October 7, 2025 • 24 mins
If you’ve ever dreamed about starting a podcast, this episode gives you a rare look at what it’s really like — from someone living it right now.
Host John Quick sits down with Manny Coelho, creator and host of The State I Am In — an in-person, long-form podcast that explores the people, stories, and ideas shaping life in Alaska. Together, they dive into the realities of building a show from scratch: finding your voice, learning the gear, choosing guests, and staying motivated when most podcasts fade.
Manny shares honest insights from his first dozen episodes, the behind-the-scenes challenges that few talk about, and what keeps him pressing record week after week. Whether you’re thinking about starting your own show or just curious about the creative process, this conversation will leave you inspired — and a little more ready to begin.
🎧 Listen and learn more about Manny’s work:
🌐 Website: https://thestateiamin.com/
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thestateiamin
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
If you've ever wanted to start apodcast but didn't know where to
begin, this episode is your blueprint.
It's a behind the scenes look atwhat it really takes to launch,
grow and sustain a show that connects with people.
I'm John Quick, host of Stories Worth Hearing, where we explore
the journeys of creators, entrepreneurs, and difference
makers who have powerful storiesto share.
(00:21):
Today I'm joined by Manny, the creator and host of The State I
Am In, a podcast where every conversation points north.
His show dives deep into the stories, people, and ideas
shaping life in Alaska with a voice that feels both uniquely
local and universally human. Manny is only 12 episodes in,
but that's what makes this conversation special.
(00:42):
He's right in the middle of it, building his show, finding his
rhythm, and learning the lessonsthat every creator faces in
those early days. In our conversation, he opens up
about how he got started, what he's lame so far, and the
challenges that come with finding your voice in a crowded
world. We talk about the creative
process, favorite guests, and the drive that keeps him showing
(01:04):
up when most podcasts fade. And we look ahead at his hopes,
his vision, and what he wants the state I am in to become for
Alaska and beyond. If you've ever thought about
starting your own podcast business or create a project,
this is one you're going to wantto listen to from start to
finish. Well, Manny, thanks so much for
joining us. I'm really excited to have a
(01:24):
conversation with you and kind of hear how you started a
podcast. So thanks for joining us today.
Yeah. Thanks for having me, John.
This will be fun. So I think for our listeners,
they'll get a sneak peek kind ofbehind the curtains of what does
it look like to start a podcast.I think there's lots of folks
out there that want to start a podcast or maybe start a podcast
and did a couple episodes and realized it was really tough.
(01:45):
So for folks listening in, you're going to want to listen
to the full 30 minutes to get a real peek behind the curtain on
what it takes. So first, my first question to
you is this many what inspired you to start to start the state
I'm in? Was there a specific moment or
conversation or story that made you realize you wanted to share
stories through a podcast? Yeah, well, I've been a consumer
(02:06):
of podcast for probably about a decade now.
And so think about a kid wantingto be a rock star.
He probably saw a crazy concert one time or some album that was
amazing and made him think maybeI want to pick up a guitar.
And that's basically what it wasfor me for the last decade or
so. Just listening to a variety of
shows from, you know, I think the first thing I ever listened
(02:28):
to was Dave Ramsey's like branchoff of radio into the podcast
world and then Ali Ward Ologies with Ali Ward, Joe Rogan, of
course, Andrew Huberman, just a variety of different shows and
personalities. And the long form thing really
got a hold of me about last yeararound election time because
I'm, you know, listening to Bernie Sanders for two hours.
(02:50):
I'm listening to RFK junior for two hours, Donald Trump, you
know, Elon Musk, these people that are all over national
headlines and people know the insurance and outs of their
lives. And, and I was like, whether or
not I believed or I guess not believed them, but agreed with
their ideologies or their politics, their philosophies, to
(03:11):
sit down with someone for at least an hour or two hours, you
get a better insight of who these people are.
And I would honestly say for every single one of those people
I just mentioned, regardless of what what I went into, my
opinions about those people, my perspective of them changed
after listening to those shows. And so I thought, why can't we
take that form and just bring itto Alaska?
(03:34):
We have great people in this state.
We have politicians in this state, We have amazing business
owners. And I was like, it would be
really cool to kind of take thatformat and just sit across the
table with someone in our state of Alaska, you know, less than
1,000,000 people. But I think others would find
value in it too. And so I just went for it.
That's awesome. So what's now the meaning behind
(03:55):
the name? The State I Am is such a unique
title. What does it represent for you
personally, and how does it reflect the kind of stories or
themes that you want to explore in your podcast?
Yeah. So the state I'm in it first and
foremost, I live in Alaska. So it's all-encompassing of the
things, the issues, the people, the culture, the history that is
Alaska. So the state I'm in physically
(04:17):
is Alaska. And then the other thing is
just, you know, for me personally, I'm kind of a deep
thinker and I go through, you know, different phases of life
as a father, as a husband, as, you know, someone who has
different pursuits out of sight outside of the podcast world,
you know, things I'm working on,on my health or my education.
And so I'm, I kind of always go through these different stages.
And, and so I wanted to introduce that into the show as
(04:40):
well. And, you know, it kind of formed
this mantra of keep N, which is the, you know, I guess the
thesis or the, you know, value system of the podcast.
And and that's just that I would, you know, look to keep
North or, you know, keep Alaska by looking at preserving the
things that we care about, the way of life, It's culture, you
know, it's resources, you know, that everything in the show
(05:02):
would be kind of geared towards that.
