Episode Title: Life Across the Sea (with Cameron Baker)

Description:
In the first-ever interview on Still Here, Still Trying, Mike sits down with his middle son, Cameron Baker, who’s been living and working in New Zealand. Together they talk about what it means to start over in a new country — the pull of independence, the loneliness that comes with it, and the strength it takes to build a life from scratch.

Cameron shares stories from the restaurant world, his growing passion for wine, and the lessons he’s learned about leadership, patience, and finding purpose far from home. It’s a raw, honest conversation about family, culture, and the kind of personal growth that only happens when you step out into the unknown.

🎧 Listen in for a father and son conversation that spans oceans, rooted in love, grit, and the courage to keep trying.

Episode 20: The Art of Staying Human

The noise is everywhere — headlines, outrage, algorithms feeding the chaos.

But underneath all that, there’s still something worth protecting.

In Episode 20 of Still Here, Still Trying, Mike Baker shares The Art of Staying Human — a grounded, honest guide to holding on to empathy, truth, and decency in a world built for division.

He lays out a five-part playbook for staying human when the algorithms pull us apart:

1️⃣ Remember what’s real

2️⃣ Curate what shapes you

3️⃣ Practice slow truth

4️⃣ Create something that can’t be scrolled

5️⃣ Stay kind — especially when it’s unpopular

This one’s part reflection, part roadmap, and all heart — a reminder that connection still beats clicks, and that even in the noise, we can choose to be human first.

🎶 Closing song: “Came Here to Be Kind” by Mike Baker

🎧 Listen, share, and follow to help push back against the negativity feed.

Because the middle still matters — and you’re part of it.

Send us a text

Episode 20: “The Art of Staying Human”

Hosted by Mike Baker

The noise is everywhere — headlines, outrage, algorithms feeding the chaos.

But underneath all that, there’s still something worth protecting.

In The Art of Staying Human, Mike Baker shares a grounded, honest guide to holding on to empathy, truth, and decency in a world built for division.

He lays out a five-part playbook for staying human when the algorithms pull us apart:

1️⃣ Remember what’s real

2️⃣ Curate what shapes you

3️⃣ Practice slow truth

4️⃣ Create something that can’t be scrolled

5️⃣ Stay kind — especially when it’s unpopular

This one’s part reflection, part roadmap, and all heart — a reminder that connection still beats clicks, and that even in the noise, we can choose to be human first.

🎶 Closing song: “Came Here to Be Kind” by Mike Baker

🎧 Listen, follow, rate, and share to help push back against the negativity feed.

Because the middle still matters — and you’re part of it.

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Still Here, Still Trying.

If this episode gave you something to think about, please like, follow, subscribe, and share it with three people who could use it in their lives.

You can find more of my work — music, writing, art, and reflections — at:
🌐 mikebakerhq.com

Grab a copy of my book, The Optimist’s Way:
📚 https://a.co/d/4RqPS6g

Thanks for being here.
Still here. Still trying.

Support the Podcast Here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2516381/support

🎙️ Episode 19 — The Middle Still Matters

Somewhere along the way, noise replaced nuance.

Everything became a side to choose, a take to post, a reaction to perform. We started scrolling through outrage like it was oxygen, and somehow forgot how to just… listen.

In this episode, Mike Baker steps back from the static to search for the signal underneath it — the quiet frequency that still connects us.

He reflects on what liberty looks like when truth flickers, on the slow erosion of empathy, and on why the middle of the story — the place between extremes — still holds the power to heal.

Through personal reflection, storytelling, and moments drawn from his art and music, Mike explores how we begin finding our way back to each other when everything around us rewards division.

He shares why he created Human First — not as a protest, but as a reminder. A reminder that connection still matters, that decency still counts, and that empathy is not weakness — it’s survival.

The Middle Still Matters is an invitation to breathe again, to remember who we are beneath the headlines, and to believe — even now — that light still breaks through the static.

🎧 Still Here, Still Trying — with Mike Baker

Music: “Human First” by Mike Baker

Send us a text

Episode 19 — The Middle Still Matters

Somewhere along the way, noise replaced nuance.

