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November 27, 2025 14 mins

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In this episode, Mike and Angie record from a cramped, steep, narrow spiral staircase inside a 1920s Baltimore row house. It's weird, it's cozy, and it's perfect for this annual Thanksgiving episode. Together, they reflect on the beauty of imperfection, the power of gratitude, and the truth that sometimes the life you're living — even with its messiness — is the one someone else is praying for.

Key Takeaways

  1. Gratitude Doesn’t Need to Be Pretty
    It just needs to be felt. Even in awkward spaces, there’s always something to be thankful for.
  2. Your Actual Wealth Isn’t Financial
    Your family, friendships, pets, and peace are your inner wealth — and they matter more than your numbers.
  3. Dissatisfaction Kills Joy
    The more you focus on what’s missing, the more you block the joy already present.
  4. You’re Probably Living Someone Else’s Dream
    Your ordinary might be someone else’s miracle — honor it.
  5. Gratitude Is a Frequency You Can Return To
    You don’t have to hustle for more from lack. You can open to more from fullness.

Notable Quotes

  • “This is the weirdest podcast episode we've done.”
  • “The idea of the day is more focused on appreciating what you have instead of focusing on what you don't have.”
  • “We are highly blessed in ways that aren't financial.”
  • “Someone out there is praying for the things that we're complaining about.”
  • “The more dissatisfied I am with anything, the less joy I have in my life.”

Call to Action

📘 Inner World, Outer World — Available now on Amazon
Gratitude lives in the body. This book helps you feel it.
👉 Order Your Copy

🎧 Watch This Episode on YouTube
You need to see this staircase. Seriously.
👉 Subscribe and Watch

Music Credit: "What's Left of Me" by Wes Hoffman & Friends

My Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikekitko
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mike_kitko
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikekitko
Subscribe to my YouTube: / @mikekitko

Mike Kitko is an executive self-mastery coach, speaker and author. He found external success through powerful titles, incomes, and material possessions. He ultimately fell into depression, toxic abuse of alcohol, and the near collapse of his family before he began a journey of internal happiness and success.


Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:04):
You ever wake up feeling like there's something
missing in your life?
You ever feel the need to escapeyour business?
Are you running your life or isyour life running your own?
I'm like Kitko, and I'll helpyou design and create a life so
authentic and aligned with whoyou really are, you'll get
excited just to wake up.
I'll help you create realwealth, success, and freedom
from the inside out.
Welcome to the Inner WealthPodcast, where we learn and

(00:27):
choose to live inspired each andevery day.

SPEAKER_00 (00:45):
If you are listening to this, please go and watch the
video because we are sitting inthe most awkward space.
We are in Baltimore, Maryland.
We are here to spendThanksgiving Day at the
Baltimore Ravens game with ouryounger daughter, Megan.

SPEAKER_01 (00:59):
Wrong side.
Here we go.

SPEAKER_00 (01:01):
But if you are, if you're watching this, you see
we're we're in the most narrowspiral staircase ever with
brick.
We are in your typical 1920sBaltimore Row house.
And this is the same kind ofhouse that Mike grew up in.
And we were struggling today tofind where to record this.
And I was like, well, how do wehow do we throw in some

(01:23):
authenticity of to our to ourthe location where we are?
Because every time we travel, wedo a podcast and you know we try
to show the the beauty of we'vebeen to the Turks and Caicos
this year, we've been to OuterBanks, we've been to Cancun,
Park City, Utah.
And uh this is probably the mostinteresting location we'll ever
show you.

SPEAKER_01 (01:43):
It is, and so when Angie books Airbnbs, she does a
pretty thorough review of allthe reviews and and you know,
asks the owners some questions.
This is the air, this is theonly air Airbnb where it was way
overstated how how high thequality and the comfort of this
place is.
So we were trying to figure outa place, but there's no like

(02:06):
aesthetically pleasing places inthis in this house to uh to to
do the podcast.
So we picked to Angie's point,we picked the the most awkward
place.
And and and this is why you gotto go and watch the video
because I'm my shoulders, I'mwith we're in a staircase.
So if you're not watching, ifyou're listening, and I'm again,
I'm gonna encourage you to go tothe YouTube channel, subscribe,

(02:29):
and and watch this video,because this is the width of the
staircase in a in a traditionalBaltimore City row house.
And this is the kind of house Igrew up in.
Now, the one I grew up in, theit the stairs were a little
wider, but not not a whole lotwider.

SPEAKER_00 (02:45):
And for perspective, Mike is six foot, 205 pounds.

SPEAKER_01 (02:49):
So and the reason an Angie has to sit beside me is
because there's no room side byside.
And we thought that was prettycool.
But but yeah, this is and thisis a three-story house.
So there's two sets of thisthing, and it's spiral, right?
And our daughter Megan is herewith us, and she said, Well, the
the house that I grew up in, shesaid, We're were the steps as
narrow as uh as steep.

