Send us Fan Mail

Episode 15 – The Quiet Victories

When you’re not thriving, but you’re still showing up.

In this episode, I talk about optimism — not the shiny kind, but the kind that survives.

The kind that limps forward when you’re full, tired, and no one’s clapping.

I tell the story of a meeting in D.C. that left me gutted — not because of what was said loudly, but because of what was named quietly.

I talk about how I walked for hours afterward just trying to find my breath again.

And how I ended up making three pieces of art about what it feels like to speak and not be heard.

There’s a reading from The Optimist’s Way™ — my book about leading, healing, and staying human in hard times.

You can find it here: https://a.co/d/igbHGkK

There’s a reminder to come home to what matters.

And there’s a song at the end — “Another Trip Around the Sun.”

A small, steady anthem for anyone just trying to get through the day with their head and heart intact.

This one’s about the victories no one sees.

The ones that count anyway.

Still here. Still trying. And I’m glad you are too.

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 Fan Mail

🎙️ Episode 14 – The Light Still Comes Back

Podcast: Still Here, Still Trying

Host: Mike Baker

Closing song: “Apologies to the Future”

From the book: The Optimist’s Way™

This episode lands a little late. And maybe that’s exactly right.

Mike returns from a heavy trip to D.C. with a full heart, a tired mind, and a deep ache for something we’re all losing: our connection to each other.

In a time when tension is rising, conversations are hard, and violence seems closer than we want to admit — this isn’t a reaction.

It’s a reminder.

A reminder that we still belong to each other.

That disagreement doesn’t have to become destruction.

That light still comes back — even here.

Mike reads a full page from his book The Optimist’s Way™, reflects on the quiet fractures happening all around us, and introduces his latest song “Apologies to the Future” — a raw, honest prayer for the world we’re handing off.

💬 Real talk. No scripts. Just presence.

🎧 Tune in, take a breath, and stay human.

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

Podcast: Still Here, Still Trying

Host: Mike Baker

Closing song: “Apologies to the Future”

From the book: The Optimist’s Way™

This episode lands a little late. And maybe that’s exactly right.

Mike returns from a heavy trip to D.C. with a full heart, a tired mind, and a deep ache for something we’re all losing: our connection to each other.

In a time when tension is rising, conversations are hard, and violence seems closer than we want to admit — this isn’t a reaction. It’s a reminder.

A reminder that we still belong to each other.

That disagreement doesn’t have to become destruction.

That light still comes back — even here.

Mike reads a full page from his book The Optimist’s Way, reflects on the quiet fractures happening all around us, and introduces his latest song “Apologies to the Future” — a raw, honest prayer for the world we’re handing off.

💬 Real talk. No scripts. Just presence.

🎧 Tune in, take a breath, and stay human.

🎙️ Episode 14 – The Light Still Comes Back

Episode 13 – Say Yes: The Wild, Risky, Beautiful Things

Lucky number 13. Most podcasts don’t even make it this far, but here we are — still here, still trying.

This week, I’m talking about the power of saying yes when everything in you wants to say no. I read a passage from my book The Optimist’s Way™ that reminds us life doesn’t wait — we only get one chance to step outside our comfort zones and chase the things that make us feel alive.

In this episode, I share:

• Why saying yes is both terrifying and necessary
• How imposter syndrome shows up every time I release new music or art
• The unexpected global connections that came from risking creativity — including a message from a listener in Kenya
• How projects like EndoDad76 and women’s health advocacy work in North Idaho started from the same willingness to step forward
• A simple challenge you can take on today to turn one of your “no’s” into a yes

This is part gratitude, part confession, and part invitation. If you’ve been waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect plan, or the perfect confidence — this is your reminder that the perfect moment never comes. Say yes anyway.

📖 Read The Optimist’s Way™: https://a.co/d/8DU2pRX

🎶 Outro track: The Way We Shine (from the album The Way We Shine)

Send us Fan Mail

Episode 13 – Say Yes: The Wild, Risky, Beautiful Things

Lucky number 13. Most podcasts don’t even make it this far, but here we are — still here, still trying.

This week, I’m talking about the power of saying yes when everything in you wants to say no. I read a passage from my book The Optimist’s Way™ that reminds us life doesn’t wait — we only get one chance to step outside our comfort zones and chase the things that make us feel alive.

