#034 What I Learned: One Year of Sharing Alaskan Stories - Manny Coelho

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 biggest takeaway? The human story is far more powerful than we give it credit for.

We’ve been sharing stories since time immemorial—but today, those stories still guide us. They help us navigate challenges, find meaning, and remind us that we’re not alone in what we’re going through.

This episode is about more than a milestone. It’s about why conversations matter, what happens when we’re willing to listen, and how something almost magical can occur when wisdom is shared.

Alaska may be the backdrop—but the story is human.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

In This Episode:

• Reflecting on one year of The State I Am In
• Why storytelling still matters today
• What I’ve learned from guests across Alaska
• The connection between purpose and struggle
• The power of simply sitting down and listening

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Have a story to share?
If you or someone you know has a story that reflects Alaska beyond the postcards, I’d love to hear from you.

Keep North^

Transcript

Manny (00:25)
Hello and welcome to the state am in where every conversation points north. Here we discuss the topics that Alaskans and perhaps everyone may care about. I'm your host, Manny Coelho a fellow Alaskan and your guide to the conversations that Alaskans want to hear from the individuals who are leading the way. Now that intro carries special significance today because today marks the one year anniversary of this podcast.

That's right. Over a year ago, March 31st, 2025 on Seward's Day, I launched this podcast with the hopes of amplifying Alaskan stories. And here we are a year later celebrating Seward's Day and we are still trucking my friends. And the significance of Seward's Day is really special to me. William Seward looked at Alaska, saw the potential, saw that it was a risk worth taking and it became a part.

of the US territory, right? And a lot of people criticized him for it. And yet here we are over 150 years later, living, doing life, loving this place that we get to call home. And in a lot of ways, I approach this podcast with the same attitude. I saw this place, I saw the stories that were out there, the individuals, the things that are happening. And I was like, you know what? We need more of that on the airwaves.

I have not been let down. So to all my guests, mean, gosh, I think about all the people I've been able to talk to and meet and just learn from their stories and the things that have been added to my life. I am so grateful. I'm so, so grateful for every conversation that I've been able to host on this show because I was not proven wrong. There are amazing people out there and

and their stories are really special. And I do want to kind of lean into why I think they're special here in a minute. the other aspect of this that I really have to point out and looking at the past year is to you, the listener, the person listening or watching right now, thank you. Thank you for tuning in. Thank you for seeing the value in this show in some way or another. Whether you just come here to be entertained by my ramblings or

if you actually are getting something out of this. Thanks for tuning in each week. You know, it's cool as I look at the analytics, I see all the communities and cities represented in the state that listen and you know, in Alaska and across the country and worldwide even. So to the listener, thank you so much for seeing the value in this show, for believing in it in some way or another. Your support means so much to me.

So as I look back on the last year, I mean, the best way that I can describe it is I'm just filled with gratitude. This started off just as like kind of a hobby and has kind of evolved into a small business now. And it is taken up a part of my life that I did not expect it to in a good way. And I am so excited for what's to come in the future. And I hope you all will be with me through that part of it as well, because

I just have more ideas and more things that I have in the works and more and more guests keep coming out of the woodwork. You know, when I started this, I think I had maybe a dozen people that I thought I could get a yes to come on the show. And that was a win for me was someone to say, yeah, I'll come on your podcast. And, and that happened over and over again. And then people started reaching out to me and then, you connections led to other connections and

And now I'm starting to believe that there is no end in sight with this.

It's such a cool thing because Alaska is the backdrop, but the stories are very human. And that is the part that I really want to just kind of lean into for this short solo episode today. Because if I were to tell you what I've learned in podcasting over the last year, my answer is not going to be that profound. It's that the human story is remarkable, but it's nothing new.

