The State I Am In

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'...

Most stories of resilience are inspiring, but Clare Henry’s journey might just redefine what you think is possible. At only 18, she faced a devastating spinal cord stroke that left her paralyzed from the chest down — but her response? Pure determination, unwavering faith, and a relentless pursuit to pursue her dreams of music, no matter the odds. This is the comeback story you didn’t know you needed. In this episode, Clare takes us inside her life growing up on the Kenai Peninsula, sharing ho...

My guest today is Delana Green, a lifelong Alaskan from the Kenai Peninsula, musician, educator, and founder of Greenhouse Music. She’s also a podcaster and creator who has built a YouTube channel with over 10,000 subscribers—all from right here in Alaska. In this conversation, Delana shares how her background in music and theatre shaped her creative journey, leading her to teaching and building Greenhouse Music. Through stories about her students, she illustrates the real impact music has on...

In this episode of The State I Am In, I sit down with an Alaska artist and respected indigenous voice, Nikki Corbett, the creator behind Sew Yup’ik. Nikki grew up in Bethel, Alaska, in a childhood marked by both deep cultural roots and real personal hardship. She opens up about navigating family trauma, finding safe spaces in school and community, and how those early experiences shaped the way she sees the world today. We talk about her journey back to Yup’ik culture as an adult—l...

What happens when the responsibility to care for animals collides with gaps in the law? In this episode of The State I Am In, Manny sits down with Megan Merritt, founder of Homebound Farm & Rescue in Sterling, Alaska. A lifelong Alaskan and the self-described “machine” behind the rescue, Megan works daily with animals that have been abandoned, neglected, or left in conditions where help should exist—but often doesn’t. The conversation centers on a recent video Megan posted showing horse a...

In Part Two of this wide-ranging conversation, Manny finishes his conversation with Tyler Johnson for a story that takes an unexpected and unforgettable turn. After surviving a life-or-death grizzly bear attack, Tyler shares another wild moment from his life in the Alaska wilderness—this time on the remote Aleutian Island of Adak. What began as a demanding caribou hunt with his father turned into an emergency when an injury left them stranded in brutal weather, facing isolation, hard decision...

In this episode, Manny sits down with David Bayes, a lifelong Alaskan fisherman, charter captain, and one of the most visible leaders in the movement to reform Alaska’s trawl bycatch system. David grew up in Homer, spent more than two decades working on the water, and now helps lead the statewide conversation through the rapidly growing Stop Alaskan Trawler Bycatch Facebook group. Manny and David break down what trawling actually is, how it differs from other commercial fishing methods, and w...

In this episode I sit down with Ben Adams, owner and operator of 4T% Ranch in Soldotna, Alaska, to talk about the work, the cost, and the conviction behind one of the wildest modern ranching stories I have ever heard. Ben grew up poor in Canada with a legally blind father, learned responsibility early, and eventually "fluked" his way into a career as a criminal defense attorney. Years later, he walked away from the courtroom, carved a ranch out of the boreal forest on the central Kenai ...