Mike is from Unalaska, Alaska, and relocated to Seattle when he was two years old. Michael was raised in an abusive and drug-addicted home and was a child in the foster care system. He was eventually returned home to this environment when the foster home was found to be more unsafe. Mike struggled with mental illness and various addictions most of his life, in January 2019, he found himself repeating history when his own children were taken into care because of violence and addiction in the home. It wasn't until December of 2020 that Mike had enough of feeding his addiction and being homeless. He knew he needed to change or he was going to die, and he began his walk on the Red Road that led to healing relationships with his wife and children.

His work at Northwest Indian Treatment Center made him realize he was running from childhood trauma all his life and brought him back to his Native American culture. After leaving treatment, Mike helped open Oxford House Totem as one of its first residents, where he lived for a year until moving back in with his wife and six children. He has put in a lot of work to become a better father, engaging in Native Parenting classes and acknowledging that children flourish with love, support, and a safe place to be heard. He takes pride in advocating for fathers' rights and has become someone that other men in recovery come to for insight when navigating parenting advice and family court issues. He now considers himself in long-term recovery and says, "Every day is a good day." Mike is enrolled Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska and enjoys attending sweats and learning to drum and sing indigenous songs every Sunday on the Puyallup reservation. Working for Peer Kent is a step in the right direction toward Mike's goal of becoming a certified Substance Abuse Counselor. Mike wants to support as many people as possible on their recovery journey and begin their healing, whatever that looks like for each individual he encounters.