Make The Way: Culture Decoded

About Make The Way: Culture Decoded

What happens when Millennials and Gen Z start burning down the old playbook and actually build something better? Hosted by award-winning brand strategist and author Mike Fair, Make The Way dives deep into the codes MillZ are rewriting across culture: from work and wellness to fashion, fandoms, faith, and more. Each episode unpacks what’s shifting (and why it matters) through a lens of lived experience, cultural strategy, and sharp storytelling. Expect real talk, smart takes, and a blueprint for the future you actually want to live. 📍 Tap in weekly to decode the culture and Make the Way forward.

Publisher

Mike Austin Makes Podcast Network

Category

science · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Feb 2026

Latest episode

22 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

21 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Sept 2026

   Trust Your Gut: How to Build Intuition You Can Actually Trust | Make The Way

   Do you trust your gut? And no, I'm not talking about your stomach. I'm talking about your intuition. We hear "trust your gut" all the time. But what actually makes your instincts worth trusting? In this episode of Make The Way, we're unpacking how intuition is built through practice, research, repetition, exploration—and yes, failure. Because your gut isn't magic. It's informed. I'll also take you behind the strategy of TWIX Kicks, one of the defining campaigns of my career, and break down how an instinct about connecting TWIX Cookies & Creme to sneaker culture was strengthened by SEO data, TrendKite research, cultural observation, and the growing relevance of drop culture. The idea might have felt intuitive. But there were years of reps—and plenty of research—underneath it. In this episode: • Why intuition isn't the same thing as guessing • How to build better instincts over time • The role of research, repetition and failure in trusting your gut • Why great decision-making is both art AND science • How data can validate—but shouldn't replace—intuition • The strategy behind TWIX Kicks • How to know when your gut is actually worth trusting Maybe the question isn't, "Do you trust your gut?" Maybe it's: "Have you done the work to build a gut you can trust?" Subscribe to Make The Way for conversations about culture, strategy, creativity, personal growth and making your own way forward. #MakeTheWay #TrustYourGut #Intuition

2. 

   15 Sept 2026

   You’re Not Stuck. You’re Numb. Here’s How to Break Free. | Make The Way

   Feeling stuck in life? What if you’ve been on autopilot for so long that you’ve lost touch with what excites you? Let’s talk about how to get unstuck and reconnect with possibility. In this episode of Make The Way, Mike Austin Fair explores a tension that may feel familiar to Millennials and Gen Z: you’re showing up, handling responsibilities, and getting things done—but where’s the room for who you’re becoming? We unpack three codes to help you make your next move: • Break out of the matrix: question the expectations, routines, and definitions of success you’ve inherited. • Get back into learning mode: follow your curiosity and give yourself permission to be a beginner. • Go get inspired: make room for play, hobbies, art, and experiences that don’t have to become a hustle. When was the last time you changed your mind, learned something new, or did something simply because it made you feel alive? Your challenge this week: one thing to question, one thing to learn, and one thing to enjoy. Which code do you need most right now? Tell me in the comments—and name one move you’re making this week. Subscribe to Make The Way for conversations about culture, personal growth, and making your way forward. Find me on YouTube and Instagram: @mikeaustinmakes #MakeTheWay #FeelingStuck #PersonalGrowth

3. 

   19 Aug 2026

   We’ve Got Martha’s Vineyard All Wrong—Here’s What’s Missing (Culture Radar) | Make The Way

   Is Martha’s Vineyard really elitist—or have we reduced a multi-layered Black cultural space to its most expensive image? After visiting for the first time, I think we’ve been having the wrong conversation about Martha’s Vineyard. In this Culture Radar episode of Make The Way, I share what I experienced during my first visit to Martha’s Vineyard and explore what the online discourse may be missing about Oak Bluffs, Black leisure, community, belonging, and cultural tradition. Yes, Martha’s Vineyard can contain wealth, status, exclusivity, and even pretension. But it can also represent Black rest, organic connection, intergenerational legacy, and the freedom to experience vacation on our own cultural terms. More than one thing can be true at the same time. We’ll decode: Why social media reduces Martha’s Vineyard to wealth and status The difference between labeling culture and actually experiencing it Why Black leisure carries deeper cultural significance How aspiration and elitism are often conflated Why nuance doesn’t require us to ignore questions of access What the Vineyard taught me about practicing community Oak Bluffs has served as a historic place of gathering and belonging for Black Americans, and August continues to feature major celebrations of Black literature, film, art, HBCU culture, and community. Oak Bluffs’ Sankofa Festival (https://calendar.vineyardgazette.com/event/sankofa-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com) and other current cultural programming reflect that broader legacy. What do you think: Is the criticism of Martha’s Vineyard fair, or are we missing part of the story? Subscribe to Mike Austin Makes for more episodes of Make The Way: Culture Decoded, where we examine the cultural codes shaping Millennials, Gen Z, and what comes next.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.