The Archive
Everything since 2024 — the books, the songs, the podcast notes, the ordinary Tuesdays. Sixty-some posts, in order, nothing deleted.
Something Is Shifting, and I Want to Help It Grow
I have been hearing people from very different parts of my life describe the same feeling. They do not share the same politics, faith, background, or explanation for what is happening. Some talk…
Get Out of the Way
I wrote Get Out of the Way: A Man’s Case for Women Leading What Comes Next because the women in my life have shaped almost everything good in me, and the longer I have lived, loved, parented, and…
The Human Voice in AI Work
Why the tools changed but the voice is still mine.
What Needs to Move for Women’s Leadership?
Authority, credit, protection, belief, and resources.
Why I Released 10 Books: Mike Baker HQ Human First Story
I know how it looks from the outside.
Still Good: A Book About Leaving Mormonism and Staying Whole
Leaving a faith that shaped your life is not simple. It can change your language, your family dynamics, your memories, and your sense of belonging.
The Better Man Field Guide: A Book for Men Who Want to Grow
A lot of men mean well and still leave damage behind. Most men do not wake up hoping to be distant, defensive, or hard to live with.
Get Out of the Way: A Book for Men Who Say They Support Women
A lot of men say they support women. Fewer men notice how often they still take up the room.
The Future Still Needs Us: AI and the Human Future
AI is already changing the world. The question is what kind of people we are going to become while it is here.
Still Here, Still Trying: A Book for People Who Are Tired but Not Done
Some books are written for people who need a plan. This one was written for people who need a place to breathe for a minute.
Human First: A Book for Staying Connected in a Divided World
Nearly everything I write keeps circling back to the same question: how do we stay human when the world keeps pulling us apart?
Man vs. Menopause: A Husband’s Guide to Perimenopause
A lot of men are getting blindsided by perimenopause because nobody gave them a map.
Believe Her the First Time: A Book for Families Who Love Someone With Endometriosis
Endometriosis is personal in my family. My wife has lived with it. My daughter has lived with it.
Beautifully Unfocused: A Book for People Whose Brains Never Stop Moving
ADHD is often described by what it disrupts. This book describes what it also builds.
Still My Mom: A Book for Families Facing Alzheimer’s
Grieving someone slowly, in real time, while they are still in the room.
Start Here: A Guide to Mike Baker’s Books
I have written a lot of books in a short amount of time, and yes, I know that sounds a little insane.
Before You Ask for Custom Art, Know What You’re Really Asking For
Custom art sounds simple at first. It rarely is.
What Are We Doing With the Life We Still Have?
Memorial Day, hockey, family, and the ordinary joy we almost miss.
The Middle Has to Move
Episode 50, public ugliness, women’s health, and the work of staying human.
Don’t Lose Your Smile
Some songs start with a plan. This one started with a phone call.
What Could We Build If We Got Serious About the Future?
We are wasting too much of what makes us human.
Still Here, Still Trying: Why Season 2 Starts Now
Which Future Are We Building?
We are at a crossroads, and people know it.
Standing on the Edge
One night. Five songs. A whole lifetime in fifteen minutes.
What Happens When Everyone Finally Shows Up
I’m writing this tonight, still here, with one more day left at the Endometriosis Summit.
The Pressure to Be Okay
There’s a quiet habit a lot of us have picked up over time.
The AI But Human Manifesto
Why the tools changed but the voice is still mine.
After the Show: From Shedding to Motion
The show is over.
The Power of an Image
Resist, by Mike Baker.
Human First: The Middle Still Matters
Liberty in the Static, by Mike Baker.
The Cost of Looking Away
A note before you read.
Seeing Differently: Art Beyond Vision
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
Human First
By Mike Baker.
The Beer League Goalie Manifesto
Notes from the weirdest position in hockey.
Right Here Counts Too
By Mike Baker.
No Kings: Notes From a Middle Seat on a Shaking Train
A wobbling middle seat on a train that feels like it’s racing around a blind curve.
What Fatherhood Really Feels Like
By Mike Baker.
Too Much Noise: A Letter from Inside the Record
By Mike Baker.
Weekend Magic on the Ice
The 5th Annual Panhandle Spring Classic, an adult hockey tournament in Coeur d’Alene benefitting the Inland Northwest Girls Hockey Foundation.
Shaenol: A Memory That Found Its Way Back
A song that came from further back than most.
What I Carried Home from Washington
Some trips are about meetings and agendas. This one left a mark on my heart too.
Why I Wrote The Optimist’s Way
A personal note about failure, hope, and choosing to keep going.
When the World Gets Louder, Get Kinder
“People are angrier. Whatever happened to peace and love?”
The Village of Moms: Celebrating Love in Action
Mother’s Day reaches beyond a single household — it’s a village, a circle of care.
Penalty Box Confessions: The Soundtrack to the Game That Raised Me
By Mike Baker.
You’re Still Moving, Even When It Feels Like You’re Not
By Mike Baker.
The Kind of Leader the World Needs: A Tribute to My Brother Jon
There’s a rare kind of person who leaves people better than they found them.
The Quiet Work of Hope
There were a lot of late nights.
The Light We Share: Connecting the World Through Music
Hi friends…
Echoes Reimagined: Revisiting the Past, Telling Untold Stories
Beyond the Shadows was inspired by the experiences of people close to me — family, friends, and community.
The Story Behind Louder Than Lies
Music has always been a way to say what’s hard to put into words — corporate greed, broken systems, the struggles we face every day.
Reflecting on 2024: Progress, Connection, and Gratitude
Looking back on 2024 with a mix of pride, gratitude, and excitement for what lies ahead.
To Those Who’ve Served: You Are Not Alone
For anyone who has answered the call to serve, on the front lines or supporting from the shadows.
Never Again: A Personal Journey Through the Holocaust Museum
Walking through those halls in Washington, D.C., seeing the faces of those who lived and died.
Written in the Wind: A Journey of Connection and Hope
An album made to reach deeper — life’s struggles, unexpected joys, and the quiet strength we find when we keep going.
Carrying the Weight: The Story Behind The Man Behind the Mask
Husband, father, friend, CEO, community leader, hockey goalie — so many masks, one man.
The Story Behind The Cost of Silence
The gaps between us are growing wider, and the silence is becoming too heavy to bear.
Breaking Through the Noise
By Mike Baker.
Leading with Unity: My Call for a Positive Shift in Leadership
Reflecting on my “My Turn: Shut Up? No, Step Up and Lead!” piece in the Coeur d’Alene Press.
Integrity and Unity: My Election Stand
Setting aside my professional role to share some thoughts directly, personally.
Welcome to MikeBakerHQ: Your Gateway to Art, Music and More
The central hub for all my creative and advocacy endeavors.