"That trick. That move right there. I used it for the next twenty years."
Senior class president. Top of his class. Drinking every weekend. Blacking out. Doing things on Saturdays he'd hear about on Mondays. And still — getting the grades. Still popular. Still the one everyone wanted around.
"I felt peace. That's it. That simple. Peace."
The noise that was always running in the background — the hum, the knots, the feeling of having to perform constantly for everyone in every room — that noise just stopped. And every person in the audience who has ever felt that noise recognizes it instantly.
"I walked seven miles. But not before stopping at a gas station. To pick up a couple beers for the walk."
Easter Sunday. Pregnant girlfriend at the dinner table. The whole family watching. And the whole way to his friend's house, he was the one who'd been wronged. That's not a lie he was telling anyone else. That's what he actually believed. The pattern doesn't feel like a pattern from the inside. It feels like the truth.
The talk opens with a deal the students can accept — or walk away from. It closes with a question they will not forget. Everything between moves with intent. No filler. No slides. No performance. Just the story, told the way it happened.
Senior class president. Straight A's in advanced courses. The likeable one who could charm his way through almost anything — and usually did. From the outside, Mike Conklin looked like the last person in any room who needed help. That was the point. That was the whole thing.
A thread that started at nine years old and lasted until he got sober at thirty-three.
What nobody saw — what Mike himself couldn't see — was the drift. Gradual. Almost imperceptible. The performance of having it together while carrying something alone he didn't have words for yet.
By his twenties, Mike had been through exchange programs, top-ranked university acceptances he couldn't afford, a semester lost to partying, three arrests, a DWI in the first year of his daughter's life, and a progression through virtually every substance the era had to offer — all while pointing outward at everyone else as the cause.
Today he is a recovery advocate, certified life coach, and the creator of The Recovery Accelerator and The Undertow Series. His approach: tell the truth, in the language of the room, without flinching. And trust that one kid in the audience will hear something they've never heard before.
Wow. That's all I can say. Wow. I've sat through dozens of these assemblies. I have never once seen a room full of teenagers that quiet. Three students came to my office afterwards. That has never happened before.
It's amazing how Mike connects with students at their level. They want to talk to him. They want to listen. They want to engage. And you can feel he wants all of that with them as well.
I almost walked out during the first five minutes. Then he said the thing about feeling alone in a room full of people. I stayed. I still have the workbook. I've read it twice.
Mike uses real, plainspoken language — the language of the room. It is not graphic, and it is not sanitized. No slurs. No gratuitous detail. The story of what actually happened, told honestly, in a way students recognize as truthful.
For schools with specific language guidelines, Mike is happy to walk through the talk in advance and make mutually-agreed adjustments. The integrity of the talk is what makes it work — but he'll always have that conversation.
The talk is designed to be a mirror without being a warning — meaning it describes experience rather than using fear. For a student who's currently in crisis, the talk should never be the only resource; it's an invitation, not a treatment.
Mike recommends coordinating with school counselors beforehand so they can be available during and after. The workbook every student receives includes a gentle on-ramp for the kid who's ready to ask for more.
Grades 9 through 12. Mike reads the room and adjusts delivery to the specific audience. For senior classes he includes closing content tailored to what's ahead of them — the freshman year of college, the first apartment, the first real distance from the adults who used to notice.
For middle school or college audiences, reach out — the material adapts, but the framing shifts. Mike will tell you honestly whether his talk is the right fit for your audience.
Mike's fee structure is flexible based on the school or organization's resources. The Recovery Accelerator, which he founded, is funded entirely through community donations — accessibility is core to everything he does. Reach out directly and he'll work with you.
Every student receives a copy of The Drift workbook at the close. Mike coordinates a local pizza sponsor and stays in the cafeteria afterwards — available to any student who wants to talk, one-on-one, privately.
For schools interested in a follow-up parent session, Mike offers a companion talk on the same material, framed for the adults in these students' lives.
Mike has called Las Vegas home since 2023, with a home base in New York's Hudson Valley. He regularly travels the East Coast, the Midwest, and the mountain communities of Colorado — and has spent time in the St. Petersburg area of Florida in previous years.
The short version: he's willing to travel wherever the talk leads him. Reach out with your location and date window and he'll tell you honestly whether it works.
Four to eight weeks of lead time is ideal — enough to coordinate workbooks, local pizza sponsors, and counselor support. If you have a shorter window, reach out anyway. Mike will tell you what's possible.
"I came here for you."
The fastest way to book Mike is to email him directly. He answers every inquiry personally. Tell him about your room and he'll tell you if it's the right fit.
Email Mike Directly→ mike@betterbeginningnow.com