Keynote Speaker · Author · Podcast Host · Book Coach
A Speaker Who Has Actually Lived It.
Michael doesn't speak about resilience from a safe distance. He speaks from inside it - a Parkinson's diagnosis, a firing, a layoff at Christmas, 18 marathons carrying the flag for fallen heroes, and a daughter adopted from China who changed everything. His framework isn't theory. It's survival.
25+ Years in Healthcare Leadership · MBA · 18 Races Carrying the Flag for Fallen Heroes · Author of Three Books · Parkinson's Warrior
Your audience doesn't need another speaker who talks about change. They need one who has been changed.
Every organization is navigating disruption right now. Workforce anxiety. Leadership fatigue.
The pressure to perform while everything keeps shifting underneath them.
Michael has been through all of it - not as a consultant observing from the outside, but as someone who lost his identity, rebuilt it, and found purpose inside the hardest chapters of his life.
His keynote gives your audience something they can use the moment they leave the room: a framework for turning what happens to them into what happens next.
E + R = O. The Event plus your Response equals the Outcome.
Simple. Memorable. Life-changing when it lands.
WHAT MICHAEL SPEAKS ABOUT
Every talk is built around one idea: your response is your power.
Michael customizes every keynote to your audience, your industry, and the specific moment your organization is in.
These are the core topics he speaks on most often.
It's All Part of the Journey
Leading Through Disruption Without Losing Your People
BEST FOR
Leadership conferences, healthcare organizations, association events, corporate all-hands, faith-based leadership gatherings
THE TALK
Every leader has chapters they didn't choose. A diagnosis. A restructure. A failure that left a mark. The question isn't whether hard chapters will come. The question is whether you'll let them define you or develop you.
Michael walks audiences through his own journey - Parkinson's at 52, being fired, laid off at Christmas, 18 marathons with a flag in his hand - and gives them a framework they'll carry long after the event ends.
AUDIENCE TAKEAWAY
A simple, memorable framework for responding to adversity with intention instead of reaction. Attendees leave knowing that the event doesn't get to decide the outcome. Their response does.
Respond, Not React
Leading Through Disruption Without Losing Your People
BEST FOR
Executive teams, HR leadership, mid-level manager development, organizations navigating change or restructuring
THE TALK
The difference between leaders who keep trust during disruption and leaders who lose it forever comes down to one thing: how they respond when the pressure is highest.
Drawing from 25 years in healthcare leadership - an industry built on high-stakes decisions under pressure - Michael gives leaders a practical playbook for communicating with clarity, leading with humanity, and maintaining trust when everything else is uncertain.
AUDIENCE TAKEAWAY
Concrete communication tools for leading through layoffs, restructuring, culture shifts, and workforce anxiety. Practical language for the conversations most leaders avoid.
Carrying the Flag
Purpose, Service, and What It Means to Show Up for Others
BEST FOR
Veteran-serving organizations, military appreciation events, faith-based conferences, non-profit leadership, healthcare worker appreciation events
THE TALK
For 18 races, Michael has carried the American flag for fallen service members - learning their stories, connecting with their families, mailing his medal and a handwritten letter to the family after every finish line.
This talk is about what happens when you stop making your journey about yourself. It's about service, legacy, and the kind of purpose that doesn't ask for recognition because it's already found its reason.
AUDIENCE TAKEAWAY
A renewed sense of calling and service. Audiences leave this talk ready to ask: whose flag am I carrying? Who am I showing up for?
The Second Act
Rebuilding Identity, Purpose, and Career After Disruption
BEST FOR
Career transition conferences, outplacement programs, workforce development events, professional associations, healthcare organizations
THE TALK
Losing a job feels like losing an identity. The casual 'what do you do?' becomes a loaded question. The routine that defined you disappears overnight.
Michael has lived this twice. He knows what it feels like to rebuild from scratch - not once, but after a Parkinson's diagnosis, a firing, and a Christmas layoff. And he knows that the second act is often more purposeful than the first.
AUDIENCE TAKEAWAY
Hope, practical tools, and a framework for rebuilding with intention. Audiences leave understanding that disruption is not the end of the story. It may be the beginning of the best chapter.
