The State I Am In

In August 2025, Ariean Colton stepped outside for a morning run in Kenai, Alaska. Moments later, her life changed forever. Attacked by a bear just steps from her driveway, Ariean suffered devastating injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, multiple fractures, and months of recovery. Dragged nearly 100 yards and left for dead, she survived because of a neighbor who heard something unusual in...

 Carly Padrta — known across Instagram as Carly on the Kenai — is a lifestyle and adventure photographer based on the Kenai Peninsula. What started as a hobby born out of new motherhood and a pandemic-era YouTube rabbit hole has grown into a full creative career taking her across glaciers, into the backcountry, and all over the state of Alaska.  In this conversation, Carly pulls back the curtain o...

Kaedyn Jennings is 20 years old, from Wasilla, Alaska, and by almost every conventional measure wasn't supposed to be a success — a complicated upbringing between Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley, and a self-described bad student who nearly dropped out three months before graduation to start a lawn care company.  He didn't drop out, but he did start the business — and four years later Sni...

In this episode of The State I Am In , Manny sits down with Willie, Abe, and Eli Porter—multi-generational Alaskans whose story is deeply tied to the roots of commercial fishing on the Kenai Peninsula. From homesteading in the early 1900s to losing boats, building businesses, and ultimately restoring a historic cannery across Cook Inlet, the Porters are preserving a piece of Alaska that’s slowly d...

In this episode of The State I Am In , I sit down with Jeremiah Christian, founder of Magnetic North Brewing Company in Anchorage, Alaska.  Jeremiah started a brewery on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic—when most people were pulling back, he leaned in and found ways for his long anticipated business to survive. What followed wasn’t smooth growth or overnight success, but six years of navigating se...

In this episode of The State I Am In , I sit down with Fairbanks-based chef and community builder Lizzie Hartman. From her roots in Alaska’s culinary scene to appearing as a top 10 finalist on Master Chef, to traveling abroad and expanding her craft, Lizzie’s story is one of passion, creativity, and connection—but also profound loss. A few years ago, Lizzie lost her husband, leaving her to navigat...

One year ago, on Seward’s Day, I launched The State I Am In with a simple idea: Alaska is full of incredible people, and their stories deserve to be heard. A year later, that belief has only grown stronger. In this solo episode, I reflect on what I’ve learned from sitting across the table from so many individuals—people chasing purpose, facing obstacles, and figuring life out in real time. The big...

What does the Iditarod sled-dog race look like in 2026—and where is it headed? In this episode of The State I Am In , Manny sits down with longtime musher, media voice, and publisher Robert Forto to explore the evolving world of dog mushing. From the ceremonial start in Anchorage to the realities of running a kennel in Alaska, this conversation goes far beyond the race itself. They dive into the r...

Discover the inspiring stories  and expert insights from Dr. Bob Ledda, blending health science, outdoor adventures, and spiritual purpose. A key theme in this part 2 episode is Dr. Bob's observations with his son's recent type 1 diabetes diagnosis, and the significant improvements he's made due to the lifestyle prescription Dr. Bob prescribes. Is remission possible? Whether you&apo...

In the first return guest episode of the podcast, this conversation with Dr. Bob Ledda, we dive deeper into the worlds of health, wilderness, and the mindset that connects them. What starts with a powerful story about helping his son navigate Type 1 diabetes without insulin quickly opens into a broader discussion about lifestyle medicine, metabolic health, and the gap between conventional healthca...

In this episode, Alaska-based artist AnnMarie Henderson shares her inspiring journey from Texas to Alaska, how she turned her passion into a thriving 6-figure full-time business, and her unique approach to landscape painting, music-inspired posters, and entrepreneurial art ventures. Whether you're an aspiring artist or a creative looking to turn your passion into profit, AnnMarie's insig...

Over the last few conversations, one theme keeps rising to the surface: perspective.  From reclaiming cultural identity, to rebuilding after divorce, to redefining dreams after paralysis, the stories shared by Nikki Corbett, Delana Green, Jake Long, and Clare Henry all carry a common thread — life rarely unfolds the way we expect, but how we choose to frame it shapes what comes next.  In this solo...

Most stories of resilience are inspiring, but Clare Henry’s journey might just redefine what you think is possible. At only 18, she faced a devastating spinal cord stroke that left her paralyzed from the chest down — but her response? Pure determination, unwavering faith, and a relentless pursuit to pursue her dreams of music, no matter the odds. This is the comeback story you didn’t know you need...

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 enthusiast The role of p...

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 G...

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 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 s...

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 mec...

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 shoul...

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 l...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 l...