Life Changers

How A Stuffed Hippo Taught Us To Be Present

Life Changers Mike

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A one-eyed stuffed hippo, a kid who calls herself Foxy, and a messy studio become unlikely guides to something many of us chase and rarely catch: everyday happiness. We don’t wait for perfect plans or polished routines; we follow the thread of play, family language, and tiny rituals that keep us present when life feels loud.

We start with a simple challenge to the rat race script—school, work, repeat—and ask what joy looks like now. Foxy shares the early sparks of her writing project, scattered pages and all, and we lean into the truth that creative energy usually arrives before structure. From there, we trace the hilarious, heartfelt origin of Steve the Hippo, the toy that turned into family shorthand: buck teeth, tree-yeeting, “I’m cute,” and a hands-over-head signal that quietly says we’re us. Along the way, we recount the Florida lost-and-found saga, how a plush animal carried our shared memories, and why laughing at awkward moments can knit people closer than a perfect plan ever could.

We also explore how short-form videos on TikTok became a practice of noticing. It wasn’t about views; it was about participation—capturing micro-moments that help a family return to presence when the day gets messy. We talk sushi, road trips, and the surprising power of gratitude-in-threes to reset a mood in under a minute. If you’ve been waiting for life to calm down before choosing joy, this conversation is your permission slip to start where you are, with whatever silly, sincere bit your people already love.

Subscribe for more candid stories, share this with someone who needs a smile, and leave a quick review telling us your favorite tiny ritual for finding joy.

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SPEAKER_02

Hi, welcome to another episode of Life Changers, and this is Mike. So sorry it's been a while to my lovely listeners, but uh I'm back. And just been very busy and stuff like that. The studio's a mess. It's also my office. There's paperwork everywhere. But today I have a very special guest in here. I have uh a lovely girl, her name's Phoenix. Hi, welcome to the show. And she brought her friend Steve the Hippo with her. And you can hear Steve talk through her voice. Hi. Hi, Steve. So, Steve the Hippo, you want to tell us a little bit about yourself? Where would we know you from?

unknown

TikTok.

SPEAKER_02

So he's on TikTok. He's on Steve dot the dot hippo. And Steve is spelt S-T-E-E-E-V E. Because he's a hippo. He doesn't know how to spell his name properly. How dare you? I'm sorry, Steve. So today we're going to talk uh about changing our life, Steve. How does that make you sound feel? Sound or feel?

SPEAKER_00

Like a hippo.

SPEAKER_02

Like a hippo.

SPEAKER_00

My voice changed.

What Makes Us Happy

SPEAKER_02

So I'd like to say welcome to the show, Steve. And today we're going to talk a little bit about uh happiness and how to find happiness in this reality. Do you think you know how to do that, Steve?

unknown

No.

SPEAKER_02

No. Do you have any ideas of what it means to be happy? So to be happy in this world, like a lot of us do the rat race, right? Where we either if you're young, you go to school, or if you're homeschooled, then you gotta do all your school education, right? Education. Educational. Makes you smart, right, Steve? No. Did you get an educational?

unknown

No.

SPEAKER_02

Well, and then from there, a lot of people like to grow up, they work, and that's their life, right? But I believe in having happiness now. So, Steve, what things make you happy?

SPEAKER_00

My family!

SPEAKER_02

Your family? Do I make you happy, Steve?

SPEAKER_00

You're not my family.

SPEAKER_02

Oh. So, Steve, are you married and have kids? You. Yeah? Are your kids happy? You. Is your wife happy?

unknown

No.

SPEAKER_02

Why do you say she's not happy, Steve?

SPEAKER_00

Because she snook with the kids.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, I guess that makes sense. But isn't it being fulfilling being with your kids?

unknown

No.

SPEAKER_02

I put up with you. Oh no, your kid. Uh well. So yeah, Steve really wanted to come on and do an episode with us. So we're gonna do a little episode. So we had just had sushi, so I'm a little stuffed. Was the sushi good, Steve? Yeah. What was your favorite sushi? Salmon. You like the salmon? Do you like it cooked? Or are we still swimming? Still swimmer! Do you swim after it, Steve?

SPEAKER_00

No, my wife does.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, she's the hunter. Nice. You can turn off that light now, Steve.

unknown

Oh yeah.

Sushi Chat And Being Present

SPEAKER_02

Now it's dark in here. But yeah, so just, you know, enjoying life and being present. Like that's hard to be present. So the other day we had a little situation where I was not present. You were not present. Um and oh, look, the light turned on. We got motion sensor cameras, and it turns on when we move. Oh. Sorry. Sorry about that, Steve. And to everybody. Ooh. Sushi's coming back. I think it's swimming out, Steve. Maybe.

