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PODCAST

The State I Am In

Welcome to The State I Am In, a podcast that amplifies the voices and stories of Alaskans, hosted by fellow Alaskan, Manny Coelho. Each week, we dive deep with hunters, aurora chasers, athletes, entrepreneurs, elected leaders, and everyday heroes to explore the topics that matter most in the Last Frontier. Through engaging conversations, we uncover insights, gain practical tools for daily life, and strengthen our connection to this incredible place we call home.Expect long-form interviews, monthly

society & culture places & travel

All Episodes

93:08

#027 Lifted Up: Where Dogs & Dreams Take Flight -...

The State I Am In ·

2026/02/09

In this episode, we explore Jake Long’s adventurous path from growing up in Minnesota skating to becoming a passionate Alaskan paragliding pilot and dog owner. His story highlights the thrill of extreme sports, resilience after an accident, and living authentically and intentionally. Key Topics: Jake’s transformation from aggressive inline skater to mountain and air sports enthusiastThe role of paragliding in his recovery and self-discoveryHow his dog Pickles became his flying partner and soc...

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109:54

#026 More Than Music: A Guide to Unlocking Childhood...

The State I Am In ·

2026/02/02

My guest today is Delana Green, a lifelong Alaskan from the Kenai Peninsula, musician, educator, and founder of Greenhouse Music. She’s also a podcaster and creator who has built a YouTube channel with over 10,000 subscribers—all from right here in Alaska. In this conversation, Delana shares how her background in music and theatre shaped her creative journey, leading her to teaching and building Greenhouse Music. Through stories about her students, she illustrates the real impact music has on...

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25:30

#025 Influencer? Leadership is Influence - Manny Coelho

The State I Am In ·

2026/01/26

After a coworker jokingly called me an “influencer,” I found myself reflecting on why that word makes me cringe—and why influence still matters. In this solo episode, I unpack the difference between chasing attention and leading with intention. Using John Maxwell’s idea that leadership is influence, nothing more and nothing less, I walk through the five levels of leadership and how they show up in everyday life—as parents, coaches, coworkers, creators, and neighbors. This isn’t a ...

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92:50

#024 Sew Yup'ik: Story Behind the Stitches - Nikki...

The State I Am In ·

2026/01/19

In this episode of The State I Am In, I sit down with an Alaska artist and respected indigenous voice, Nikki Corbett, the creator behind Sew Yup’ik. Nikki grew up in Bethel, Alaska, in a childhood marked by both deep cultural roots and real personal hardship. She opens up about navigating family trauma, finding safe spaces in school and community, and how those early experiences shaped the way she sees the world today. We talk about her journey back to Yup’ik culture as an adult—l...

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113:32

#023 Escaping the Cave: Sexual Addiction, Recovery &...

The State I Am In ·

2026/01/12

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’...

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83:03

#022 Animal Rescue & Limits of the Law - Megan Merritt

The State I Am In ·

2026/01/05

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 a...

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19:44

#021 From What If? to What's Next? - Manny Coelho

The State I Am In ·

2025/12/29

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 someth...

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36:18

#020 Beyond the Bear: Part 2 - Tyler Johnson

The State I Am In ·

2025/12/22

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 decision...

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124:58

#019 Beyond the Bear: Part 1 - Tyler Johnson

The State I Am In ·

2025/12/15

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....

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71:18

#018 Stop Alaskan Trawler Bycatch - David Bayes

The State I Am In ·

2025/12/08

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 w...

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73:41

#017 Money Mindset for Every Alaskan - Chad Hufford

The State I Am In ·

2025/12/01

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 , on...

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103:42

#016 4T% Ranch: Cold Hard Cattle - Ben Adams

The State I Am In ·

2025/11/18

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 ...

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86:08

#015 Jiu-jitsu in AK: Finding confidence & community...