Everything became a side to choose, a take to post, a reaction to perform. We started scrolling through outrage like it was oxygen, and somehow forgot how to just… listen.

In this episode, Mike Baker steps back from the static to search for the signal underneath it — the quiet frequency that still connects us.

He reflects on what liberty looks like when truth flickers, on the slow erosion of empathy, and on why the middle of the story — the place between extremes — still holds the power to heal.

Through personal reflection, storytelling, and moments drawn from his art and music, Mike explores how we begin finding our way back to each other when everything around us rewards division.

He shares why he created Human First — not as a protest, but as a reminder. A reminder that connection still matters, that decency still counts, and that empathy is not weakness — it’s survival.

The Middle Still Matters is an invitation to breathe again, to remember who we are beneath the headlines, and to believe — even now — that light still breaks through the static.

🎧 Still Here, Still Trying — with Mike Baker

Music: “Human First” by Mike Baker

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Still Here, Still Trying.

If this episode gave you something to think about, please like, follow, subscribe, and share it with three people who could use it in their lives.

You can find more of my work — music, writing, art, and reflections — at:
🌐 mikebakerhq.com

Grab a copy of my book, The Optimist’s Way:
📚 https://a.co/d/4RqPS6g

Thanks for being here.
Still here. Still trying.

Support the Podcast Here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2516381/support

What if art wasn’t about what we see—but what we help others see?

In this episode, Mike reflects on how empathy opened the door to his creative life. From the EndoWarrior portraits inspired by his daughter’s journey with invisible pain, to discovering how AI could help capture ideas that move faster than his hands, this conversation is about creation rooted in love, not ambition.

Mike talks about learning to create with ADHD, bridging leadership and art, and finding meaning where humanity and technology meet. He honors traditional artists, challenges the fear around new tools, and reminds us that progress doesn’t erase heart—it reveals it.

This episode also introduces his new visual series, Human / Machine / Light, built around the idea:

And if you’ve seen the Human First T-shirt, this episode carries the same message—empathy, creativity, and connection in motion.

🖤 Get the shirt, wear the message: https://mike-baker-hq.printify.me

🎧 Listen now, and remember: creation still belongs to us.

🎧 Episode 18 – Seeing Differently: Art Beyond Vision“The future of art lives in the space where human and machine meet.”

Send us a text

What if art wasn’t about what we see—but what we help others see?

In this episode, Mike reflects on how empathy opened the door to his creative life. From the EndoWarrior portraits inspired by his daughter’s journey with invisible pain, to discovering how AI could help capture ideas that move faster than his hands, this conversation is about creation rooted in love, not ambition.

Mike talks about learning to create with ADHD, bridging leadership and art, and finding meaning where humanity and technology meet. He honors traditional artists, challenges the fear around new tools, and reminds us that progress doesn’t erase heart—it reveals it.

This episode also introduces his new visual series, Human / Machine / Light, built around the idea:

“The future of art lives in the space where human and machine meet.”

And if you’ve seen the Human First T-shirt, this episode carries the same message—empathy, creativity, and connection in motion.

🖤 Get the shirt, wear the message: https://mike-baker-hq.printify.me

🎧 Listen now, and remember: creation still belongs to us.

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Still Here, Still Trying.

If this episode gave you something to think about, please like, follow, subscribe, and share it with three people who could use it in their lives.

You can find more of my work — music, writing, art, and reflections — at:
🌐 mikebakerhq.com

Grab a copy of my book, The Optimist’s Way:
📚 https://a.co/d/4RqPS6g

Thanks for being here.
Still here. Still trying.

Support the Podcast Here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2516381/support

Send us a text

Episode 16 – You’ve Been Becoming This Whole Time

In this episode of Still Here, Still Trying, Mike Baker leans into one of the quiet truths from his book The Optimist’s Way™: that we’ve been becoming all along, even when it feels like we’re stuck or falling behind.