ASK ABOUT A CUSTOM TOPIC
Every organization's moment is different. Michael builds custom keynotes for the specific challenge your audience is facing. Let's talk about what your people need right now.
WHY MICHAEL
He doesn't inspire from a distance. He leads from inside the fire.
Most speakers talk about resilience. Michael is practicing it in real time.
He was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson's Disease at 52. He's had deep brain stimulation surgery. He's been fired from a job he loved and laid off from the next one right at Christmas. He's run 18 marathons carrying the flag for fallen heroes - connecting with each family, mailing his medal after every race, showing up for people he never met because their service mattered.
And through all of it, he's been married to Christine for 28 years, raised a daughter named Olivia who came changed everything, and built a second act rooted in purpose instead of resume.
He's not speaking about a framework he studied. He's speaking from a life he actually lived.
When Michael stands on your stage, you will feel the difference.
About Michael
-
25+ years in healthcare leadership and administration
-
MBA - business-credentialed, operationally experienced
-
Author of three books: The Career Secret, Purpose in the Pause and Three Minutes from Gold
-
Host of the Part of the Journey podcast
-
18 races completed carrying the flag for Flags for Fallen
-
Deep brain stimulation surgery November 2025 - and still running
-
Trained in therapeutic boxing through PD Fight Club
WHAT TO EXPECT
Working with Michael is simple. Here's how it goes.
Step 1 - A Conversation First
Michael doesn't sell speaking packages. He has conversations. Tell him about your audience, your event, your moment - and he'll tell you honestly whether he's the right fit. If he is, you'll know it within the first five minutes.
Step 2 - A Custom Talk For Your People
No two Michael Jones keynotes are identical. He researches your organization, your industry, and what your people are carrying right now. Your audience gets a talk built for them - not a recycled generic deck.
Step 3 - Preparation You Can Count On
Michael arrives early, prepares thoroughly, and treats your event with the same commitment he brings to a 26.2-mile race. He is the speaker who makes your job easier - not harder.
Step 4 - A Room That Remembers
The goal isn't applause. The goal is that three weeks later, someone on your team is still using the framework. Still thinking about the flag. Still applying E + R = O to the challenge in front of them. That's the measure of a great keynote.
SPEAKING TESTIMONIALS
Testimonial One
Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go-to font for titles, paragraphs & more.
Testimonial Two
Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go-to font for titles, paragraphs & more.
Testimonial Three
Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go-to font for titles, paragraphs & more.
TOPICS AT A GLANCE
It's All Part of the Journey
Best for: Leadership conferences, healthcare, associations, corporate all-hands
Carrying the Flag
Best for: Veteran-serving organizations, military events, faith-based conferences
Respond, Don't React
Best for: Executive teams, HR leadership, organizations navigating change
The Second Act
Best for: Career transition events, workforce development, professional associations
READY TO BRING THIS MESSAGE TO YOUR ORGANIZATION?
Michael speaks to corporate teams, healthcare organizations, leadership conferences, faith communities, veteran-serving organizations, and professional associations across the country.
Availability is limited. If you have a date in mind, let's start the conversation now.
Prefer email? Reach Michael directly at michael@michaelcjonesmba.com
PRACTICAL DETAILS FOR EVENT PLANNERS
Talk Formats
-
Keynote: 45-60 minutes
-
Half-day workshop: 3-4 hours
-
Breakout session: 30-45 minutes
-
Virtual presentation: Available
-
Panel participation: Available
Audience Sizes
-
Intimate leadership teams: 10-50
-
Mid-size conferences: 50-500
-
Large events: 500+
-
Virtual audiences: Unlimited
Industries Served
-
Healthcare and hospital systems
-
Corporate and financial services
-
Non-profit and faith organizations
-
Veteran-serving organizations
-
Professional associations
-
Educational institutions
Note for planners
Michael is based in Helena, Alabama and travels nationally.
For multi-day events or conferences, please inquire about availability at least 60 days in advance.
For local and regional events, Michael is often available on shorter notice.
The event doesn't define you. Your response does.
E + R = O
.png)