Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee - The Day I Met My Hero: Jon Bon Jovi on Finding Joy, Overcoming Adversity, Growing Old & Spirituality #594

Episode Date: November 12, 2025

Have you ever thought about meeting your own heroes and what you would actually say to them if you did? When I was growing up, I used to idolise Jon Bon Jovi. I had a huge flag of him up on my bedroom wall and would listen to every bit of music he released with his band, watch every interview that he gave and read every book I could find about him. I tried to write songs like him, grew my hair like him and even started wearing cowboy boots - just like he did. And, to date, I have seen Bon Jovi in concert on 33 different occasions. So, when the opportunity to talk to him on my podcast came up, you can probably imagine how I felt. Jon Bon Jovi is the frontman for the Grammy Award-winning band Bon Jovi. They have been together for over 40 years, have sold an incredible 130 million albums and performed in over 50 countries around the world for more than 40 million fans. In 2018, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recognition of their longevity and impact on popular music and outside of his music career, Jon and his wife run the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to bringing about positive change and helping those in need “one SOUL at a time.” Yet, beyond the global fame, the sold-out arenas and extensive charitable work, I discovered a man who’s thoughtful, grounded and genuinely curious about what it means to live well. During our incredible conversation, we discuss: The key ingredients of a happy life: gratitude, friendship, contentment, joy and love. What Jon has learned about long-term relationships – in marriage, friendship and with his band. How losing his voice and undergoing vocal surgery became a lesson in acceptance, patience and rediscovering gratitude. The real cost of success, and why he believes it’s always been worth it. Why optimism has always been at the heart of Bon Jovi’s music, and why the world needs it now more than ever. What fame can take from you, and how to stay grounded and authentic in the face of it. Jon’s reflections on ageing, spirituality and finding peace within himself. His advice for anyone who has a dream but feels afraid to take the first step. Having this incredible opportunity to speak with Jon reminded me why his music has always resonated so deeply with me. Beneath the anthems and achievements lies a simple message – that happiness, optimism and connection are what truly make life meaningful. Perhaps Jon’s story – and this conversation – will encourage you to think about what brings you joy, who brings you meaning, and how you might share a little more of yourself with the world. They say never meet your heroes - and I understand why they do. But, hand on heart, I can honestly tell you that there is a little boy inside of me, who’s pretty pleased he got to meet his. Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/feelbetterlivemore. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com.   Thanks to our sponsors: https://drinkag1.com/livemore https://thriva.co/ https://airbnb.co.uk/host   Show notes https://drchatterjee.com/594   DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

I don't know how many lives you get, but take this chance while you get it. If you have a dream and it's truly your dream, pursue it. I don't care if you fall down. I don't care if you fail. Pursue it. Because when you lay your head down on the pillow at night, you just need to know that you gave it, you're all. Hey guys, how you doing? I hope you having a good week so far. My name is Dr. Rongan Chatterjee, and this is my podcast. Feel better, live more. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to meet one of your heroes?

What would you say to them? What would they actually be like in real life? Well, two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet my own boyhood hero. If you've read my latest book, Make Change That Lasts, you might recall the start of chapter two when I share how much I idolized, John Bon Jovi when I was growing up. Now, when I say idolize, I really mean idolize. I wrote songs like him, grew my hair like him,

bought the same clothes as him, even wore cowboy boots just like he did. And to date, I think I have seen Bon Jovi in concert on 33 different occasions. So when the opportunity to taught him on my podcast came up, you can probably take a guess as to how I am. felt. Now, you might be wondering, is this conversation going to be a little different to the usual ones I have on my podcast? Well, in some ways yes, but in other ways, no. John Bon Jovi has led an incredible life, and despite the fame, success and money, like all of us, he's had to deal with challenges and adversity. And I firmly believe that the life lessons and wisdom he shares

in this week's episode is relevant to all of us whether we are interested in his music or not. John Bon Jovi is the frontman for the Grammy award-winning band Bon Jovi. They had been together for over 40 years, so sold an incredible 130 million albums and performed in over 50 countries around the world for more than 40 million fans. In 2018, the band was inducted

into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recognition of their longevity and impact, and outside of his music career, John and his wife run the John Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing about positive change and helping those in need. Now, the last 10 years of John's life have been incredibly challenging for a number of different reasons.

In 2013, the band's iconic iconic Richie Sambora suddenly left the band. He was not only a dear friend, he was also the original guitar player and the co-songwriter on many of the band's biggest hits, including living on a prayer. More recently in 2022, after years of struggling, John had to seriously contemplate the prospect that his voice was gone forever and that perhaps his days of singing and performing might be over. Later that year, he underwent serious and risky vocal surgery in an attempt to rescue his voice,

and after years off intense rehab, he has just announced a series of live concerts for the summer of 2026. In our conversation, we talk about so many different topics that I think you are going to find really fascinating. We discuss the core ingredients of a happy and meaningful life, and how many of his most recent song lyrics reflect a deep sense of peace and contentment. We talk about the importance of staying true to yourself,

how our definition of success changes as we get older, and why hope, belief, and optimism have always been at the heart of his music. We also talk about what losing his voice taught him, why he seems to be so successful at long-term relationships, how he thinks about getting older and why he's becoming more spiritual with every passing year. One of my favourite parts of the conversation

was our discussion on what heroes actually represent in our lives. Not necessarily mythical characters to look up to, but instead, people who can reflect back to us, something we already have inside. This was a wonderful conversation with a man that has had a huge impact on me. It was so powerful to take a trip down memory lane and as an adult, look back and reflect on why John and his music

resonated with me so deeply at various stages of my life. Beneath all of the anthems and achievements, there was always a simple, powerful message that I absolutely lived by today, that happiness, optimism and connection are essential. essential if we want to live a life of meaning and purpose. They say never meet your heroes and I understand why they do. But hand on heart, I can honestly tell you that there is a little boy inside of me

who's pretty pleased he got to meet his. As I listen to the lyrics in your latest album, As I listen to you talk in a lot of your recent interviews, it strikes me that you're in a very special place. You feel to be, to me at least, super happy, super contented, someone who's very comfortable in their own skin. Why do you think that's the case? It's a process. There has been progress. I haven't quite achieved that place of, you know, satisfaction yet.

But in the process, I can take more of a macro view and see how far I've come in these last few years, spiritually, mentally, physically. And I'm not quite where I want to be yet, but I'll make it by the target date. Yeah. And I don't know what the target date is, but I'll make it on the target date because I feel like I'm making progress every day. Yeah. The mission statement of the album is a song Legendary.

And I'll be listening to it again and again all week. And I'm someone who thinks a lot about the ingredients to a happy, meaningful and purposeful life. When I hear the bridge and chorus of Legendary, all the ingredients that I write about are in it. I raise my hands up to the sky. To me, that speaks to something

that's greater than us. Don't need more to tell me I'm alive. It speaks to appreciation. Got what I want, because I got what I need. Gratitude. Got a fistful of friends that'll stand up for me. Friendship. Right where I am is where I want to be. Contentment.

