A Piece of My Story

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time—through the books, the blog, YouTube, social media, the podcast, or just random conversations online—you probably already know a large portion of my story.

You know where I’ve come from.
You know many of the struggles I’ve faced.
You know the battles I’ve fought internally and externally.
You know my heart, my humor, my perspective, and my passion for mental health, self-growth, and trying to leave things a little better than I found them.

Truthfully… you probably know about 85% of who I am already.

This post is about the other 15%.

And no—this isn’t some dramatic reveal or life-altering rebrand.

I’m still me.

Same person.
Same heart.
Same values.
Same mission.

The only difference is that I’m done hiding a part of myself that has quietly existed in the background for a very long time.

So here it is.

I am part of the LGBTQ+ community.

There. No dramatic thunderclap. No lightning strike. No spontaneous collapse of the universe.

Just honesty.

And honestly, for many of you, this probably isn’t surprising at all. Some of you likely figured it out years ago. Some of you may have heard pieces of my story and connected the dots. Some of you might be learning this for the first time.

Wherever you fall in that spectrum, I want to say something important.

This changes nothing about why I’m here.

I’m still going to talk about mental health.
I’m still going to write.
I’m still going to advocate for healing, growth, mindfulness, and self-awareness.
I’m still going to have deep conversations, weird tangents, and moments of humor mixed into serious topics.

I’m still going to be me.

Because my sexuality is a part of me—but it is not the totality of me.

And I think that’s something we as people sometimes forget.

We live in a world that loves labels. Labels can be useful. They can help us understand ourselves and find community. But labels are not identities in their entirety. They’re pieces of a much larger picture.

At the end of the day, I’m still just a person trying to navigate life the same way everyone else is.

Learning.
Growing.
Messing up sometimes.
Healing.
Trying again.

Like many people, parts of my journey have been complicated.

I grew up around ideas and environments where certain things weren’t always discussed with compassion or understanding. That creates internal conflict. It creates confusion. It creates fear, silence, and sometimes shame. And when you spend enough time hiding parts of yourself, you get very good at surviving—but survival and authenticity are not the same thing.

That’s something I’ve learned over time.

There comes a point in healing where honesty becomes necessary.

Not for attention.
Not for validation.
Not for applause.

But for peace.

And peace matters.

A lot.

My entire platform has always been rooted in authenticity, mental health, and self-reflection. I’ve encouraged people for years to be honest with themselves, to challenge harmful narratives, to heal old wounds, and to stop living solely through fear.

It would feel disingenuous to encourage that in others while continuing to keep this part of myself locked away.

So this is me choosing authenticity.

Plain and simple.

I also want to say something to anyone reading this who may be navigating their own journey—whatever that journey looks like.

You do not owe the world immediate answers.
You do not have to have everything figured out.
You do not need to force yourself into neat little boxes.
And you do not need to move at anyone else’s pace.

Growth is messy. Healing is messy. Self-discovery is messy.

That’s normal.

Take your time.

Be honest with yourself.

Lead with compassion.

And remember that you are far more than any one label could ever capture.

As for this community we’ve built together—thank you.

Truly.

Some of you have been here for years. You’ve supported my work, read my writing, listened to me speak, shared your own stories, and trusted me with deeply personal parts of your lives.

That trust means more than I can fully put into words.

I’ve always tried to create a space that feels human, inclusive, thoughtful, and grounded—a place where people from all backgrounds can come together and have real conversations without judgment.

That doesn’t change.

It won’t change.

If anything, I hope this simply allows me to continue showing up more fully and more honestly.

At the end of the day, I’m still the same guy.

Still passionate.
Still imperfect.
Still learning.
Still growing.
Still trying to help where I can.

Still me.

And for the people who’ve supported me, encouraged me, and stood by me—thank you.

For those who may see me differently after this, that’s okay too.

I’ve reached a place in life where I understand something deeply:

Not everyone is meant to walk with us forever.

And that’s alright.

I choose honesty.
I choose peace.
I choose authenticity.

And most importantly—

I choose to keep moving forward.

As always… thank you for being here.

— Michael