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Meet Michael Johnson of One Life Identity in East Valley

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Johnson.

Michael, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My new life in the world ended on the day it began. I was born allergic to the very air that promised sanctuary. I was told later in life that the doctor had proclaimed me a fighter. I have been fighting for my life ever since.
People that know my story think I am a success. Honestly, I am just getting started.

Most stories start with the place you grew up. I was born in a small town in western NY. Unfortunately, my first memory was being moved to a larger oxygen tent. I had outgrown my first home. Childhood is at best a blur. What I can recall, Isn’t always accurate. Most of what I think I remember may just be stories I overheard when speaking of the events of my infancy. It’s like waking from a dream you were so sure is real. Only when it fades from your mind do you conclude it must have been a dream. I never had traditional stability. We moved nearly every year. I don’t know the exact timeline or places we lived but there are fleeting moments of familiarity. Maybe for the best. What I do remember seems to be the worst part. As a child, I wasn’t aware of how difficult it was. I didn’t have a reference life for comparison. That is just how it was. You have to work hard, at the sacrifice of your family to strictly survive. That never sat well with me but what did I know. By the time I was nine years old, I had two paper routes. I shoveled driveways in the winter and cut grass when the snow would melt. I have always been a worker. I have started at the bottom of more companies than I can count. Had more promotions than the years of my life. The first business of my own was the first time I felt I had some control of my life. When that failed, The loss of control took hope with it.

With everything I owned gone and my family eating out of donation food boxes to stay alive, I made a change in my mind. Instead of declaring excuses, I started asking questions. How can people succeed where I have failed. It was obvious that hard work is not the answer. The questions were. So, I asked them. I questioned everything and everyone as often as I could. Like a toddler not knowing why the sky is blue, I became overly curious. If that is even possible.

Bullet Pools was started as a small side job. Just another way to make some extra money. It has grown to be the main source of income for my family. As I talked with my clients, I became aware that they were genuinely interested in what I had to say. It was a great insight for me. Did I actually have something to say that people wanted to hear? Until that point of realization, the pool business had been the most rewarding thing I had done in my life. Until I delivered my first public speech. I spoke to 100 people in an auditorium about what I had been through and what I learned. I’ll spare the details of the talk but it changed my life and the life of others that day. There were people crying, clapping, laughing and changing in front of my very eyes. I had changed their perception in those long few minutes. It is proof positive that a kid that outgrew his oxygen tent can change his fate. I never did stop asking questions and learning all I could. I now get the chance to actually help people instead of burdening them.

My hardships in life combined with all the questions through my precious curiosity is what allows me to be an inspirational speaker, a life coach and a consultant.

It’s a rare thing to find a purpose in life. I don’t plan on squandering mine. I am currently writing my first book. It will be called One Life. It is part biography and part instructional. I hope it will cause inspiration for others to want to take their experiences and be of service.

With everything I have learned to do, whether it be; Tattooing, Vocalist, Musician, Fine Artist, Mechanic, Salesman, marketing, consultant, Life Coach or Pool service – I have discovered one thing…

It doesn’t matter how you start your life or how long you live. What really matters is how many lives you touch along the way.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As much as I just wanted to be a normal person with a normal life, I could never except contentment. The road has been carved from the mountainside. Painstakingly long and grueling has been my journey thus far.

I am a high school drop out. Homeless at the age of 15 and basically on my own ever since. I became a single father with full custody of twin boys at the age of 21. They are now turning 15 themselves. That opened up a new dimension of sadness for me. The thought of my children going through what I did nearly broke my soul. My son was born with a narrow valve on his heart. They had to be emergency c-sectioned so he could be flown from NY to Cleveland for his heart surgery. Eight hours one way. I made that drive twice a week to be by his side. As hard as it was to make it through seeing your child go through that, nothing would prepare me for what came next. With my son healing from his surgery I got the news that I was to be a new dad yet again. Only this time it would be a girl. The pregnancy was normal with no problems. Then one day close to term but not close enough the mother to be felt a sharp pain in her stomach. The pain became progressively worse and would come and go every 3 minutes or so. It was too soon for contractions. We went to have it checked out to be safe. Sure enough, labor! The Doctor said he couldn’t stop it. He prepared us for the worst case. If she came out crying she had a chance. When it was time for her to meet the world she did it screaming. We all breathed a sigh of relief. Those cries, unfortunately, would be some of her last breaths. The very air that gave us hope, took her away from us that day. I finally broke. As if every bad thing that had ever happened to everyone from the beginning of time hit me all at once. I have never recovered from that day. I hope I never do.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about One Life Identity – what should we know?
One Life Identity is not only a business, but it is also an idea. A dream, if you will.

Technically, it is my Inspirational Speaking and coaching business. I hope to grow it into much more of a community of like-minded individuals whose purpose in life is to be of service to humanity. I specialize in perspective development and self-reliance. I do coach and speak in a magnitude of different scenarios. From one on one to company events, all the way up to keynote at festivals. Team or “Tribe” building, as I like to call it. I am known for not holding back. I am compassionately curious about how and why people interact the way they do. I think what sets me apart from others in this field is I don’t just take mainstream information and regurgitate it in a clever way. I am passionate about individuals. Every story and experience is different.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I am visibly and heavily tattooed. Hands, arms, neck, ext.. That being said people have no problem approaching me. I suppose I am easily trusted. I tattooed professionally for 10 years. In the short time it takes to meet and gain the full trust of someone’s confidence and body, mixed with being as genuine as I can be, has conditioned me in a way that I am easy to open up to. The easier you are able to open your mind, the easier it is to understand other perspectives.

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