Friday night comes around like a song. Sweet Carolina, we all sing along, Joy. Got my brown-eyed girl and she believes in me, the love of your wife. Appreciation, gratitude, friendship, contentment, joy, and the love of someone. Yeah. That's it, isn't it? That is the keys to a good and happy, healthy life, yes.

And I feel like I have all of those elements. Yes, most definitely. Did you know when you wrote that that all the ingredients, or what I consider it to be the ingredients for happiness and contentment, are literally contained within those six or seven lines well I may not have broken it down the way you did but I knew each line

was a complete thought you know I got what I want because I've got what I need if that was all the chorus was that's good enough for me that's it that's a complete thought I don't need anything else yeah got a fistful of friends

that'll stand up for me boy if that isn't a complete thought and something that we all aspire to in our lives. Now you're making me sing it. Right where I am is where I want to be. Well, am I really vocally where I want to be? Well, pretty close.

Not exactly, but pretty aren't close. I'm in the room. Yeah. So I feel good about that. The progress, the process. Friday night comes around like a song that's Sweet Carolina. We all sing along.

That kind of camaraderie and joy. That is my aspiration. That is the absolute only sole reason. and I'm sitting here in this interview today, only sole reason I'm re-releasing this record and the sole reason I want to do another show again, to seek joy, to hold hands with joy. Yeah.

And that's the idea. Got my brown-eyed girl and she believed in me. That was who got me through all this, yeah. Yeah. You're speaking to Dorothea, your wife. Yeah. And as I think about your life and your career, I think about relationships.

So many people struggle with long-term relationships. Yet you seem to be someone who, from the outside, at least, does not. You have a 40-year or so relationship with your wife. Yeah. You have a 40-year relationship or so with your band. What is it that you know about long-term relationships? that many of us don't. I don't know if I know anything more than anyone else knows,

but I knew ones that were worth fighting for. I knew ones that are two-way give-and-take streets, which allows for growth and learning in the process. so that leaves you with a sense of awe when you're growing and learning from the others and as well as an excitement to start a new day. So it mattered to me to take the time to nurture those relationships,

to be giving and to get. It has to be two-a. But whether it was the band who had faith and all the members of the band or either with us or no longer with us and certainly with my wife they mattered and it was worth working on and fighting for

I think everything in life has a cost yes what is the cost of being John Bon Jovi the cost has been worth it okay but the sacrifice

that you make is, is you had to work when others didn't always want to work. You had to, you know, maybe carry a little more of the burden that was self-imposed. But you had to learn how to love. You had to learn how to be a friend. You have to learn how to accept a friend when, you know, you might think, yeah, I just put up my dukes and carry this burden all by myself. We cannot carry that water all by ourselves. We need people to help us in this journey.

The journey has been long. I've lived it. I'm proud of all the peaks and the valleys. There's nothing I've done that I'm truly, you know, embarrassed by or anything like that. I've had long-lasting relationships and friendships. And even if business acquaintances are no longer, you know, part of the fold, it doesn't mean that there was any ill will. So if you live a good life,

you're living a truthful life, you're living a life that you can look in the mirror and be proud of. Yeah. That's all I can ask, you know. And so whatever cost I had to pay for that was worth it. Yeah. For a fan like me. Yeah. You have literally impacted my life in more ways than you could possibly imagine. I remember getting my A-level results, learning I've just got into medical school, got in my car, put the radio on. First song that comes on is Sunday I'll be Saturday nights. And I'm like, yes, come on. And I could give you a million different examples of that. So, and I was thinking this week, what is it about Bon Jovi? What is it about what you guys do that leads to this kind of hero worship?

where we follow everything you do, everything you say, what do you, I'll tell you what I think it is, but I'd look to know, what do you think it is? The music exported optimism for the longest time. We were America's greatest exporter of optimism. We took that optimism to places that didn't even speak the language. You know, you could go to the Soviet Union

and win hearts and minds with a language that wasn't even native to their tongue and win hearts and minds in south america and african nations and um so that was a a real thing and i think we also represented that american pop culture dream of you know fun that kind of if we can do it, you can do it too, you know, all of that was a part of it. And then I grew up in front of you, you know, I may have been a little older, but I was just on the journey just ahead of you on the road. So you could see that as something that you looked up to, the way I've looked up to my heroes, they were just further on down the road and were on the same journey.

So you just, because I got there before you, I could look back over my shoulder and say, yeah, this is about to happen. and you'd go, whoa, I wasn't a fortune teller, I just got there before you. And the journey goes on. You know, I'm questioning things the way anyone else is today. But now that the road, it's making everybody play on a level playing field again, the globe in these trying times.

One great thing is the safety net of you always could rely on that lyric, well, now I could rely on you. I know that you got my back. too. Yeah. I want to read you something if it's okay from my latest book. Please. This is my six book and this is how I've started chapter two. Long before I knew I was going to be talking to you on my podcast, okay? When I was a teenager, I wanted to be John Bon Jovi. My bedroom walls were covered in posters of the singer and his band and one of my prized possessions was a huge silk Bon Jovi flag that I had pinned up next to my desk. I honestly thought that if I could be

John Bon Jovi, my life would be perfect. I mean, what wasn't to like? He was successful, handsome, talented and wealthy. He had cool tattoos and hordes of screaming fans. He appeared to be constantly performing in stadiums all over the globe and he was the center of attention whenever he went. To me, a typical teenage boy, the everyday life of John Bon Jovi, sounded like heaven on earth. That's what got me in to you and your music. But over the last week, I've been thinking about it.

I think what is it about them? Why have I gone 33 times to see these guys in concert? Why, when you play Sheppersbush Empire, and tickets were like gold dust, and I couldn't get tickets? Why did I go down to Sheppers Bush at 9am and spend 10 hours? And I got the only ticket from a scalper that day.

There was only one available, and I managed to get it about half an hour before a show, time. This is a crazy level of hero worship. And I'm a bit older now, so I can reflect. And I think it was the music, for sure. It was your voice. But I think it was the belief that I could listen to your lyrics and feel that I believe every word that he's singing. Yeah. The passion, the intensity, I think it did something inside of me. I saw when you, I knew I had within me. That's right, yeah, because I was further on down the road than you are.

I was just saying, come on. And we grew up at a time when, in fact, I was taught to believe that you can achieve. I was born at a time when President Kennedy was in office in America. We had two working parents at our house that said that you can go and be whatever you want to be. and then I carry that as the mantle for the band and as the flag. And those are the lyrics that I felt comfortable writing. Yeah.

You know, and music resonates. Music creates sound waves. Those sound waves got into your skin and they moved your soul in a way that you didn't realize it was being moved. And it made you optimistic and believing in yourself. And that's a good thing.

