Stop Making Yourself Small;

Finding Oxygen After You Leave Broken Systems

In this episode of Still Here, Still Trying, Mike sits down with longtime friend Chad Anderson for a wide-ranging conversation about identity, trauma, creativity, and what it takes to live fully after leaving systems that no longer fit.

Chad shares what it cost him to choose honesty, what it gave back over time, and why creating joy has become a deliberate act of resistance. This episode is about staying human, building safety, and refusing to shrink when the world asks you to.

What you’ll hear in this episode

• Why many people survive by making themselves smaller.

• What it feels like to finally come up for oxygen.

• The real cost of choosing truth and why staying quiet costs more.

• How trauma shows up long after the system is gone.

• Why creativity helps carry stories that words alone cannot.

• The difference between community and compliance.

• How safety, joy, and boundaries work together.

• Why creating joy right now takes intention.

• What it means to still be here and still be trying.

About today’s guest

Chad Anderson is a licensed clinical social worker, writer, filmmaker, and podcast host based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He lives with his husband and their two teenage children. Chad owns and operates Healthy Conflict Counseling, where he works with individuals navigating conflict, trauma, identity, and hard conversations.

He is the host of the weekly podcast Graymalkin Lane, the author of Gay Mormon Dad (forthcoming as a graphic novel), and the producer of the documentary film Dog Valley.

Links and resources

• Healthy Conflict Counseling

• https://www.healthyconflictcounseling.com

• Graymalkin Lane podcast

  https://www.instagram.com/graymalkin_lane/

• Dog Valley documentary

  Available on Tubi, YouTube, and Amazon

  https://www.amazon.com

• Gay Mormon Dad (graphic novel coming soon)

  Updates available via Chad’s website

About the show

Still Here, Still Trying is hosted by Mike Baker. The podcast explores real life, creativity, leadership, family, and the quiet work of staying human when life does not go according to plan.

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Mira had the week off for this episode. She’ll be back soon.