With his captivating and empowering style, Michael will leave people with the aspiration and inspiration to be better.

As a teenager, Michael was fortunate to receive guidance from positive adult role models who helped him overcome adversities and set high expectations for his future. Grateful for the role these mentors played in his own development, Michael decided to dedicate his professional life to helping people navigate the difficulties of life and launch their future into motion.

Michael received the 2010 USA Network’s Characters Unite Award for exceptional commitment to combating prejudice and discrimination while increasing tolerance and acceptance within the community. He is also the recipient of the 2014 100 Men of Color Award for leadership in education, government, mentorship, entrepreneurial success and community service. And most recently, he was awarded the EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD from Y-COP, the Youth Community Outreach Program in Mt. Vernon.

In today’s episode, Michael shares his journey shaking off the dirt in his life, and using it as a stepping stone. Today, Michael is sharing with us some of his dirt. His father was a raging alcoholic, and he grew up in poverty and dysfunction. His mother raised him and his siblings on her housekeeping salary. But this is where he started, it’s not where he’s ended. His dirt is the catalyst and the foundation for why he wants to reach out and help other people. Michael is a master encourager, because he draws on the things he went through growing up. His own experience has allowed him to be empathetic and put himself in the shoes of those who may suffer, or have challenges or obstacles that they have to deal with as they go through life. He’s created a phenomenal youth development organization called Power of Peace, where young people come together for two days to learn about themselves and create community with others, and a non-profit, Youth Voices Center where they help young people become better citizens, contribute to society, to take the things they’ve gone through and to use them as a catalyst for success rather than an opportunity for failure. Michael’s mission in life is to bring peace to those he comes in contact with and his story is powerful, and as he shares we can use the dirt in our lives as our transportation, and not our destination.

“I want to finish with this, short term people plant gardens, long term thinkers plant trees, eternity minded thinkers plant themselves in the souls of others. I wrote this in my book, and what I mean by that is this, if we live deliberate and if we live in a conscious state of mind, we leave an imprint of who we are, what we represent, and how we want to influence the world.”

— Michael Arterberry

Tune in on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7bZHrtjAzbksbLWNaak1NM

Tune in on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-of-inspiring-joy/id1510488632

To learn more about Michael visit his website www.michaelarterberry.com and www.youthvoicescenter.org and on Facebook @michael.arterberry Instagram @ctthunder and Get a FREE copy of his book "Be Encouraged: 250 Days of Motivation and Encouragement" here

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more and submit your story, click here.