“This is go-week!” Mike Acker said with a gentle but expecting sound in his voice, channeling everything we talked about over the last six months. Mike was my content coach. He gave it one final push, cheering me on and insisting I keep my focus and energy directed on fine-tuning the TEDx talk I was to deliver at the end of the week. In a year like 2020, his steady and personable style, nimbleness, and sense of humor are probably the most crucial coaching skills.

Mike converts his broad world view, deep understanding of humanity, and the ability to cut a path through unknown and ambiguous areas to develop communication and content strategies that are inspiring, intentional, and concise. He is interested in the people, their ideas, and how to converge to achieve higher goals.

Mike’s intellect and his empathetic and sensitive character allow him to see people and their ideas quickly. Identifying structural and syntax challenges and offering practical solutions come easy to him. He also knows how to pull people through delivery. When he saw me struggle through a speaking segment about an athletic running routine, he offered this crucial advice: “So much of running is a head game. Speaking is the same. Put your mind in that same space!”

Mike is a uniquely qualified coach and a friend, and I’m excited to see how he sharpens the focus and develops his career as he helps others succeed in their professions. In a world where technology is often seen as a solution to all our problems, Mike is a shining star for social, interpersonal, and personal coaching.