The Daily Grateful with Michael Crose

Michael returns after time away with an episode that's raw, honest, and deeply personal. After a stretch of life feeling "wonky" — and a devastating day that followed — Michael sits down to process the sudden loss of his 24-year-old cat, Cornelius, a beloved companion who spent every evening curled in his lap. In this episode, Michael reflects on what it means to grieve well: honorin...

What a difference a day can make. In this heartfelt and often humorous episode of The Daily Grateful with Michael Crose , Michael reflects on the simple but powerful gift of feeling better after a difficult weekend of aches, exhaustion, and uncertainty. While waiting on medical test results and battling a few frustrating technical glitches, he discovers something worth celebrating: improvement. So...

What if reinvention isn't something reserved for twenty-somethings chasing dreams? What if it's actually a superpower that gets stronger with age? In today's episode of The Daily Grateful with Michael Crose , Michael shares a surprisingly frustrating adventure involving a Florida certification renewal, an online portal that seemed determined to defeat him, and an unexpected assist from...

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Did you know the Boomtown Rats — led by Bob Geldof — had just one major hit? It was "I Don't Like Mondays," and ironically, Michael loves Mondays. In this episode, he makes the case that Mondays aren't something to dread — they're a fresh, blank page full of possibility. Michael shares a deeply moving experience attending Tyler's Timeout , a one-man show (that turned into...

This week on The Daily Grateful with Michael Crose , Michael takes us on a hilarious and heartfelt Friday journey through broken refrigerators, exploding rice disasters, garage cleanouts, family chaos, rising gas prices, and the surprising abundance hidden inside ordinary life. What starts as a frustrating appliance meltdown somehow turns into a warm reflection on gratitude, aging, health, childre...

Some memories don’t fade… they drift around in your head like cigarette smoke in a downtown Michigan elevator from 1958. In this wonderfully rambling and heartfelt episode of The Daily Grateful with Michael Crose , Michael takes listeners on a funny, nostalgic ride back to Battle Creek, Michigan — where mysterious towers held imaginary Wolverines, abandoned mansions hid crank-up record players, an...

In this episode of The Daily Grateful with Michael Crose , we celebrate the little victories that quietly hold life together. From clogged dishwashers and paper plate dinners to getting pulled over by a deputy who let Michael off with a warning, this episode is packed with funny stories, honest moments, and surprisingly powerful reminders about resilience. Michael talks about why emotional surviva...

On this episode of The Daily Grateful , Michael takes a joyride straight through the Baby Boomer experience — from transistor radios and handwritten letters to Woodstock, rotary phones, and standing in line for concert tickets like it was a sacred mission from the rock-and-roll gods. Michael reflects on growing up in a world with no smartphones, no internet, and no GPS… just bicycles, neighborhood...

A forgotten nightstand drawer sends Michael Crose down a rabbit hole of business cards from the eighties, memories of people long gone, and a burning question: whatever happened to Wyatt Cox? Turns out Wyatt is alive, well, and running a tiny radio station in Ely, Nevada — so far from civilization that a trip to Walmart is an hour-long expedition. When that station went dark for a few days due to...

I thought I was being smart. A slick postcard showed up in my mailbox — synthetic oil change, tire rotation, new wiper blades, a hundred bucks. Done deal, right? Wrong. What I walked into was a fully systematized, corporate-engineered upsell machine disguised as a friendly neighborhood auto shop. And I'm not guessing — I looked it up on Claude AI and found the exact marketing company they'...

Ever have one of those days where your to-do list had three simple items — and life had other plans? That's exactly what happened to Michael on today's episode. From a perfectly-timed coupon arriving in the mail for a long-overdue oil change, to a vacuum cleaner that demanded a full teardown right before a summer storm rolled in, to a studio reorganization held hostage by an overflowing cl...

Welcome to another gloriously weird episode of The Daily Grateful with Michael Crose — where midweek reflections collide with cats, cardboard boxes, Earl Pitts memories, broken Roku boxes, and the eternal mystery of why Radio Shack had to disappear. In this laugh-out-loud episode, Michael takes a hilarious stroll through the middle of the week and reminds us that gratitude doesn’t have to be serio...