You know, some songs can make you sappy and some songs can make you angry. Our songs made you happy. And it was a good thing. It made you optimistic. Yeah, and it wasn't always cool to write happy songs, right? There were times where the trends were going a bit more depressing, a bit more introspective, not introspective, you know, maybe the grunge movement of the 90s.

You guys have always pretty much put out positive messages to the world. You can be an unashamed optimist because a lot of bands won't do that. You also said something that I found really profound, which is, You have sung songs to people who maybe don't even know the meaning for some of those words, but they were still smiling back at you. If your career has gone through a seismic shift in the way the world operates, you were touring in the 80s. There was no internet.

There was no smartphones. There was no social media. So in a world that does seem so divided at the moment, what do you think you've learned over the years by singing your songs to millions of people around the world? Everybody wants shoes on their feet, food on their table, roof over their head, someone to love the opportunity to dream, to not be oppressed or suppressed, that they want to believe that they may not be the best at anything but can always win. Doesn't everybody want that? You know, doesn't everybody just want that? And even on a record like 2020 where I was talking about a lot of topical stuff.

gun violence and Donald Trump and COVID and, you know, George Floyd, there was still limitless on that record. Yeah. You know, life is limitless. You know, there's still had to be optimism in the face of COVID. It had to because without that hope, you know, we're doomed to failure and darkness. You know, we have to try to find the light in the darkest of time. So where I said that we were the exporters of optimism,

and then it got to a place where a lot of people were talking about optimism. After that grunge movement, a lot of the pop movement came around to that optimism. Now in these times, it's going to be interesting to see what people are going to write in the next year or two. You know, it's daunting for me not to want to sit down and write more topical things. But I really want to feel some joy again in my life, so I'm keeping it away. Yeah. But everybody wants the same thing wrong, and everybody wants the same thing.

Listening to a song like Better Roses almost has a different meaning now when I think about this. You know, a King's Ransom and Dimes I'd give each night to see through this payphone. A payphone is something that my kids won't ever ever have to use, probably.

So this idea that you could be on tour thousands of miles away from home and the only way you could communicate and talk to your wife is by putting in some dimes into a payphone, phone. It was quite an evocative image this week for me because that's a world that doesn't exist anymore. No. No, no, no. Pictures that are instantaneous, a world that has brought us all closer together. The blessing has become the curse, the phone, the supercomputer in your pocket

that gives you access to any and everything and the snap of a finger. Chat, GPT, my best friend is going to be our worst enemy. Yeah. You know, holy Christmas. The loneliness that the kids are finding in that little box because they're afraid to not be up to the standard of looking that way or sounding that way or the attention span of an audience to listen to a song instead of they're giving me three and a half minutes if I don't have 10 seconds and a TikTok move chances are they're not going to get to the song yeah world's changed we have political leaders that aren't motivators they're aggressors yeah but we still have to find a common thread in this anxiety-ridden time

and I think that that crazy word that I never heard before 10 years ago is the word that will allow us to come back together by simply admitting that in this darkness who's dark? Me, me, me, me, me, me. Do we want to find the light? Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. Then we find the we instead of the me in the sentence

and then we can get through, this. Yes. Rock and roll has always brought people together, hasn't it? And music does. It is the international language. And although I didn't go to any of the oasis shows this summer because I was away, what was kind of interesting for me is certainly in the UK there was this incredible movement around oasis this summer, a man who hadn't performed live for a long time. Right. And it was almost a sense of nostalgia from people who went to the show. I think you went to see them in New Jersey, right? did. And I think that's the power of music. I think those shows in the summer, and I'm hoping your shows next summer, which I can't wait for, hopefully can be an antidote to the times in which we're

living. Right. You know, joy, collective FFS is where people come together and shared purpose and sing along. I mean, I can remember coming out of countless Bon Jovi shows, feeling like I could take on the world. Good. Like, with a big smile on my face going, right, I can do it. anything I want. Good, good, good. You know, and is that intentional for you guys as when you're up on stage? Is that how we felt? Yeah. I wasn't preaching the gospel according to someone else. It was our gospel. If I could do this, you could do this too. Yeah. Absolutely true. Yeah. And that's all the messaging was. As I got older and wiser and I could be the narrator and talk about topical issues. That became by choice. But the optimism was, it was our calling card. Yeah.

As a songwriter, it's really interesting for me to see how you've evolved over the years. And I think there's some just utterly beautiful songs on Forever. I particularly love the new duet with Bruce. I think the jelly roll one, I think is my favourite on the album. I just think that is just his voice in the second verse adds such a different energy to the song. But when I was listening to Hollow Man again this week with the new version and the harmonica was there, so I thought that wasn't there on the original. I went back to listen to the original. I thought, this sounds like a spring scene song.

It does now. Now with his voice on it, which shows you the, you know, just how important the singer is to a band. Yes. Yes. I couldn't have written that song 30 years ago. I didn't have the life to, you know, have lived that song. Yeah. Um, when I wrote it, amongst a whole lot of other songs for this record, I played the demos for Bruce.

And he'd call me the day after and said, man, that song, Hollow Man's really special. So I was able to then use that, you know, when I called him and said, would you do it as a duet with me? And by the way, um, knowing that, you know, this revisiting of Nebraska and all, it says, I would really like a harmonica on it. Why don't you do it like this? And he did what he wanted to do, but it was, I wanted it on there. he did that for me and um and you know it's it's one of my really good songs it's special song and the way he harmonizes with you in the car oh it's it's utterly gorgeous thank you um songwriting in a recent interview you said that you don't like change sure and i like progress not you like progress not change but it's really interesting not many bands from the 80s have

endured in the way that you guys have. That's true. That's true. And I hear someone who says, I don't really like change. And then I listen to Slippery and Wet in New Jersey in the 80s. The band has a little break. Keep the Faith sounds like a completely different sound of album compared to slippery New Jersey. Not only that, that's in 92.

Three years later when you come back with these days, that is just a masterpiece from start to finish with a completely different. sound again. So help me understand this idea that you don't like change, yet you were able to change with every album. Just taking a quick break to give a shout out to the brand new updated formulation of AG1, one of the sponsors of today's show. Now, this is the time of year when our immune systems are under the pressure. Between spending more time indoors, travel and seasonal bugs, it's natural to look for extra ways to support our immune defences. But most people don't want to juggle multiple

