by Michael Seaver
Michael was raised in a West Michigan town of 2,500 residents. His grandfather started the family business, Seaver’s Lawn Service, Inc., in 1953 and Michael’s father, Jack, took over in 1987. From ages 12 through 24, Michael maintained lawns, landscaped properties, and plowed snow, leading crews of five to ten people. He learned the values of hard work, sacrifice and setting long-term goals.
Michael and his wife moved to Phoenix, AZ in 2003 to escape Michigan’s snow and join a growing economy. Yet, as it slowed in 2008, they divorced, and Michael suffered minor bouts of depression and understanding his place in the world. Thankfully, he was accepted to and completed an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management where he traveled internationally, interacted with students from 53 countries and saw the importance of authenticity, assertive communication, and inclusion of diverse people when conducting business.
Michael started his coaching and consulting practice in October 2011 and has traveled the world uncovering new perspectives. He’s been blessed to coach hundreds of leaders and has worked on a number of projects that have changed corporate cultures from command and control to align and empower. Through it all, he realized that the more he challenged mainstream ideologies, the more he recognized the patterns in human life, and the more he shared how people are more similar than dissimilar – the more he could uplift others to live authentically and empower them to become coaches to the people around them. All the hardships and lessons Michael learned had purpose and now he uplifts others as they uncover their authentic selves.
In His Spare Time
Michael’s favorite outdoor activity is golf. He also hikes regularly and loves investing time into his stepdaughter Aleah. And, as society allows, he and his partner Tiffany travel internationally.
Michael In Three Words
Authenticity. Growth. Spirituality. Those are his top three core values.
What Inspires Michael
A person who stands apart from societal norms and truly leads their most authentic life. Someone who doesn’t follow the herd and questions the common narrative. Someone who is clear in their life’s purpose and unapologetically lives it. Someone who is great at what they do… no matter what it is. Michael is also inspired by continual learning, crashing disparate ideas together, connecting the dots quickly.
Something Authentic
Michael can walk his cat, Cleopatra, on a leash. He and his stepdaughter Aleah have matching tattoos. Michael’s spirit animal is a lion and in his book, I Know, he talks about a painting that was done for him of a lion’s face.
His Newest Book
I Know: A Practical Guide for Awakening to What’s Within and Finding Work-Life Integration empowers readers to transition from believing life’s answers come from outside themselves to knowing they can discover the answers already inside themselves. If someone feels unfulfilled or unappreciated, this book will uplift and realign them with their life’s purpose. If they want to live up to their potential and generate value for their community, I Know will gift them clarity and confidence during each step of their unique journey.
I Know is a how-to guide Michael uses with clients, from the c-suite down every level of an organization, walking the reader through the three phases of transformation and nine processes they can complete alone or with trusted friends. The book tells his raw, authentic, and deeply personal story. It offers research-based psychological truths. The text is full of real-world client examples. Although much has been written about defining one’s life’s purpose, I Know introduces the reader to a completely new level of living your authentic personal brand… and absolutely loving life.
His Future Focus
In April 2021, Michael launched the You and I Know Circle – one part executive roundtable… one part executive coaching… one part reading group. The inaugural group’s final meeting was in August 2021 and he’s currently refining the model so he can launch a series of Circles internationally.
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