What if optimism isn’t about pretending everything’s fine—but finding the courage to keep going when it’s not?
Nonprofit CEO, artist, and author, Mike Baker, joins Elaine for a soul-deep conversation about presence, purpose, and pushing through pain. From fatherhood to faith, music to mindset, Mike shares how heartbreak became healing—and how hope is something we create, not wait for.
This one will hit you right in the heart.
Plus: the surprising reason Mike writes songs, why campfires matter more than you think, and what Sisyphus can teach you about joy…
About the Guest:(bio, personal links, resource links)
Mike Baker is a husband, dad, musician, artist, and nonprofit CEO who believes real leadership starts with presence. He’s spent his life serving others, through healthcare, through creative work, and through simply being willing to show up, even when things get hard.
His book, The Optimist’s Way, brings together honest reflections, original music, and visual art as a way to help people reconnect with purpose and remember who they are. His music has been streamed over 700,000 times by people looking for something honest, something that meets them in the middle of real life.
Mike doesn’t speak from a mountaintop, he speaks from the messy middle, where faith, creativity, and service overlap. His work is about helping people find alignment again: with their own voice, their own story, and something greater than themselves.
If your audience is drawn to purpose, energy, and heart-centered truth, this conversation will feel like home.
Free Gift: Mike is giving away 5 free copies of his book, The Optimist’s Way, to podcast listeners.
Here’s how it works:
📲 Follow Mike on Instagram or Facebook at @theoptimistsway
📩 Send Mike a DM with one thing that resonated with you from the podcast episode
That’s it. Mike will randomly pick 5 people to receive a signed copy of the book.
And for everyone who messages Mike, he’ll send a private link to the companion songs—original music I created to go with the book. It’s all about connection. If something lands with you, I want you to have more of it.
https://www.instagram.com/theoptimistsway/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575192704717
How to Show Support: Let the work be a doorway. If something, a song, a page, a line, moves something in you, follow that. Share it with someone who might be holding something heavy. Let it start a real conversation. That’s what this is about: creating space for people to show up fully, to shift out of survival mode and back into themselves.
We don’t heal alone. We find pieces of ourselves in other people’s stories, in the quiet of a song, or in a moment of unexpected honesty. That’s the kind of connection I hope this work creates.
And if it feels right, pick up The Optimist’s Way. The book, the music, the art, they’re all just different ways I’ve tried to tell the truth and leave a light on for someone else.
Social Media Links:
https://www.facebook.com/mike.baker.9480
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550422739996
https://www.instagram.com/mikebakermusic
https://www.instagram.com/endodad76
https://www.instagram.com/infinitecanvasai
https://www.instagram.com/theoptimistsway
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7p5czZivD7DHdJzqRt8QPB
https://www.mikebakerhq.com
https://soundcloud.com/mikebakermusic
https://www.tiktok.com/@mikebakerhq
About the Host, Elaine Starling:
Welcome to The Abundance Journey—where we don’t just talk about abundance, we embody it.
I’m Elaine Starling, The Abundance Ambassador™. After a spiritual near-death experience, I was called to help you align your energy, purpose, and voice with the Divine abundance already within you.
Each week, you’ll hear practical tools, spiritual insights, inspiring guests, and powerful Intention Activations to help you:
• Reconnect with your true self
• Reclaim your intrinsic worth
• Take aligned action toward your highest vision
Let’s spiral up into joy, purpose, and prosperity—together.
www.TheAbundanceJourney.com
Beaming you infinite love and blessings!
Free Gift: Get a book excerpt from “5 Steps to Activate Your Abundance”
https://theabundancejourney.com/5-steps-to-activate-abundance
https://amzn.to/3Zh9kVq
How to Support: Please share this episode with everyone you love and admire. Let them know that they are receiving this lovely energy too!
Elaine Starling Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elaine.abundance
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elainestarling/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3eXgwdMYYzLicCEcB1Ddrg
TEDx Talk, “Abundance Is a Choice” https://youtu.be/tMQ0D4sfEys
Website: www.TheAbundanceJourney.com
5 Steps to Activate Your Abundance Book: https://amzn.to/3vjKjft
Thanks for listening!
Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.
#TheOptimistsWay, #MikeBakerMusic, #InfiniteCanvasAI, #HeartCenteredLeadership, #CreateToConnect, #StorytellingWithSoul, #MusicThatHeals, #EmotionalHonesty, #OptimismInHardTimes, #AuthenticConnection, #ElaineStarling, #AbundanceAmbassador, #manifest, #empoweredwomen, #awakening, #spirituality, #raiseyourvibration, #awakened, #collectiveconsciousness, #higherconsciousness, #followyourintuition, #intuitive, #everydaymotivation, #selflove, #selfcare