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Evolution is not change, it's progress. And I wouldn't want to, at 35, be writing the songs that we wrote when I was 25. And slippery, I was 24, 25. and by 95, I was 33, 34 years old. So you better evolve as a man and as a songwriter because otherwise you're going to be the guy that got stuck when grunge came along and suddenly my peer group were wearing flannel shirts

because they think that's going to fool the audience. That was career suicide. We didn't worry about the grunge movement. We just evolved. And, you know, as songwriters and his grownups and as family men and his men, that evolution causes to write a little deeper and wider and better. And it's, but, you know, I love how glowingly people look on the these days record now,

and I really like it too, and the songwriting is great. At the time, because it wasn't as commercially successful as the songs, you know, records before it, people were like, well, that record didn't do as well. well now they look on it and they go wow we want a wonderful album well we thought it was a pretty wonderful album too but it didn't sell as well as new jersey and slippery so with time it's suddenly put up on this mantle yeah you know and that's that's the thing about history it's revisionist yeah but that's really interesting isn't it it didn't sell as well okay so let's just talk about success yeah because when you've had an album like slippery one where and for people who maybe are not

as familiar with your career as I am, that was probably the biggest album on the planet that year. It was the biggest record of the year. So you were literally on radios in every country around the world, just going stratospheric, basically. The thing that every band probably dreams of, that was happening. Including us. At the same time, to achieve all your dreams in your 20s can be a dangerous place to be. We see this with many sportsmen, how they really struggle at the end of their career. I once spoke to arguably one of the best rugby players in the world called Johnny Wilkinson. And in 2003, he scored the winning goal in the World Cup final to giving him the World Cup. But when he came on my podcast, John, what he said to me

was, even before the ball had gone through the goal, he was starting to come down. He had 10 years of anxiety, depression after that. And in some ways, reaching his dream so early was a problem. because what do you do next? Right? Now, so in that context, your third album goes stratospheric. You're still here 40 years later. If you define success purely on album sales or downloads,

like it's very hard to do that again, isn't it? So how do you define success these days? Well, these days, it's going to be different than it was between slippery and New Jersey. But unlike Johnny with that goal, I would have said, well, we're going to win the championship next year, or I'm going to die trying, you know, then hence New Jersey, or with keep the faith that the reinvention in the face of grunge, that wasn't as commercially successful as slippery, but it reinvented us, and we were very proud of that. And not only did we survive grunge, but we thrived. Then I write always, which is a monster song, which keeps us going into what became these days. So the trajectory was steady.

we stayed true to who and what we were we worked as hard as we did yesterday towards getting to tomorrow we didn't try to live up to slippery because there was a moment in time and it was what they said about success or failure of a record that was on them

that wasn't on us our thing was about do it was that made you feel good it's a dangerous place to be isn't it if you are judging success purely on outcomes Because eventually you're going to basically do the macarena because that's the biggest song in the world at the top, you know? And now you're going to be selling your soul to do TikToks today.

No. You know, that's not the right reason. That's not the motivation. The motivation should be soul-fulfilling stuff, not gratification. It should be things that move your body, the resonance of the song not just the cash cow who do you write a song for

me me that's it hollow man couldn't be more selfish legendary the lyrics of all these songs couldn't be more selfish me me me me me you know that's it with the hope that someone else will like it

I once spoke to Rick Rubin on this podcast and he said to me that you cannot make great art with the audience in minds. Right. Which I completely agree with when I'm writing books or even, you know, when I write songs myself, you're writing them for you. Yeah.

You know, they say, don't they, in writing, that the most personal is the most universal. That's correct. Because everyone else is feeling that same thing. It's the ones that come from your deepest place that are most likely to resonate with the crowd because they are living that same shared experience. I can sit here and craft a song with you and the rhymes can be moon, June, and spoon. And it'll sound, you know, like a record.

But if it doesn't move you in your belly and think that I'm going to want to sing this in 40 years from now, there's no point in doing it. You just mentioned whether you want to sing a song 40 years after that you have written it. And of course, you've just announced after a tricky few years that you guys are going back on the roads.

Right. And it was kind of interesting. I heard you on our mutual friend Chris Evans to show a few days ago. And I don't know if I read this right or not, but you almost seem to suggest that let's see what happens when the tickets go on sale. You know, will they shift?

There was a, I don't know whether you losing your voice over the last years has really shaken your confidence, because we're all looking at, these tickets are going to literally disappear on announcements. And as I shared with you before we started recording, this morning at 9am, I was on the presale link. And as I got on, I was on at 845. I was early. By the time I got in, I was 140,000 on the list to get tickets for Wembley. Okay? There's only 80,000 tickets available. Yeah. So, there are is clearly a demand. Do you know what I mean? So are you surprised to hear that? Sure. But I'm pleased. Yeah, I'm surprised. I'm surprised in as much as it's been a little while.

I'm pleased because the reputation of myself and the band is spoken to people in such a matter that they would be on the queue at 15 minutes before it goes on. Yeah, I'm pleased. But I'm surprised. And now it's up to me to, you know, be ready when the bell rings, you know, to come out of the corner and be ready. Yeah. Well, let's talk about your vocal issues. Clearly very traumatic time for you. When did you first realize something was off with your voice?

Realistically, 2015. Um, 13 was the year that Ritchie left the band. We went on and did another 80 shows when, you know, he surprised us by not showing up. And then 14 was a year of kind of turmoil, you know, uncertainty. 15, I tried to do a couple shows and it just wasn't working. And I thought, oh, it's because I've been laid off for so long. I sought out medical help. And in truth, the doctor, I'm not sure knew what the hell he was.

was doing because he was like, I don't know. That was his answer. And I could tell something wasn't right. 16, we put out, this house is not for sale. We do some 40 or so shows only. And they're fine. But I could tell again, something's not right. COVID hits, which restricts us from going on the road. I wrote a narrative record. We put out legendary, you know, the Forever album in 24 and after the surgery it's not right yet so it's been a long slog and you know i just have to embrace so much of my learning in these last few years has been about excellence not perfection um and knowing that i've planted the seeds you know i've built the house already i'm good it'll be good believing that is another thing and then letting it go you know so I'm sort of dealing with

all that on a daily basis but it's getting better and better and better daily because the physical is better the mental is better and the spiritual has always been good did you ever have to think about your voice before this happened no even if even if it went awry Even if I was, you know, hit my youth burned out and out there on steroids, I didn't know any better. I didn't think about it. I wasn't worried about it. It's like, yeah, it sounds like poop, but I'm not worried about it. It's going to come back.

The confidence of youth? The confidence of youth. Yeah. Because there's many singers who've struggled with their voice. Obviously, Stephen Tyler had to hang up his boots recently, right? Right. And I wonder, is there something about the 80s rock vibe in the sense that, But singers today, let's say, Ed Sheeran or Chris Martin, when they hit the high notes, they're

often going into falsetto. Yeah. Right? You never did that, right? You were in full throat voice. I mean, I've fallen in love again this week with my guitar lies bleeding in my arms. Oh, wow. Thank you.

That could well be my favorite Bon Jovi song of all time, although I've got about 50 top three favorites. Okay, so it depends on the day. But in the choruses, you go up an octave. I'm like, how was he singing? that high in full throats. And then when I think about these back-to-back 248 tours that you did in the 80s, I'm like, well, maybe that's the cost. Maybe the cost of actually that rawness, that passion that we all fell in love with. Maybe there's only so many times you can

do that. Do you know what I mean? I don't know. I don't know either. I'll let you know. Yeah. So what does success look like for your tour next year? My ultimate goal that I put up for myself was to be able to sing anything in the catalogue that I want to sing. And I'm pretty close to that. Can I actually ask you on that point? This is really interesting, right?