SPEAKER_00

I mean I mean Mike.

SPEAKER_02

That's right. I could cut that part out. Anyway. Oh talking to a stuffed animal people in my studio. My daughter's here, okay. And she wants to go by Phoenix because she thinks that name is cool.

SPEAKER_00

I said Foxy.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, Foxy, sorry. And that name's cool. Do you like that name? Yes. Yeah. Why did you pick Foxy?

SPEAKER_00

Because I like Foxes.

SPEAKER_02

And is that going to be your handle when you become a writer?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And then you can come on the show and do an interview about your books you're going to write? What book are you writing right now?

SPEAKER_00

Animal Spirits.

SPEAKER_02

Animal Spirits. How long is that going to be anything?

SPEAKER_00

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

Are you are you halfway done, quarter way done?

SPEAKER_00

I barely wrote anything.

SPEAKER_02

Well, you've got lots of pages scattered all over your house. I mean your floor. I lost one. Did you? Yeah. Did the cat eat it? Or did Steve eat it? Steve, did you eat her? That's new. But does that make you happy to write?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Does it make you happy having Steve?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Is he your emotional support hippo?

SPEAKER_00

We have no emotional support hippo.

SPEAKER_02

You're real, right, Steve? So we brought Steve like everywhere we go. We go to Florida with Steve.

SPEAKER_00

I got lost in Florida.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Do you want to tell the story, Steve?

SPEAKER_00

I was a hippo.

SPEAKER_02

Maybe uh Foxy wants to tell the story of what happened to Steve. What happened to Steve?

SPEAKER_00

No one knew I'll tell my own story. Okay, go ahead, Steve. I was in Florida at a little playground in a big resort. Yeah. And then I got plopped on the ground and never picked up again. That's all I remember.

SPEAKER_02

Well, somebody must have picked you up and brought you to the Lost and Found.

SPEAKER_00

I was shoved in a cupboard.

SPEAKER_02

Were you?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I was in a cupboard.

SPEAKER_02

Were there other toys in there and you're talking to them?

SPEAKER_00

I think there was an old bunny. Were you like, Freedom? No. I was like, oh yippoo.

SPEAKER_02

So when people see Steve, what do they ask you? Or what do they think he is?

SPEAKER_00

I think it was Capibara.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, Capabar is a popular one for us.

SPEAKER_00

Or sometimes a moose. That's just weird.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, we got a beaver once or twice because of the buck teeth.

SPEAKER_00

Big buck teeth. We have two.

Foxy’s Writing And Steve’s Origins

SPEAKER_02

Steve's famous for his famous buck teeth. He's brown. And kind of does look like a capa bear. Don't say that to Steve. You get offended. I can hear you. Oh sh sorry, Steve. I didn't say nothing. Yes. And anyways, so how Steve came about is how many years ago now?

SPEAKER_00

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

Was it joined?

SPEAKER_00

No.

SPEAKER_02

We we had the the big trailer and we finished renovating it. So it must have been like 2017, 2018.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, story when you got chucked in a tree.

SPEAKER_02

So so my daughter found Steve. Like Steve the Hippo was like um my wife. Yes, my wife's your mom's um toy that she earned in elementary school or something for good getting good grades. Yeah, anyway, so we found her she found her. And then um what's your name again?

SPEAKER_00

Foxy.

SPEAKER_02

Foxy. And then Foxy found her. Or did mom give her to you?

SPEAKER_00

Uh he was in a bin.

SPEAKER_02

He was in a bin. We're going through all like our her mom's and my treasure chests, I guess.

SPEAKER_00

Like we call treasure.

SPEAKER_02

I don't know, what do they call? They're not treasure chests. Memory boxes?

SPEAKER_00

Oh no.

SPEAKER_02

I don't know if crap we had when we were kids. Anyway, this is gonna be a fun episode, trust me. And then she found him and then she was playing with him. Then she she comes into the house and she looks at me and goes. Like something like Boris! No, maybe like hi, I'm Steve.

SPEAKER_00

What are you doing? I like to get I had a song, I don't remember.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I was like, I'm Steve, I have buck teeth, and I like to be throwing in trees.

SPEAKER_01

He's like, I'm Steve, we big buck teeth, and we can chuck into trees.