You know, we have a specific wayof doing things here, you know,
hunting and gathering and, you know, we have fishing and it's
just, it's a part of life. And the other part is keeping
north as far as direction, you know, where we're headed, you
know, who's leading us and what are the issues that we're
concerned about that my neighbors are concerned about
that I'm concerned about, you know, for my kids and their
future. And then the last thing is just
(05:23):
kind of the faith aspect of keeping north by just kind of
looking heavenward and being like, you know, how does this
all relate to my own faith? And the other thing is I had no
intention of this. But more and more I you sit down
with someone and talk for a couple hours, you're going to
start getting into like the deeper questions of God and you
know, how the world works and you know, the deeper issues.
And so all of that was kind of wrapped up in this phrase of the
(05:46):
state I'm in. I just thought it was so fitting
and I absolutely love it. That's awesome.
So starting a podcast can feel overwhelming.
You know, I can just speak from experience.
So how did you actually begin, you know, choosing equipment,
making your studio, you have an in person experience.
Talk to me about what some of that look like.
Because it's one thing to start a podcast that's remote, which
(06:09):
is what most most people do. It's another thing to start a
podcast where you're asking folks to come and sit down with
you for a couple hours. So walk me through kind of what
that look like for you. Yeah, it was really important to
actually try to sit down with someone in person.
And so right off the bat, I knewthat, you know, I wanted to
have, of course, amazing audio or the best I could get for it
(06:29):
at the time. And then I, I wanted video as
well. And so, you know, thank God for
YouTube. I guarantee there's many people
that are like, how do I improve,you know, in this or that,
whether it's, you know, farming or, you know, how to make
something, you know, you go to YouTube and, and thank God for
that resource. And I was right along with them,
you know, YouTube University andthere's so many people, great
(06:49):
people out there sharing information on, you know, types
of equipment you should use based on what you're going to
do. And so I knew I wanted to do an
in person, you know, video podcast.
And so I just started started YouTube again.
I think PSS media was probably the biggest one that stood out
to me to really kind of walk me through the steps of how to
start a podcast. And the hardest part, honestly,
(07:10):
John was just saying I'm going to do this and and starting.
Well, what goes through your brain or process to kind of pick
the type of guests that you wantto be on the show?
Maybe you know, what kind of process did you go through for
the first, you know, 12 that have been on the show and has
your process tweaked along the way?
Yeah, I think one thing I've always kind of realized is that
(07:32):
everybody has a story, but not everybody is advertising that
story. And and I guess maybe not
everyone wants to advertise their story.
And that's completely fine. You know, not everyone is going
to be putting out an album or a book or a podcast or, you know,
putting themselves out on socialmedia.
And that's that's totally fine. But what I noticed was that
(07:53):
there are those people out therethat have decided to take steps
forward and something that is important to them.
So that's the first step that I took was just looking at, at
people in my community, people in my state that had something
that they were passionate about and they took steps towards
sharing that with others. And so there was, you know,
(08:15):
people just in my local vicinitythat, you know, took small
steps, you know, they weren't publishing books or anything
like that, but, you know, maybe they were on a radio show, maybe
they were doing a lecture series.
You know, those are the people that I reached out to first
because fun. Those are the issues and the
topics that are the closest to me in my community.
But then it's it's a local resource of someone that's
easily accessible that it already wants to get something
(08:38):
they're passionate about out there.
And that was the easiest place to go.
So I think of the business owners that are, you know,
killing it, you know, that are doing amazing things.
You know, the business owners inthe community are, are huge
because in every community, those are the people that had a
good idea and they took a step forward in a big kind of way.
And then from there, honestly, John, it's like from one story
(08:59):
to the next, people are like, you know, who has a really cool
story? Is this person or you know who
you should talk to is this person?
Because especially in a small, you know, Alaska has a very
small town feel to it. You learn very quickly that you
can, you're like two people awayfrom talking to someone and
it's, it's, it's pretty cool. I started just where it was at
and it's just kind of grown fromthere.
(09:21):
Was it tough to get those first couple guests because you're,
you know, it gets easier as you go along the way.
It's just from my experience. But those first couple guests,
what was that like? I mean, hey, do you, you want to
come on my new podcast, talk to me a little bit about that
because I think sometimes that'sdaunting for a lot of folks.
You know, they can get the Riverside and they can buy a mic
(09:43):
and they can do those things. But oh crap, now I got to
convince this person to come on my show.
What was it like those first couple guests?
Yeah, I think part of it, there was a few people where I had
already established some trust. And so I think they knew that my
heart behind it wasn't to, you know, Zing him with some crazy
questions or I had a specific angle in mind.
(10:05):
It was just, hey, I think what you're doing is really cool.
And I think other people would have, would appreciate hearing
your story or hearing what you're doing.
There were some cold calls. Definitely a people had no idea
who I was. And that was a, that was a
little bit more intimidating. But I think, you know, if
someone at least, you know, stayed around for the
conversation, you know, and didn't just hang up the phone
(10:26):
and hear the heart behind it is that you're really just trying
to share a story. And I think that people like
that and I, and I, at least whatI, what I've learned is that
people like hearing the stories on the other end of it too.
And so I would say fear was a was definitely a big part of it
going into it. But the more I just got
comfortable and asking, the moreI realized people are open to
(10:46):
this. And even if they they say no,
it's not because they're not, they don't believe in what I'm
doing. A lot of times public speaking
isn't comfortable for a lot of people.
So you know that that's part of it.
But I would say it's been prettypositive.
I've been surprised because I thought for sure like to be it,
you know, just a dozen episodes.I, I think a success for me is
anytime someone says yes. And so far I've, I've got a lot
(11:08):
of yeses and I'm, you know, justthankful for everyone that has
has agreed to it to this point. That's awesome.
So take me a little bit behind the scenes of like your creative
process of how do you prepare for an interview?
You know, do you have a pre interview with the folks?
Is there a conversation beforehand?
Are you sending over show notes?Is there post production that
goes into it after you know, thethe episodes recorded and you
(11:32):
got to do edits, take us a little bit, kind of peek behind
the curtains of what your process is like from from A-Z.
