Every September, something changes in Alaska. The days get shorter, the temperature starts to drop, and the annual ritual of preparing for winter begins.

We winterize our homes, vehicles, and lives. We check the tires, stock up on firewood or fill the heating oil tank, find the snow gear, and make sure we're ready for the cold and dark ahead.

But what about the more internal aspect ?

In this solo episode, Manny reflects on the version of himself that seems to show up every winter and asks a bigger question: If we put so much effort into preparing everything else for an Alaska winter, how can we be just as intentional about winterizing our hearts and minds?

This episode also marks the beginning of a recurring conversation on The State I Am In about mental health, resilience, and navigating the darker months in Alaska. Throughout the winter, you'll hear from clinicians, coaches, and everyday Alaskans with experiences and lessons worth sharing.

And eventually, those conversations will lead into something new: the Polar Night 65 Challenge, a 65-day challenge through the darkest part of the Alaska winter focused on taking better care of our bodies, minds, and relationships.

Winter is coming. Let's prepare for more than just the weather.

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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 decades-long journey of articulating skeletons, teaching students, illustrating bones, writing books, and sharing his knowledge around Alaska and across the world.

We talk about recovering a 41-foot sperm whale, working with students to build skeletons, the strange science of cleaning bones, some of the unusual requests Lee has received over the years, and how a self-taught passion became an expertise few people possess.

More than anything, this is a conversation about curiosity, following the path in front of you, and what can happen when you find something you love doing and refuse to let it go.

This is the story of Lee Post, The Bone Man.

visit www.boneman.com to connect with Lee and learn more.

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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 encounters, law enforcement, search and rescue, and the responsibility that comes with protecting the resources Alaskans are fortunate enough to call their own.

But for all the years Chris spent protecting others, some of his greatest tests would come far from the badge.

In previous episodes, we sat down with Chris’s son, Tyler, and heard his incredible story of surviving a brown bear attack deep in the Alaska backcountry. This time, we hear that story from the perspective of the father who was there with him.

Chris also takes us into another remote Alaska survival story involving Tyler, and we talk about preparation, fatherhood, raising kids by example, a lifetime of service, and what nearly four decades in Alaska have taught Chris about protecting the things that matter most.

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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 listening. He shares how years of persistence, songwriting, self-producing, and relentless promotion have finally started to pay off.

Now, with a record deal signed, new music on the way, and plans to hit the road, Owen finds himself standing at the edge of the dream he’s been chasing for years.

As he puts it: “It feels like the time is now.”

They also get into the influence Alaska has had on Owen’s songwriting, the rise of AI-generated music, why imperfection matters in art, building an audience from scratch, staying authentic when the music industry comes calling, and his advice for anyone chasing a creative dream that other people might not understand.

From Cantwell to the doorstep of the big time, this is Owen MacDonald’s journey — and it may only be the beginning.

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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's about what happens after survival.

Ariean shares the physical, emotional, and mental challenges of rebuilding her life, learning to walk, run, and trust the outdoors again. We talk about fear, trauma, family, resilience, and the difficult question many survivors ask: "Why me?"

We also discuss her Instagram project, Ariean's 101st Yard, inspired by the distance she was dragged and the belief that life's most important step is often the one that comes after tragedy.

This is a conversation about courage (not the absence of fear) and the decision to keep moving forward despite it.

Whether you've experienced trauma yourself or have supported someone through it, Ariean's story is a powerful reminder that healing isn't about returning to who you were before. It's about discovering who you can become next.

Follow Ariean's journey on Instagram: @the101styard

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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 brutal Alaska conditions, to how she balances adventure with raising two young boys, to why bad weather almost always makes the best photography.

In this episode:

• How a halibut charter in Ninilchik turned into a life in Alaska
• The accidental origin of her photography career
• Why she lets her camera take a beating — and what's survived
• Her go-to gear: Sony, Sigma, and a backup SD card she keeps for emergencies
• The Knik Glacier camping trip that got a little too real at 2 a.m.
• Her honest take on AI editing and presets (spoiler: she's not a fan)
• Aurora photography, wildlife encounters, and her favorite spots on the peninsula
• Practical advice for parents who want to get outside but feel stuck

Follow Carly:

Instagram & Facebook @carly_on_the_kenai

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Kaedyn Jennings is 20 years old, from Wasilla, Alaska, and by almost every conventional measure wasn't supposed to be a success — a complicated upbringing between Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley, and a self-described bad student who nearly dropped out three months before graduation to start a lawn care company.

