Sexual addiction is often discussed in whispers—or not at all. In this episode, Logan Hufford shares what it’s actually like to live inside it, and what it takes to begin climbing out.

Logan grew up in Anchorage and spent years living a double life marked by secrecy, escalating behaviors, and the slow erosion of trust at home. Rather than focusing on shock value, this conversation explores the mechanics of addiction: how it hijacks the brain, isolates people in shame, and convinces them they’re beyond help.

We talk about why willpower alone rarely works, how repeated “confessions” can still leave someone stuck, and what finally made real recovery possible. Logan explains why his story is descriptive, not prescriptive—and why lasting change required community, accountability, and learning from people who had already walked the path ahead.

Listeners will also hear about the recovery group that played a critical role in Logan’s healing and how people in Alaska—and beyond—can take a first step toward getting connected. This is the first Alaska-based podcast where Logan has shared his story, and it opens the door to resources that many don’t know exist.

This episode is for anyone who feels alone in addiction, anyone already in recovery wondering if change can last, and anyone who wants a clearer, more honest understanding of what recovery actually looks like.

Follow Logan on Instagram: @no.longer.in.bondage

Logan Recommends

www.prodigalsofalaska.com

Conquer Series-Quit Porn Forever

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What happens when the responsibility to care for animals collides with gaps in the law?

In this episode of The State I Am In, Manny sits down with Megan Merritt, founder of Homebound Farm & Rescue in Sterling, Alaska. A lifelong Alaskan and the self-described “machine” behind the rescue, Megan works daily with animals that have been abandoned, neglected, or left in conditions where help should exist—but often doesn’t.

The conversation centers on a recent video Megan posted showing horse and cows living in exposed winter conditions and in poor health, multiple reports have been made and yet nothing has changed in years. This sparks a deeper discussion about animal neglect, personal freedom, and where stewardship begins. Together, Manny and Megan explore how animal welfare laws on the Kenai Peninsula are written, how they’re enforced (or not), and why nothing is being done.

Megan shares her personal journey into rescue work, the emotional toll of advocating for animals when intervention fails, and the reality of working cases that repeat year after year without resolution. The episode also raises difficult questions:
• When does personal liberty end and responsibility begin?
• Why are veterinarians rarely involved when the law says they should be?
• And what changes could actually protect animals while respecting individual freedom?

This is an honest, grounded conversation about Alaska, community, compassion, and the uncomfortable gray areas where the system falls short.

🎥 Note: The video discussed in this episode is available on TikTok via Homebound Farm & Rescue and provides important context for the conversation:

Follow Homebound on Facebook & Tiktok

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This is the final episode of 2025 — it’s just me.

In this solo episode, I reflect on the first nine months of The State I Am In: what started as a simple “what if” has grown into real conversations with remarkable Alaskans, unexpected lessons about creation and consistency, and a deeper understanding of what this place — and its people — truly represent.

I talk about the transition from podcast listener to creator, the challenges of showing up imperfectly, and the realities of building something meaningful while juggling life, work, and uncertainty. We revisit the heart of this show — Alaska beyond the postcards — and why the mantra Keep North continues to guide every conversation.

Looking ahead to 2026, I share what’s coming next: new voices, broader topics, solo reflections, ways to support and engage with the show, and why this next year feels like a defining chapter — not just for the podcast, but for me personally.

Thank you for listening, sharing, supporting, and believing in this project from the beginning. This is only the start.

Keep North, Alaska.

Follow on Facebook, Instagram & Tiktok @thestateiaminpodcast

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In Part Two of this wide-ranging conversation, Manny finishes his conversation with Tyler Johnson for a story that takes an unexpected and unforgettable turn.

After surviving a life-or-death grizzly bear attack, Tyler shares another wild moment from his life in the Alaska wilderness—this time on the remote Aleutian Island of Adak. What began as a demanding caribou hunt with his father turned into an emergency when an injury left them stranded in brutal weather, facing isolation, hard decisions, and the reality of self-rescue in one of the most unforgiving landscapes on earth.