You don't have to spill all the secret sauce, but just for folks
out there what you know, it's a lot more work than just showing
up and looking at a camera. Totally.
I mean, I really appreciate shows and I mean books, movies,
(11:53):
anything where a lot of researchis done prior.
So there are a lot of people that do share their lives on on
social media. And do you have like, you know,
they'll create a page for something they're passionate
about or their for their business or for their movement
or what you know, social issues that they're working on.
And, and it helps me knowing what the goal is of my show and
(12:14):
to reflect that with what someone else is doing online
that's accessible. I can kind of do my research
ahead of time to see, like get afeel for this person.
What are they, you know, passionate about what is, you
know, their goal and what they're doing.
And then I look internally to, you know, this show, I'm like,
OK, how can we, you know, how can we develop that more?
(12:36):
And, and that really helps a lot, especially, you know, with
authors. I'd love to read books, you
know, before I have, I've had a couple authors on the show just
that live in in Alaska and in their experiences.
And it's great to read those stories to just have a firm
foundation on who this person is, what their story is, because
that just adds so much to the conversation.
(12:56):
And so it, when you finally meetthem and you sit down at the
table, you're kind of picking upthe conversation just from what
you've learned through their, through their writing and, and
you can kind of do the same through social media.
I do do a guest form, just kind of a basic guest form.
It started off really bare bones.
It's kind of gotten like way toodetailed now.
And I think I'm going to back off a little bit, but the guest
(13:17):
form does help. I'm just to kind of talk about
some minor things with, you knowwhat, you know what their time
availability is like, you know, maybe someone doesn't want to
sit down and talk to me for overan hour or two hours.
You know, it kind of helps weed out some of those aspects.
But it does definitely give me alittle bit of a head start in
planning the episode as it as itgets closer.
That's awesome. So take me back to maybe one of
(13:39):
your favorite moments with a guest so far and or a moment
where you thought, ma'am, I'm actually doing this and it's
making a difference. This is pretty cool.
Well, I joke that every new guest is my favorite guest.
Nice. It's kind of the way it goes.
And I think that's for a varietyof reasons.
(13:59):
I think it's because just starting out, you know, I'm not
talking to, you know, the same type of person.
We all have different personalities.
We all have different pursuits. And I, I intentionally have had
a variety of people on my show, from geologists to doctors to
authors to just, you know, policemen and business owners.
And, and so everyone kind of hastheir own thing that they bring
(14:21):
to the table. And so every time I get a chance
to sit down with, with someone new, it's like it's a whole new
experience. And I, I think that that comes
through on the other side for the listener as well, because
you're not going to hear the same thing, you know, week to
week. And I, and I really, I really
like that aspect of it. But I will say that my most
recent guest, you know, he's a, he's a Army veteran, you know,
(14:44):
he parachuted into Iraq in 2003 when that war was just kicking
off. And he's authored a couple books
and he, he just has an amazing, amazing story that is very
human, very relatable, Not a cush cookie cutter house with
the white picket fence story. It's, it's kind of rough and but
it's, and it's really raw. But I think what's so cool about
(15:07):
that and what's so cool about all people that that share their
stories is that, let me put it this way.
I like to picture humanity just kind of holding hands in a giant
circle. But we have these dividers on
either side of us. And when you get the opportunity
to hear a real story, you know, someone that's sharing their
struggle, sharing their highs and lows, I feel like those
(15:28):
dividers just kind of come down and we see each other.
And we say you went through thattoo.
You felt grief, you felt this kind of pain, you felt this kind
of trauma, or you felt this kindof success.
And there's like a connection that happens when you see that.
So I think with Robert Stark, myguest that I previously had
putting his story out there, it was really like, man, this is
(15:49):
the humanity that we need. I think this is the kind of
stuff that really connects people to one another.
And, and I think that's, that's definitely the, the thing that
makes me say like, I'm going to keep doing this because if I can
keep putting, you know, stories out there to where people can,
can just connect with like the heart of stuff versus just the
comment section online, I think,you know, some good can
(16:11):
definitely come of it. That's awesome.
So it's it's one thing to have agreat looking studio, getting
good guests, having a good experience, you know, with with
a guest, one or two hours. It's sometimes a whole nother
thing to then go figure out a way to then market that podcast.
Talk to me a little bit about what your marketing hat looks
(16:32):
like, what you've done, some of the things that's maybe worked
or hasn't worked for folks wondering, man, I have this idea
for a podcast. I'd love to get it out, but I
don't have any idea how to market it.
I mean, my mom will listen to it.
I know that, but I don't know but he else besides that.
So talk to me a little bit aboutwhat your process is like on the
marketing side. Yeah, so it's this isn't my my
(16:54):
full time job. You know, I have other stuff
that I do and and, you know, I have a family and I have a, you
know, full time job. This is a total creative outlet
for me that I feel like is doingsome kind of good in the world.
So to talk about like marking marketing, it is like just a,
something that I'm basically just doing starting where I'm
at. And that's, you know, like I
(17:14):
said, word of mouth is, is huge.Using the free resources that
you have available through social media and Facebook and
Instagram and TikTok and things like that can, can grow fairly
quickly. One thing I have started doing
though, is looking into advertising through those
platforms because I've learned that their targeting is way
better than mine will ever be and they know exactly who will
(17:38):
link up with your show. Think it's interesting.
And so I'm starting to explore that a little bit more.
You know, I, I have a certain amount of capital that I want to
put into that each month. And so, but it's not, it's not
big on my radar right now, especially just starting off.
You know, when I, when I startedthis, I read a book by Jonna
Cuff called, it was called Startand he used to be part of I
(17:59):
think the Dave Ramsey team at one point.
