Posts by Michael Earls
From French Bread to Garlic Focaccia — What Bread Taught Me About Change (Again)
I moved from French bread to garlic focaccia and learned (again) how real change happens — through patience, process, and letting the same foundation evolve.
Read MorePlatform First: Paved Roads, Freedom, and the Cost of Both
Platforms don’t fail when teams go around them. They fail when the road no longer leads where work needs to go.
Read MoreWeek One — Change Is Already Happening
Change doesn’t happen overnight — it happens quietly. A personal reflection on routines, consistency, and the moments that make change finally stick.
Read MoreFrom Dutch Oven to Focaccia: What Bread Taught Me About Change
What started as a simple French bread turned into a focaccia lesson on change, patience, and adapting when the process doesn’t go as planned.
Read MoreWhat Are You Leaving Here So Next Week Starts Lighter?
A Friday reflection on release, integration, and creating space before the next week begins. No fixing, no forcing—just room to breathe.
Read MoreKung Food AmerAsia: A Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Find… Right Here in Cincinnati
I watched Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives and assumed Kung Food AmerAsia was in NYC or California—turns out it’s been in the Cincinnati area for 16+ years. I finally went, and it brought back that off-the-radar, eclectic “dive find” feeling I’ve missed.
Read MoreIdentity First: The Only Control Plane That Survives Every Cloud Decision
Identity isn’t plumbing — it’s architecture. User, device, and code identity form the only control plane that survives every cloud decision.
Read MoreAwareness Before Acceleration
The second week of January is when things start to get honest. The energy of the new year hasn’t disappeared, but it has changed. The noise has quieted. The routines are no longer new. And the temptation to add more, more goals, more effort, more urgency, starts to creep back in. Before doing that, I’m…
Read MoreFrom Aruba to My Kitchen: Homemade Stroopwafels, Gratitude, and Slowing Down
A first-time attempt at homemade stroopwafels inspired by Aruba, with reflections on gratitude, coffee, process, and slowing down into 2026.
Read MoreRefining the Base
Different city. Same Orangetheory workout. That alone was the reminder. No matter where you go, the work shows up the same. Today’s focus was simple: your base — and pushing it up. Refining the base isn’t exciting.It’s quiet.It’s repetitive.Sometimes uncomfortable. There’s no spotlight on it. No immediate payoff. Just showing up and doing the work that…
Read More