As Tyler recounts navigating exhaustion, fear, and responsibility while helping his injured father survive the night, the story builds into something no one saw coming: a strange and unexplained experience in the skies above Adak that leaves both host and listeners questioning what was really happening out there—especially in light of the island’s military history and real-world geopolitical events unfolding at the same time. Aliens? Chinese Spies? You be the judge.

This episode isn’t just about survival. It’s about trust between father and son, staying calm under pressure, the weight of decision-making in the wilderness, and how these moments shaped Tyler’s purpose moving forward, fueling his mission to help others experience Alaska safely, responsibly, and deeply connected to nature.

It’s raw, funny, unsettling, and uniquely Alaskan—and it sets the stage for what comes next in Tyler’s journey.

Follow Tyler:

Instagram: @grizzlylife907

Facebook: Tyler B Johnson

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Tyler Johnson grew up in Sterling, Alaska, raised in the outdoors alongside his dad, a longtime game warden. Hunting, fishing, hiking, and navigating wild places weren’t just pastimes — they were normal to life on the Kenai Peninsula.

In this episode, Tyler recounts his sudden encounter with a grizzly bear in August 2024 at Resurrection Pass in gripping detail. What happened in those moments, what went right, what went wrong, and how even preparing for this exact scenario still wasn’t enough. He walks through the decisions made under pressure, the reality of how fast things unfolded, and what survival actually looks like when theory meets real life.

But the story doesn’t end with the attack.

Tyler also opens up about the aftermath — the physical recovery, the emotional weight, and the unexpected wave of national and international attention that followed. We talk about how that experience reshaped his perspective and ultimately led him toward a new mission: developing a device aimed at preventing similar encounters and helping keep both people and wildlife safer in the future.

This is more than a survival story. It’s about preparation, humility, responsibility, and how one moment in the Alaska backcountry became the start of something bigger.

Follow Tyler on social media:

Instagram @grizzlylife907

Facebook @Tyler B Johnson

TikTok @tyler.johnsonak

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In this episode, Manny sits down with David Bayes, a lifelong Alaskan fisherman, charter captain, and one of the most visible leaders in the movement to reform Alaska’s trawl bycatch system. David grew up in Homer, spent more than two decades working on the water, and now helps lead the statewide conversation through the rapidly growing Stop Alaskan Trawler Bycatch Facebook group.

Manny and David break down what trawling actually is, how it differs from other commercial fishing methods, and why bycatch has become one of the most urgent fisheries issues in Alaska. David explains the staggering scale of what is pulled from Alaska’s waters every year, the loopholes and regulatory structures that allow it, and why many Alaskans initially don’t believe the numbers—until they see the data themselves.

They dive into the impacts on subsistence families, sport fishermen, charter operators, coastal communities, and even trawl crew members who have quietly come forward to say the same thing: something has to change. The conversation also explores the politics of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the role of Alaska’s governor, federal oversight, and the influence of major seafood corporations.

At its core, this episode is about stewardship, transparency, and protecting the future of Alaska’s fisheries. Manny and David discuss what meaningful change could look like, how everyday Alaskans can get involved, and why awareness is the key to shifting policy.

If you care about Alaska’s fish, its communities, or its future, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Join the movement on Facebook:

STOP Alaskan Trawler Bycatch

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My guest today is Chad Hufford; Financial planner, founder of Veritas Wealth Management in Anchorage, author of Forging Financial Freedom, and host of The Blue Collar Millionaire Show. Chad is a lifelong Alaskan whose approach to money is shaped by the realities so many of us face in the Last Frontier: high cost of living, seasonal work, opportunity-rich industries, and a lifestyle full of both challenges and rewards.

