Still Here, Still Leading with Heart
By Mike Baker I’ve always believed that leadership should feel human. Not perfect. Not polished. Just real. I know I don’t always fit the mold.
Read the full essay →Just an Ordinary Tuesday — page 4
Older essays from the archive. Page 4 of 5.
Right Here Counts Too
By Mike Baker www.mikebakerhq.com Saturday was full. The morning started with the League of Women Voters. I spoke about healthcare, real healthcare, for women.
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No Kings: Notes From a Middle Seat on a Shaking Train
Notes from a wobbling middle seat on a train racing round a blind curve, and the footage of a child that made me finish a poem and then a song.
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What Fatherhood Really Feels Like
There is a kind of love that does not need applause. It shows up quietly, does the work, and holds steady even when nobody at all is watching.
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Too Much Noise; A Letter from Inside the Record
By Mike Baker This album wasn’t written to chase a sound. It was written to chase connection, something I think all of us are quietly desperate for.
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Weekend Magic on the Ice
The fifth Panhandle Spring Classic in Coeur d'Alene, raising money for the Inland Northwest Girls Hockey Foundation, and what they are building.
Read the full essay →Shaenol: A Memory That Found Its Way Back
No beat, no hook, no melody to hold onto. Just a voice speaking in a language you have never heard before and somehow still manage to recognize.
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What I Carried Home from Washington
Some trips are about meetings and agendas. This one included all of that, and then left a mark I am still carrying home with me in my chest.
Read the full essay →Why I Wrote The Optimist’s Way
A personal note about the November that knocked me off balance, and why I wrote a book about optimism while my own supply was running very low.
Read the full essay →When the World Gets Louder, Get Kinder
People are angrier. Whatever happened to peace and love? A scene from a gritty hospital drama that would not leave me alone for days after.
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The Village of Moms: Celebrating Love in Action
Mother's Day reaches well past a single household. A village raises us, and to mother is to choose to show up fully, again and again and again.
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Penalty Box Confessions:The Soundtrack to the Game That Raised Me
This record came from late-night ice, tired legs, bruised knees, and the silence you sit in between whistles. Not from a studio session.
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You’re Still Moving, Even When It Feels Like You’re Not
That particular frustration of showing up, trying hard, staying present, and watching nothing change at all. You are still moving anyway.
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The Kind of Leader the World Needs: A Tribute to My Brother Jon
A rare kind of person leaves people better than they found them. That is Jon Baker. My brother, my friend, and one of my biggest inspirations.
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The Quiet Work of Hope
A lot of late nights, and not the glamorous kind. Calendars full of meetings, a thousand small fires, and the quiet work that hope actually takes.
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The Light We Share: Connecting the World Through Music
Hi friends, I’m incredibly excited to share a project that has been one of the most meaningful journeys of my life.
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Echoes Reimagined: Revisiting the Past, Telling Untold Stories
When I first wrote the songs on Echoes Reimagined , I released 22 songs on the album Beyond the Shadows I was inspired by the experiences of people close to me.
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The Story Behind Louder Than Lies
On corporate greed, everyday struggle, and an album that pushed me sideways. There is a kazoo on this record and a didgeridoo, and I meant both.
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Reflecting on 2024: Progress, Connection, and Gratitude
Looking back on the year Heritage Health opened the Center for Healthy Living, and what progress, connection and gratitude looked like up close.
Read the full essay →To Those Who’ve Served: You Are Not Alone
I have not served. I carry the legacy of service close anyway, and this is written for the people who answered the call and the families beside them.
Read the full essay →I’ll send you the next one
I named this place after the days nobody circles, so I’m not going to pretend a newsletter is an event. It’s just the next ordinary Tuesday, sent to you instead of sitting here waiting to be found. Essays mostly, and now and then something from the books, music, podcast, art, or advocacy work.
I aim for Tuesdays, twice a month or so, and I don’t always make it. Your address stays private, and leaving is always easy.