A year into this chapter, the tone feels louder, sharper, and more centered on ego than responsibility. This episode isn’t about politics as a debate. It’s about what this style of leadership does to us over time.

I talk honestly about exhaustion, disappointment, and the quiet ways trust erodes when chaos and self-interest become normalized. I wrestle with optimism, not as denial, but as a discipline. A choice to stay human when it would be easier to harden or check out.

This is a reflection on leadership, culture, and the question a lot of us are asking quietly.

Does this actually feel like who we want to be.

I close the episode with Written in the Stars, a song from the early days of this project, as a reminder that not everything has to be forced and not everything unfolds on our timeline.

Still here. Still trying. Still choosing humanity.

Episode 32: Who You Become in the Middle

This episode was recorded after a full week of perspective.

Turning fifty.

Time away with Kellie.

Music that demanded presence.

A surprise that reminded me how much quiet work love actually takes.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I saw a simple image about goals. It wasn’t clever. It wasn’t new. It was true.

We spend so much time chasing outcomes. Promotions. Numbers. Milestones. Finish lines. And then we’re surprised when getting there doesn’t change us the way we thought it would.

This episode is about the middle.

The part that feels repetitive.

The part nobody posts.

The part where progress looks invisible and questions start showing up quietly.

I talk about leadership when results lag behind effort.

Creative work that asks for honesty before it offers validation.

Relationships that are built through unseen consistency.

And how growth usually happens without announcing itself.

I also send you into the week with a new song, Hope’s Last Broadcast, written in response to the division, noise, and fear that feel everywhere right now. It’s a reminder that we’re not enemies, we’re the same crowd, and that choosing humanity still matters.

If you’re tired.

If you’re questioning.

If you’re wondering whether the work you’re doing is actually shaping anything.

This episode is for you.

Thanks for being here.

Still here. Still trying.

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.