Forever Forward with Michael Cerminaro
The podcast host on his quarter-life crisis, mitigating anxiety, and connecting with others in a deeper way
Not long after graduating from Boston College, Michael Cerminaro moved to New York City and landed a job in finance. He was brimming with hope and ambition on a path to rising the corporate ladder. As a young boy, he had dreamed of a stable career that paid well and enabled him to support his family. But as the novelty of adult life faded, anxiety began to creep in.
"I faced some of the deepest-rooted anxiety I’ve ever felt," Cerminaro, 27, says. What emerged was existential anxiety, which involves persistent thoughts about the meaning of it all, death, and existence. (I’ve felt my share of similar feelings.) His life had become a series of routines: a packed subway commute, an office job five days a week, then coming home for a little downtime with his girlfriend, Caroline, before doing it all over again. “It wasn’t a wholesome existence,” he recalls. “I wasn’t connected to anything greater than myself, which made me feel empty.”
He developed that uneasy feeling of, Is this all there is? He explored his fear in conversations with his psychologist, who told him that in our mid-20s, we tend to grapple with the idea that what “you’re doing now is likely what you’ll continue doing for many years.” That realization can be unsettling.
In a life previously defined by cycles—new schools, new grades, graduation, new adventures—the career phase had little built-in change. “Once you’re out in the world, the onus is on you to make things happen,” he says. “I felt a lot of existential dread like, oh my gosh, it had been four years since college, and I’m kind of over this. I realized I needed to create something to find meaning again.”
That quarter-life crisis planted the seeds for Forever Forward, Cerminaro’s podcast and YouTube channel, driven by a quest for purpose and meaning amid early adulthood. Forever Forward is his personal project, but it also helps him connect with people in deep conversations he wouldn’t otherwise have. It’s a way to share stories, heal, and process the unease of his twenties.
Here’s Cerminaro, a dear friend, on his podcast Forever Forward, connecting with others, and more.
Why did you start Forever Forward?
Since I was a kid, I always loved having conversations with people. It wasn’t performative. I am most joyful when I have authentic conversations.
After a few years working in finance, I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t feel deeply convicted in the work. So, I tried to put aside my limiting belief that candid, authentic conversations couldn’t become big business, and I decided to go for it. It was born out of a bit of unhappiness with my current situation. It thrust me into full self-confidence that I could make this thing work.
When did it start?
Officially, in May 2024. But I feel like Forever Forward started a long time ago. I’ve had these in-depth conversations since I was a kid. The only big difference now is there’s a camera and microphone.
What is your goal with the podcast?
All I want is for people to come on and speak their truth. That makes me feel most human, and I'm hopeful that when people listen to my podcast, they leave it feeling like part of something bigger than themselves.
How has it evolved?
We're still scratching the surface. We’ve got the bones and are trying to fill it out. I post weekly. We’ve done 23 episodes. It’s evolving. I figure out a better way to lead the guest into the next question, or I figure out a better thumbnail to use, or I figure out a little bit more of what my authentic voice is on camera. Over time, I'm slowly chiseling away. We’re still in the early innings, and I’m happy to make this a 5, 10, or 20-year pursuit. I feel so deeply convicted in this mission. It feels less like a business and more like a mission calling.
Forever Forward is a growing community at a time when, arguably, people have never felt so alone.
It’s a place to accept one another and help one another. People don’t grow up going to church with a church community, and people spend a lot of time on Twitter or Instagram. Those apps provide access to a large web of individuals, but they promote feelings of insecurity, and they can make you feel excluded. I think they distract you from the life around you.
They can also drive a lot of unhealthy comparison. How often do you compare your achievements to those of your peers? What strategies do you use to avoid unhealthy comparisons?
Yes and no. In the beginning, I compared myself to every podcast on the planet, and, unsurprisingly, I felt deeply inadequate because they had way more listeners than me. They had sponsors and great guests, and I didn’t. But I have continued to fall in love with the process. I realize that I'm creating something with authenticity. I believe the conversations are special, which takes the pressure off growing the podcast.
You and I aren’t alone in our generation to have had struggles with anxiety. I appreciate your openness about it. For you, what is anxiety? How does it manifest itself?
For as long as I can remember, I've felt something akin to what I would call anxiety. At times, it has been obsessive checking where my siblings were, making sure I did something a certain way. Death anxiety has been really scary — feeling that I’m going to drop dead out of nowhere for no reason, or that I’ll have a heart attack.
