STORIES

On the 8th of October 2013, I experienced my first day clean after 15 years of chronic heroin addiction. But just like you said in your TEDx talk, I used my addiction and the 3 Principles as a way to thrive. I’ve since become a PhD student, a lecturer in the neuroscience of mindfulness and addiction, a speaker, and my memoir will be released in March 2020.

I entered treatment and I am currently over 60 days clean from being a crystal meth user. As a part of my movement from an Intensive Outpatient Program to the General Outpatient Program, I was required to give a presentation and relapse prevention plan. My presentation included presenting your TEDx. I just wanted to express my sincere and heartfelt appreciation for your work in helping addicts. I have started a small movement that has inspired therapists and case managers involved at the treatment center to start considering how to practice your 3 Principles! You have no idea how much you’ve impacted my life.

Michael’s talk was really interesting because usually, you don’t think about drug addicts and leaders in the same context. But, the way he talked about it was so powerful. He was talking about how drug addicts need to take off the mask to get clean, and great leaders need to do the same. To me, that really resonated because we talked about the different ways that leaders could have masks and one of the ways is by being a “Yes Man” and saying yes to everything even if you don’t have time or you don’t want to do it, and I feel like that’s something I do a lot. So, to me, learning to take off that mask and be authentic is what a great leader is. And I found this message to be unique because he was so truthful and so authentic himself when he was giving the speech and I really learned a lot and I feel like a better leader because of it.

We hired Michael as the opening keynote speaker for our Collegiate Recovery Leadership Academy Summit in Washington, DC. He brought energy and enthusiasm that was perfect for setting the tone for the rest of the weekend. If you want someone who can not only inspire but also connect on a real level with your audience, I highly recommend hiring Michael.

Michael was a hit breakout session during our event. Attendees absolutely loved his presentation and commented on the joy he brought to the participants. If you want your attendees to have a unique experience, I would highly recommend hiring Michael.

I knew Michael would be a great speaker for our Collegiate Recovery Leadership Academy Summit because he has a unique perspective to share with the audience. He knew exactly how to connect with them, inspire them, and deliver a captivating message. We were engaged for the full hour and that’s pretty impressive!

Whether you know everything about addiction or nothing about addiction, Michael’s message applies to everyone around the globe. He puts it in a way through his unique perspective in a way that everyone can understand. He’s a great speaker, he’s got a really bright future in public speaking and really connecting to people around the world and helping them become better leaders. Super great guy, super great thing he’s doing in life and he’s definitely going to be the next big thing in public speaking so watch out Gary Vee!