Mike begins by reading the full passage from the book, then opens it up into reflections on work, art, and life. He shares the unseen growth that happens in leadership at Heritage Health — the kind that doesn’t show up on dashboards or reports but transforms people in small, profound ways. He talks about the music and art he’s created over the years, including songs and images that may never reach the public but still shaped him in ways no metric can measure.

The heart of the episode is family. Mike reflects on the quiet strength he’s witnessed in his daughter as she lives with endometriosis, and how that has changed the way he sees the invisible battles others carry. He speaks about Jake’s move to Boise, and the becoming that happens as a parent when you learn how to step back, trust your adult children, and cheer them on as they build their own lives. He talks about Cameron’s move across the world to New Zealand, and what it has meant to learn how to love across oceans. And he reflects on his marriage to Kellie — how they’ve become more rooted and honest over the years through both laughter and hardship.

This episode is a reminder that becoming isn’t about big milestones or applause. It’s about the ways you grow softer, steadier, and stronger in the daily moments no one else sees. It’s about breathing, noticing, and remembering you are not behind, you are not lost — you’ve been becoming this whole time.

🎶 Featuring the song “This One’s for Me.”

📖 Read The Optimist’s Way™: https://a.co/d/igbHGkK

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Still Here, Still Trying.

If this episode gave you something to think about, please like, follow, subscribe, and share it with three people who could use it in their lives.

You can find more of my work — music, writing, art, and reflections — at:
🌐 mikebakerhq.com

Grab a copy of my book, The Optimist’s Way:
📚 https://a.co/d/4RqPS6g

Thanks for being here.
Still here. Still trying.

Support the Podcast Here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2516381/support

After a week on the islands celebrating 26 years of marriage, Mike Baker returns home sunburned, grateful, and changed.

In this deeply personal episode, he reflects on the quiet moments that inspired his new album Human First — a project born out of compassion, faith, and the belief that kindness still matters in a divided world.

From floating off St. John with Kellie and writing Stop Making Amy Cry about his sister-in-law’s incredible heart, to wrestling with faith, leadership, and the headlines that challenge our humanity — this episode is raw, real, and full of truth.

Mike opens up about what it means to live with mercy, lead with grace, and create from a place of love instead of noise. He shares the story behind Human First, why he still believes in people, and how we can all help carry the flame forward.

If you’ve been craving something honest — something that cuts through the chaos and speaks straight to the heart — this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen now to Episode 17: “Human First.”

🌊 Like, share, and help spread the message — because the world still needs more light.

Here's the link to purchase a t-shirt

https://mike-baker-hq.printify.me

Episode 16 – You’ve Been Becoming This Whole Time

In this episode of Still Here, Still Trying, Mike Baker leans into one of the quiet truths from his book The Optimist’s Way™: that we’ve been becoming all along, even when it feels like we’re stuck or falling behind.

Mike begins by reading the full passage from the book, then opens it up into reflections on work, art, and life. He shares the unseen growth that happens in leadership at Heritage Health — the kind that doesn’t show up on dashboards or reports but transforms people in small, profound ways. He talks about the music and art he’s created over the years, including songs and images that may never reach the public but still shaped him in ways no metric can measure.

The heart of the episode is family. Mike reflects on the quiet strength he’s witnessed in his daughter as she lives with endometriosis, and how that has changed the way he sees the invisible battles others carry. He speaks about Jake’s move to Boise, and the becoming that happens as a parent when you learn how to step back, trust your adult children, and cheer them on as they build their own lives. He talks about Cameron’s move across the world to New Zealand, and what it has meant to learn how to love across oceans. And he reflects on his marriage to Kellie — how they’ve become more rooted and honest over the years through both laughter and hardship.

This episode is a reminder that becoming isn’t about big milestones or applause. It’s about the ways you grow softer, steadier, and stronger in the daily moments no one else sees. It’s about breathing, noticing, and remembering you are not behind, you are not lost — you’ve been becoming this whole time.

🎶 Featuring the song “This One’s for Me.”

📖 Read The Optimist’s Way™: https://a.co/d/igbHGkK