Episode Transcript

Note: The following transcript is a draft transcript. As such it may contain computer-generated mistranslations.

Bruce Langford: I want to know what it was like to speak at the White House. What was that experience like having had the opportunity to speak there?

Dan Miller: It was absolutely thrilling. From beginning to end, getting the invitation going, there were the accommodations they provided, a tour of Washington, DC. Then, I had a personal, one-on-one tour with Joanne and me through the White House. We got to sit in the seat in the Oval Office. And it was just, it's annoying to recognize the not only the power, but the responsibility. It is seated there. And to talk to people who take seriously that responsibility has been handed to them. But also recognize these are people who don't think they have it all together. Don't think they have all the answers. They're still seeking. And I found them to be extremely receptive. It was it was a wonderful experience.

Bruce Langford; I know you've been married to your wife Joanne for over 50 years. What kind of mindfulness does that take? Tell us some suggestions to help people have a strong, happy, powerful marriage.

Dan Miller: Wow, that that goes deep. Somebody asked me in an interview just yesterday what the best decision I have ever made is. I said without question, marrying the woman I'm married to. And we were really young. We were both looking for a way out of the family situation that we were in. And we got married as teenagers and hung on to each other. Went to the Ohio State University together, and I've just gone on from there. Obviously, with over 50 years of marriage, she's not the woman I married. And I'm grateful for that. I hear people say, Oh, you know, you change, you change. We're no longer compatible. And I think, my goodness, did you really want somebody to stay the same and never change? I don't. We've had a delightful journey together. If there's one word in that relationship that really captures what I think is the magic.

Dan Miller: It's respect, the respect that we show for each other in simple little things. And still, when we walk out of our house, I walk around the other side of the car and open the door for her, which may be old-fashioned and chauvinistic. I don't know. But you know what? That creates an emotional deposit for me. Like, few other things do. We have date night still. Our children are grown and gone. We have lots of grandchildren. We still have a date night every Friday. She knows I'm not going to make another commitment. Doesn't matter who calls, Bruce calls and says, Hey, I'm going to be in town. Can we get together and hang out on Friday night? I look at my schedule. I'm sorry, Bruce, I already have a commitment. That commitment is date night with my wife. So those are the kinds of things that build trust. And give us that emotional security in that relationship. We're in the middle of a brand-new adventure right now. But we love just starting new things together. The thrill of playing together and imagining what our lives will be like 20 years from now.

Bruce Langford: And can you share a little bit about what that brand-new adventure is?

Dan Miller: My wife is energized by being around the water, it suits her soul in a way that doesn't really do for me, but she is been so drawn to the water. So we just purchased a home in Florida, right near the beach, and we're just having a ball, just anticipating. We're getting rid of many things that we know we don't need or will not fit in the new style of home. So it's a new style home totally, compared to what we've been living in, so it's going to be all new furniture, new furnishings, new decorations, and along with that, a lot of new friends, new restaurants, all those things are new. We love that kind of adventure because we're doing it together.

Dan Miller: It wouldn't have any thrill for me at all if I weren’t doing that together. Wow, it's an adventure, and we're back again, a couple of teenagers. That's exciting.

Bruce Langford: So then you're leaving Tennessee, or are you still going to have your home in Tennessee?

Dan Miller: We still have our home here. There are still some things here. I do have a strong business base here. And we have a couple of properties here. So, for the time being, we'll have both, but I suspect that over time, this will become less important. I'm going to see how much I enjoy working from Florida. So that's unfolding. Again, those are things that are not set in stone at all, or we are just going to have fun exploring it and see what the first six months bring. That is really exciting.

Bruce Langford: I was going to ask you what role nature plays in your life and how mindfulness ties into that, and I know that you have your trails and your place in Tennessee. So I'm assuming that that's a big part.

Dan Miller: Well, nature really does play a big role. And having grown up in a farm, I love being outside, I feel more connected to God and things beyond myself in that way, certainly than I do with concrete and asphalt, and sitting in a cubicle somewhere. So I’m in my office is in an old converted barn on our property, where I can look outside, and we've got water features, and there's nature trails, bird feeders, there's often wild turkey or deer standing outside there. I won't have all of that in Florida, but we've replicated a lot of them. We don't just have a little house, you know, that has a sidewalk six feet from the front door. Now we've got a little bit of space with a beautiful front yard, backyard, and a light behind our house. You can't see any houses from behind our house because it goes to a National Preserve. So we ensured that we had some pieces of what I really enjoy.

Dan Miller: But my breaks in a workday are to get outside just prior to our conversation here. I went for a walk, I was barefoot, and I went outside. And that does a lot to just ground me and restore me, to restore my energy and get my mindset to have meaningful conversations.

(Listen to the episode to hear more from Dan Miller)