In this episode, Michael somehow records an entire podcast without actually recording it. Yes… The intro music survived. The rest? Gone into the mysterious digital abyss. So this is Take Two — fueled by determination, no afternoon nap, and whatever energy is left after writing a newsletter for 1,200 Tampa Bay Technology Center readers. Today’s adventure dives into the surprisingly emotional world...

In this episode of The Daily Grateful Podcast , Michael gets real about podcasting without spending a fortune. Broadcasting straight from a studio filled with expensive gear, Michael admits something most “podcast experts” won’t tell you: you absolutely do not need a fancy setup to start a successful podcast. From $60 USB microphones and free software like Audacity to portable Zoom recorders and c...

This Memorial Day, Michael reflects on a generation that might just save the world. A Baby Boomer who helped stop an immoral war and shaped a cultural revolution, Michael shares why he believes Gen Z is carrying that torch forward — with more tools, more empathy, and more purpose. At Dunedin Memorial High School, a chance encounter with a young Navy ROTC cadet changes everything. Watching her run...

In this deeply personal episode of The Daily Grateful with Michael Crose , Michael takes listeners on a heartfelt journey through rock-and-roll history, backstage memories, and unexpected friendships with legendary musicians. From meeting Terry Kirkman of The Association to unforgettable encounters with Nancy Nevins of Sweetwater, this episode explores what happens after the spotlight fades. Micha...

In today’s hilariously frazzled episode of The Daily Grateful with Michael Crose , Michael shares the unbelievable story of a trip to an eye doctor’s office that felt trapped somewhere between 1985 and a time warp. From cigarette smoke and typewriters to endless paperwork and a mysteriously absent doctor, this episode turns a frustrating medical appointment into comedy gold. Along the way, Michael...

How do you record a successful podcast? In this episode of The Daily Grateful with Michael Crose , we dive into the age-old philosophy of "keeping it simple, stupid". From high-end studio gear like the Rodecaster Duo to budget-friendly alternatives, discovering the most effective way to share your voice doesn’t have to break the bank. Michael breaks down different production styles, comp...

In today’s episode of The Daily Grateful , Michael Crose reflects on one of life’s greatest blessings — watching his five children grow into adulthood. From late-night rescue calls and weekly check-ins to careers, adventures, grandchildren, and unforgettable family memories, this heartfelt episode explores how parenting never truly ends — it simply changes. Michael shares personal stories about hi...

The Daily Grateful is back! After a brief hiatus caused by a busted audio interface, Michael Crose returns — mic fixed, spirits high, and hands still dirty from the garden. In this episode, Michael shares his deep love of landscaping and what planting shrubs in Florida teaches us about patience, hope, and gratitude. From rescuing storm-blown Colusias to planning a living privacy wall of podocarpus...

Michael makes the case for writing as therapy — whether you're brain-dumping on a yellow legal pad, journaling in longhand, or dictating a 300-page book into an iPad. He explores the analog vs. digital debate, the magic of fountain pens, and why talking and writing are completely different animals. He also shares his workflow for turning rambling podcast audio into polished newsletter copy usi...

What does it really mean to age well? In this heartfelt episode of The Daily Grateful, host Michael reflects on the unexpected gifts of growing older — hard-won wisdom, deeper relationships, and a bone-deep sense of gratitude that only comes with time. From locking himself out of his house to surviving a kidney operation that changed everything, Michael shares real, raw moments that remind us ever...

Michael gets his tickets to see the Beatles' White Album performed live, track by track, at the Capitol Theater in downtown Clearwater — and he cannot wait. Recorded between May and October of 1968, the 30-track double LP captured a band simultaneously fracturing and at its most creative, delivering everything from the gentle folk of "Blackbird" to the raw thunder of "Helter Ske...

Remember when joining a warehouse club meant handing over cash and walking out with a laminated card? Those days are gone. Michael recounts his odyssey rejoining Sam's Club — a saga involving a forgotten Apple ID from 2000, a Yahoo email address he hasn't touched since flip phones were cool, 45 minutes of password resets, and a membership card that lived entirely on a phone that refused to...