The 3 Year Show

Episode Summary: Marking the 3rd anniversary of Mike Murphy Unplugged with an update on change, development, and creating the life you want — including news of a new role with podcast hosting company Simplecast.

What You'll Learn

• Why Mike started Mike Murphy Unplugged and what podcasting was really for him
• The value of showing up daily even when it feels like nobody's listening
• How a personal loss and a year of decluttering shaped a decision to pause the podcast
• Landing a new role as podcast support specialist at Simplecast

Mike Murphy Unplugged started on Friday, September 25, 2015. This anniversary episode does three things: acknowledges the milestone and everyone who's supported the show, shares updates since Episode 150, and announces a new position with podcast hosting company Simplecast.

What Is a Milestone?

A milestone is an action or event marking a significant change or stage in development. Change is to make or become different. Development is a state of growth or advancement.

Why Mike Started Mike Murphy Unplugged

Two reasons: to connect, teach, and help people figure things out, and to figure out how to make a living as an online educator and content creator. Podcasting was the perfect medium — Mike had been an avid podcast listener since the original iPod, loved audio and gear, and saw an emerging medium he could use to share his voice from his own bedroom.

He gave himself 30 days to learn how to start a podcast: recording and editing audio, building the artwork and branding, and setting up social profiles. He didn't overthink it, and stayed determined to do it his own way — everyone told him to niche down, but that's never been who he is. A wide range of interests used to feel like a weakness; it became his superpower. The long-term goal was simple: make a living as a content creator and teacher.

Showing Up, Day After Day

The point of Mike Murphy Unplugged was always to document the journey — the tools, resources, and steps toward a general goal of making a living in creativity and teaching tech. Step one was starting the podcast itself, so the first several months were a podcast about podcasting, sharing everything Mike knew about setting up and producing a show.

The main principle from three years in: show up day after day, even when it feels like nobody's listening. Mike created at least one piece of content, seven days a week, 365 days a year, for almost three years — trusting that consistency would either help him figure it out or open a door. There was no roadmap at the start, just persistence.

In Episode 150, Mike announced he was taking a break and putting the podcast on hiatus. Was it podfading? Not quite — but it needed a break. What started as a tool to help him had started to feel like a burden, held onto mostly to protect a never-missed-a-Friday streak.

A Year of Simplicity

2018 has been the year of simplicity, and I created my own v…

Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.