SPEAKER_02

So I'll be like, okay, that's cool. And I just look out the window and I just see her throwing Steve the hippo and chucking him in the as high as she can into the trees and stuff.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I had a string tied to me.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and she had it a string so she can yank him out of the trees. And like you're 12 now, so you must have been like six, seven. Yeah. Anyways, and then she just comes in and starts doing like a monologue with Steve, and it's really funny, I remember. And then Steve likes to be playing in the forest. I'd be chucked in the trees. And then, like, I don't know, became a thing. Like, she was really funny with him, and I was like laughing my ass off. Yeah, so he does all these weird things. I'll be like, okay, Steve, do macaroni. Then he like bends himself a certain way. She started bending. And then there's like I'm cute, and he like twists his head or something.

SPEAKER_01

I'm cute.

SPEAKER_02

So, like, if you really want to, like, I'm gonna put the link in the descrip in the description today of his TikTok page because it's pretty funny. Did we ever do a TikTok where we're like, okay, Steve, I'm cute. And he does all the little things.

unknown

No.

SPEAKER_02

Maybe we should, because you gotta see, it's pretty funny. But anyway, so she does all these funny things with him, and then it became like part of the family. And one thing he does was is like even we do it now. We put our hands above our head and we're like and like we decided the other day that that means family. Like, you know, like we're having fun, we're having a good time, like family, love you type thing. It's pretty funny. Instead of like like a little one stitch, what do they call it? Ohana. Ohana, I think. Yeah. For us it's until we pass out.

SPEAKER_00

You got really hit it.

SPEAKER_02

You get lightheaded, it's fun. No. Anyway, so one time, so we just started like he would come everywhere with us.

SPEAKER_00

Everywhere.

Florida Misadventures And Lost Steve

SPEAKER_02

So like that's why he's like the emotional support animal. And she would like just say funny things with him, like, I don't know, make it hilarious. That's all I know. I was like, it was it was pretty funny. And um anyway, so we'll go everywhere with him. And when we were in Florida, sometimes my daughter's like, here, hold him. So we're at like the phosphate museum.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And like you're digging for fossils and stuff.

SPEAKER_00

Digging for shark teeth.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, shark teeth. And you guys found a bunch, eh? You're holding me. Yeah. So then she's like, here, hold Steve. And I didn't want to stand in the sun. I wasn't on the floor digging. So I was just walking around with Steve in my arms. And I'm like walking around the museum, like outside the museum, and they have like these um and it's in Florida. So like if you're big statues. Yeah, they have big statues of like a tiger and a cybertooth lion. A cybertooth lion and another thing with a hard shell. Yeah, big armadillo. Anyway, so they have that outside the doors of the museum. And it's like the phosphate museum in Florida. Like it's pretty cool. It's free. And uh at the cross street from the McDonald's. Anyways, and I'm holding walking around, bored out of my mind. I'm holding the U, Steve. And then I had like my kids' hats and stuff like that. I had other things I was carrying. Anyways, I was carrying a bunch of things just moping around. And then I'm like looking at the the statue things made out of wood and with Steve, and I'm just playing with him, like Stevie. Yeah, because I'm weird. Anyway, so then I'm walking around, and then I we I leave, and then we go finish digging, and then we go inside the museum to show the lady all the stuff because she's like really cool. She wants to see everything the kids found, and she could tell them what it is, and stuff like that. And then she's like, Oh, you're the dad? I'm like, why? Yeah, like what's up? She's like, I just seen you walking around, like, you know, with that stuffed animal in your arm. And then I saw you look at the cyber tooth tiger statue thing, and then you turn around and walked away. So she's like, I thought you were like scared or something, like your special needs. And that you got scared I was gonna come out and tell you it's fake, it's a statue. Then you didn't want to hold me again. Nope. Everybody thought I was slow and special needs. Anyways. And then my wife's like, what would you have done if she came running out to you? I said, I would have gone with it. I would have been like I would have been like, oh, I'm so scared. Oh, we need to bring uh your Uncle Johnny with us because he has special needs, it'll be fun.

SPEAKER_00

Driving all the way to Florida.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, do you think it'll be fun to drive with Uncle John to Florida?

SPEAKER_00

No.

SPEAKER_02

At least you're honest. Anyway, so that's how Steve became part of the family. And then while we were in Florida, we started making TikToks and see some of those videos on TikTok. And then once again, I'll put the link in the description.

SPEAKER_00

Steve be rolling.

SPEAKER_02

He be rolling, yeah. He went down slide rolling down slides, rolling down hills. Yeah. Tripped and fell and got a hippo band-aid or something.

