Mike is a certified executive and leadership coach, a facilitator, speaker, and teacher with over 30 years’ experience.  Trained in energy leadership, emotional intelligence, and cognitive behavioral therapy, he has worked in wilderness areas, board rooms, group homes for at-risk teens, classrooms, and conference rooms with the sole purpose of helping people find their purpose, passion, and create awareness in their lives and work.  

 

Drawing on his diverse background in adventure education, wilderness and residential therapy, coaching individuals and groups and years of research and study about awareness, change, and the nature of uncertainty and risk, he crafts experiences for his clients that are introspective and with the goal of improving one’s ability to realize the possibilities that are already within themselves.

 

Mike spent over two decades working in the outdoors and wilderness areas, developing leaders, teams, and helping people find what they needed from themselves to heal from emotional trauma or abuse. This includes working as Senior Instructor and Course Director for Outward Bound in Montana leading people from all walks of life and locations into the wilds of the Yellowstone ecosystem and developing them as teams and leaders in one of the most remote environments in the country.  He also spent several years in wilderness and residential therapy, helping young people understand and heal themselves through experiential and emotionally revealing practices.  He continues to lead expeditions seasonally with Jane Ferguson Wilderness Adventures in Montana.   As a contract coach for a major health care provider, he worked with employees from organizations such as Google, SpaceX, and Lincoln Financial, among others.  

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He earned Bachelor degrees from Texas A&M University and the University of Montana. He earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Oregon, where his research and work focused on creating self-reliant individuals through enhancing self awareness and how it relates to thriving in a modern social framework.  He is an adjunct faculty at Lane Community College, in Eugene, Oregon, teaching classes about individual and organizational behavior change.  He is also a co-chair of a major institutional change initiative at Lane Community College aimed at improving student retention, completion, and on-boarding.

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Mike not only spent several years working professionally in the outdoors, he is also a dedicated rock climber and mountaineer, skier, and river runner in his personal life.  Being outside allows him to connect with deeper parts of himself, stay emotionally, mentally, and physically sharp and allows him to bring a unique perspective to his coaching practice and clients’ needs.  

 

Working with Mike is energizing, revealing, and fun.  He brings all of his knowledge and experiences with the sole focus on you or your team.