Caving Early: Why learning to apologize quickly and drop ego heals relationships faster than anything else.
Creativity vs. Anxiety: How engaging the creative parts of your brain actively shuts down panic and stress.
The "One-Degree Turn": How making tiny, honest shifts in your day-to-day choices can completely realign your life.
The K.I.S.T. Method: A practical, step-by-step tool using Kind Internal Self-Talk to navigate intense panic attacks and internal conflict.
Whether you’re feeling burned out, stuck in people-pleasing patterns, or simply searching for more peace in your daily routine, this episode provides a compassionate roadmap back to your whole self.
Onsite offers a range of experiences to do life-changing work around your story and what your body might be holding onto. Learn more at
"I Had to Learn to Live Again" — Amy Grant on Starting Over at 65
Episode 43
Thursday, September 3, 2026 • Duration 01:48:49
What happens when life completely rewires your timeline overnight?
Six-time Grammy winner Amy Grant joins the show for an exceptionally raw and vulnerable conversation about navigating back-to-back life-altering health crises — from emergency open-heart surgery to a traumatic brain injury that forced her to pause everything.
Amy candidly opens up about the physical reality of memory loss, the emotional weight of starting over at 65, and why she ultimately decided to write a eulogy to her younger self. She also breaks down the worst advice she received early in her career, and how letting go of control allowed her to finally embrace the gift of unplanned interruptions.
Whether you are navigating your own unexpected life shift, recovering from trauma, or searching for margin in a chaotic world, this episode is a masterclass in grace, resilience, and true freedom.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
Interruptions are often invitations. Real growth happens when you stop viewing life's disruptions as obstacles and start viewing them as redirections.
Release past versions of yourself. Holding onto who you used to be prevents you from accepting and healing who you are right now.
Margin isn't extra time — it's intentional space. Recovery and peace require actively protecting your energy from external expectations.
Are you looking for support after your own season of change? Onsite offers a range of experiences to do life-changing work around your story and what your body might be holding onto. Learn more at www.experienceonsite.com
Overcoming Self-Judgment and Walking Through Grief with Judah & the Lion
Episode 42
Tuesday, August 25, 2026 • Duration 01:31:59
When life throws loss, grief, and change your way, how do you allow the pain to transform you rather than destroy you?
In this episode of Human School, host Miles Adcox sits down with Judah Akers and Brian Macdonald of the alt-folk band Judah & the Lion on the release day of their album, Process. Together, they walk through a raw and vulnerable conversation about what it truly takes to heal.
Judah opens up about losing family members to mental health struggles, navigating divorce, and working through addiction while performing on major stages around the world. Brian shares his perspective on stepping into fatherhood while on tour, keeping the band's brotherhood intact through dark seasons, and learning to redefine identity. From the metaphor of a caterpillar in a cocoon to learning how to stop harsh self-judgment, this conversation is a grounded reminder that transformation is messy, but hope is always available.
In this episode, we discuss:
The Cocoon Metaphor: Why real emotional growth requires letting go of who you were.
Grief & Mental Health: Processing tragic loss, addressing addiction, and separating the symptom from the disease.
Self-Compassion: Overcoming shame, letting go of control, and learning to speak kindly to yourself.
Parenting & Growth: Navigating big life transitions and raising kids while working through your own past.
Behind the Songs: The spontaneous origin story behind their track "Prism".
Memorable Quotes:
"The caterpillar has no memory of wings." — Judah Akers
"We're not through the pain, but we're in it together, and there's hope." — Brian Macdonald
"Addiction is a symptom. Shame, guilt, and not knowing yourself... are the disease." — Judah Akers
Stress Is Trying to Protect You — Here's How to Listen
Episode 41
Tuesday, August 18, 2026 • Duration 09:47
It seems like everyone is talking about stress. How to manage it. How to get rid of it. How to avoid it at all costs.
But maybe in our journey to eradicate stress from our lives, we’re losing something far more valuable.
In this solo conversation, Miles Adcox reframes our entire relationship with stress. Instead of treating stress like an opponent to beat, what if we treated it like a system trying to protect us?
Join Miles as he shares the importance of building capacity over elimination, why meaningful living requires being stretched, and how to become a trusted partner to your own nervous system.
In this episode, we explore:
Why "trauma" can feel clinical, but stress is universal
Stress as the body's brilliant system for adaptation
The difference between removing stress and building capacity
How curiosity replaces shame when looking at our nervous systems
Looking to go deeper into your personal growth journey? The conversations on Human School are shaped by the work happening at Onsite Workshops. If you're looking to slow down, break patterns, and do the inner work, visit experienceonsite.com
Episode chapters:
00:00 Intro: Is stress really the enemy?
