Mike’s Story

Mike began coaching at age 11 under the leadership of his dad.  “Dad allowed me to be a player coach my third year in little league.  He took a group of scrubs, and we won our first 13 games in a row.  I think the other teams were intimidated when Dad had us doing calisthenics before the games”, joked Life Coach Mike.  “Dad taught us sportsmanship, to believe, and to work hard.  He taught us to win”, he added. 

Mike excelled at sports with the backing of both his dad and his mother.  “Mom was the president of the ‘Football Mothers’ in high school.  She was just plain ‘there’.  I believe I had advantages over other students and athletes because of my parents,” said Life Coach Mike. 

From the days of playing Cowboys and Indians, Mike was always the ringleader.  He was the captain of the football, baseball, and wrestling teams.  And no different than other men, Mike had a childhood dream.  Mike’s was to be the major league catcher to take over for the legendary Johnny Bench when he retired from the Cincinnati Reds.  When asked if he really believed he would play for the Reds, Mike laughed saying, “no, the Yankees would have taken me first!”

Mike’s chances of accomplishing this diminished in his senior year of high school.  He suffered a serious arm injury during a wrestling match. 

“It was the annual Christmas tournament.  I was seeded first.  In the second match against a Catholic state champion, above the crowd noise, I heard a pop”, Mike said.  He finished the match, but lost.  “I was dumb enough to pass on medical treatment and wrestled the rest of the season with one usable arm”, he continued.  With one healthy arm, Mike suffered only one loss the remainder of the season.  In a dual meet “rematch” late in the season, with the use of one good arm, Mike narrowly defeated the state champion, 2-0.  “That win was sweet”, Mike said.

Mike’s final amateur baseball season came along two years later and his arm was somewhat in recovery.  He grew up as a youngster riding his bike from field to field watching New Orleans, Brooklyn, New York, Baltimore, and other cities come to play in his home town.  “My dream was to be the catcher for the home team.” said Mike.  His dream became reality when he was 19 years old.  He was the baseball coach’s choice to play catcher in the nation’s largest and longest standing amateur baseball tournament held in his home town.  A childhood dream seemed to be coming true.  However, just days before the tournament started, Mike’s arm finally gave way as he was barely able to throw beyond the pitcher’s mound.  “A .362 batting average with no throwing arm wasn’t enough to keep me on the team”, said Mike. 

“I was cut from the team.  I was devastated”, he added.  “The Great Flood of 1977 hit Johnstown that year.  I had close relatives and friends that died.  Over 80 people died in that flood.  Five dams broke and most baseball fields were washed away.  The tournament that year was held in Altoona because of the devastating flood.  At that point in time, my life seemed to come to an end.  It took everything within me to deal with it.  After cutting me, the all star coach asked me to join the team in the dugout during the tournament.

I declined, but to this day, I regret that,” Mike remembered.

Mike saw that life went on after baseball.  “I wasn’t really good enough anyway.  I didn’t have the tools to be a professional baseball player”, Mike said.  “But I can tell you this, ‘it’s easy for me to see someone wasting talent that I really never had.  That’s frustrating.  That’s why I coach today.  I can see talent, and I can nurture it’”, he continued.

Many have called him a great encourager.  His dad called him the “eternal optimist”.  “I’m not sure if that was a compliment or not”, Mike joked.  “I wasn’t sure what dad meant.  I think he meant I was always out on a limb believing for impossible things, you know, stupid things.  To tell you the truth, I’m afraid to ask Dad.  I don’t think I want to know”, Mike kidded.

Over 30 years later, Mike looks back at what is important.  “I have always enjoyed seeing people’s dreams come true”, he said.  Mike has been involved in Christian communications for nearly 30 years including the founding of churches and two Christian radio stations, three solo album projects, television, print media, and large community campaigns to help thousands of underprivileged young people with their faith.  He continues to help his wife, Mea, mentoring and encouraging hundreds of children at their church.

When someone encouraged Mike to become a life coach, he said, “You’re kidding me.  People get paid to do that?  I’ve been doing that for years out of the pure enjoyment of it”.   “But, since I’m not a millionaire yet, I might as well charge for it”, he joked.

Life Coach Mike resides in Waterloo, Iowa with his wife and two children, Gabby and Vinnie, that live at home.  His oldest daughter, Lara, resides in Nashville and is involved in music and video projects.  His daughter, Rocky, just graduated from high school and is his assistant.

Ask Life Coach Mike who is the most blessed person in the world, and he’ll boldly tell you, “Me.  I don’t have the biggest bank account or the nicest car.  But I have a beautiful wife and children that love God.  We are happy and healthy.  I have the things that money simply cannot buy.”