(03:09):
And I'm yeah, just as steep,maybe a little more wide, a
little wider, but not a wholelot wider.
But the point being is thesehouses weren't built for, you
know, they weren't built for uhthe beauty of the design.
They were built forfunctionality, and they're
they're a hundred years old, andyou can see the exposed brick in
the uh in the in the closethere.

(03:31):
Just a just a neat uh, eventhough the quality was
overstated, it's still coolbeing back here in in a little
freaking shotgun house in myhometown.

SPEAKER_00 (03:42):
And the location is perfect.
We're walking distance to LittleItaly, Fells Point.
If you've never been toBaltimore, those are just two of
the iconic places to visit.
And I really wanted Megan toexperience an authentic live
staying in an authentic uhBaltimore row house like this
because we have we have a lot ofgood memories in a little row
house like this.

SPEAKER_01 (04:01):
We do, and a lot of stumbles up the stairs.

SPEAKER_00 (04:03):
Oh my gosh, a lot of stumbles.
A lot of stumbles.
The first thing I said when wegot in here and walked up the
stairs, I said, How did we dothis back then?

SPEAKER_01 (04:09):
We were Raven season ticket holders, we'd come home
from games and uh highly we werein our 20s, our late 20s and
early 30s.
Well, who we were in also I wasin my late 20s.

SPEAKER_00 (04:20):
I was in my early 20s.

SPEAKER_01 (04:20):
She was in her early 20s, but uh we we were much
younger, so I don't know todayif you know if that's gonna be
as easy.

SPEAKER_00 (04:26):
Well, in all fairness, Megan just managed to
walk up both flights of spiralstairs with a glass of water and
a mug of hot coffee in her handand without holding on at all.
Meanwhile, I'm climbing up fordear life.
Hang on for dear life.

SPEAKER_01 (04:40):
It is that steep, these stairs are that steep, and
and it's just a cool experience.
We wanted to show you this.
I I actually called my friendBrian and I showed him the
house.
He said that wouldn't make codein most places, and and he's
right, this is like completelyout of code for for, I guess
maybe this house wasgrandfathered.
I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 (04:58):
Maybe historic or something.

SPEAKER_01 (05:00):
Some some type of historic layout, but yeah, yeah.
But anyway, listen, the the daythat this uh episode launches,
all right, it's gonna be episode226.
And the day it launches, the dayit it it publishes, is
Thanksgiving Day in the US.
All right.

(05:21):
We celebrate every, what is it,the last Thursday of every
November, we uh we set aside theday and we gather with family,
we gather with friends, wegather with each other.
I'm getting emotional.
We we celebrate the theprosperity that we have in our
lives.
We celebrate the love that wehave in our lives, we celebrate

(05:44):
with the people that we love thethe life that we get to live.
And it's the the day is morefocused, the idea of the day is
more focused on appreciatingwhat you have instead of
focusing on what you don't have.
And listen, there's a lot ofthere's a lot of episodes on

(06:07):
this podcast that are aboutcreating the life that you want
and getting what you want andachieving what you want and
accomplishing and accumulatingwealth and you know and and and
building a bigger life.
But in the early, early launchof this podcast, episode 17,
it's called Learning to WantWhat You Get is more important

(06:30):
than learning to get what youwant.
And that getting emotional.
That is what Thanksgiving Day inthe US is all about.
And we wanted to share this withyou a little bit.
We're here in one of ourfavorite places, my hometown.
We're going to a Ravens gametomorrow.
Uh, we're gonna be with 70,000people in a stadium that's

(06:50):
celebrating uh our hometown andour our our team and our city.
And uh we we're taking Megan andshe's never been to a Ravens
game.
And our daughter Katie is isgoing out to see her boyfriend
in Topeka, Kansas.
He plays for the uh TopekaScarecrow.
So it's a day to be with thepeople that you love, and we
certainly are with the peoplethat we love.

unknown (07:11):
Yes.

SPEAKER_01 (07:11):
Anything to add?

SPEAKER_00 (07:13):
Um, you know, I I I just back to loving what you
get, you know, thankful for whatyou get.
I mean, this year has been,we've talked about this several
times.
This year has been been prettybrutal on us, if I'm being
honest, business-wise.
And there have been times whereI've had to make sure to step
back into that space instead ofuh thinking about what what

(07:36):
what's not there, appreciatingwhat is there, because we are
definitely very blessed.
We uh we are blessed with ourour friends, we are blessed with
our pets, we are best blessedwith our our daughters, our our
clients.
I mean, it's yeah, we we are weare highly blessed in ways that

(07:57):
that don't that aren'tfinancial.
And I think that a lot of timespeople immediately revert to
being grateful for theirfinances versus looking at what
your actual wealth is, yourinner wealth.
Yeah, right, just beingemotionally, emotionally um
blessed, spiritually blessed,the inner wealth.

SPEAKER_01 (08:18):
Yeah, relationally blessed.

SPEAKER_00 (08:20):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (08:20):
And uh in we there's always another level, right?
There's always another comma tobe added, or a zero to be added,
or a new client to add to theportfolio, or increase in in our
bank account.
There's always another level,there's always another step,
there's always another one,another something to add.