So you've said in multiple interviews that your standard is two and a half hours, four nights a week. Yeah. Because that's what you guys have done. I've been to shows where I think you played for three hours, right? But why does that still need to be the standard?

Like, no one would mind if you were like, you know what, those four songs are great, but I can't hit them anymore. So we've still got another 40 hits. Do you know what I mean? So to a fan, I'm like, to us, I don't think it matters. But why do you think it matters to you? Maybe it doesn't.

I don't know yet. I'm good with that. You know, it doesn't mean that you can't do a different set list. But, you know, I can assure you that I'm singing prayer every day and hitting the high notes. Yeah. I am. I do.

Every day, no problem, it works. So we're okay. Yeah, I can't wait. I mean, I can't wait to see it. You know, the last time I saw you guys live as the last time you were in the UK was in 2019 when you played at Anfield. Right.

And I took my son, who at the time would have been, what, nine years old? And I'd say actually, this is really interesting. You're probably pleased to hear this. We read about the organization and how there's a lot of loyal in the organization. Let me tell you something

that happened at Anfields. I was really excited to show my son, Bon Jovi, this band he's heard so much about from his dad. And we went in the standing area and a security guy

comes over and says he's too young. You've got to go. You've got to go out to the tears. We had our tickets. I said, no, I don't want to be up there. And one of your guys who was doing the video,

he just called us in. And he said, don't worry, he can sit here with me. So my son literally stood behind in the little square where one of the guys is videoing it. He stood just behind him and he watched the whole show and he was standing next to him. Beautiful. Do you think that comes from the top?

Because I was really impressed with that. I thought, John doesn't know this has just happened. But I loved to be able to tell him one day that it was such a beautiful thing. That's a beautiful thing. So why did you think your guy did that? that's the organization that comes from the top. That's who we are.

That's what we are. That's the kind of people we hire. That's what I expect. And I want the people that work for me to represent who we are. And I want the people that work for me to be a part of what it is that we do and feel that pride in what they do. So that connection is real because it's what we exude. That's the messaging that we give them.

Yeah. to share with that crowd yeah absolutely yeah you never had to think about your voice until it went i've been a doctor for 23 years and i've seen so many times people who never ever took their health seriously right until something happened right so the 52 year old executive who kept working and kept pushing and thought he could just do it all until he has the heart attack. Right. Or the 46-year-old mother who never ever did anything for herself. Everything was for her husband, her children, her parents, her community until she comes down with the autoimmune disease. Right. But I've also heard many times people say that my disease or my diagnosis

was my greatest gift. Now, you have to say that with sensitivity because it's only a greatest gift if you come out the other side. Right. So I have had patients with cancer. before, who told me afterwards, that was the best thing that ever happened to me because... Yeah, but the because part, yeah. They look at their life differently. So I guess with that in mind, I know losing your voice was incredibly painful. It was your thing. It's what you're known for all over the world.

But was there an upside? All of these trials and tribulations from 20, 14 on are part of the journey, which have made me a better man that I would have been otherwise. I'm aware of that. To hell of a cost, and it's not cancer, you know. So, yeah, I get it. And to come out the other side in the way I'm feeling with joy and gratitude and knowing, that I don't have to carry the burden,

but it's we, not me, and all the kind of things I've learned in the last couple years through this process will make it that much better because even the reward of the it, whatever the it may be, let's call it the applause of the crowd,

okay, or the idea that I get to take the bow with happiness in my heart at the end. It's not just me that's going to take the bow. You're going to take it being in the audience because you're going to go, my man did it. Yeah. your son's going to do it I mean I'm semi tempted to come for the first Madison Square

I'm going to show because I'm thinking that's going to be that's the first date of the tour and I'm thinking it might be too much but we're not going to go you know don't don't even go there don't put too much weight on it I don't want that weight yeah I don't want any of those burdens any longer it isn't me it's we I'm doing this for us yeah because you don't need to do it do you yes but as a doctor and as a wise man I want you to take that thought

and consider what you just said. Because when people say that to me, I'm so confused by it, because they go, well, you've got fame, you've got money, you've got to, it's not why we do this. We do it for that spiritual resonance that happens when the song vibrates

and you feel that connection to it or to the band or the band with the crowd and vice versa. Metaphorically speaking, I've realized this. I say, I get to hold the light. I've dreamt about it. out of light like this.

My job is to hold it. The band's power is powering it. We shine it on that crowd. I get the reward of the reflection. That's it. That's all I want it. I don't need anything else. When I say you don't need to do it,

throat surgery is super hard. You are like an athlete having to rehabilitate your voice. That's right. Right? But you've also said that being a singer off a rock band is not who you are. It's just something that you do. And it's something that you do very well. So when I say you don't need to do it, what I mean is that you seem to have so many other interests outside rock and roll, family, you're a father, your soul foundation, your business with your son, whatever it might be, right?

people often say, don't they, that athletes should retire at the top. I spoke to Eli Kipchogi a few months ago. He's the fastest marathon runner of all time. He's run a marathon in under two hours. And then I also spoke to him two days after he did the London Marathon where he came seventh. And he was still full of pride and joy. He's like, yeah, I don't do it just to win. I do it because I love running.

I want to show the world that actually the world is a happier place when we all run and we experience joy. So I guess what I'm trying to get to is this idea that people, fans, the media can put expectations on you. But ultimately, all the matters is, why do you want to do it? And if you want to do it, that's good enough for anyone. Right. And you're prepared. You know, I mean, he ran that marathon because he can because he's trained for it because he's, you know, he's not just showing up and singing in the shower.

You know, he can do it. So he came in seventh. So what? Who cares? Yeah. Yeah. Can you tell me about the T-shirt, you've got to? friend O'B. O'Brien gave to you? And why you wouldn't wear it? Nothing left to prove?

Yeah. Well, because I think at the time he gave it to me, I felt like if I wore it, it was almost like quitting. And that was pre-surgery. And I wasn't ready to give up on me. So I did the surgery with no idea that it was going to be the three and a half years of recovery. But I didn't wear it for that reason. Now I do wear the shirt, but it has a different meaning to me now. You know, I had to do that surgery for me, not even for getting back out on this big stage. I just had to do it. You know, if I can sing great in the shower, that would have been cool. That was good. You know, that was fine. But the kind of bravado of nothing left to prove, chip on my shoulder, me, against the world, been or done that.

I don't need that. I don't need that. It's not about that. Yeah. Because you really do, from a musical perspective, have nothing left to prove. I mean, you have achieved all the milestones that any band could dream off.

