Hi, I’m Michael. I’m the co-creator of two cool little boys with an equally cool woman. I also have a mild storytelling obsession and can’t get enough of working with people to get their experiences and messages to spread and their work to stand out. Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the internet and learning more about my story, what I do, and what I stand for.

In late 2016, shortly after my wife and I had our first child, I began writing to make better sense of the world and my role in it.

I quickly saw the value.

Not only did making a commitment to sit down every day at my keyboard give me clarity, but within a few months, my thoughts were featured in places like Fast Company, INC, Thought Catalog, and Thrive Global. For someone with ADHD who did horribly in English class and still starts sentences with prepositions (which I’ve been told is a no-no), I couldn’t believe it. 

Since that time, more than ten million people from well over a hundred countries have read my work either on this website, mainstream business and life publications, or Medium.com - where 70,000 people follow along to read my weekly articles.

Today, when I’m not getting tossed around by my two kids and being put back together by my wife at home in small-town Catalunya, I’m wrestling with either my own words or those of my clients to ensure their expert knowledge spreads.

If you look at my experience in sales, management, corporate training, entrepreneurial endeavors, and teaching, my career today as a writer, communication strategist and MBA leadership and communication lecturer makes sense. 

But that doesn’t mean the road to here has been easy. 

Growing up, I was not only extremely shy, but I also had a severe speech impediment resulting in a very limited view of what I was capable of achieving. Realizing I’d never reach any of my goals if I didn’t learn how to effectively share my ideas and make connections with people, at the age of 23, I did the thing that scared me the most: I pursued a job in the not-so-shy world of sales.

As expected, the first few months hurt. Hang-ups happened often. So did jabs from my peers. But I stuck with it. And over time, something interesting happened: I built a serious knack for connecting with people and within my first calendar year I broke into the Top Ten of a triple-digit salesforce before being promoted to management.

Three continents and two decades later, I’m still in the communication trenches and I’m extremely proud that I’ve turned my obstacle into my way and make a living today helping other people to get what matters most to them in front of millions of eyes.

And that’s the purpose of this blog: to inspire you to share your story while providing you with the tools to ensure it connects and stands out.

Random facts and tik-taks

Over the last two decades, I’ve worked across three different continents as an entrepreneur in some form or another in the communication and creative sectors. I’ve experienced a lot during this time and below is a quick highlight reel of some random life accomplishments along with a few personal disasters.

• I met my wife by persuading a man I’d just met when I moved to Barcelona (when I wasn’t legally allowed to live in the country) to contract me to give a presentation and negotiations seminar for the Catalan government. 
• I’m currently working with two of my heroes on books that play at the intersection of design and social impact and one has already been picked up by an agent and the other has interest from half a dozen mainstream publishing houses.
• I lost $250,000 in one phone call. 
• I’ve traveled to 30+ countries on my own.
• I’m not confident in much, but when it comes to ping pong and football (soccer), I’m pretty sure I’ll win.
• Comedian Jim Carry left a comment on an article saying it was “great.”
• My friends and I got ordered to leave Italy by a judge after being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
• My dream is to have an antique shop (more like mid-century) on the Mediterranean and write and teach to make up for the money I lose buying knick-knacks at markets. 
• I hope one day to also write kids' books and work on movies. I’m good at writing alone, but I’m better when working with a team as I love nothing more than taking ideas from good to great with other people.
• I like mangos, but I love peaches more.

And above all else, glasses of water.

What to expect by joining the community

I’m a big fan of getting clear on our operating principles. So much so that I’m currently writing my first book “Shy Power: 12 Operating Principles for Quiet People to Rule the World.” When it comes to this blog, one of my primary operating principles is to never waste a moment of my audience’s time.

By joining thousands of other curious and thoughtful people, you’ll receive the best of what I’ve got each week that play at the center of these three lanes:

• Actionable and practical tips to advance your career
• Communication advice (especially for shy people who want to be heard)
• Writing tips to build your online presence and influence

Throw in the occasional inspirational human experience story along with quirky ideas and my goal is to make this site your one-stop shop for professional progression, personal reflection, and damn good writing tips. 

Readers have told me they keep coming back for these reasons:

• The advice is actually doable, effective, and not massively stress-inducing
• I’m open with my struggles and I show people what I did rather than tell them what I think they should do
• I write in a way that makes people feel like if I can do it, so can they.

Some people would consider my writing “self-help” but my message very much revolves around “helping others.” I’m a big believer that the best thought leaders are first and foremost thoughtful people. I’m also a big believer that the world would be a better place if we all gave away our best ideas for free.

And once or twice a week, until I’ve got nothing left to say, that’s what I’ll do right here in this space.