The Midwesterner's Secret | Morgan Ranstrom on Self-Promotion, Pride, and Letting Go

In this episode of Just Press Record, Matt Zeigler sits down with Morgan Ranstrom for a wide-ranging conversation about identity, artistry, business, pride, and community.

Starting with a clip from Michael Perry and Aaron Gwyn, the discussion explores what it means to grow up close to the ground and then find yourself in creative or professional spaces that feel like the wrong bus.

Morgan reflects on blue collar roots, self-promotion, building art alongside business, and why the people on your block matter more than the people on your screen.

This is a thoughtful conversation about staying grounded, letting go of pride, and choosing to build community on purpose.

Main topics covered

• Blue collar roots and what it means to feel two generations from the farm
• The feeling of getting on the wrong bus and navigating creative spaces
• Living close to the ground and staying connected to where you come from
• The tension between self-promotion and pride
• Why avoiding self-promotion can be its own form of ego
• Writing books, making music, and building a business without losing your soul
• Letting go of external validation and redefining success
• The danger of turning everything into national politics
• Parasocial relationships versus real neighbors
• Why hyper local community matters more than online tribalism
• Building bonds in your neighborhood and modeling connection for your kids
• What Morgan would do differently if dropped into a new community today

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and the Michael Perry and Aaron Gwyn clip
06:54 Blue collar meets art and the wrong bus feeling
14:00 Growing up close to the ground in the Midwest
18:00 Politics, parasocial relationships, and local community
22:00 Building community block by block
27:00 Self-promotion, pride, and creative identity
30:00 Writing books, making music, and redefining success
33:00 Measuring your life by your own ruler
34:30 Lessons from a four-year-old about building community
35:38 Where to find Morgan and what’s next