You played every venue. You closed the old Wembley Stadium. You're playing the new one next year. You've done Hyde Park. So you don't have to prove it to anyone else. Is there a part of you that wants to prove it to yourself? This episode is sponsored by Thriver,

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Airbnb. One of the things I love about traveling, whether it's for work or with my family, it's finding those little moments to slow down together. Like this summer in Sydney, after my tour, when we just sit outside in the evenings playing cards, or in Egypt last October when we just chilled out and chatted whilst the sun went down. That time away reminded me how much the place you stay in could shape the nature of your trip.

And it got me thinking, if you've got a home or even a spare room, hosting on Airbnb is a way to share that experience, with others, whilst also earning a bit extra. Now, I know full well that there are times when life can feel really busy and hectic, but that's exactly where the co-host network on Airbnb comes in. You can team up with a trusted local co-host to handle all the details for you. They can help you get set up, look after the guests, and make sure that everything runs smoothly,

and it's perfect for anyone that's looking to share their space but doesn't have the time to do it all themselves. So if you've ever thought about hosting on Airbnb but needing an extra pair of hands, a co-host could make it even easier. Find a co-host at Airbnb.com.uk forward slash host. The only thing that I would say about that, if it's at all proving it to myself, is I would remember as a child, if I would run nine-tenths of a mile

and I just stopped before the goal line, somewhere in my traumatized head, I would say, I didn't finish the race. Yeah. I don't have to win the race, but I did want to finish the race. And so there was a time when it was very important to me to finish the job. So this surgery has changed some of the perspective.

And as long as I can approach it with joy in my heart and good health, then I have to do it. You just have to. With no expectations, do not focus on the expectation. Yeah. Just the moment. And if I can remember everything I've read and learned in the last three plus years,

we're good. Yeah. When you lose something that you have never had to think about before, your voice, we suddenly realize that we're a fallible human, that things can go wrong. Yeah. But, you know, you're 63 years old.

I mean, in my world, longevity is huge, right? Everyone's talking about how to live longer now. How do you see longevity? How do you see the fact that you're getting older now when you've had something as serious as vocal surgery? Right, right, right. The craze now in social circles with the affluent is to try to live forever, right?

All these rich billionaires, you know, they can't buy time. And so they're trying to create the Dr. Evil's magic potions. I'm not seeking that out. I don't mind growing old gracefully, but I am going to take care of myself in real time during it. That's important to me. I feel good, so I'll do the exercise.

But I'm not going to take 99 vitamins that I don't know if they work and this concoction and go to that country to get that special needle. I'm not really chasing the fountain of youth. That strikes me as something you've always had. Even back in 2000 when Crush came out. So one of my favorite songs, again, is just older. And you write in that song, you know, I like the skin, I'm sleeping in. I'm not old, just older.

You were writing that in your 40s, right? So the sense of gratitude and appreciation has always been there. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And where does that come from? Because a lot of people don't, right? Well, I don't know who a lot of people are. I know what I believe, and I'm grateful for it, always have been. Yeah, I don't take it for granted.

You shouldn't. Yeah. What do people misunderstand about fame? Fame is a liar and a thief. Fame will ruin you if you buy into it. It will tell you things that you shouldn't have believed, and it'll take from you things that you never wanted to lose. you got to tame that that pony quick

before it gets the best of you like it had to so many people that's why the 27 club how many young of the greats died because they couldn't handle the ride I wasn't interested in that the fact that many of your peers seem to struggle with fame

I mean it's a rock and roll cliche I think about the fact that you have been with Dorothea, or you've known Dorothea, your wife, since you were in high school. Correct. So she knew you before you were John Bon Jovi to people like me.

Yep. Let's go back to Legendary for a minute. Second verse, I know this town like the back of my hands, every crack in the sidewalk tells me who I am. Even the fact that you still live in New Jersey, that you're not in L.A. Or you're not in, I don't know,

the media hub of the world. How important do you think, New Jersey and Dorothea are. Oh, hugely. To this. Huge. Huge. It's a lot easier to have gotten lucky as I did than to wonder if the lady, you know,

sleeping next to you who's there for the right reasons. And, you know, and when you're crying at night, which often happens that somebody's there to hold your hand when you're hurting. Because believe me, you know, I've had a lot of hurt. And, you know, it's, it's. It's not easy, but you support each other and she's supported me, and I've needed it. You know, it's been tough, but that's what partnerships are. Yeah.

In 2022, when you were on the roads, that 15-date tour, where you were really struggling with your voice, people are commenting online. People are talking about John Bon Jovi's voice. what was it like for you to I don't know read some of that criticism I'd be honest I'd be lying if I told you that it didn't hurt but it did and in truth you know you had to really try hard not to look at it and to convince yourself that it'll get better tomorrow it'll get better tomorrow it'll get better tomorrow and it wasn't from neglect it was you know it just was

broken and you couldn't have fixed it. Nothing could have fixed it. Um, it was not easy. No, it sucked. And of course, Dorothea was that to be honest with you, wasn't she? Sure. You know, I think you said that you came off one night thinking, yeah, I think it was pretty good. Right. I came off the stage in Nashville and I'd really psyched myself up to try to be great because it's Nashville. It's my friends. Yeah. And I came off thinking, you know, all right, that was pretty good. And she says, no, it's not.

You know, I know when you're good. And that hurt because I thought that was the end of it because I've tried everything. And I'm telling you, from a dietary gluten, sugar, booze, dairy, exercise, tons and tons of vitamins, acupuncture, guys on the road, two different singing teachers, two and a half hours of singing before the show. Wow.

to try to warm it up to a place where it could go 30, 45 minutes after the show plus the two and a half hour show. It's not easy. Yeah. But I've gotten through it. I'm past it. Yeah.

It reminds me of a little bit of my own wife. She'll tell me like, I don't think that's very good. You know, you can do better. Of course. And you want that because there's not many people who are going to tell you that. Of course. Yeah.

Yeah. that's hugely important wouldn't trade it for the world it's interesting for me john yeah i'll be honest with you this interview was a really funny one for me to prepare for i've been doing this show for almost eight years i've been to all kinds of people some of the best people

in their field in the world some super famous people like matthew mcconny but i'm never spoken to someone who was literally on my wall for two decades and I would see space looking at me. Right? And so I had this really weird thing today. Because I've evolved. I'm not that person anymore. I'm not that boy. You know, that chapter I read the first paragraph to you before from my book. It's all about, but heroes can be helpful, but they're not real in the sense that you're only seeing one aspect of their life. That's right. So you don't know everything. You think you want to be them, but you don't know? And they say, don't they? They say never meet your heroes. You've met quite a few of your heroes in life.

Yes. Has that been a good thing or is it sometimes been disappointing? Well, it's been amazing. You know, my example would be Bruce, right? He's like a big brother. He's 13 years older than me as I'm older than you and I get all this stuff. And when I look at him, I try to think, well, what is it about him now that I see in that light? Well, in truth, it's the same thing I saw when I, it's the little kid in me. that admired the fictional character of what he is and was. Exactly. And I admired that and I loved it and it was drawn to it and I wanted to be like that. But he's still, you know, just a confused family guy like the rest of us trying to figure it out.

