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# Episode 32: Who You Become in the Middle
- URL: https://www.mikebakerhq.com/podcast/who-you-become-in-the-middle/
- Published: 2026-01-15T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-23T09:55:35.000Z
- Description: Episode 32. Who You Become in the Middle This episode was recorded after a full week of perspective.
- Author: Mike Baker
- Tags: Podcast

Season 1 · Episode 32 · January 15, 2026 · 21 min

[Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY5Z64FsJ7o) [Listen on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/1iE5t5Nrbs0MyLORJpfiYu) [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-32-who-you-become-in-the-middle/id1826938874?i=1000787952196&uo=4) 

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## Show notes

Episode 32\. Who You Become in the Middle

This episode was recorded after a full week of perspective.

Turning fifty.

Time away with Kellie.

Music that demanded presence.

A surprise that reminded me how much quiet work love actually takes.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I saw a simple image about goals. It wasn’t clever. It wasn’t new. It was true.

We spend so much time chasing outcomes. Promotions. Numbers. Milestones. Finish lines. And then we’re surprised when getting there doesn’t change us the way we thought it would.

This episode is about the middle.

The part that feels repetitive.

The part nobody posts.

The part where progress looks invisible and questions start showing up quietly.

I talk about leadership when results lag behind effort.

Creative work that asks for honesty before it offers validation.

Relationships that are built through unseen consistency.

And how growth usually happens without announcing itself.

I also send you into the week with a new song, [Hope’s Last Broadcast](chatgpt://generic-entity?number=0), written in response to the division, noise, and fear that feel everywhere right now. It’s a reminder that we’re not enemies, we’re the same crowd, and that choosing humanity still matters.

If you’re tired.

If you’re questioning.

If you’re wondering whether the work you’re doing is actually shaping anything.

This episode is for you.

Thanks for being here.

Still here. Still trying.

Thanks for listening to Still Here, Still Trying.

If this episode gave you something to think about, please like, follow, subscribe, and share it with three people who could use it in their lives.

You can find more of my work — music, writing, art, and reflections — at:

🌐 [mikebakerhq.com](http://mikebakerhq.com/)

Grab a copy of my book, The Optimist’s Way:

📚 https://a.co/d/4RqPS6g

Thanks for being here.

Still here. Still trying.

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