He didn't drop out, but he did start the business — and four years later Snip&Clip Alaska has crossed a million dollars in total revenue, serviced properties over 6,000 times last year, and has become a force to be reckoned with in the industry.

In this conversation Kaedyn walks Manny through all of it — his upbringing, the lawn care math that started everything, how he solved the three biggest problems in the industry before he even had his first client, and what he's learned about debt, hiring, leadership, and money from a network of real Alaska business owners he's built around himself.

But the deeper thread running through this episode is what comes next — Kaedyn is 20, has already built the time freedom most people spend decades chasing, and is now figuring out how to turn that into financial freedom, 50 rental units, a helicopter, and a life built entirely on his own terms.

What We Cover

• Growing up between homes, the aunt who raised him — and what shaped his drive
• How he went from watching a friend cut grass to building a company that did close to $750K last year
• Why he believes passion is overrated when it comes to building a business — and what matters more
• His take on Dave Ramsey, debt, and why he's focused on eliminating it entirely at 20 years old
• "Hire fast, fire fast" — his no-nonsense approach to building a small team and getting out of the way in leadership.
• The loneliness of being a young entrepreneur, and why he says the bottom is just as lonely as the top
• Big aspirations and the long game he's playing while others his age drag their feet

About Kaedyn Jennings

Kaedyn Jennings is a 20-year-old entrepreneur from Wasilla, Alaska, and the owner of Snip&Clip Alaska, a lawn care and snow removal company serving the Mat-Su Valley and Anchorage. He built the business from the ground up as a teenager, growing it to a small team with an operations manager, a sales team, and an office — and he's currently aiming for 400 customers this year.

He also creates content daily across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, where he shares his journey as a young business owner in Alaska.

Follow Kaedyn Jennings on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok

Subscribe to his YouTube channel @KaedynJennings907

Contact Snip&Clip Alaska for your lawncare and snow removal needs.

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In this episode of The State I Am In, Manny sits down with Willie, Abe, and Eli Porter—multi-generational Alaskans whose story is deeply tied to the roots of commercial fishing on the Kenai Peninsula. From homesteading in the early 1900s to losing boats, building businesses, and ultimately restoring a historic cannery across Cook Inlet, the Porters are preserving a piece of Alaska that’s slowly disappearing.

This is more than a story about fishing—it’s about legacy, resilience, and keeping a way of life alive for future generations.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• The Porter family’s Alaska origin story dating back to 1908
• What life looked like growing up in early Kenai (including dumping trash off the bluff 😳)
• The rise and fall of commercial canneries in Cook Inlet
• How fishing evolved from family-run operations to heavily regulated industry
• Why commercial fishermen are often misunderstood today
• The history behind Snug Harbor Cannery and how it nearly disappeared
• How the Porters bought and are restoring this historic site
• The reality of maintaining a remote, deteriorating property across the inlet
• Bear viewing, fishing, and offering a truly authentic Alaska experience
• Why preserving this history matters—before it’s gone for good

Key Themes

Legacy & Generational Knowledge
The Porters aren’t just telling stories—they’re living proof of how knowledge, grit, and values get passed down through generations.

The Evolution of Alaska
From fish traps and canneries to modern regulations and tourism, this episode highlights how drastically life has changed—and what’s been lost along the way.

Preservation vs. Erasure
Snug Harbor isn’t just a business—it’s a fight against time to preserve a disappearing culture and industry.

Authentic Alaska Experience
This isn’t crowded rivers and tourist traps. It’s remote, raw, and real—exactly what people hope to find when they come north.

🛠️ About Snug Harbor Outpost

Located across Cook Inlet near Lake Clark, Snug Harbor is a restored historic cannery turned remote adventure experience. Visitors can:

• Fish for salmon and halibut
• View bears in their natural habitat
• Explore untouched Alaska wilderness
• Walk through a living museum of Alaska’s fishing history

🌎 Why This Episode Matters

As Alaska continues to modernize, stories like this are becoming rare. The Porter family is holding onto something bigger than a business—they’re protecting a way of life.

If you’ve ever wondered what Alaska used to be—and what it still can be—this episode is for you.

Visit www.snugharboroutpost.com to learn more

Follow Snug Harbor on Facebook & Instagram

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