SPEAKER_00

He was a Bucky's band-aid.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's Buckeys. Don't we like Bucky, Steve? Because he has big buck teeth like you.

SPEAKER_00

Uh, kind of.

SPEAKER_02

And they have clean bathrooms.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, but if you eat too much food, you feel sick.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, just don't eat too much of their food. The gas is real cheap there. I recommend if you're traveling and you see a Buckeys, you fuel up at the Buckeys.

SPEAKER_00

There's like 50 of them.

SPEAKER_02

There's like sometimes a hundred or so things.

SPEAKER_00

It's a lullie.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and they guarantee to be the cheapest price around. Everything in the store is freakishly expensive. But they've pay their staff very, very, very well, so it's worth it. And I go for the cheap gas. And the drinks are cheap and the coffees are cheap inside. Anyway. So yeah, so that's how Steve became part of the family. And then that one time, anyways, when we lost Steve, we were all freaking out. And everybody says this is the reality that everybody has, is that I was freaking out the most that I was gonna cry and stuff because we couldn't find Steve.

SPEAKER_00

And I was just calm.

SPEAKER_02

And you were calm. Do you do you think you would have cried if Steve was lost forever?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, probably.

SPEAKER_02

Do you think I would have cried for real?

Family Rituals And TikTok Bits

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Why does everybody think that?

SPEAKER_02

Like, go on.

SPEAKER_00

You were looking in the hotel room everywhere. You started to cry. That's Steve. That's what Isaac said.

SPEAKER_02

I wasn't crying.

SPEAKER_00

You're like, Miss Steve.

SPEAKER_02

I was. I don't cry.

SPEAKER_00

You really love me, don't you?

SPEAKER_02

Yes. It's not that I love Steve, okay? I love the person that's handling Steve. Because she's an amazing human being, and this is how we connect and have fun, right?

unknown

Woo!

SPEAKER_02

Anyway, so Steve, is there anything you want to talk to m to me or ask questions about since you have me?

SPEAKER_00

I thought this was gonna be about happiness.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. You make me happy, Steve.

SPEAKER_00

You make me happy my time saving you.

SPEAKER_02

We went off the rails with this one. But you know what? People are gonna love it, right?

SPEAKER_01

Good story!

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, everybody loves Steve the hippo with his big buck teeth and likes to be yeeted into trees. And you I see yes, that's right. You only have one eye, too. What happened in your eye, Steve? Do you remember? Nope. Me neither. You were like shoved in a drawer for like fifteen years. In a box, maybe.

SPEAKER_00

I was in a box.

SPEAKER_02

How did you survive?

SPEAKER_00

I found my wife.

SPEAKER_02

What did you guys eat? We ate dirt. All the dirt and paper in there.

SPEAKER_00

And other stuffed animals.

SPEAKER_02

But yeah, so this is why Steve makes me happy. Because Firefox? No. What do you call yourself? Foxy. Firefox. Oh, that's so old that browser. I don't even think it exists anymore. Foxy, yes. My daughter. Foxy. It's fun. Like she really was looking forward to doing the podcast. I mean, Steve was really looking forward to doing the podcast. Yeah, not you, Foxy. But uh yeah, and Steve, you enjoy going to different camps and stuff with us and going to all like the homeschool groups and McDonald's. Today you had sushi. That was fun.

SPEAKER_00

Ooh, me, Steve?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, Steve.

SPEAKER_00

Ooh, wee boo.

SPEAKER_02

Did you go to school? Did hey Foxy? Did he go to school with you? Oh. He's just like He's came to the Arctic with me a few times. We made videos.

SPEAKER_00

My wife came too.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, took your wife.

SPEAKER_00

She's green and fly it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, we call her flat.

SPEAKER_00

That's your niece.

SPEAKER_02

She's green and flat. That's right. I remember now. Oh, it's so crazy all the stuff we brought.

SPEAKER_00

Did you forget about my wife?

SPEAKER_02

No, no. I brought your kid with me too.

SPEAKER_00

You have three kids.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. How many did I bring my mom with me at one point?

SPEAKER_00

I think you brought um Stesserae.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, Steserae. The gray one. The gray one.

SPEAKER_00

And um Thumbo, the brown one.

SPEAKER_02

What about the purple one?

SPEAKER_00

Sparkle farts?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I think I took Sparkle.

SPEAKER_00

I don't think you ever took Sparkle Forts.

SPEAKER_02

I swear I did. I took a couple of them once.