He's kind of like a business entrepreneur type.
And one of the things he said and emphasized in that book that
has always stuck with me is thatyou should focus more on
practicing than promoting. And I think that's exactly where
I'm at right now. Is it, you know, this
conversation with you, this is practice for me, you know, being
a dozen episodes into it and youknow, every episode that I that
(18:20):
I do, this is all practice. I'm learning something every
time. So, you know, I, I hope it
episode 100, you're going to geta much better quality show than
at episode 12. And, and that's kind of my, my
mindset going into it is that everything that I do is, is
building the brand and building the identity that I want for
this show. So I don't think I'm really
emphasizing the marketing part of it yet, but it'll definitely
(18:43):
come. Nice, so most podcasts don't
make it to episode #10 you've made it to 12.
What keeps you going? I mean, you got your husband,
your father, you got other things you're doing on the side
of podcast is not a small task to tackle.
What keeps you motivated to keepgoing?
Yeah, I think every listener is a the motivator.
(19:05):
You know, whether you know, 5 people listen to it or 100
people listen to it. I think just knowing that this
work could be resonating with someone else is definitely a
motivator. The other part of it is that
there's not a whole lot of, I don't feel a lot of pressure
with it. Like I said, this is definitely
like a creative outlet for me. It's something that I'm doing
kind of is a hobby that I would really like to develop more, but
(19:29):
the pressure isn't there. You know, the pressure isn't
like I need this amount of viewsthis month.
I need this, you know, kind of income.
I need the show to generate someincome this month.
You know, that pressure isn't there.
This is like purely just creating.
And I think that's what keeps megoing.
That's what keeps me coming backto the, to the camera, keeps me
coming back to researching, you know, potential guests and stuff
like that. That's awesome.
(19:50):
So let's say a new listener listens in.
What do you hope that they walk away with?
Is it inspiration? Is it maybe a different outlook
on life? What's a win for you for a new
listener? I would say a win for me would
be for someone to approach the, you know, approach the
conversation with an open mind. Or maybe, you know, they're
(20:14):
planted in their opinion on, in one way or the other based on
the guests that I'm having or not that I have a whole lot of
controversial topics on this show.
But you know, as you talk with people, you know, you, you
figure out that, that you may not see eye to eye.
And I, I think the value of a long format podcast is you're
able to have a conversation withsomeone and your opinion might,
(20:36):
might not be totally changed, but at least you'll start to ask
some questions or maybe you'll learn something.
And I think the important part with that is for the host is to
kind of facilitate that to whereit's not a hostile environment.
It's not, you know, in an environment to where I am, I am
letting you know, I'm definitelynot going to be swayed in my
opinions or my beliefs, but thatI'm open and I'm at the table to
(20:58):
have a conversation in a civilized manner, in a way
that's respectful of one another.
And, and so I hope every person that listens senses that and
comes away with inspiration for sure, because there's plenty of
inspiration, inspirational stories in the state that, you
know, maybe they learn somethingabout themselves or maybe, you
know, allow them allow themselves to consider an
(21:19):
opposing opinion and and find some common ground.
So when you look to the future, maybe a year or two from now,
what are your some of your biggest hopes and dreams for the
podcast specifically, you're looking back two years from now,
What do you think you could lookback on and say, ma'am, I'm
really killing it. What are some of those hopes and
dreams? Yeah, the so, so many.
(21:40):
I think one of the things is yeah, just a smaller technical
stage is just to be more comfortable in the in the
process of networking with guests and with editing and
with, you know, the video production and, you know, maybe
I want to have another camera, go for a different camera angle
or, you know, those kind of justtechnical aspects.
I think the way it looks is veryimportant to me and because I
(22:03):
also, you know, I talk about long format stuff, but I do that
because I, I definitely want those sound bites and those,
those video clips to be shared because I think that's how you
get people to engage with, with your content is, is, you know,
to hear, you know, 30 seconds toa minute of something and be
like, Oh, that sounds like an interesting conversation.
I might want to listen to that full episode.
(22:23):
So there's, there's that aspect of just getting more comfortable
with the technical part. And then the other part is just
growing the network. You know, I would like to see
higher profile people in the state sitting down across the
table from me. I think immediately what comes
to my mind is, is politicians, you know, our governor, you
know, some of our senators and congressman, but not so much to
(22:45):
even discuss politics, but maybejust to sit down and get a feel
for who they are is people. And where do they like to go to
eat, you know, when they're on the peninsula, you know, what's,
what's their, you know, most recent book that they've read,
you know, this and this could becurrent or former.
And I think that that's there's a lot of value in that,
especially in a small state. And like I said, where you're
(23:05):
only two or three people away from those coming into contact
with those people. So I think about that, you know,
maybe some higher profile Alaskan politicians, but you
know, business owners, you know,the oil and gas industry, you
know, people from, you know, thethe fishing industry in the
commercial fishing and you know,a lot of the issues in the big
players surrounding those issues.
(23:27):
Honestly, I'd be proud to still be doing this in two years and
to have, you know, a couple 100 episodes under my belt and just
to say that I'm still going for it would be a win for me.
That's awesome. So tell folks where they can
find the podcast, all the things, we'll put all the
details in the in the description, but for folks
listening and where can they, where can they find your
(23:47):
podcast? Yeah, so you can find the state
I am in on all podcast platforms.
So Apple podcast, Spotify, wherever you listen and then on
social media, you can find me atthe state of the state I am in
podcast and that's on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
And then YouTube, YouTube is kind of kicking off a little bit
(24:08):
smaller following there, but that is also at the state I am
in. Of course, you if you're
interested in being a guest or want to reach out to me
directly, my e-mail is manny@youguesseditthestateimin.com.
