268: Challenge Your Imperfections to Embrace Your Authentic Journey with Michael Thompson

2025-02-12

Michael Thompson is a career coach, lecturer at EAE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, and strategic communication advisor to top business leaders worldwide. Growing up, Michael’s stutter and social anxiety kept him reserved and reluctant to pursue his goals. Over time he challenged his supposed weaknesses by putting himself out in the world and discovered the person he did not know he could become. Michael developed a system of principles to help people express themselves more confidently and build meaningful relationships without sacrificing their nature. He brings those principles to life in his book Shy by Design: 12 Timeless Principles to Quietly Stand Out. His writing has also appeared in numerous publications, including Fast Company, Insider, Forbes, INC, MSN, and Apple News.

He recounts his professional evolution from a barback to a successful sales manager, his transformative experiences in teaching and coaching, and his eventual success as a writer and published author. Michael offers valuable insights on self-discovery, the importance of vulnerability, and the power of going slow and steady in one's career.

As a kid, Michael allowed his shyness, severe stutter, and crippling social anxiety to dominate his internal dialog and undermine his hopes and dreams. He was mocked by his peers and even some teachers, reinforcing the self-limiting belief that he was better off tucked away in a corner, safe from harm's way. Yet, while some people focus on their strengths to win the life they want, Michael chose to pursue the opposite path and pushed himself, making a commitment to collect blisters instead of chasing bliss. He stepped into the person he didn’t even know he was capable of becoming.

In Shy by Design, Michael shares his inspiring journey of moving from being riddled with self-doubt to becoming a sought-after career coach, university leadership lecturer, and strategic communication advisor for top global business executives and entrepreneurs. He chronicles his transformation from feeling left out to leading others, all the while staying true to his shy and quiet nature. Through numerous examples, from embracing our imperfections to questioning our "perceived" weaknesses, Michael offers strategies we can all use to cement our own principles that are authentic to who we each are and amplify your impact without sacrificing your shy nature.

Packaged into 12 easy-to-grasp principles, Shy by Design will teach you to:

Grow your confidence and strengthen communication skills on your own terms and at your own pace.
Create meaningful connections and foster a close-knit community that supports personal growth.
Lead with quiet conviction that uplifts others on the climb toward success.

Michael’s story of navigating the often loud world of sales and communication – while staying true to his shy way of being – will inspire you to embrace your unique strengths and see your “perceived” weaknesses through a more empowered lens.

Learn more and connect with Michael here: