Don't call it a comeback...

It was a quintessential, choose-any-shade-of-gray, misty Seattle fall morning when we loaded up the last pieces of furniture and hit the road for San Francisco. It was October 2017, and my then-spouse had accepted a job opportunity in the Bay. With two mini-Schnauzers in tow, we said good-bye to Seattle and made our way south to begin a new chapter.

Little did I (or we) know that the next 90 days would bring a series of devastating blows. My father would pass away at just 58 years old, one of my beloved pups would have to be put down, and my nearly 10-year marriage would come to an end. Call it Murphy's Law, but life has an uncanny way of dumping everything on you all at once.

But before all hell broke loose, we made it safely to our small apartment in Mission Bay and were taking in all our new neighborhood had to offer. Walks along the Embarcadero, a dog park that was soon to open, and seemingly unlimited food truck options at Spark Social SF just steps away from our front door.

We were barely out of boxes when my colleague and long-time friend Kyle Johnson reached out to gauge my interest in starting a tech podcast. It was a way for us to stay connected with him being in Seattle and me being in Cali. (Coincidentally, eight years later, I am the one in Seattle and he in Cali). And we both had a desire to overcome our fears of putting our thoughts and ideas out in a public forum. It sounded like a good excuse to buy some gear and I was quickly on board.

On October 24, 2017, we did a "Mic Check" and three days later Ep. 01: "Introductions" of the CoffeeCodeCast was released to the world. Over the next four years we'd record 71 more episodes mostly one a week with a few interruptions. We'd gotten rid of the "umm's and uhh's" and even started live casting with video on Youtube and Facebook. We had regular guest appearances and took live calls on-air when we added the RodeCaster Pro to our kit.

The last ten or so episodes were all recorded in 2020 when COVID shut down the world and with so much changing and uncertainty I started losing interest in the cast. It felt repetitive and old but I wasn't sure how to change it up or if I wanted to at that point so I decided to push pause and step away. The cast went on for a handful more episodes with regular guest Zach Cervi and Kyle but didn't stick and the show went on hiatus January 4, 2021.

Fast forward another four years to 2025 and my world has been turned upside down again. This time primarily in terms of my career. I lost my job as Director of Information Technology in April 2024. My tenure was about as long as my marriage - ended just shy of ten years. And in the weeks and months since I've done a lot of soul searching. With some distance, I can see more clearly how climbing the corporate ladder had left me feeling unfulfilled and trapped - too comfortable, and more honestly, too afraid to give up the kush salary and the status of the position to pursue a more fulfilling life. In reality, underneath the fear and doubt, the desire to once again be the captain of my own ship had been tugging at me fiercely for some time.

With all the change and time apart, it seemed like the obvious thing to do was to bust out the Shure SM7B "Thriller" mic's one more time and talk about it all on the open airwaves. Technology, life and the journey. And just like that Ep. 73: "Welcome Back" made its debut four years (and 20 days) after our last regular show. It feels good to be back putting out content even if it's only for me. It's a form of therapy. I've also taken on some personal projects such as starting this blog. I have a hard time putting down the pen (or keyboard) as of late and so I hope to create more written content in the coming weeks and months.

Returning to the CoffeeCodeCast feels like coming full circle. It's been a constant in a sea of change. It’s not just about technology or career—it’s about rediscovering my voice and sharing the journey good or bad. Here’s to new beginnings, both on and off the airwaves.

Mike