Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Barham.
Michael, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story started when my uncle put a basketball in my hand at age five. He wanted to teach me a new hobby, but instead, it became the tool that led me to my purpose. I was born and raised in Bessemer, AL, in a single-parent household. I had hoop dreams of going pro to change my mother’s life because the pain of watching her struggle was unbearable. I didn’t have a clear understanding of the intentional work and requirements that it took to get to the next level after high school. Going through three high school coaches during my senior year didn’t help my case either.
As I was sitting on the edge of my bed, I wondered what was next for me. The only options I was exposed to were rapping, trapping, or breaking into houses. One bad experience with drugs and a bullet later, those options were out of the door. My best friend being murdered was the indicator that my life and environment had to change. The transition happened when I received my first coaching job.
I was twenty years old when I received my first coaching opportunity. Coaching 5th and 6th graders gave me a sense of responsibility and helped me develop as a leader. A few years later, I was blessed to have an opportunity to coach on a high school level. My friend James Poindexter gave me an opportunity to be his assistant coach at McAdory High School. I had been helping athletes with skill development before I coached at the high school level, but this is where the brand was truly developed.
Teaching skill development has always been the easy part for me. If anyone does the same movements the correct way and with enough consistency, they will get better. The part I fell in love with was teaching character development, leadership, mental toughness, and effective communication. While searching for my purpose, I found my “Why.” I married my beautiful wife, Kaitlyn and later we conceived our daughter Khloe. They are the driving force behind the success that I receive. Seeking to become a better leader for them, I became a better leader for the world.
During my time coaching basketball and serving in the youth ministry at church, I discovered my gift to speak. I discovered that whenever I opened my mouth to speak, people locked in and listened. I’ve experienced being empowered from coaches and speakers, but I never knew I could be the person who would empower others. I was inspired to become a professional speaker by international speaker Dr. Eric Thomas.
I joined Eric Thomas’ personal development community Breathe University. In Breathe University, I met my speaking & business coach Kendall Ficklin. The guidance that Kendall provided led me to be booked and paid to speak for elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and colleges. I also collaborated with a group of powerful men to create my first book, Purpose Pioneers, which became an Amazon bestseller. I help coaches and athletes elevate their performance in the areas of personal development, communication, and team building. I believe that you must help them become a better person before they can become a better athlete. I do this through camps, workshops, conferences, and one-on-one consults.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There was most definitely challenges along the way. Here are my top three challenges.
1) I’ve had to overcome the fear of rejection. When you are building a business, you will experience a lot of rejection. I had to build what I like to call my “no muscle.” There are times when people will not respond to your email or DM as well as not buy your product. I learned that “no” means “not right now.” Now when I hear the word no, I am not emotionally attached to it.
2) My coach Kendall Ficklin has a quote that says, “your work has to match your want.” The gift of speaking came naturally but learning business was difficult. Learning how to use a CRM, send proposals, edit videos, understand personalities, and become an effect communicator was difficult but I knew it was necessary to become successful. I had to do things I didn’t want to do to receive the results I wanted.
3) Creating balance was the third challenge. I have a wife, daughter, full-time job, coach high school basketball, and a brand. Family is important to me, but I’ve dropped the ball in making sure I create the right balance while building my business. I never want to be a public success and a private failure, so I learned to be intentional about family time the same way I am with getting contracts.
Tell us about your company.
The name of my company is Push Elevation. Push Elevation is an online community that helps athletes increase their performance in their personal development, communication, and leadership. One of the things I am known for is pushing people to produce results over talking about it or wishing about it. One of my favorite things to say is “capless grind more.” That means you need to produce more than you talk.
What are you most proud of as a company and what separates you from others?
One of the things I’m proud of as a company is that I get the opportunity to transform lives. One of my favorite moments as a company was connecting with Eric Thomas and helping him run his basketball camp Triple Double. I think there are three things that sets me apart from others.
1) The first is my ability to meet an athlete or coach where they are and help them get to where they need to be. Knowing different personality styles and communicating to people in the way they would like to receive it is a gift.
2) My ability to be optimistic helps me get through tough situations that would slow most people down.
3) I help athletes beyond the sport. A lot of times, coaching are done with athletes when they are done with whatever sport they play. I help athletes transition into life after sports.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
What some call luck, I look at it as Favor. I am a man of faith and it is my belief that if you put God first, he will show you favor. I have had a lot of Favor in my life and business. There have been doors that have opened for me that I wasn’t “qualified” to enter.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michaelbarhamelevate.wixsite.com/mysite
- Email: PushElevation@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/michaelbarham_elevates
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/MichaelBarhamElevates
- Other: http://youtube.com/michaelbarhamelevates
Image Credit:
Bold As a Lion Studios
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
