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Human SchoolAuthor: Miles Adcox
Weve 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 isnt weakness - its instruction. Human School reframes pain as purpose, productivity as presence, and leadership as inner clarity. Were building the education we never got. Through stories, tools, and raw conversations, we help people stop performing their livesand start participating in them. Welcome to Human School. Language: en Genres: Education, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Self-Improvement Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Judah Smith: How to Stay Human When Everyone’s Watching
Episode 3
Tuesday, 28 October, 2025
Have you ever felt like you're performing your life instead of actually living it? Today, Miles Adcox sits down with pastor, author, and communicator Judah Smith for a conversation about confidence, criticism, and the courage it takes to lead with gentleness in a world that rewards strength. Judah grew up as a seventh-generation pastor, watching his father build a church from 20 people in a Courtyard Marriott to a thriving community. But what shaped Judah most wasn't the legacy—it was his father telling him from age seven: "People like you, and they want to hear what you have to say." This conversation goes deep into the duplicity that haunts anyone in the public eye—the chasm between who we are on stage and who we are at home. The label "celebrity pastor" gets unpacked as Judah shares what it's really like to be a safe place for public figures while his own profile grows, navigating interviews that aren't about his message but about his friends. Miles reflects on one of the saddest realities for well-known people: they lose the ability to ever make a first impression again. Everyone makes up a story about who they are before they even open their mouth. From breaking tennis rackets to breaking down barriers, from his dad getting on his knees to ask his son to pray for him before he died to parenting his own kids with radical repair instead of toxic comparison, Judah reveals what it means to stop performing and start participating. He shares his preparation method—studying himself full, praying himself hot, and letting himself go—and why he imagines the life story of a stranger in the audience before every sermon. Miles and Judah discuss why the best family moments happen in the environment of repair and why artists are the ones who bring us together when the world gets polarized. In this conversation, you'll learn: How Confidence Gets Built (Or Broken) in Childhood How to Stop Performing and Start Being Yourself How to Close the Gap Between Public and Private How to Handle Criticism Without Becoming Defensive How Repair Defeats Comparison in Parenting How to Prepare Without Overthinking How to Love Your Audience More Than Your Message How to Separate the Human From What They Do How to Lose the Ability to Make a First Impression How to Reach Out to People Who've Hurt You How to Make the Table Big Enough for Everyone Welcome to Human School, where we learn what matters most. Miles Adcox Join the Human School community at humanschool.com for exclusive content, resources, and conversations that support the betterment of humanity. Follow Human School: YouTube - Human School Podcast Instagram - @humanschoolofficial Threads - @humanschoolofficial TikTok - @humanschoolofficial What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro - Welcome to Human School 03:41 Playing Tight End at a Small School: Graduating With 94 People 06:42 Why Judah Quit Football for Tennis (And Basketball) 08:43 Where the Drive to Be the Best Comes From 09:11 "People Like You and Want to Hear What You Have to Say" 12:17 The Day Confidence Broke 14:59 His Dad's Response 20:46 Meeting People Where They Really Are, Not Where You Think They Are 24:50 "I Didn't Believe I Was Smart" 27:48 Imagining the Life of a Stranger in the Audience Before Every Sermon 30:24 The Human Behind the Craft: How Does It Serve You? 36:58 "Here's Where I Get It Wrong Sometimes" 41:14 Working With Celebrities 51:04 Handling Criticism 01:07:12 Repair, Not Compare 01:15:39 Losing His Dad at 30 01:35:26 Why Storytellers Need More Grace and Less Comparison