Well, folks listening in, I would encourage you, I'm going
to put all the links into the description.
Go check out the podcast. And you just got kind of a
master class on what it looks like to start a podcast from
(24:31):
scratch and B12 episodes in, in a in person, studio long format
podcast. So man, I want to thank you so
much for joining us here. We wish you nothing but success
and you're welcome back anytime.Hope you have an awesome rest of
your day. I appreciate it, John.
Thank you so much.
If you've ever wanted to start apodcast but didn't know where to
begin, this episode is your blueprint.
It's a behind the scenes look atwhat it really takes to launch,
grow and sustain a show that connects with people.
I'm John Quick, host of Stories Worth Hearing, where we explore
the journeys of creators, entrepreneurs, and difference
makers who have powerful storiesto share.
(00:21):
Today I'm joined by Manny, the creator and host of The State I
Am In, a podcast where every conversation points north.
His show dives deep into the stories, people, and ideas
shaping life in Alaska with a voice that feels both uniquely
local and universally human. Manny is only 12 episodes in,
but that's what makes this conversation special.
(00:42):
He's right in the middle of it, building his show, finding his
rhythm, and learning the lessonsthat every creator faces in
those early days. In our conversation, he opens up
about how he got started, what he's lame so far, and the
challenges that come with finding your voice in a crowded
world. We talk about the creative
process, favorite guests, and the drive that keeps him showing
(01:04):
up when most podcasts fade. And we look ahead at his hopes,
his vision, and what he wants the state I am in to become for
Alaska and beyond. If you've ever thought about
starting your own podcast business or create a project,
this is one you're going to wantto listen to from start to
finish. Well, Manny, thanks so much for
joining us. I'm really excited to have a
(01:24):
conversation with you and kind of hear how you started a
podcast. So thanks for joining us today.
Yeah. Thanks for having me, John.
This will be fun. So I think for our listeners,
they'll get a sneak peek kind ofbehind the curtains of what does
it look like to start a podcast.I think there's lots of folks
out there that want to start a podcast or maybe start a podcast
and did a couple episodes and realized it was really tough.
(01:45):
So for folks listening in, you're going to want to listen
to the full 30 minutes to get a real peek behind the curtain on
what it takes. So first, my first question to
you is this many what inspired you to start to start the state
I'm in? Was there a specific moment or
conversation or story that made you realize you wanted to share
stories through a podcast? Yeah, well, I've been a consumer
(02:06):
of podcast for probably about a decade now.
And so think about a kid wantingto be a rock star.
He probably saw a crazy concert one time or some album that was
amazing and made him think maybeI want to pick up a guitar.
And that's basically what it wasfor me for the last decade or
so. Just listening to a variety of
shows from, you know, I think the first thing I ever listened
(02:28):
to was Dave Ramsey's like branchoff of radio into the podcast
world and then Ali Ward Ologies with Ali Ward, Joe Rogan, of
course, Andrew Huberman, just a variety of different shows and
personalities. And the long form thing really
got a hold of me about last yeararound election time because
I'm, you know, listening to Bernie Sanders for two hours.
(02:50):
I'm listening to RFK junior for two hours, Donald Trump, you
know, Elon Musk, these people that are all over national
headlines and people know the insurance and outs of their
lives. And, and I was like, whether or
not I believed or I guess not believed them, but agreed with
their ideologies or their politics, their philosophies, to
(03:11):
sit down with someone for at least an hour or two hours, you
get a better insight of who these people are.
And I would honestly say for every single one of those people
I just mentioned, regardless of what what I went into, my
opinions about those people, my perspective of them changed
after listening to those shows. And so I thought, why can't we
take that form and just bring itto Alaska?
(03:34):
We have great people in this state.
We have politicians in this state, We have amazing business
owners. And I was like, it would be
really cool to kind of take thatformat and just sit across the
table with someone in our state of Alaska, you know, less than
1,000,000 people. But I think others would find
value in it too. And so I just went for it.
That's awesome. So what's now the meaning behind
(03:55):
the name? The State I Am is such a unique
title. What does it represent for you
personally, and how does it reflect the kind of stories or
themes that you want to explore in your podcast?
Yeah. So the state I'm in it first and
foremost, I live in Alaska. So it's all-encompassing of the
things, the issues, the people, the culture, the history that is
Alaska. So the state I'm in physically
(04:17):
is Alaska. And then the other thing is
just, you know, for me personally, I'm kind of a deep
thinker and I go through, you know, different phases of life
as a father, as a husband, as, you know, someone who has
different pursuits out of sight outside of the podcast world,
you know, things I'm working on,on my health or my education.
And so I'm, I kind of always go through these different stages.
And, and so I wanted to introduce that into the show as
(04:40):
well. And, you know, it kind of formed
this mantra of keep N, which is the, you know, I guess the
thesis or the, you know, value system of the podcast.
And and that's just that I would, you know, look to keep
North or, you know, keep Alaska by looking at preserving the
things that we care about, the way of life, It's culture, you
know, it's resources, you know, that everything in the show
(05:02):
would be kind of geared towards that.
You know, we have a specific wayof doing things here, you know,
hunting and gathering and, you know, we have fishing and it's
just, it's a part of life. And the other part is keeping
north as far as direction, you know, where we're headed, you
know, who's leading us and what are the issues that we're
concerned about that my neighbors are concerned about
that I'm concerned about, you know, for my kids and their
future. And then the last thing is just
(05:23):
kind of the faith aspect of keeping north by just kind of
looking heavenward and being like, you know, how does this
all relate to my own faith? And the other thing is I had no
intention of this. But more and more I you sit down
with someone and talk for a couple hours, you're going to
start getting into like the deeper questions of God and you
know, how the world works and you know, the deeper issues.