I mean, humans have been telling stories since time immemorial. I mean, the only difference today is that I turn on a camera, I put it on the internet and I call it a podcast. But really humans have been sharing stories and experiences forever. mean, whether that was around campfires or thousands of years ago, you know, plastered on the inside of cave walls. Like we have been sharing our experiences with one another. And again, just to use like the caveman.

analogy, we would share where we could find food, you know, what was poisonous, what was safe, what was dangerous, you know, where was shelter and, you know, those basic needs and that type of information was valuable to the other cavemen and women around, right? And today we're still kind of concerned with those things as basic human needs, yes, but there's other things that are always kind of going on in the background of our minds and our lives. And that's things like

what our purpose is and how do you overcome challenges? What do you do when you find yourself in difficult situations? What do you do when you really, really want something but your life circumstances seem to be preventing that from happening?

You know, I've talked to people on the show that have achieved some level of success depending on, you know, what their story was. I've talked to a variety of different people, right? But almost always there was some difficulty, some challenge, something that was prohibiting them from getting to where they wanted to be. And so the beauty of the show is I get to ask questions and hear how they went about that in order to do what they're doing today.

So why does that resonate with people? Well, it's because we are all in progress. You know, not all of us are on the other side of that. A lot of us right now are in the midst of difficulty, are in the midst of challenging, challenging circumstances, or feel like we're not achieving our full potential or living out our life's purpose, or even questioning what our life's purpose is. And so when you get to hear from people that have felt those same emotions and struggles and then have found it for them,

That's like, it's the old caveman in the cave story. You you're like, ⁓ I can see the writing on the walls on how I can get through this and maybe add that wisdom to my own life to achieve what I think might be out there waiting for me. And I think there's so much value in that because, you you might hear these stories on the show and be encouraged by them. And if that's the case, awesome. But I guarantee I could grab you and put you across the table from me.

And we can talk about what you would consider your life's greatest achievements or maybe what your darkest moments were. And there's so much to be learned in those things for anyone that would be willing to listen. I think that's what the most beautiful thing is about the human story.

is when two people come together with a mutual understanding that wisdom is gonna be shared and that wisdom is gonna be gained it's like some magic happens because this is what has been going on forever, is humans have been sharing their insight and their experiences with one another to make each other better. And it is an awesome thing to be a part of. I am so looking forward to bring you more conversations like this and really challenging myself to ask the hard questions, to ask like,

the questions that maybe you wouldn't hear on another podcast or diving into a certain area that others wouldn't want to address. And I want to have more confidence to go into that more human aspect of people's stories and not just the highlight reels, because that is what we are so accustomed to seeing is just everyone's best. But I think that most of us at one point or another,

experience the real difficult times where we feel like maybe no one has experienced what we're currently experiencing and that is false

So going into the next year of this podcast, I hope you are ready for more conversations like that. I hope that you are encouraged by them and I hope that you continue to listen, tell your friends, tell other Alaskans, follow along and thanks for being a part of this. I enjoy the opportunity to be able to share this little slice of Alaska with you all.

if you haven't figured it out yet, that's the heart behind this show. Alaska will continue to be the backdrop, but it's the stories, it's the experiences, it's the topics and the things that we are all concerned about, all dealing with in one way or another and navigating those together and just sharing that insight with one another. I hope that's what comes to the surface as you listen to this, something that you can apply to your own life or learn from. And if that's happening, awesome.

I'm grateful for it. And honestly, again, just so grateful for everyone and everyone that's been on the show, everyone that tunes in and more to come. Keep North Alaska and thank you for joining me on The State I Am In.

Manny (09:06)
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Manny (09:48)
committed to growing the state I'm in by sharing thoughtful, honest conversations and voices from all across Alaska. And if you or someone you know has a story that reflects Alaska beyond the postcards, gift shops, and tourist traps, I'd love to hear from you.

Now, more than ever, I believe sharing the voices of our fellow Alaskans truly matters, and I will continue to do this work for as long as there are people willing to sit down and share meaningful conversations. Keep North Alaska, and thank you for joining me on the state I am in.