In this episode, Chad breaks down the real Alaskan money mindset , one rooted in habits, purpose, clarity, and the discipline it takes to build a life you’re proud of. We cover a wide range of topics that apply whether you're barely getting by, earning six figures, or somewhere in between.

We get into:
• Growing up in Alaska and learning money lessons early
• Why living within your means matters more than income
• The “toy culture” in Alaska and the danger of lifestyle creep
• Smart ways to think about (and use) the PFD
• How to plan for snowbird winters without leaving Alaska for good
• College savings, debt, and the order of operations for financial stability
• Budgeting for seasonal work in fishing, construction, and tourism
• How blue-collar Alaskans become millionaires
• Why your physical health directly impacts your long-term financial freedom
• What being a SmartVestor Pro really means and how personalized coaching works
• Fishing vs. investing (yes, the metaphor actually works)

Chad and I dive into the mindset behind money — the behaviors, habits, and decisions that shape your future far more than the size of your paycheck. Whether you're 18 or 80, working the Slope, living in the bush, or raising a family in town, there’s something here for you.

Connect with Chad:

Website: veritasalaska.com
Instagram: @veritas.alaska
Podcast: The Blue Collar Millionaire Show
LinkedIn: Chad Hufford

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In this episode I sit down with Ben Adams, owner and operator of 4T% Ranch in Soldotna, Alaska, to talk about the work, the cost, and the conviction behind one of the wildest modern ranching stories I have ever heard.
Ben grew up poor in Canada with a legally blind father, learned responsibility early, and eventually "fluked" his way into a career as a criminal defense attorney. Years later, he walked away from the courtroom, carved a ranch out of the boreal forest on the central Kenai Peninsula, and has been grinding ever since to raise some of the most nutritionally dense beef in the country. Along the way, his body and spirit have taken a beating from brutal winters, dead calves, broken equipment, borough taxes, skeptical farmers, and the foreboding task it is to build success in the ag industry.

Through it all, Ben’s impenetrable work ethic, his love for cattle, and his belief that food should actually nourish people keep him going. His transparency on social media has turned 4T% Ranch into something like a live action docu series. Building quite the community of those that cheer him on, but not without those that remain skeptical and criticize his unconventional approach to life and ranching.

In this episode we talk about:

• Ben’s childhood in Canada and what it was like to be raised by a legally blind single dad while living in poverty
• How those early years shaped his work ethic and his decision to grind through university and law school
• The SWAT raid that flipped his view of the justice system and pushed him toward criminal defense work
• Going from broke public defender to successful private attorney and multimillionaire, then choosing a harder life anyway
• Why he always saw law as a way to someday become a farmer
• Buying land on the Kenai, building a massive timber frame home from his own trees, and the decision to ranch
• How a few cows turned into hundreds, and why ranching in the central Kenai Peninsula might be the toughest way to raise beef in Alaska
• The insane logistics of feeding and moving cattle when almost everything has to be trucked in or hauled for hours
• Losing money, losing cattle, and nearly breaking himself during long winters and calving seasons
• Why he feeds root crops like potatoes, beets, and carrots, and what the nutritional testing on his beef actually showed
• The lack of real support for agriculture in Alaska, from tax policy to local culture, and the pushback he has felt from some in the ag community
• Buying a USDA plant to keep local processing alive, and why he did it even though it cost him dearly
• The future of farming and food security in the United States as older producers age out and fewer young people step in

Follow 4T% Ranch on Facebook

Order beef from 4T% Ranch
Text: 907-394-5619
He tracks orders by text. Reach out, tell him you heard the podcast, and he will walk you through what cuts are available and how pickup or delivery works.


If this conversation hit home for you, the best way to support the show is to:

• Follow or subscribe to The State I Am In wherever you listen
• Leave a rating and review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
• Share this episode with a friend who cares about Alaska, ranching, or where their food comes from
• Subscribe on YouTube and share a clip on your social media

Thank you for listening and for supporting Alaskan stories.

Keep North, Alaska.

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