And so all of that was kind of wrapped up in this phrase of the
(05:46):
state I'm in. I just thought it was so fitting
and I absolutely love it. That's awesome.
So starting a podcast can feel overwhelming.
You know, I can just speak from experience.
So how did you actually begin, you know, choosing equipment,
making your studio, you have an in person experience.
Talk to me about what some of that look like.
Because it's one thing to start a podcast that's remote, which
(06:09):
is what most most people do. It's another thing to start a
podcast where you're asking folks to come and sit down with
you for a couple hours. So walk me through kind of what
that look like for you. Yeah, it was really important to
actually try to sit down with someone in person.
And so right off the bat, I knewthat, you know, I wanted to
have, of course, amazing audio or the best I could get for it
(06:29):
at the time. And then I, I wanted video as
well. And so, you know, thank God for
YouTube. I guarantee there's many people
that are like, how do I improve,you know, in this or that,
whether it's, you know, farming or, you know, how to make
something, you know, you go to YouTube and, and thank God for
that resource. And I was right along with them,
you know, YouTube University andthere's so many people, great
(06:49):
people out there sharing information on, you know, types
of equipment you should use based on what you're going to
do. And so I knew I wanted to do an
in person, you know, video podcast.
And so I just started started YouTube again.
I think PSS media was probably the biggest one that stood out
to me to really kind of walk me through the steps of how to
start a podcast. And the hardest part, honestly,
(07:10):
John was just saying I'm going to do this and and starting.
Well, what goes through your brain or process to kind of pick
the type of guests that you wantto be on the show?
Maybe you know, what kind of process did you go through for
the first, you know, 12 that have been on the show and has
your process tweaked along the way?
Yeah, I think one thing I've always kind of realized is that
(07:32):
everybody has a story, but not everybody is advertising that
story. And and I guess maybe not
everyone wants to advertise their story.
And that's completely fine. You know, not everyone is going
to be putting out an album or a book or a podcast or, you know,
putting themselves out on socialmedia.
And that's that's totally fine. But what I noticed was that
(07:53):
there are those people out therethat have decided to take steps
forward and something that is important to them.
So that's the first step that I took was just looking at, at
people in my community, people in my state that had something
that they were passionate about and they took steps towards
sharing that with others. And so there was, you know,
(08:15):
people just in my local vicinitythat, you know, took small
steps, you know, they weren't publishing books or anything
like that, but, you know, maybe they were on a radio show, maybe
they were doing a lecture series.
You know, those are the people that I reached out to first
because fun. Those are the issues and the
topics that are the closest to me in my community.
But then it's it's a local resource of someone that's
easily accessible that it already wants to get something
(08:38):
they're passionate about out there.
And that was the easiest place to go.
So I think of the business owners that are, you know,
killing it, you know, that are doing amazing things.
You know, the business owners inthe community are, are huge
because in every community, those are the people that had a
good idea and they took a step forward in a big kind of way.
And then from there, honestly, John, it's like from one story
(08:59):
to the next, people are like, you know, who has a really cool
story? Is this person or you know who
you should talk to is this person?
Because especially in a small, you know, Alaska has a very
small town feel to it. You learn very quickly that you
can, you're like two people awayfrom talking to someone and
it's, it's, it's pretty cool. I started just where it was at
and it's just kind of grown fromthere.
(09:21):
Was it tough to get those first couple guests because you're,
you know, it gets easier as you go along the way.
It's just from my experience. But those first couple guests,
what was that like? I mean, hey, do you, you want to
come on my new podcast, talk to me a little bit about that
because I think sometimes that'sdaunting for a lot of folks.
You know, they can get the Riverside and they can buy a mic
(09:43):
and they can do those things. But oh crap, now I got to
convince this person to come on my show.
What was it like those first couple guests?
Yeah, I think part of it, there was a few people where I had
already established some trust. And so I think they knew that my
heart behind it wasn't to, you know, Zing him with some crazy
questions or I had a specific angle in mind.
(10:05):
It was just, hey, I think what you're doing is really cool.
And I think other people would have, would appreciate hearing
your story or hearing what you're doing.
There were some cold calls. Definitely a people had no idea
who I was. And that was a, that was a
little bit more intimidating. But I think, you know, if
someone at least, you know, stayed around for the
conversation, you know, and didn't just hang up the phone
(10:26):
and hear the heart behind it is that you're really just trying
to share a story. And I think that people like
that and I, and I, at least whatI, what I've learned is that
people like hearing the stories on the other end of it too.
And so I would say fear was a was definitely a big part of it
going into it. But the more I just got
comfortable and asking, the moreI realized people are open to
(10:46):
this. And even if they they say no,
it's not because they're not, they don't believe in what I'm
doing. A lot of times public speaking
isn't comfortable for a lot of people.
So you know that that's part of it.
But I would say it's been prettypositive.
I've been surprised because I thought for sure like to be it,
you know, just a dozen episodes.I, I think a success for me is
anytime someone says yes. And so far I've, I've got a lot
(11:08):
of yeses and I'm, you know, justthankful for everyone that has
has agreed to it to this point. That's awesome.
So take me a little bit behind the scenes of like your creative
process of how do you prepare for an interview?
You know, do you have a pre interview with the folks?
Is there a conversation beforehand?
Are you sending over show notes?Is there post production that
goes into it after you know, thethe episodes recorded and you
(11:32):
got to do edits, take us a little bit, kind of peek behind
the curtains of what your process is like from from A-Z.
You don't have to spill all the secret sauce, but just for folks
out there what you know, it's a lot more work than just showing
up and looking at a camera. Totally.
I mean, I really appreciate shows and I mean books, movies,
(11:53):
anything where a lot of researchis done prior.
