How to Be Present When Life Feels Short with Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot says songs like "Meant to Live" are a huge part of him, but never the whole story. In this conversation, he tells Miles about the rest of it. 
 
In this episode, Jon and Miles talk about the gap between who we are in front of people and who we are at home: the parts of ourselves we keep out of view, what our kids reflect back to us, and how remembering that life is short changes what we reach for. 
 
YOU'LL HEAR 

• "Part of me feels this" and the myth of the monolithic personality 
• How we end up yelling at ourselves through our kids 
• Why Jon “plays the music for free” and what he’s really paid for 
• Why your worth is intrinsic, whether the applause comes from a crowd or a phone
• What your 14-year-old self would think of you 
• Elliott Smith by candlelight, and what a broken string makes possible 
  

EPISODE CHAPTERS 

00:00 Welcome Jon Foreman 

08:00 The myth of the monolithic personality 

14:00 The face of the band vs. who am I 

28:00 The songs were more honest than I was 

32:00 Yelling at ourselves through our kids 

43:00 Would your 14-year-old self like it? 

48:00 We're not around death enough 

1:02:00 "I play the music for free" 

1:05:00 "My job is to make people clap for me" 

1:14:00 If today was your last day 
 
At Onsite, much of the work looks like what Miles and Jon describe here: meeting a younger part of yourself, before the world told it who to be. Onsite offers a range of experiences to do life-changing work around your story and what your body might be holding onto. Learn more: https://hubs.la/Q04CV_nX0 
 
CONNECT WITH JON FOREMAN 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonforeman/ 
Website: https://jonforeman.com 
Switchfoot: https://switchfoot.com 
Forever Now is out now. The Forever Now Tour runs through November, with Europe in early 2027. 
 
 
STAY CONNECTED TO HUMAN SCHOOL 
Follow Miles on Instagram: https://hubs.la/Q04CV_Rv0 
Follow Human School on Instagram: https://hubs.la/Q04CV_XZ0 
Subscribe on Substack: https://hubs.la/Q04CV_JX0 
Learn more about Onsite: https://hubs.la/Q04CV_nX0