I have always felt anxiety about my career, whether I’m in the right spot or on the right path. I've always had this underlying feeling that something's not right. That's how I really would classify anxiety: just this constant feeling that something is not all the way correct, whether it's in my body or my life. How that manifests is often physically with tension. I tap my feet on the floor, clench my fists, and feel my heart rate, which can be a real burden. It takes you out of the present.
Forever Forward is among the first times I feel completely present. The conversations make me forget about my impending death, the fear that I could have a heart attack or the fear that I might get fired from my job. They’re all irrational fears, but they’re present in my head.
How have you mitigated anxious feelings?
I've tried it all. I’ve been on medication for a long time. I’ve tried exercising, and I’ve tried eating healthier. What helps a lot is knowing I am an imperfect person who struggles with certain things, but hearing the struggles of others and sharing my struggles with them helps.
I wasn't honest with myself for a while and harbored these feelings internally. But when I express how I feel, it takes a big weight off my back. The conversations on the podcast go a long way.
Do you notice anxiety comes in waves, passing by like the weather?
Yes. In my junior and senior years of high school, I had no anxiety, no medication, nothing. Same with most of college. But when I graduated, I had an existential crisis.
Interestingly, you mention the waves because they do come in waves, and sometimes I wonder: When will this one end? Sometimes, it feels like maybe it never will, but I just try to ride them out, as horrible as they can be.
How do you create meaningful relationships and interactions?
I used to want a large number of friends, and while that is nice, I now have a small circle of deeply trusted friends I can lean on and who make me feel seen, heard, and loved.
But there are times in the city when things get lonely, and I sometimes let myself slip into bouts of introversion. I have to pull myself out of them. One way I might pull myself out is by hanging out with friends. Caroline is also one of those people.
What are some of your biggest regrets?
My mother is still with us; she’s wonderful. She had breast cancer when I was in high school. A member of my family was at every chemotherapy appointment she had. My father attended every one, and my siblings went sporadically. I never went to one. A deep regret of mine is that in those moments when she likely needed me, I turned away. I try to give myself grace because I think it was my way of trying to act like it wasn’t happening, and not going to the appointments made me pretend it wasn’t real.
I also regret trying to fit in with crowds that weren't necessarily the people I wanted to be around. At times, I prioritized being cool over being myself, and sometimes, I let the allure of popularity get in the way of being myself.
I also wish I had cultivated stronger ties with some people. Maybe one day, those relationships will resurface and get stronger.
And I do regret not starting the podcast earlier. I’m learning so much about myself and all the guests I’ve had.
What are your most treasured possessions?
I don’t have any. I used to keep everything. That trained me to look backward a lot. I couldn’t get rid of things, which hindered my ability to focus on the present. I would always reminisce on the past and what might have been.
has written beautifully about how we obsess over endings, but what about new beginnings that lie ahead? We ought to love what’s coming next.
How about books: Have any impacted or resonated with you deeply?
How Will You Measure Your Life? By Clayton Christensen
Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus, a stoic and former enslaved person, about controlling your mind related to impulses. What’s fascinating is that thousands of years ago, he preached the principles we talk about today.
What do you most value in your friends?
I can sit in silence with my friends, and I don't feel like I need to fill the room with words. That's something I deeply value—just sharing space with somebody and not necessarily feeling like I have to make small talk. I also very deeply admire the fact that I have several friends who will meet me where I'm at, see the potential in me, and say, "Look, I think you're doing great, and I know you can do even better."
I also love that my friends are not afraid to disagree. I don’t want to be in an echo chamber.
What's on your unofficial resume?
I'm the oldest of four, and the youngest is 13 years younger than me. I was kind of a mini dad to my young sister, which was amazing. She’s 14 now and wonderful. We talk every day. She’s mature, and I see a lot of myself in her.
Where or when have you felt the most alive in the past year?
Living with my girlfriend Caroline, whom I adore, is special. I also feel most alive whenever I sit in front of the cameras for a podcast interview.
What's a moment of kindness from the past year that meant something to you?
The kind comments people leave on any of my podcast episodes. The way people engage with my work. Anyone that takes a moment out of their day to say, hey, this was nice. Maybe it sounds like I'm being dramatic, but for somebody to click on a small little production, watch the video, leave a like, and then go ahead and leave a comment saying, “Hey, I like this conversation, I want you to keep up the good work” — that’s a kind thing I appreciate.
Final thoughts?
Starting the podcast has opened doors for amazing conversations. It all came down to taking a small leap of faith and putting myself out there. I hope I’m proof that anyone on the fence about taking a risk can put themselves out there and meet some new friends. It’s scary, it’s new, but we’re all just figuring it out as we go along.