So there are a lot of people that do share their lives on on
social media. And do you have like, you know,
they'll create a page for something they're passionate
about or their for their business or for their movement
or what you know, social issues that they're working on.
And, and it helps me knowing what the goal is of my show and
(12:14):
to reflect that with what someone else is doing online
that's accessible. I can kind of do my research
ahead of time to see, like get afeel for this person.
What are they, you know, passionate about what is, you
know, their goal and what they're doing.
And then I look internally to, you know, this show, I'm like,
OK, how can we, you know, how can we develop that more?
(12:36):
And, and that really helps a lot, especially, you know, with
authors. I'd love to read books, you
know, before I have, I've had a couple authors on the show just
that live in in Alaska and in their experiences.
And it's great to read those stories to just have a firm
foundation on who this person is, what their story is, because
that just adds so much to the conversation.
(12:56):
And so it, when you finally meetthem and you sit down at the
table, you're kind of picking upthe conversation just from what
you've learned through their, through their writing and, and
you can kind of do the same through social media.
I do do a guest form, just kind of a basic guest form.
It started off really bare bones.
It's kind of gotten like way toodetailed now.
And I think I'm going to back off a little bit, but the guest
(13:17):
form does help. I'm just to kind of talk about
some minor things with, you knowwhat, you know what their time
availability is like, you know, maybe someone doesn't want to
sit down and talk to me for overan hour or two hours.
You know, it kind of helps weed out some of those aspects.
But it does definitely give me alittle bit of a head start in
planning the episode as it as itgets closer.
That's awesome. So take me back to maybe one of
(13:39):
your favorite moments with a guest so far and or a moment
where you thought, ma'am, I'm actually doing this and it's
making a difference. This is pretty cool.
Well, I joke that every new guest is my favorite guest.
Nice. It's kind of the way it goes.
And I think that's for a varietyof reasons.
(13:59):
I think it's because just starting out, you know, I'm not
talking to, you know, the same type of person.
We all have different personalities.
We all have different pursuits. And I, I intentionally have had
a variety of people on my show, from geologists to doctors to
authors to just, you know, policemen and business owners.
And, and so everyone kind of hastheir own thing that they bring
(14:21):
to the table. And so every time I get a chance
to sit down with, with someone new, it's like it's a whole new
experience. And I, I think that that comes
through on the other side for the listener as well, because
you're not going to hear the same thing, you know, week to
week. And I, and I really, I really
like that aspect of it. But I will say that my most
recent guest, you know, he's a, he's a Army veteran, you know,
(14:44):
he parachuted into Iraq in 2003 when that war was just kicking
off. And he's authored a couple books
and he, he just has an amazing, amazing story that is very
human, very relatable, Not a cush cookie cutter house with
the white picket fence story. It's, it's kind of rough and but
it's, and it's really raw. But I think what's so cool about
(15:07):
that and what's so cool about all people that that share their
stories is that, let me put it this way.
I like to picture humanity just kind of holding hands in a giant
circle. But we have these dividers on
either side of us. And when you get the opportunity
to hear a real story, you know, someone that's sharing their
struggle, sharing their highs and lows, I feel like those
(15:28):
dividers just kind of come down and we see each other.
And we say you went through thattoo.
You felt grief, you felt this kind of pain, you felt this kind
of trauma, or you felt this kindof success.
And there's like a connection that happens when you see that.
So I think with Robert Stark, myguest that I previously had
putting his story out there, it was really like, man, this is
(15:49):
the humanity that we need. I think this is the kind of
stuff that really connects people to one another.
And, and I think that's, that's definitely the, the thing that
makes me say like, I'm going to keep doing this because if I can
keep putting, you know, stories out there to where people can,
can just connect with like the heart of stuff versus just the
comment section online, I think,you know, some good can
(16:11):
definitely come of it. That's awesome.
So it's it's one thing to have agreat looking studio, getting
good guests, having a good experience, you know, with with
a guest, one or two hours. It's sometimes a whole nother
thing to then go figure out a way to then market that podcast.
Talk to me a little bit about what your marketing hat looks
(16:32):
like, what you've done, some of the things that's maybe worked
or hasn't worked for folks wondering, man, I have this idea
for a podcast. I'd love to get it out, but I
don't have any idea how to market it.
I mean, my mom will listen to it.
I know that, but I don't know but he else besides that.
So talk to me a little bit aboutwhat your process is like on the
marketing side. Yeah, so it's this isn't my my
(16:54):
full time job. You know, I have other stuff
that I do and and, you know, I have a family and I have a, you
know, full time job. This is a total creative outlet
for me that I feel like is doingsome kind of good in the world.
So to talk about like marking marketing, it is like just a,
something that I'm basically just doing starting where I'm
at. And that's, you know, like I
(17:14):
said, word of mouth is, is huge.Using the free resources that
you have available through social media and Facebook and
Instagram and TikTok and things like that can, can grow fairly
quickly. One thing I have started doing
though, is looking into advertising through those
platforms because I've learned that their targeting is way
better than mine will ever be and they know exactly who will
(17:38):
link up with your show. Think it's interesting.
And so I'm starting to explore that a little bit more.
You know, I, I have a certain amount of capital that I want to
put into that each month. And so, but it's not, it's not
big on my radar right now, especially just starting off.
You know, when I, when I startedthis, I read a book by Jonna
Cuff called, it was called Startand he used to be part of I
(17:59):
think the Dave Ramsey team at one point.
He's kind of like a business entrepreneur type.