00:40 The room that changed how I view trauma vs. stress
01:45 How burnout and emotional exhaustion actually begin
02:35 Why modern wellness tools miss the mark
03:15 Stress is an adaptation system, not a design flaw
Finding Success Without Losing Yourself: Larry Fleet on Fame, Fatherhood, and Staying Grounded
Episode 40
Tuesday, August 11, 2026 • Duration 02:09:01
What do you do when you go from singing at local bars to millions of video views, playing at Madison Square Garden with Morgan Wallen, and hearing 20,000 people sing your lyrics back to you? If you’re Larry Fleet, you still shop at Ace Hardware.
Larry Fleet writes the kind of country songs that feel like your own memories — jumping railroad tracks in a truck bed, learning how to tell stories in a barbershop chair, the sound of truck tires in the gravel. In this conversation, Larry opens up about the “simple” mistakes we’re making in modern storytelling, what fatherhood has changed in his songwriting, and how he's managed to tour and write with Willie Nelson, Morgan Wallen, and other heroes of the genre without losing the guy from White Bluff, Tennessee.
The conversations we have on Human School are shaped by the work happening every day at Onsite. If you feel stuck in the same patterns, Onsite's Living Centered Program helps you slow down, go deeper, and do the inner work that changes things. If you’d like to learn more about Onsite, visit us –– experienceonsite.com
In this conversation:
Why “clutter” might be the enemy of great storytelling
The $5-a-head night Larry still keeps close, and why he never lets himself forget it
Why he built his newest record with zero radio in mind — and what happened when it hit anyway
The ways fatherhood has changed him, including teaching him new ways to communicate with others
The surprising place his storytelling voice actually comes from
What it actually takes to stay a person instead of becoming a product once people start paying attention
Is Certainty Making Us Lonely? with Miles Adcox
Episode 39
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 • Duration 17:15
Why does being right feel so much better than being curious? And is our obsession with certainty the cause of our greatest divides?
This episode breaks down the psychology behind certainty — why our brains default to it, what it costs us in our relationships, and why curiosity might be the more reliable path to actually feeling connected to other people.
What you'll learn
How confirmation bias shapes what we believe is true, without us noticing it happening
What the illusory truth effect is, and why repetition can make an opinion feel like fact
How to tell the difference between healthy disagreement and contempt
Why algorithms and media incentives reward certainty over nuance — and what that does to us over time
A mindset shift for staying curious under pressure, borrowed from an unlikely place: horsemanship
Why feeling understood does more for anxiety than winning an argument ever does
How to hold strong beliefs without needing everyone around you to agree
Building your curiosity muscles? Onsite offers a range of experiences to do life-changing work around your story and what your body might be holding onto. Learn more here.
Timestamps
00:00 — This might be why you're feeling lonely
02:30 — Illusory truth effect and confirmation bias
Discover shows related to Human School, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
11:00 - The Intersection of Trauma and Grief in Family Conflict
15:30 - Peace with What’s Possible: Rethinking reconciliation
26:30 - The Research on Contempt and Emotional Abuse
31:30 - Boundaries vs. Avoidance: When to engage and when to step back
39:30 - The Danger of Pop Psychology and Weaponized Therapy Speak
49:30 - The Trap of Rumination vs. True Psychological Healing
55:30 - The Hardest and Most Meaningful Parts of Being a Helper
Stay connected to Human School
Substack: https://hubs.ly/Q04xQ71f0 Miles on Instagram: https://hubs.ly/Q04xQ6Y40 Human School on Instagram: https://hubs.ly/Q04xQ71f0 Onsite: https://hubs.la/Q04xQ6_l0
00:54 – Meet Rondal Richardson, founder and executive director of the Music Community Foundation
00:03:00 – The story of meeting Miles through Naomi Judd
00:15:30 – The Oprah Winfrey connection
00:23:40 – Rondal’s origin story: starting on the road at age 17
00:32:15 – Touring with Garth Brooks and country music history
00:40:50 – Making the pivot from the music industry to philanthropy
00:46:00 – The psychological and physical benefits of service
01:03:40 – Vetting charities: Charity Navigator, 990s, and finding your cause
01:17:40 – The impact: Raising $350M+ and the work of the Music Community Foundation
01:30:30 – Purpose through pain, community support, and looking forward
