Looking for a speaker that sparks action, not just applause?
You’ve come to the right place.
Speaking Topics 🎤
Breaking the Rules Inside the Lines 💡
Make your conference a disruptive experience. Everyone has constraints; Mike’s field-tested misfit mindset teaches audiences how to turn limitations into innovation.
The “By Design” Series 🎨
Leadership, Culture, Storytelling, Life, Disruption; these things don’t happen by accident, they happen by design. Keynotes, trainings, and workshops available.
Road Less Traveled
Turning overlooked places and scrappy ideas into global experiences. Ideal for tourism, adventure/outdoors, and entrepreneurs.
Designing a
Third Place
Mike’s tried and true blueprint for building spaces and programs where youth and youth culture thrive. Ideal for architects, after-school programs, foundations, designers, municipalities, and educators.
“Mike possesses an extraordinary ability to engage and inspire any audience . . . and consistently delivers with excellence.”
Looking for a speaking experience that’s disruptive, entertaining, and practical? 👀
If you need a speaker who can fire up a room and equip attendees with practical tools they can use on Monday morning, you’re in luck.
For nearly two decades, Mike has turned bold ideas into real-world innovation, inspiring audiences to design what’s next. His live experience combines design thinking, a disruptive mindset, and a relentlessly practical approach that moves audiences to turn limitations into innovation.
As an award-winning entrepreneur, storyteller, and disruptor, Mike helps people rethink what’s possible. He’s spent his career building innovative businesses, reimagining public education, and partnering with global brands like Red Bull, X-Games, Vans, Toyota, Microsoft, and Liquid Death. Mike proves that big ideas don’t require big resources, just a new mindset and decisive action.
As the founder, creator, and mastermind behind The Bay, a globally recognized third place hailed by Vice as a “creative haven,” Mike understands how to build something from nothing. As a Stanford-certified Design Your Life Coach and Gallup Global Strengths Coach, he blends design thinking, wayfinding, and storytelling to turn ideas into action. He also hosts the Your Weekly Disrupt radio show on 93.7 The Ticket in his hometown of Lincoln, NE.
Mike’s work has earned honors such as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Nebraska Distinguished Entrepreneur Award and AIM’s Tech Leader of the Year. He’s also been featured in Forbes, Buzzfeed, and Vice, but what audiences love most is that his talks don’t just hype them up — they push them to rethink what’s possible, challenge the status quo, and actually do the thing they’ve been avoiding.
Whether speaking to corporate teams, industry leaders, or creative risk-takers, Mike helps audiences unleash their inner misfit, challenge the way things have always been done, and become the disruptors their teams and communities need.
If your event needs a jolt of creative energy, practical takeaways, and a keynote attendees will talk about long after the lights go down, Mike’s your guy.
Ready to disrupt your next event?
Here’s how it works 👇
Check Your Date → Confirm Mike’s availability
Pick Your Topic → Tailor Mike’s content to your audience
Enjoy Your Experience → Watch Mike energize the room and
leave attendees with tangible takeaways
As Featured By👇
Certifications & Awards 🏆