SPEAKER_00

You also took Toy Hippos with you.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

CSD's been to what Lego World? We've been to a zoo. Zoo. You saw your cousins. You saw your cousins. That's right. We went to the Cincinnati Zoo.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, but then I got my arch nemesis.

SPEAKER_02

Who's your arch nemesis?

SPEAKER_00

I forget its name, but it was like purple. Not my kid, but the other one.

SPEAKER_02

The purple?

SPEAKER_00

I think it was Fiona.

SPEAKER_02

Fiona? Oh, yes. Yeah, she yes, yes, yes, yes. I think it was like Fiona from the Cincinnati Zoo. We bought her. And now it's your arch nemesis. Why is she your whatever that word is?

SPEAKER_00

Arch nemesis?

SPEAKER_02

Arch nemesis.

SPEAKER_00

I don't know. Because she's a hippo.

More Adventures, Voices, And Wrap

SPEAKER_02

Oh. Well, Steve, I say you had a lot of adventures.

SPEAKER_00

Spoider Hippo. Spoider Hippo.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, I remember that TikTok. We made a lot of TikToks, and people actually like it, so we gotta make more. Just like people really like listening to these podcasts.

SPEAKER_00

And me.

SPEAKER_02

And you. So we gotta make more. So we're gonna collaborate more, Steve. And we'll actually have something we could talk about.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe like a script or something?

SPEAKER_02

We don't do scripts here.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe like we just talk. Something talk about.

SPEAKER_02

We are talking. We've been talking for uh hold on. Hold on.

SPEAKER_00

A few seconds.

SPEAKER_02

Hold on for a few more seconds. We've been talking for 19 minutes. Yes, Steve. I'm gonna sing soon. Okay, sing a song. Yes, your world famous song. How many views did you get on TikTok for that one?

SPEAKER_00

I don't think I s did I sing that one?

SPEAKER_02

I don't know. I thought you did.

SPEAKER_00

There was something called like DJ Steve. What did I do and I'm like, oh remember.

SPEAKER_02

We're gonna watch them all and we gotta get back on the TikToking.

SPEAKER_00

If you can find out to sign in again.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I gotta figure that out, Steve, so we can do it again. Is there anything else you want to mention to the audience? We did a lot of times. It's Steve dot the dot hippo on TikTok. But I'm gonna add a link in the description. So Steve, before we go, you gotta let me know three things that make you happy. Yeah, that's one. You that's two and food. What about Foxy?

SPEAKER_00

She just bees me.

SPEAKER_02

She beats you and throws you in the trees. What's your favorite TikTok we made, Steve?

SPEAKER_00

Um, probably the chili bean one.

unknown

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, that one is a funny one.

SPEAKER_00

Doopies as fishes, do bees as fishes.

SPEAKER_02

That's right. Oh man, we had a lot of fun. So, Steve, I'm sorry we're gonna cut this short, but these episodes are only like twenty minutes to half an hour now. But we're gonna have you on again. It is very late, and I'm tired, and we spent like twenty minutes trying to fix this stupid thing.

SPEAKER_00

Michelle! What? I mean Mike! Yes. Sorry.

SPEAKER_02

I gotta edit all the Michelle's out.

SPEAKER_00

I think I only said twice.

SPEAKER_02

Three times now.

unknown

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00

Is this what I call you?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

His name is Mike, by the way.

unknown

Mike, by the way.

SPEAKER_00

Mike.

SPEAKER_02

So can you do different voices, uh Phoenix? I don't know. It's Foxy! Foxy. It's not your real name.

SPEAKER_00

It's not forgetting your child's pick knee.

SPEAKER_02

So how many voices can you do? Can you do British like your other your older sister? Umbr-S. She did British.

SPEAKER_00

I can't really do British.

SPEAKER_02

What else can you do? Um why do you like sushi?

SPEAKER_00

Raw fish.

SPEAKER_02

So yeah, if ever we're visiting and you have a fish tank, just watch my daughter because she might eat your fish.

SPEAKER_00

I won't eat the fish unless they're cooked. I mean, on a food.

SPEAKER_02

On a pl on a food. On a plate. Okay. Well, this has been really fun, but we should get going. We should do this again sometime. So thank you very much for listening. Once again, you are loved. You are appreciated.

SPEAKER_00

By Steve!

SPEAKER_02

By Steve. And Foxy and me. And once again, this is Life Changes with Mike. Thank you very much. Peace.

unknown

Good boy.

SPEAKER_01

Bye.