In this episode, I share:

• Why saying yes is both terrifying and necessary
• How imposter syndrome shows up every time I release new music or art
• The unexpected global connections that came from risking creativity — including a message from a listener in Kenya
• How projects like EndoDad76 and women’s health advocacy work in North Idaho started from the same willingness to step forward
• A simple challenge you can take on today to turn one of your “no’s” into a yes

This is part gratitude, part confession, and part invitation. If you’ve been waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect plan, or the perfect confidence — this is your reminder that the perfect moment never comes. Say yes anyway.

📖 Read The Optimist’s Way™: https://a.co/d/8DU2pRX

🎶 Outro track: The Way We Shine (from the album The Way We Shine)

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 Fan Mail

In this episode, Mike reflects on anxiety, the start of school, the Ted Lasso panic attack scene, and a brand-new piece of AI art he created called Even Heroes Feel It.

This image is part of a larger series he’s building for a women’s health project later this fall — a collection of powerful visual stories about strength, survival, and connection.

👉 Check out the image here on ⁠Pictorem⁠

A message of strength and courage

Keep this as a reminder for the days when things feel heavy. Anxiety is real, and it can feel overwhelming, but it does not take away your strength. The power to face it has always been inside you — this image is here to remind you of that.

Anxiety doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It means your body is reacting to stress, even when your mind wishes it wouldn’t. That tight feeling in your chest, the racing thoughts — you’re not the only one. Even the strongest people feel it.

Heroes feel it too. They get scared. They doubt themselves. They wonder if they can keep going. What makes them strong is not the absence of fear, but the choice to carry on through it.

When anxiety rises, pause and breathe. Let the feelings move through you, and then take the next step. That choice is courage. That choice is strength.

The image is a reminder: strength doesn’t mean pretending everything is easy. Strength is looking up, even when fear is still in your chest.

You are not alone in this. You are stronger than you know.

Locker-Note Mantra

• Anxiety is real.
• It doesn’t mean you’re weak.
• Even heroes feel it.
• Breathe. Keep going. You’re stronger than you think.

One-Line Toolkit

• “Even heroes feel it — and I can keep going too.”
• “Anxiety shows up, but it doesn’t control me.”
• “I can breathe, I can move forward, I can do this.”
• “Strong doesn’t mean no fear — it means carrying on anyway.”
• “This feeling will pass. My strength stays.”

🌱 Yes, there’s a plant named Kevin — and Kevin deserves a shoutout.

🍷 And introducing our brand-new “international sponsor” — the amazing Cameron Baker with Barely Legal Wine. Stay tuned…

🎶 Outro track: My Therapist Has a Plant Named Kevin

🎙️ Show Notes — Episode 12: Even Heroes Feel It From the Artwork — Even Heroes Feel 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 11 – The Beer League Goalie Manifesto

Fall hockey is back, and so is the chaos of beer league. The sticks are taped, the skates are sharp (for about ten minutes), and the cooler in the locker room is waiting like it’s the Stanley Cup.

This episode is a survival guide from the crease — straight from your goalie. The weird one. The one who talks to his posts and willingly straps on fifty pounds of gear just to get lit up by slapshots for fun.

We’re talking about the language that actually helps your goalie survive (spoiler: yell at us like we’re dogs), the defensive basics that matter more than any system, why forwards need to stop floating and backcheck, and the unspoken code of beer league that keeps the game fun. There’s chirps, there’s self-deprecation, and yeah… there’s some swearing. Hockey’s a rough game, and the language can be too — so cover your ears if you need to.

At the end, I give a special shoutout to the fellas from Beer League Dad Life and to Nick from BLPA — go give them a follow and show some love for the beer league community.

We close this one with a track that says it all — Beer League Forever. You can stream it here: Beer League Forever on Spotify.

@beerleaguedadslife @BLPA

Still here. Still trying. Still stopping pucks.

Send us Fan Mail

Episode 11 – The Beer League Goalie Manifesto

Fall hockey is back, and so is the chaos of beer league. The sticks are taped, the skates are sharp (for about ten minutes), and the cooler in the locker room is waiting like it’s the Stanley Cup.

This episode is a survival guide from the crease — straight from your goalie. The weird one. The one who talks to his posts and willingly straps on fifty pounds of gear just to get lit up by slapshots for fun.

