The State I Am In

45 Episodes

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#043 Alaska's Bone Man: A Life Built From Bones - Lee Post

2026-09-1402:08:26

Lee Post is known simply as "The Bone Man." What started as a lifelong curiosity about the natural world eventually led Lee to the Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska, where he was handed a challenge: figure out how to put a whale skeleton back together. There was no manual. There was no YouTube tutorial. And as Lee discovered, there weren't many people in the world who could even tell him how to do it. So he figured it out. In this episode, Lee shares how that first whale skeleton launched a decad...

#042 Protecting What Matters: A Lifetime of Service & Survival - Chris Johnson

2026-09-0701:29:03

Chris Johnson has spent his adult life protecting what matters. From a childhood dream of becoming a game warden to a career spanning more than three decades in wildlife law enforcement, Chris has dedicated his life to protecting Alaska’s people, wildlife, and wild places. In this episode, Chris shares stories from a career that has taken him across Alaska and put him face-to-face with some of the realities and dangers of working in the Last Frontier. We talk about conservation, bear encounte...

#041 The Time is Now: A Musician's Journey to the Big-Time - Owen MacDonald

2026-08-3150:23

Born and raised in tiny Cantwell, Alaska, Owen MacDonald grew up in a K–12 school with only a handful of students and never imagined music would become his career. What started with a guitar, some bad songs in a notebook, and a $30 microphone eventually became something much bigger. In this episode, Owen sits down with Manny to talk about leaving Alaska, chasing hockey to Minnesota, taking a shot at music, failing in Chicago, and continuing to write and record even when almost no one was list...

#040 The 101st Yard: Reclaiming Life After a Bear Attack - Ariean Colton

2026-06-2201:04:31

In August 2025, Ariean Colton stepped outside for a morning run in Kenai, Alaska. Moments later, her life changed forever. Attacked by a bear just steps from her driveway, Ariean suffered devastating injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, multiple fractures, and months of recovery. Dragged nearly 100 yards and left for dead, she survived because of a neighbor who heard something unusual in the early morning and went to investigate. But this conversation isn't just about the attack. It'...

#039 Behind the Lens with Carly on the Kenai - Carly Padrta

2026-05-1101:44:15

Carly Padrta — known across Instagram as Carly on the Kenai — is a lifestyle and adventure photographer based on the Kenai Peninsula. What started as a hobby born out of new motherhood and a pandemic-era YouTube rabbit hole has grown into a full creative career taking her across glaciers, into the backcountry, and all over the state of Alaska. In this conversation, Carly pulls back the curtain on what her life actually looks like behind the camera — from the gear she trusts in bru...

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