And one of the things he said and emphasized in that book that
has always stuck with me is thatyou should focus more on
practicing than promoting. And I think that's exactly where
I'm at right now. Is it, you know, this
conversation with you, this is practice for me, you know, being
a dozen episodes into it and youknow, every episode that I that
(18:20):
I do, this is all practice. I'm learning something every
time. So, you know, I, I hope it
episode 100, you're going to geta much better quality show than
at episode 12. And, and that's kind of my, my
mindset going into it is that everything that I do is, is
building the brand and building the identity that I want for
this show. So I don't think I'm really
emphasizing the marketing part of it yet, but it'll definitely
(18:43):
come. Nice, so most podcasts don't
make it to episode #10 you've made it to 12.
What keeps you going? I mean, you got your husband,
your father, you got other things you're doing on the side
of podcast is not a small task to tackle.
What keeps you motivated to keepgoing?
Yeah, I think every listener is a the motivator.
(19:05):
You know, whether you know, 5 people listen to it or 100
people listen to it. I think just knowing that this
work could be resonating with someone else is definitely a
motivator. The other part of it is that
there's not a whole lot of, I don't feel a lot of pressure
with it. Like I said, this is definitely
like a creative outlet for me. It's something that I'm doing
kind of is a hobby that I would really like to develop more, but
(19:29):
the pressure isn't there. You know, the pressure isn't
like I need this amount of viewsthis month.
I need this, you know, kind of income.
I need the show to generate someincome this month.
You know, that pressure isn't there.
This is like purely just creating.
And I think that's what keeps megoing.
That's what keeps me coming backto the, to the camera, keeps me
coming back to researching, you know, potential guests and stuff
like that. That's awesome.
(19:50):
So let's say a new listener listens in.
What do you hope that they walk away with?
Is it inspiration? Is it maybe a different outlook
on life? What's a win for you for a new
listener? I would say a win for me would
be for someone to approach the, you know, approach the
conversation with an open mind. Or maybe, you know, they're
(20:14):
planted in their opinion on, in one way or the other based on
the guests that I'm having or not that I have a whole lot of
controversial topics on this show.
But you know, as you talk with people, you know, you, you
figure out that, that you may not see eye to eye.
And I, I think the value of a long format podcast is you're
able to have a conversation withsomeone and your opinion might,
(20:36):
might not be totally changed, but at least you'll start to ask
some questions or maybe you'll learn something.
And I think the important part with that is for the host is to
kind of facilitate that to whereit's not a hostile environment.
It's not, you know, in an environment to where I am, I am
letting you know, I'm definitelynot going to be swayed in my
opinions or my beliefs, but thatI'm open and I'm at the table to
(20:58):
have a conversation in a civilized manner, in a way
that's respectful of one another.
And, and so I hope every person that listens senses that and
comes away with inspiration for sure, because there's plenty of
inspiration, inspirational stories in the state that, you
know, maybe they learn somethingabout themselves or maybe, you
know, allow them allow themselves to consider an
(21:19):
opposing opinion and and find some common ground.
So when you look to the future, maybe a year or two from now,
what are your some of your biggest hopes and dreams for the
podcast specifically, you're looking back two years from now,
What do you think you could lookback on and say, ma'am, I'm
really killing it. What are some of those hopes and
dreams? Yeah, the so, so many.
(21:40):
I think one of the things is yeah, just a smaller technical
stage is just to be more comfortable in the in the
process of networking with guests and with editing and
with, you know, the video production and, you know, maybe
I want to have another camera, go for a different camera angle
or, you know, those kind of justtechnical aspects.
I think the way it looks is veryimportant to me and because I
(22:03):
also, you know, I talk about long format stuff, but I do that
because I, I definitely want those sound bites and those,
those video clips to be shared because I think that's how you
get people to engage with, with your content is, is, you know,
to hear, you know, 30 seconds toa minute of something and be
like, Oh, that sounds like an interesting conversation.
I might want to listen to that full episode.
(22:23):
So there's, there's that aspect of just getting more comfortable
with the technical part. And then the other part is just
growing the network. You know, I would like to see
higher profile people in the state sitting down across the
table from me. I think immediately what comes
to my mind is, is politicians, you know, our governor, you
know, some of our senators and congressman, but not so much to
(22:45):
even discuss politics, but maybejust to sit down and get a feel
for who they are is people. And where do they like to go to
eat, you know, when they're on the peninsula, you know, what's,
what's their, you know, most recent book that they've read,
you know, this and this could becurrent or former.
And I think that that's there's a lot of value in that,
especially in a small state. And like I said, where you're
(23:05):
only two or three people away from those coming into contact
with those people. So I think about that, you know,
maybe some higher profile Alaskan politicians, but you
know, business owners, you know,the oil and gas industry, you
know, people from, you know, thethe fishing industry in the
commercial fishing and you know,a lot of the issues in the big
players surrounding those issues.
(23:27):
Honestly, I'd be proud to still be doing this in two years and
to have, you know, a couple 100 episodes under my belt and just
to say that I'm still going for it would be a win for me.
That's awesome. So tell folks where they can
find the podcast, all the things, we'll put all the
details in the in the description, but for folks
listening and where can they, where can they find your
(23:47):
podcast? Yeah, so you can find the state
I am in on all podcast platforms.
So Apple podcast, Spotify, wherever you listen and then on
social media, you can find me atthe state of the state I am in
podcast and that's on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
And then YouTube, YouTube is kind of kicking off a little bit
(24:08):
smaller following there, but that is also at the state I am
in. Of course, you if you're
interested in being a guest or want to reach out to me
directly, my e-mail is manny@youguesseditthestateimin.com.
Well, folks listening in, I would encourage you, I'm going
to put all the links into the description.
Go check out the podcast. And you just got kind of a
master class on what it looks like to start a podcast from
(24:31):
scratch and B12 episodes in, in a in person, studio long format
podcast. So man, I want to thank you so
much for joining us here. We wish you nothing but success
and you're welcome back anytime.Hope you have an awesome rest of
your day. I appreciate it, John.
Thank you so much.
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