We’re talking about the language that actually helps your goalie survive (spoiler: yell at us like we’re dogs), the defensive basics that matter more than any system, why forwards need to stop floating and backcheck, and the unspoken code of beer league that keeps the game fun. There’s chirps, there’s self-deprecation, and yeah… there’s some swearing. Hockey’s a rough game, and the language can be too — so cover your ears if you need to.

At the end, I give a special shoutout to the fellas from Beer League Dad Life and to Nick from BLPA — go give them a follow and show some love for the beer league community.

We close this one with a track that says it all — Beer League Forever. You can stream it here: Beer League Forever on Spotify.

Still here. Still trying. Still stopping pucks.

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 Fan Mail

🎙️ 

Still Here, Still Trying

Episode 10 – The Optimist’s Guide to Everyday Disasters

Description:

Life’s curveballs don’t always come as big tragedies. Most of the time, they show up as everyday disasters: the pizza dough you tried to microwave, the Zoom call you dozed off in, the Silly Putty that left you bleeding on stage, or the hockey puck that knocks your helmet loose.

In this episode, I share my Optimist’s Disaster Survival Toolkit — four lighthearted “rules” for surviving the mess with humor, optimism, and maybe a scar or two.

I also take a few minutes to talk about my brand-new album Invisible Wars — a project born out of heavy themes, but delivered with fun, defiant energy and even a full choir. The full album is out now on SoundCloud, and singles are rolling out all week on Spotify and the other platforms.

🎧 Listen now and laugh through the chaos with me.

Show Notes:

In this episode:

• 🍕 The Food Fail Protocol — featuring the worst Traeger pizza ever.
• 💻 The Tech Gremlin Response Plan — Zoom naps, mute button fails, and Kellie’s favorite CEO video.
• 🤦 The Public Embarrassment Playbook — the Silly Putty scar story.
• 🏒 The Curveball Rule — Maeson’s slapshot and the chaos of being a goalie.
• 🎶 A look inside my new album Invisible Wars — upbeat, choir-backed songs about the battles we all carry inside.

💡 Special shoutout to Anne, my new EA partner from Athena — she’s amazing, and the Tagalog in this episode’s intro is for her.

👉 Stream the full album on SoundCloud: Invisible Wars

👉 Follow me on Spotify for the single releases: Mike Baker Music

👉 Check out my art: Infinite Canvas Gallery

If this podcast or the music connects with you — share it. Stream it. Post about it. Every play, every share, every comment helps build this community and helps the work reach the people who need it most.

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 10 – The Optimist’s Guide to Everyday Disasters

Description:

Life’s curveballs don’t always come as big tragedies. Most of the time, they show up as everyday disasters: the pizza dough you tried to microwave, the Zoom call you dozed off in, the Silly Putty that left you bleeding on stage, or the hockey puck that knocks your helmet loose.

In this episode, I share my Optimist’s Disaster Survival Toolkit — four lighthearted “rules” for surviving the mess with humor, optimism, and maybe a scar or two.

I also take a few minutes to talk about my brand-new album Invisible Wars — a project born out of heavy themes, but delivered with fun, defiant energy and even a full choir. The full album is out now on SoundCloud, and singles are rolling out all week on Spotify and the other platforms.

🎧 Listen now and laugh through the chaos with me.

Show Notes:

In this episode:

• 🍕 The Food Fail Protocol — featuring the worst Traeger pizza ever.
• 💻 The Tech Gremlin Response Plan — Zoom naps, mute button fails, and Kellie’s favorite CEO video.
• 🤦 The Public Embarrassment Playbook — the Silly Putty scar story.
• 🏒 The Curveball Rule — Maeson’s slapshot and the chaos of being a goalie.
• 🎶 A look inside my new album Invisible Wars — upbeat, choir-backed songs about the battles we all carry inside.

💡 Special shoutout to Anne, my new EA partner from Athena — she’s amazing, and the Tagalog in this episode’s intro is for her.

👉 Stream the full album on SoundCloud: Invisible Wars

👉 Follow me on Spotify for the single releases: Mike Baker Music

👉 Check out my art: Infinite Canvas Gallery

If this podcast or the music connects with you — share it. Stream it. Post about it. Every play, every share, every comment helps build this community and helps the work reach the people who need it most.

🎙️ Still Here, Still Trying