That too helps me now to realize that you as an accomplished author and a doctor had a self-help guru and with all these years of a podcast that is reaching now millions of people, we're all just figuring it out. Yeah. That, to me, is the greatest breakthrough I've had in the last several months because I don't want the burden

of you looking up to what was a fictional character. I can't carry that any longer, but I can carry that you're going to be rooting for me in the crowd with your boy. And guess what? I'm going to crack. But you know what? We're going to smile through it.

Yeah. And I'm going to hit the next note. Yeah. And that's going to be sexier than all of it. Yeah, that's beautiful. It won't just be my boy. I'm bringing my daughter this time as well. Bang.

Yeah. So, yeah, I love that. Because I've been thinking about heroes all week. And I don't think it's necessarily that we want to be them. That's just something in them that reflects within us. Sure. I think that's all it is. Sure.

We're all fallible humans. That's dead. It's the greatest breakthrough I've had in forever. Yeah. His dude, there's, you could take an aspect of a fictional character and hang it up on your wall. Yeah. Right on.

But I love the beauty that we are all experiencing the human element together. Yeah. And it's not going to be perfect. And it's not going to be pretty. And that's what's making it sexy. Yeah. as a doctor, I'm really interested in routines

and how we reach our health goals, how we live a happy, contented life in good health because health is related to happiness and happiness is related to health. It goes both ways. And I'm just fascinated like when you're on tour and this would have evolved over the years. But I don't know, in the 90s, in the 2000s,

in the 2010s, when you're getting older, how did you look after yourself on tour, or even today, how are you going to look after yourself on tour? What do you need to do? I feel better when I do healthy things, eating, sleeping. But you're an early morning guy, I am. So how does that work with rock and roll? Well, if you're really in that touring cycle, everything shifts and you're going to bed at 2 in the morning and you're waking up at noon. But that's part of the price you pay to be on the road. That's just what it has to be because by the time he travel after a show and that's just the way it is. But let's just say in my non-turing life, I do like to get up at 7 o'clock. I do like to have

my mornings. I do like to journal. I do like to work out in the morning. I do a little something to eat probably not enough before I sing, but that's just what I feel most comfortable in my belly with. But, you know, I know that I had a bottle of wine last night and I wanted it. I didn't need it. But I wanted every drop of that bottle. It was a long day of work, and I was in a good mood. It does cost some cells in the body to be more tired today. Now, what's that going to do to you? I'll tell you what it's going to do to you. It's going to fuck with your head, because your head's going to go, your throat's tired. Guess right? Your throat's tired. Oh, I'm never going to sing good again. Yeah. Wait a minute. Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out. I had a great bottle of wine last night.

that's all this is. You know, leave me alone. Yeah. So you've got to get out of your head. I know that I have put in the hours and I have put in the days and the weeks and the months in the year and I am better. But these are all things that you learn, you know, and you evolve.

So if I could go on the stage with two bottles of wine in the 80s, I would never do that and go and think I was playing the stadium tonight. That just wouldn't happen. You see? So everything evolves. I'm 63. I don't want to run five miles. I want to run three.

Yeah. You know? But I found something else in tennis that moves me, you know, and spiritually moves me. It's interesting. I'm, as you say, behind you in age, I did my first UK theater tour in March. Okay. Just to be clear, I'm not at all comparing it to a rock show, okay? Sleeping in a hotel, you're traveling, funky hours.

kind of theaters, maybe 2,000 people, theaters. I did 16 dates. I'm a morning guy. When I'm at home, I get up at five. Like, I love time to myself, to journal, to meditate, to move, whatever it might be. Yeah, I was coming on stage at half seven and coming off stage, usually about 10, 20. Wow. Three hours.

Three hours were there, like, 50 minute break. It's a lot. And I loved it. But I'd come off. and obviously you've got lights on you as well. And the more we're learning about light and what it does to our circadian rhythm, I'm coming off of wired,

totally amped up. I'm like, how the hell do these guys do it? Because you're rocking up to a hotel, sometimes you're traveling after. And I was finding I was still up in hotel rooms at 2 a.m. You can't phone anyone because your wife and kids are asleep. I'm like, wow, this is why rock stars go off the rails on the roads, right? Because I want a hotel room with nothing but the mini bar.

Booze and sleeping pills. Yeah. So, we're currently looking at dates for next year. With all your years of touring experience, and I know I'm the health guy, but I don't have the experience you've got. What would you say to me about how to make my touring life a little bit easier on me?

Sleep is the key to the universe. Hydration is also the key to the universe. It doesn't have to be seven nights in a row. you know I won't do back-to-backs any longer it just takes too much of a toll and even on the last tour you do two but um in our youth we do three or four I won't do that any longer you do one but that's okay um so to me it's about sleep it's about I don't believe that I got to take 99 different kinds of vitamins I tried all that and I didn't feel that much better you know I'm way into pliability than I am into chiropractic.

You know what I mean? I don't have to have my bones cracked every day like I used to think I did. It was, now it's about stretching. It's just different. It's not better. How do you wind down when you get to the hotel room after you just-

If you're not boozing, which I was not on that last 22 tour, it's not easy to go to bed, especially when your mind's going, right? But this is all meditative stuff and read. and you had to find other things to get you to sleep. It's, the road's not fun. No. It's not fun. The show's good, but the rest of the day.

Yeah. Tough job. And you must have been so bored at times because, you know, we were talking before about how the world has changed. You were doing all that pre-smartphones, right? So these days people can numb their brains and actually watch whatever they need to. True. We could never watch television or do you get CNN in a foreign country.

couldn't understand the language. But I wonder if that boredom actually had a real upside. And the reason I say that, I made a TV documentary last year on smartphones and kids and the impact that they're having. And I made it with a chap called Matt Willis

and his wife Emma. And Matt is the singer-songwriter in a UK boy band called Busted, who were very successful like maybe around 2003 time. And he said to me while we were making that documentary, he said wrong.

The problem is your smart phones I don't write songs anymore because I'm just looking at this phone the whole time. Yuck, yeah. So that would be time where people would actually, that bored and would lead

to them picking up a guitar, right? Okay. And started to sing and like writing songs. I don't know. To me it seems like are these smart phones perhaps getting in the way of songwriting and real creativity?

They're getting in the way of the world. You know, they're getting in the way of your self-esteem. They're getting in the way of of you being a creative, they're getting in the way of your politics, you're getting in the way of influencing who and what we are, because if an algorithm that they're feeding you, that isn't necessarily the truth,

you know, the gift is the curse. Like I said, you have a supercomputer in your pocket, but unless you tame it, it's going to break you. And so... Does that get in the way of your songwriting? No, not songwriting. But, you know, am I victim to playing with the Instagram

a little too much? Yeah, I do that. I don't have any of those other things on it. And in fact, I have made a point mentally to say, I just got to even erase this thing. I made sure I don't look at anything about me. You know, I make sure, like, my algorithm don't come up in there. Yeah. But, no, even getting rid of that is a good thing.

