Jeremy Michel escaped death at the age of 29, broke free from the monotonous life of the corporate world and has now successfully created a big impact in the PR industry by taking the seat of the CEO of Mindful Agency, an innovative new venture between Michael Graziano and Dylan Vanas.
Michel’s career began with him pursuing a master’s of Business while still under the scholarship he received to play collegiate football. In his early days, the strategist in Michel dreamed of becoming the CEO of a major company. The hard work and commitment that he carries in himself eventually led him to become Vice President of a multibillion-dollar organization. Because of the lack of freedom to open Pandora’s box he was carrying in himself he soon realized how unhappy he was immersed in that corporate world. “I didn’t feel fulfilled,” he says. “My cup was empty. It wasn’t full.”
Michel’s need to live a life filled with meaning and passion stems from the near-death experience he had at the age of 29 years. He had to undergo massive surgery on a shoulder that had been blighted by injury due to the hugely intense football games he used to be a part of. “I had a heart attack five days after surgery due to a blood clot that broke loose and kept going. They call it a pulmonary infarction, but it kind of broke apart into multiple blood clots and landed in my lungs where I had five different blood clots. I just remember being in a lot of pain and discomfort.”
However, the life-changing incident turned him into the powerhouse he is today with his intention to do good for people and the need to regain control of his life being a byproduct of the incident. “It just gave me a license to do the things that I was already curious about that maybe I wasn’t doing before.”
Michel’s fervour to make money online resulted in his intensive research on the wellness industry which eventually led him to be a life coach. “I’m big into physical and mental health and wellness. I’ve managed quite a few people and run businesses, so I understand business,” he says. “Thus, I can help with corporate coaching. So I asked myself, why not? The next day, I went ahead and started the education process of becoming a certified life coach.”
The perfectionist that Michel is, led him to the realization that it’s essential to build a personal brand to better support his future endeavours. “I started looking at how to build a personal brand,” he says. “I bought a couple of programs and eventually it led me to a marketing company that expanded my horizons to newer opportunities.”
Once Michel discovered his zeal for marketing, his first instinct was to quit the corporate job he was still working at and join the marketing agency in whatever capacity necessary. “I was on company time still running my agency and on the weekends and evenings working for the marketing agency as well. So I got to the point where I wanted to be a part of the ecosystem.”
For Michel, no task is small or big, it’s the zeal that fuels it. “I called up the management team and told them I’ll quit my desk job tomorrow to come up there and work with them. I didn’t care if I had to start sweeping the floor every night. I loved what they were doing out there and I wanted to be a part of it,” he says.
“Within a few months of being out here in a business development role, they elevated me to the level of CEO at the company,” he continues. “Two or three months later, Mindful Agency came about.”
Michel beams with pride while talking about starting this new chapter of his life. His vision for Mindful Agency is as big as his desire to leave the world a better place. His focus and vision to achieve his goals is matched by his drive and disciplined work ethic. “I like to roll up my sleeves. It’s okay for me to get dirty and have difficult conversations. I grind to achieve whatever I need to achieve.”
Michel always knew the destination he yearned to reach but wasn’t sure about the journey. Yet life has ultimately come full circle for him. He becomes so hyper-focused on something that he wants in life that he inherently takes the necessary steps to accomplish whatever that is. “My life has manifested in the way that I wanted it to happen, but more in a subconscious way than actual conscious thought.”
When asked about his belief in destiny or faith, he replies, “I don’t know that I necessarily believe in fate, I do believe in manifesting. I’m a big fan of Napoleon Hill and the likes of Bob Proctor and Dale Carnegie. When you read books like ‘Think and Grow Rich’ or buy into mindset courses, they all talk about how your thoughts eventually get buried into the subconscious which then controls your body in the actions that you take.”
It’s people like Jeremy Michel, who carry a certain spark and resilience within themselves – that in turn allow others to come to the same realization about themselves.
Follow the indomitable Jeremy Michel on his journey as he embarks on his next chapter in the world of Mindful Agency.