MICHAEL’S STORY
From the outside looking in, it appears that I’ve lived a charmed life. And in many ways, I have. I was born with the privilege afforded to a white male, growing up in a 2-parent household in a middle class suburb of NYC. I succeeded, even excelled, at most things I took on throughout childhood and adolescence. I’ve enjoyed a successful 20-year career in tech sales, holding various executive leadership positions while building and leading global sales/GTM organizations at publicly-traded companies like Square and Active Network, as well as privately-held tech startups like Practice Fusion and Shippo.
I am a heart-led, people-first leader who is generally well liked and respected.
What was going on inside was a different story. I knew from an early age that I was ‘different.’ I loved playing with my best friend, Kate, and doing the things that she liked vs the things that boys typically enjoyed. I recall feeling joyful while playing with Kate in kindergarten until what now seems like overnight, I felt shame about who I was and that my interests weren’t ‘normal’ for a boy.
Growing up in the 80s and coming of age in the 90s, the societal message was clear: gay men die of AIDS, are beaten up and even murdered for who they are. The unconscious shame this imposed was a lot to bear, and so I found anything that would numb those feelings: from cookies, excessive exercise and an extreme amount of extra-curricular school activities growing up, to binge drinking and sexual activity in early adulthood, to climbing the corporate ladder and recreational drugs in my 30s and 40s.
It all came to a head during the pandemic in 2021. My substance abuse escalated to a point which put my marriage, my career and my health at risk. On May 24, 2021, I made the decision to cut all substances out of my life. Sobriety has been the greatest gift that continues to enrich my life. It provided clarity I never could have imagined. It also presented the opportunity to get to know myself and what matters most to me, and most importantly, to love myself for the first time in my life.
Through personal growth work I did in my sobriety program, with a coach 1-1, group coaching at work and retreats, and my yoga practice, I explored and began to appreciate my gifts: keen intuition, compassionate empathy and energetic connection. I began to explore a coach certification program with iPEC (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching) in 2022 and later obtained my coaching credentials through ICF (International Coaching Federation), the gold standard in coaching globally.
joyful GRAVITY was founded in April 2023. My vision is a world where we all experience life more joyfully. Through 1-1, group and team coaching, workshops, retreats and keynote speaking, my mission is to help you rediscover the joy that already exists within so that you can human better, at work and in life. I envision a world where we all live and work with more conscious choice, purpose and joy vs. on autopilot from a place of fear and shame.
We all deserve to experience life with more joy.
I live in San Francisco with my husband, Brandon and our Labradoodle, Penny. Brandon has been by my side, keeping me balanced and grounded since 2003. Penny is, by all accounts, my best friend. She and I have been inseparable since she came home with us in 2020. I consider her my Chief of Staff - you will often see her curled up on the couch beside me while on a video call and all over my social media.
I’m grateful for your interest in my story and look forward to exploring working together. My life and career experience have led me exactly where I’m meant to be: coaching and supporting others on their personal growth journey while continuing on my own. I love what I do, and am grateful that there is significant overlap between my passion, my gifts and talents and what the world needs right now. I’d be honored to support you as you rediscover the joy that already exists inside you.
Let’s connect, and drop in.
“I envision a world where we all live and work with more conscious choice, purpose and joy vs. on autopilot from a place of fear and shame. We all deserve to experience life with more joy.”
-MICHAEL WILSON
