Mike’s life

Mike has more than 25 years of public speaking experience, speaking to thousands of businesses, schools, youth groups and church groups across the country. He delivers heartwarming talks about his experiences in life as they relate to the “Second Chances” that have come his way. His message will encompass a feeling of hope and give you a sense that we all, daily, have “Second Chances.”

He has worked or consulted with such companies as the Department of Defense, Del Monte, USDA, General Electric, Kraft, Procter & Gamble, US Bank, 3M and Pillsbury, as well as many other world-renowned firms. He will share his work on both post-IPO companies and his affiliation with start up companies over the years. Mike currently is President & CEO of Master's Logistics, a supply chain and logistics consulting firm.

Mike is completing work on his first book on the subject of "Suicide, 20 Years of Hope" and the reality that if we look, we're all given Second Chances every day.

Here is a preview of Mike's Second Chances at life.

• Drowning Incident — Age 5 Mike nearly drowned while walking on a frozen lake near his home when he was a small boy. He will relate this story in terms of his friendship with the young man who saved him and how this has remained with him his entire life. After going under the ice for a third time, this friend was able to grab one of Mike’s fingers and subsequently his hand and pull him to safety.
• Swallowed Marble — Age 5 Mike will talk about how playing marbles with his cousins, he decided to "taste" the marbles. He ended up swallowing the marble which became lodged in his throat and was rushed to the hospital.
• Fell out of moving car — Age 5 Mike will talk about this harrowing experience, how lying in the middle of the road after falling out of the car, he was nearly run over by a cement truck and how his life was spared from death.
• Kidney Surgery — Age 6 A 30% chance of survival, Mike will talk about this life-threatening kidney surgery and the effect it has had on him his entire life – his time in the hospital and all the tests and "sickness" experienced during this time.
• Toboggan Accident — Age 7 As a young boy Mike's family lived near a lake, on the top of a hill. He will relate how one Sunday morning after church, he smashed head-first into a tree and sustained a "hole in his head" from the impact.
• Suicide Attempts — Age 17 An experience that he lives with daily, Mike will talk about the events of the summer of 1978, his first suicide attempt in August of that year and his decision to try two more times in November. A defining moment, November 6, 1978 when he shot himself through the heart and left lung and died on the operating table for nearly four minutes. Through the miraculous efforts of the emergency room staff, Mike was brought back to life and changed forever.
• 1st Car Accident — Age 17 Mike will share the story of his major car accident where three vehicles were totaled and the other passengers suffered severe injuries. Mike walked away unscathed.
• Broken Neck — Age 22 While playing touch football, Mike fractured his neck at the fifth and sixth vertebrae. Mike went through one year of rehabilitation and wore a neck brace for over six months, and now has no recurring problems.
• Second Car Accident — Age 23 Winter, snow and ice covered the roads. Mike was driving too fast and the car was totaled between two trees. Again, Mike walked away unharmed.
• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning — Age 29 Mike will talk about the experiences he, his wife and two children encountered by a "faulty" furnace in their first home and their harrowing, close call with this deadly, odorless gas.
• 3rd Car Accident — Age 34 Mike did not walk away unscathed from his third car accident. His car was totaled and he had head trauma injuries. Mike walked with a cane for nearly two years after this accident.
• Unscrupulous Business Partners The results of Mike’s traumatic head injuries were more than just physical. He was faced with numerous problems with business partners because of his physical changes.
• Choking — Age 38 A colleague performed the Heimlich maneuver on Mike while he was out to dinner celebrating a "new" account closing with business associates and nearly choked to death. He suffered from two cracked ribs, but lived.
• Lymph Node Surgery — Age 39 Mike, in another event that nearly cost him his life, had major lymph node cancer surgery on his heart (aorta). The Mayo Clinic doctor who performed the surgery indicated that this was the 2nd case of this type he had ever seen. Five years have now passed with no on-going or residual side affects of the surgery.
• Finger Surgeries — Ages 30-38 Mike has had six surgeries on his fingers, on both hands, to remove recurring “tumors” that are growing in his first joints on his first and second fingers on both hands. No explanation from the doctors. He currently has two “tumors” that require surgery sometime in the future. Thus far, all tumors have been benign.
• Serious Kidney Condition — Age 44 The events of Mike’s life continue. Rushed to the hospital with a 105 degree temperature, Mike was suffering from a serious kidney ailment which subsequently started to cause his organs to shut down, an enlarged heart, blood poisoning and Ecoli to invade his body. As of this writing, Mike is still doctoring for these issues.
• Prostate Tumor — Age 44 Mike latest battle is working with a tumor in his prostate!

Living through these extreme experiences led Mike in some wrong directions and bad decisions. As part of his topic selection, Mike is willing to reveal his deepest issues so that your audiences can truly know that Second Chances are about living life to its fullest, forgiving where forgiveness needs to be given and taking a stand when you know in your heart that something is right.

The following are a few of Mike’s life journeys and a description of how he can give people the tools they need to find their Second Chance:

Suicide

Pressure in today’s world. My experience! Mike will go into great detail about his struggle with depression and what led up to his suicide attempts. As a young man of 17, Mike was lost, alone and afraid and decided to take his own life. A story so incredible, it will bring you to tears. He will also discuss the depression that encompassed him during his early 40's and how he was able to recognize the signs.

Drug/Alcohol Abuse

My reality! A defining moment, December 31, 1989! Mike will talk about his struggle with drugs and alcohol, his decisions while under the influence and affects of these mood altering chemicals and the events that led up to this defining moment. A whopping $120K spent on drugs and alcohol during a 15 year time frame and virtually no brushes with the law.

Spousal Abuse

A hidden, silent accord! A situation that often comes with the abuse of alcohol. Mike will talk openly and candidly about the abuse he inflicted on his wife, both verbally and physically and the events that led up to he and his wife's separation and ultimate reconciliation. A heartwarming story of love, devotion and a true testament of faith on his wife's part that marriage is "for better or worse." You'll hear often Mike refer to his wife as "His angel here on earth."

Infidelity

No excuses! One of Mike's saddest stories, he'll relate the events that led up to his decision to commit adultery, but also relay the love that shadowed him from his wife, the forgiveness that followed and the overwhelming support and non-judgmental reaction from family that brought he and his wife back together. Mike will talk openly and candidly about what it means to be "sexually pure" in life, whether in marriage or not and how it affects us in all aspects of life, both in our work and personal experiences.

Sexual Abuse

Why did this happen to me? Events so personal, so profound, so hurtful, you'll have to hear the story. Starting when he was in 5th grade, 10 years old and continuing until he was almost 20, sexual abuse committed against him by a stranger, family member and church official, these events forever shaped the way Mike has led his life and how forgiveness plays a role.

Business Partners

Unscrupulous, as well as honest! Mike has had a few mentors along the way up the "corporate ladder," as well as some business partners that kicked him when he was down and at his lowest points. He'll discuss how he overcame the obstacles, his brush with the Mafia and why he feels it so important in business to always do the right thing, make the right choice and to be honest, ethical and moral in all business dealings.