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Dr. John A. King is an author, poet and speaker (LinkedIn) who rebuilt his life and his businesses after losing almost everything at 45. On the Unscripted Small Business Podcast he tells host Jeremy Rivera why purpose, not motivation, is what keeps a business owner going, and shares the simple daily rule he teaches through his Phoenix Collective programs.
John calls the collapse "Johnageddon": a marriage, a church and a consulting business that took him around the world nine months a year, all gone at once. He spent the next 15 years rebuilding. His take for entrepreneurs: "Motivation fades under any conflict or load. Purpose literally sets the thermostat for your behavior."
Read the full recap: Dr. John A. King on purpose over motivation
In this episode
- Sisu, and why a turnaround is a series of decisions, not one
- Hiding behind "I'm stressed, I just started a business"
- Provision for your vision: what the business is actually for
- Why business owners need peers, and why men talk shoulder to shoulder
- The three-by-five rule: three things, five minutes each, every day
- Living from the inside out instead of the outside in
- "Social media is one inch thick and five miles wide"
- Survival is a poor motivator: purpose and follow-through
- What did you do as a kid when time disappeared?
- Comparison, and sitting with a hard feeling instead of running from it
Connect with John
- Website: drjohnaking.com
- Speaking: johnkingspeaker.com
More from Unscripted
- One inch thick, five miles wide: authentic marketing, the SEO Arcade take
- Freeze, appease and the yes man: Jeremy's notes
- Ameera Virani on designing your life on purpose
- Matt Tyner on keeping the promise your marketing makes
This conversation is about running a small business and building a performance mindset. It is not medical or mental health advice. Recorded September 2025.