The State I Am In ·

2025/10/30

Shoot me a text, what do you think? In this episode, I sit down with Jordan Kontra, 3rd degree black belt, owner of Holdfast Grappling in Homer, AK, and co-owner of Southside Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Anchorage. Jordan shares his journey from early influences in wrestling to becoming a respected instructor and voice in Alaska’s Jiu-Jitsu community. We explore how Jiu-Jitsu offers real-world self-defense skills, not just for athletes, but for everyday people—including healthcare workers, first resp...

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7:07

#014 Alaska Day: Then & Now

The State I Am In ·

2025/10/18

Alaska Day marks the moment the American flag replaced the Russian one in Sitka — a turning point in our state’s story. But over 150 years later, what does that really mean for those of us who call this place home? In this bonus episode, Manny looks back at the handoff between empires, the people who were here long before it, and how Alaska continues to define itself today. From the debate over Indigenous Peoples Day to jokes about “selling Alaska back to Russia,” it’s a reflection on w...

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20:05

#013 The Space Between Red & Blue - Manny Coelho

The State I Am In ·

2025/10/13

In this episode, Manny reflects on what it means to live and think in the middle — that quiet space between red and blue where real conversation still has a chance. After watching local elections play out across Alaska, Manny shares how social media and modern politics have made genuine dialogue harder than ever. The algorithm rewards outrage, the headlines crave reactions, and too often we arrive at every conversation already decided. But what if we started differently? Man...

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132:03

#012 Warflower - Robert Stark

The State I Am In ·

2025/10/03

In this episode of The State I Am In, I sit down with Alaskan author, veteran, and homesteader Bob Stark. Bob’s story takes us from the wide-open beaches of Nome, to life in Eagle River and Seward, to the battlefields of Iraq as an airborne infantry soldier, and finally to his family homestead in Happy Valley. Along the way, he shares how identity, family, and faith were shaped through experiences of hardship, loss, and resilience. We talk about what it was like growing up in a home mar...

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19:07

#011 Keep North - Manny Coelho

The State I Am In ·

2025/09/26

In this solo episode of The State I Am In, I dive into the meaning behind a phrase I’ve recently started using to close out every show: Keep North. At first, it seemed like the perfect tagline for an Alaska-based podcast, but the more I sat with it, the more layers of meaning it revealed. Keep North is about honoring Alaska’s past while protecting its future — from preserving its culture and resources, to standing firm in our values and the way of life that makes this place unique. It’s about...

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89:48

#010 Relentless Pursuit of a Dream - Bridgett Watkins

The State I Am In ·

2025/09/12

In this episode of The State I Am In, I sit down with Bridgett Watkins — Alaskan musher, ER nurse, wife, mother, and author of Marker to Marker. Bridgett takes us deep into her journey from childhood races in Fairbanks to surviving a brutal moose attack just weeks before her first Iditarod. We talk about grit, faith, and family — how she balanced chasing dreams with the realities of motherhood, and how failure 50 miles from the finish line fueled her return to the trail. From long training ru...

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72:18

#009 Landslide Risk in Alaska: What You Need to Know...

The State I Am In ·

2025/06/19

In this episode of The State I Am In, I talk with Dr. Bretwood “Hig” Higman—geologist, lifelong Alaskan, and founder of Ground Truth Alaska—about life, land, and the very real risks facing our coastal communities. We explore Hig’s life in Seldovia and his adventures with wife Erin McKittrick, author of A Long Trek Home. Together, they’ve traveled thousands of miles across Alaska by foot and packraft, raising their kids along the way in one of the most remote corners of the state. Their ...

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70:01

#008 Trawling & Bycatch: Two Words Every Alaskan...

The State I Am In ·

2025/06/11

In this eye-opening episode of The State I Am In, I’m joined by Ryan Astalos and Jackie Boyer from SalmonState to break down one of the most urgent issues facing Alaska today: industrial trawling and the devastating impact of bycatch. We unpack what trawling actually is, who profits from it, and who pays the price—especially the Alaskan communities relying on the return of wild salmon. Why do Seattle-based factory trawlers get a pass while sportfishers and subsistence users face tight l...

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