"There is always light. If only we were brave enough to see it. If only we were brave enough to be it."
-Amanda Gorman
Who am I?
I used to answer this question by saying I was an athlete, a future professional hockey player. Today, I could say I’m a certified coach, a yoga and meditation teacher, a writer, a speaker. But the truth is, I can’t really answer it, because we are so much more than what we do, and we often forget that. I prefer to say that I’m Mikaël.
From a very young age, sport was where I felt most alive. My dream was clear: the NHL. But bullying and other circumstances taught me early that to be loved, I had to be strong, high-performing, flawless. Unconsciously, I spent years in survival mode, driven by performance, control, and fear, until injuries, exhaustion, and burnouts showed me that doing more wasn’t the answer.
In March 2022, illness forced me to stop everything. For more than four years, I had to let go of my identity, my passion, my relationships, almost everything I thought I was. It was the hardest challenge of my life, and the greatest gift it could have given me. By ceasing to fight against what is, I discovered who I am, without performance, without an image to uphold, without any real goal.
These years showed me what detachment and letting go truly are. It isn’t indifference. It’s loving, dreaming, and committing fully, while letting life be life. When we stop running from the moment and fully engage with it, we become present, and we open to what life is trying to do through us. In that presence, listening, to yourself, your body, your emotions, and others, is the path that lights the way.
During my journey with illness, I was fortunate to cross paths with incredible guides, like Peter Crone, Joe Dispenza, Charlotte Hoefman, Mooji, Eckhart Tolle, and Kyle Cease, but it’s life itself that has taught me the most. From this came my book, meditation and yoga, my accompaniment work, and my desire to speak on stage, to plant seeds of meaning, love, and inner freedom.
I don’t know exactly where all of this leads, and for the first time, I no longer need to. I’m open to life, to listening to my heart, and I want to radiate love and inspire everywhere I go.
