Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Bauman
Hi Mike, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been drawn to sports and music. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized I could turn those interests into something more tangible beyond just hobbies I enjoyed.
After serving as the Sports Editor of my high school newspaper during my senior year, I went on to major in Communication with a focus in Journalism at the University of Toledo. While there, I was a staff writer on the Sports staff for the Independent Collegian, our student newspaper. By the time I was a senior, I became the Assistant Sports Editor, with designs of pursuing a career in Sports Journalism after graduation.
In the late Summer/early Fall of 2010, two local outlets gave me the opportunity to cut my teeth: Toledo Free Press as a sportswriter, and Toledo Sports Network as a staff broadcaster for local high school athletic events. As my time with both continued, I eventually graduated to doing music feature stories in addition to sports writing for Toledo Free Press, and radio broadcasting in addition to TV broadcasting with Toledo Sports Network.
As an avid podcast listener myself at that time, I got the notion of starting my own podcast using the longform interviews from my music feature stories with Toledo Free Press. So, in 2012, that’s what I did. Initially launched as Bauman’s Breakdown, I would record the podcast at the home studio of my late friend Mike Jameson, one of my broadcasting mentors and cofounder of Toledo Sports Network.
After some stops and starts, as well as relocating to Nashville in 2015, I decided to rebrand and relaunch the podcast as March Forth with Mike Bauman in 2019. Having spent some time away from doing the podcast consistently, when I came back to it, I knew I needed a way for my show to stand out and be unique. My birthday is March 4th, so I just decided to take the “u” out of “fourth” and make it “March Forth,” a mantra of perseverance and moving forward.
Since relaunch in 2019, the podcast is nearing 200 episodes and has been downloaded in countries around the world. My whole goal with the show was to connect with people in a positive way by letting them know we all go through struggles, and it’s okay to not be okay. We all walk through periods of darkness to get to the light, and we all have the strength within us to overcome and march forth.
It’s been one of the most humbling and rewarding experiences of my life to have a platform where I get to connect with people that I otherwise wouldn’t have known had I not gotten back into the podcast.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road definitely has not always been smooth, but that’s life, right? I think it’s inevitable that there’s going to be ups and downs along the way, and there have been curveballs over the past few years that I didn’t see coming.
All that said, I think there’s always lessons to be learned from situations that didn’t go the way we hoped, and positive outcomes that can come out of negative experiences. So much of that, I’ve learned, is a matter of perspective, and what we choose to do with the cards that we’re dealt.
The main struggles that I dealt with after relaunching the pod were isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as some unforeseen events in my personal life that really compounded that isolation and created the darkest period I’ve ever gone through. Having the love and support of my family, close friends, and doing the podcast consistently helped to pull me out of that darkness.
It’s easier said than done, but if you can learn how to turn those negatives into positives, it really makes all the difference. For me, I turned those negatives into positives through therapy, exercise, staying in touch with my loved ones, and doing my podcast consistently. In a weird way, my life was kind of mirroring the theme of my show: perseverance and moving forward. It was not smooth sailing, and there were some dark days, man, but that’s what I did.
I’m forever grateful for my loved ones, the awesome guests of the show that I’ve been able to connect with, and the listeners of the podcast for getting me through.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a Contract Analyst in the healthcare industry, as well as a Podcaster.
I feel very fortunate to do both because my job in healthcare appeals to my left-brain analytical side, while doing my podcast appeals to my right-brain creative side. Through both avenues, I’ve been able to work alongside and connect with some really awesome people. I’ve learned so much, and I’m incredibly grateful to be on the path that I’m on.
As far as what sets me apart from others, I honestly try and not look at life through that lens, because there’s always failure in comparison. What I will say is that the goal of my podcast is the same as how I strive to be in my day job and in my everyday life, in that how I treat people is of paramount importance to me. It’s not about being liked/popular; it’s about connecting with people in a positive way.
So, if you dig music, sports, mental health, humor, learning about people from different walks of life, overcoming challenges, people chasing their dreams, and conversations with folks on those journeys, then I think you’d enjoy my podcast.
What are your plans for the future?
My plans are to continue to grow the podcast and reach as many people as possible in a positive way.
Each year, I try to think of new skills I can learn to help the show grow, or new ways to reach people. I’m a bit of a caveman when it comes to technology, but I noticed how prevalent video shorts, reels, and clips were on the socials of the podcasts I listened to. While my show has always been audio only, I made it a point in 2024 to learn more about video editing. I started doing video shorts from the podcast conversations to bring more people in, and I definitely think those helped the show’s growth last year.
In 2025, I’m going to publish more of those clips, spread that content to my YouTube and TikTok channels, and focus on building those up. The main place I’ve focused my attention for the podcast to this point has been Instagram. While Instagram has been great for the show and connected me with some awesome people, I think it’s good to set up your platform so that people can find you across multiple socials.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/marchforthpod
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marchforthpod/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@marchforthpod