(08:43):
But if you always focus on whatyou don't have, you won't
appreciate and be grateful andreally fall into the blessings,
understand the blessings that wedo have in this life.
And uh I know this this podcasthas been listened to on six
continents, 105 countries aroundthe world, and uh 1600, I

(09:03):
believe over 1,600 cities aroundthe world.
And I would say that the realityis we live for and and and it's
down the this this podcast is isdownloaded mostly in North
America and and some in Europe,uh mostly North America, and

(09:23):
then uh Europe is number two.
But what we'll tell you is welive in the US, we live in the
richest country in the world.
We have the most blessings inthe world, and the poorest
people in the US oftentimes havemore than the richest person in
a lot of countries around theworld.

(09:44):
And uh, and for that we'regrateful.
And it's really easy to losesight of that, how much we
really do have in this in thislifetime, because the reality it
was it was a it was a uh astrugglicious year in in our
business, but we are stillblessed and so.
We're still blessed, and we'renot starving.
Yeah, we're not in jeopardy ofbeing hungry, we're not in

(10:06):
jeopardy of of a quality of lifecollapse.
We're not in jeopardy of any ofthat.
It's just they're just numbersthat we wanted instead of
numbers that that we you knowthat we we received.
And we have to take to today andtomorrow and this year, Angie
and I have really had to take astep back and say, listen, if we

(10:28):
always live from what's next andwhat's on the table, that's a
that's a place of that's a placeof lack and a really painful
place to be.

SPEAKER_00 (10:35):
Someone out there is praying for the things that
we're complaining about.

SPEAKER_01 (10:39):
Ooh, and and you are living the life of somebody
else's dreams that they can onlydream of.
And if we live in a a placewhere it's not enough or it's
not good enough, we're leaving alot, a lot of love and a lot of
joy on the table.
And what I've learned is themore dissatisfied I am with

(11:02):
anything, the less joy I have inmy life.
They are, they there's a there'sa relationship between
dissatisfaction and joy.
And as your dissatisfaction goesup, and joy goes down, and as
your joy goes up, yourdissatisfaction goes down.
And it's really uh it's reallyimportant and valuable that we
live from that place.

(11:24):
Grateful for what I have, lovethe life that I get to live, but
I'm definitely open the more.
But it doesn't have to come froma place of dissatisfaction.
It gets to come from a place ofgratitude and opening our hearts
to receive whatever life likedeems us uh worthy of being

(11:45):
bestowed on us, right?
In in terms of more love, moreriches, more whatever, more
travel, more relationships.

SPEAKER_00 (11:56):
I think I'm kind of tapped out for a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 (11:58):
We've traveled a lot this year.

SPEAKER_00 (11:59):
Two last two years.

SPEAKER_01 (12:00):
Yeah, and we'll probably do a wrap-up episode at
the end of uh at the end of thisyear, just talking about how
man, the the the amazingjourneys that we've had uh
throughout the year.
But anyway, we didn't want tomake this a long episode um for
all of you in the U.S.
Get back to eating dinner withyour with your family and and
spending time with the peoplethat you love for everybody else

(12:22):
around the world.
Thank you for tuning in.
Thanks for for following us,thanks for watching us.
Um, thanks for celebratingThanksgiving Day with us by
downloading this episode, ormaybe it maybe you do it later,
maybe you download it uh later,and uh you take some time to
settle into a place of gratitudeand appreciate and learn how to

(12:43):
uh learn how to want what youget instead of get what you
want.
All right.

SPEAKER_00 (12:48):
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Thank you.
I'll at that thank you again forwatching us.
I've had a lot of fun being onsome episodes with with with you
this year and last year, andwe've been doing more together,
which has been really fun.
Um, and again, if you'relistening to this, please go and
check out the YouTube video justbecause it's just I feel like a

(13:09):
little gnome right now.
Um and Michael dropped the thelink to that in the comment.
And happy Thanksgiving.

SPEAKER_01 (13:16):
Happy Thanksgiving.

SPEAKER_00 (13:17):
We're going to get some crab cakes.

SPEAKER_01 (13:18):
We are, and uh, I just realized uh a second ago is
that and we're traveling, so Ihave the laptop.
I didn't bring like the homestudio, but uh I I didn't turn
on Do Not Disturb and I didn'tturn off the uh the screen mode.
So I've had to I've had to bringthe screen back up and and
decline phone calls.

(13:39):
So on the video, you know, hey,this is this is perfectly
imperfect, just like everythingelse that we do.
So coming from messiness,teaching and coming from
messiness, not trying to looklike we have anything mastered.
All right.
Happy Thanksgiving uh to you, tothe people that you love inside
the U.S., around the world.
It doesn't matter if it'sThanksgiving Day for you, be
thankful for whatever you have.

(14:00):
Open your heart to more, butalways be thankful for what you
have.
Love you guys.
Thank you for sub that forwatching us, following us,
subscribing to us, and uh andsharing us with people that you
love.
If you enjoyed what you heardand you want to learn more, go
to www.innerwealthglobal.com formore tools and resources.
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