Steve Rowbotham

I hired Michael because I felt lonely. I felt that there were few people I could talk to who share the same mindset as me. I wanted to be met at my level and then be challenged and pushed beyond my limits, because for me if you’re not growing, you’re dying. Every single day is about being better than the day before. I told him this during the initial consultation and I knew it would work from there.

I was unhappy just standing still and accepting average. I am constantly and relentlessly obsessed with getting better every minute of every day, so being like everyone else who accepts 'normal' isn’t for me, but that’s often lonely. I needed someone to challenge, push and say the things that no-one else will. He has no vested interest in me like family, friends, bosses or colleagues do, he is just someone who wants to make your life better.

I don’t believe in fate, but sometimes the stars align: my boss met Michael, had a consultation and didn’t like him, but said he would be just right for me. The same day, another colleague recommended him. With two recommendations, I had to go to check him out. We met and just hit it off. Liking and connecting with a coach is very important for me, and I liked Michael immediately. After that, there was never any question about working with him. I was strapped in for the journey.

The journey for me was about the small shifts throughout the process. At the start, I wanted the big life-changing moments and epiphanies, but it was about six months in when we had a round-up and I realised that I’d already shifted a lot: I was thinking in a different way, processing information in a different way and challenging myself about the way that I’d been thinking before.

The big thing for me was matching my life with my world-class, high-achieving mindset. The most memorable and most enjoyable session was when Michael told me: "I buy into your mentality, but when I look at your life, you might have a nice house and a good job, but you don’t stand out. There is no part of your life that is world-class." That dug to the core of my soul and hit me like a punch in the gut, but it got me thinking in a very different way.

Michael is quite the alpha male, but some of our sessions were also quite deep on an emotional level, digging to a depth I wasn’t expecting. Whether it was talking about an argument I had with my wife, or someone upsetting me at work, he took me where I needed to go to resolve it.

So when at the end of our first six months he asked whether we would continue working together, it was an easy yes, as I felt I had unfinished business still. This proved to me I definitely got a great return on investment. Do I have more money in my bank account after working with him? Yes. But, the real investment is in your life and that’s how you get a smile on your face on your deathbed: from the experiences you had and the impact you had on the world.

As a coach, Michael is unique. What you see is what you get. He gets to the core of what you do and doesn’t pad your sessions out with bullshit. He’s also a big softie and every time we meet we have a big hug. He really has no vested interest and his only goal is to make my life better, to help me feel more fulfilled and successful in every part of it. He’s always thinking about his people. He might be the highest-paid coach in the UK, but his aim is to have the biggest impact, that’s where he gets his sense of fulfilment from. He’s a top bloke and I love him!

If you’re thinking about working with him, think about the outcome you want and accept that what he might say to you may not be what you want to hear. But if you want to make changes, shift and be the best version of yourself, if you're prepared to sacrifice things, he’s your guy. It’s limitless what you can do in this world, and Michael will help you do things you never thought possible.