Welcome to 
STORY MISCHIEF
Where your story becomes yours!

"I wanted to thank you for your skillful and artful professionalism. The storywork we did together was such a well designed entity of work; from the description, through the calls and the wrap up. Thank you." 

-Mirona Motos

 BIO (The wee-sized version)

As a natural learning specialist and storyteller, I believe everyone has a genius, and their genius tells a story. Helping people discover what these are is what I do best. My programs offer a perspective-shifting blend of myth and mischief that allows people to reimagine their lives, work, and communities while inviting deep learning, connection, and transformation.

When I'm not helping others discover what sets them apart, you can find me standing in a river with a fly rod in my hand and a story in my heart.

It's a well-known fact he was raised by coyotes and is now raising one of his own on the bones of an old farm nestled along the banks of a tiny trout stream somewhere in Westchester County, New York.

​Scroll down if you your into longer, more dramatic bios.

Fun Fact Cheat Sheet
Everything you need to know about Michael

RAISED BY COYOTES
(NOT WOLVES)

PROUD DYSLEXIC
W/ A HINT OF ADHD

WANDERS BUT IS
FAR FROM LOST

THINKS MYTHS
​ARE LIVING THINGS

COUNTS TROUT
TO FALL ASLEEP 

• 
  
  ​"Michael masterfully guided me to embrace ​my
  ​'Original Medicine,' allowing me to ​share my vision
  ​with the world in a much bigger way. 
  His mentoring has changed my life!
   
  - ​Margaret Webb 
  Author of Parenting the Child You Didn't Expect While You Were Expecting
• 
  "Michael's mentorship helped me to fully realize what I envisioned ​for my community, and helped me formalize actionable steps toward equity in nature-based education."
  
  ​Atiya Wells
  Executive Director, Backyard Basecamp
• 
  ​“To choose to train with Michael is to choose to give yourself a gift. First, he shows you how intuition has always been present in your life. Secondly, he teaches you how to actively listen to that intuition during and long after working with him. Michael’s words become the teaching of the soul."
  
  
  -Tim McGrath
  Writer and Director, Surviving Theater 9
• 
  ​"I had so many personal and professional ​breakthroughs with Michael that it felt as though we packed 10 sessions into 4. After working with him, not only did I have clarity on where I wanted to take my business, I had a clear understanding of  how to incorporate my true talents into my work and life."
  ​
   -Allyson Scammell
  ​Business Coach and Host of the She Grows podcast
• 
  ​"Dude, today you were Yoda! Absolute fucking genius what you did! 
  The shift in me is crazy and I can’t even start to tell you 
  ​the magic that's been going on since."
  
  ​-Tania Barber
  Life Coach

THE TRIFECTA
If three is the magic number, ​meet the magic combo!

MYTH

MISCHIEF

MENTORING

MYTH + MISCHIEF + MENTORING = SUCCESS

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the... well... let's not get crazy.

BIO  (The longer, more dramatic version)

I was raised by coyotes in the wild west of Westchester County, New York, which is neither wild, nor in the west. 

An artist at heart, I "chose" a sensible career path in education. Turned out… I loved teaching, hated the “system”as it seemed to care more for test scores than children (the system, not the teachers).

My fantasy of running away from it all led me to dive deep into wilderness survival skills, which in turn led me to study how native peoples design culture and mentored individuals into relationship with their “medicine" - game changer!

In 2005, I finally bailed on working for "the man" and my wife Lynn and I  co-founded Sagefire Institute, where we facilitated, studied, and taught the art of mentoring - storytelling is a huge part of it.

Since then, I’ve helped design and facilitate wilderness rites of passage programs for the Institute for Natural Learning; co-led coaching workshops with Martha Beck, best selling author and columnist for O Magazine; authored Sit Spot and the Art of Inner Tracking; launched my own Nature-Based Coach Training program; and became a father. 
​
For 20 years now, I’ve been bringing a mix of myth and mischief to businesses, coaching retreats, writing workshops, schools, private gatherings, and more, in order to generate inspiration, conversation, and transformation. 

It’s not uncommon for the people I work with to suddenly shift gears and redesign their lives and work to reflect who they really are. 

You’ve been warned! 

When not talking about the magic of myths and fairytales, or mentoring someone toward greatness, I’m usually fly-fishing.

I live with my wife and daughter on the bones of an old farm that was built upon  lands once cared for by the Lennapi, an  Eastern Algonquian Munsee-speaking Native American people. We have two cats - Harry Potter and Sir Percival Meowsalot, and more chickens than we no what to do with.