Wide Awake

Stop Trading Half Your Life for a Paycheck

By: John Mitchell

Narrated by: John Mitchell

In a culture obsessed with productivity, performance, and perpetual busyness, too many of us find ourselves running on autopilot—exhausted, disconnected, and quietly wondering if this is really all there is. Wide Awake is for anyone who’s ever whispered to themselves in the early hours, “There has to be more than this”—especially when it feels like you’re trading half of your life for a paycheck.

Through compelling stories, warm humor, honest reflections, and deeply human insight, Wide Awake challenges the modern epidemic of what the author calls sleepworking—living out our days in jobs that drain us, identities that limit us, and routines that numb us. Drawing from three decades of personal experience, spiritual inquiry, and conversations with fellow travelers—from executives and entrepreneurs to baristas and butchers—this book offers a radical yet practical invitation: to align who you are with what you do.

Part guidebook for self-discovery, part manifesto, and part gentle kick in the pants, Wide Awake invites listeners to listen to the “whispers” from the deepest part of themselves—those persistent nudges that suggest we were made for something more than trading our time for a paycheck.

If you’ve ever longed for work that feels like an extension of your truest self—or wondered how to rediscover purpose without abandoning security—this book is your permission slip to start asking better questions, having braver conversations, and making more aligned choices.

No five-step formulas. No empty clichés. Just a companion for the messy, beautiful, and deeply worthwhile journey of waking up.

©2025 John Mitchell (P)2025 John Mitchell