No, it doesn't get in the way of the songwriting. No. You've mentioned before that you're spiritually in a good place. Yes. And I've read in another interview that you've been saying that as you are getting older, are you becoming more spiritual. Yes. What does that word mean to you?

I'm in touch with that. higher power with God, you know, I don't ask for favors or for successes. It's all about gratitude and it's not going to church on Sunday, which is a little still broken to me, but the connection is there more than ever and ever and ever been. You know, so, but it's all about gratitude and that that's really what I get out of it. humility, gratitude, and knowing that, you know, everything happens for a reason. Have you always believed that? Well, it's been magnified more as I've gotten older.

Does being a creator, does songwriting perhaps feed into that belief that there's something greater out there in the sense that, like, where do these songs come from? I know your... That's for sure. a little bit of that sure a little bit of that i mean our better angels are all out there if we have take the time to see them you know it's a dark world in my opinion right now but there are beams of light and there are people that are doing good that aren't in the spotlight and not on your podcast and not on the stage behind a microphone but they are the ones that are keeping the lights on

and these are very trying times and with kids that are victims of these smartphones for example and the learning deficit that happened during COVID, those five years, the grades are falling behind, and it's scary as fuck out there right now. But there are people that are shining rays of light, and I'm still not given up on the it because of them. You're a very humble guy.

You say there's people out there doing great work, but so are you and your wife. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So can you just tell people about the soft, Foundation, what it is and why it's so important to you and your wife to actually do this kind of charitable work? We've done it for a long time. World travel made us a little more enlightened when realizing that there were the haves

and the have-nots and that divide was happening more and more and more as my life has gone on. When we started the foundation some 20 years ago, it was under the guise of sport ownership. I used to own an arena football team in order to ingratiate ourselves to the community. I wanted to be more philanthropic than what we called the Big Four baseball basketball hockey. you. And at first we were whatever you needed, pencils, computers, bed sheets. Okay, fine. We'd give it to an orphanage. And then one night when I saw a homeless man sleeping on a great outside of City Hall, and I realized that you didn't have to be younger old black or white Republican or Democrat. Homelessness could hit anybody at any moment is most of the world lived paycheck to paycheck, two bad

weeks or months, and you're on the street. So I found an expert in the field who taught me everything I know about it. In 2008, Dorothea, conceptualized the sole kitchens where there are no prices on any of the menus, its whole farm to table food. If you want to come there in effect, change directly instead of writing a check to a charity and wondering what good did you do, you'd see it because your donation just paid for you were a meal and a meal for someone in need. The person that was in need, and you'd never know the difference between you and the person

in need, they volunteer for their meal. and in turn they're empowered. Empowerment is the key to the universe because now there's a pride in it. There's a sense of I'm a part of this. And so we have four of these restaurants and the need is only growing and it works.

We don't need the scientists to find the cure. What is it given you? Oh, great sense of satisfaction. Great sense of pride in knowing that you're putting more food in someone's belly. It's as comforting as, is you imagine it would be. You can't think of yourself in that position

without wanting to cry and it's given me great feeling of satisfaction and pride knowing that our little ripple in the water has resonated. Yeah. What does happiness mean to you today? I mean, it's top of my list. To be happy is to be joy-filled.

To be thinking of myself less. and to be fear less the way I once was, would give me all the happiness that I want in the world, you know. And I know what we do in service. That's all well and good and I feel good about that. But spreading that optimism is something that I look forward to doing, you know, in the next year. You're a parent, you're a new grandparent, I believe, as well.

Congratulations. Thank you. I'm super fascinated by what is it like being the children of John Bon Jovi? Is it hard, do you think, growing up when your dad has been so mega successful? That's a kind of a tough bar, isn't it? Well, inasmuch as what would your work ethic be, no shortage of that. So they're all working very hard independent of each other, and I love what they're all doing. The blessing and the curse of being the son of is that, you know, your name is recognized everywhere and everyone's going to look at you.

Most times because, you know, we've done a lot of good in the world that benefits them. And so, you know, overall, it's not been bad. It's not easy. Yeah. But it's not bad either. Yeah, for sure. Any regrets? even the bad was okay because you know that these were lessons learned even the bad things that

you did in your life were not bad enough to put you in jail or give you cancer yeah so everything else was an opportunity to learn from it yeah i think a lot about regrets and i've come to believe that regrets are a form of perfectionism actually you mentioned perfectionism before because i think regrets for many of us at their heart there is this belief that we we think that we could have done better. But I think we're always doing the best that we can based upon what we know and based upon what we have availability to do. And what you put into it.

And what you put into it. So I kind of feel in some ways, and I know not everyone will agree with this, but I certainly feel for me that regrets for a waste of time in the sense that that's not me saying that I couldn't have improved things. But I'm like, no, let me look back and go, ah, you know what, I made that decision. But if I'm in that situation again, I'm going to make a different decision. out because I've learned. Failure is different than regret.

Yeah, exactly. You can fail all day long. That's, in fact, that's great. Yeah. Regret is not getting up to work out so that you can run the marathon. Regret is staying in with the drink and the drug instead of writing the song that day. Yeah. You know, so, yeah, it's all been great.

Well, John, we started off talking about gratitude and I want to end up talking about gratitudes. I've already mentioned it on the show today, but I just want to express my gratitude to you. Thank you, Ryan. And everything you and your band have done over the years, I'm not exaggerating when I say your music has literally provided the soundtrack to my life. It has touched me, it has moved me, joy, belief, optimism. And although me being a doctor and doing what I do today might seem very different from rock and roll,

I think you have a role and you've played a pretty significant part of what I do today. So I want to say thank you. Thank you. That means a lot. That means a lot. And that will help me tonight to put my head on the pillow and get through, you know, and do it again tomorrow. Yeah. So thank you for that. Yeah. For someone who is watching this, John, who knows that they're not living their life and they have a dream, they have a passion, but they're not. living it. Do you have any words of advice for them? I don't know how many lives you get but take this chance while you get it. If you have a dream and it's truly your dream, pursue it. I don't care

if you fall down. I don't care if you fail. Pursue it because when you lay your head down on the pillow at night, you just need to know that you gave it your all. Yeah, love it. John, you're an inspiring man thank you you humble you're optimistic and it's been a sheer joy thanks coming on the show this was great thank you very much i looked forward to it and i appreciate it thank you man brilliant that was great really hope you enjoyed that conversation do think about one thing that you can take away and apply into your own life and also have a think about one thing from this conversation that you can teach to somebody else remember when you you teach someone, it only helps them. It also helps you learn and retain the information.

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