Social Impact Heroes: How Mike Diamond is helping hundreds on their personal road to recovery
True leaders inspire by action, they walk the talk. Great leaders have social and emotional intelligence. They live with purpose knowing how to bring the best out of people. If you want to lead you must have self awareness, compassion, will power, self discipline and always be sharpening your sword.
Audiences already know Mike Diamond for his business acumen, running top nightclubs in Vegas followed by some of the biggest tattoo shops during the Inked TV series. But over the last decade, Diamond made a name for himself in the fitness and life coach space. After being told by doctors that he had to have his colon removed and was septic or would likely develop colon cancer and never walk again if he survived, he decided to take his health into his own hands. He left the nightlife and TV space and committed to a regimen of nutrition, mindful meditation, weight training and running. He went on to become an INBA Masters Natural Olympia (Top 3) and recently penned the book “7 Steps to an Unbreakable Mindset.” He also chose sobriety (13 years +) and began mentoring others on living a healthy, sober, and fulfilled life with giving back at the forefront of his mission. Since then, Diamond has literally helped hundreds of people on their personal road to recovery- be it sobriety or overcoming their own health challenges. He’s spent time in lockdowns mentoring young men and women on turning their lives around. Mike is currently organizing the Run 4 Layla challenge, running 30 half marathons in 30 days to break a Guinness world record to help find a cure for Layla Rae.
Thank you so much for joining us Mike! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific point in your career path?
In 2006, from the outside, everything looked perfect. I owned a bar with Scott Weiland, Duff Mckagen, and Brett Scallion. I was shooting a VH1 show with Scott Weiland about my life and helped Ami James by appearing on Miami ink, but I was spiritually bankrupt. I was consuming over a gram of cocaine a day and drinking a bottle of vodka every night. One day, after spending a night shooting our Vh1 show with Scott, I knew if I didn’t make a change the inevitable would occur. I would die having lived a very short life and not nearly reach my full potential. It was on the date of 4/16/06 that I decided I would do a 180 and commit to being clean and sober. I have never once looked back.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you made the decision to start the Run 4 Layla challenge?
Taking on this challenge of raising money for Layla, and running 30 half marathons in 30 days to break a Guinness world record, has put me way out of my comfort zone. When I first began the project a lot of people told me it wasn’t possible at my age and with colitis I was out of my mind. Four weeks into my prep, I suffered a hernia and against doctors orders broke the world record. The fundraising has been really hard to do all alone. I don’t have a personal trainer, nutritionist and unfortunately, the first company I hired to help did nothing but waste my time and money. I have found out through this experience that most people don’t walk the talk. It truly has been one step at a time and life changing. They say run one marathon or half marathon it will change you. Well, 30 is another story.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting out in your career? What lessons did you learn from that and how does it apply to what you are doing today?
One of the funniest mistakes I made was many years ago when I owned a Nightclub called “Dorisa” in NYC. We were throwing a party and dress code had become a little loose. I told the people running the door not to let in anyone wearing a NorthFace jacket, as they looked so big and ugly lol. I left the door and suddenly a person rushes through the crowd in a big oversized NorthFace jacket! I immediately snapped on the door person. They calmed me down and said, “Can you see why we let them in?” I said fine and walked over to the table where I was introduced to the one and only, Janet Jackson. I learned a good lesson that day. Stop and breathe before I speak.
Can you describe how you/your company aim to make a significant social impact long term?
In my intervention and coaching business, my goal is to help people find purpose by closing the gap from where they are and where they want to be in life. I use mindfulness and NLP to help people weed out the negative and flourish in life.
Can you tell me a story about a particular individual who was impacted by your cause?
I have helped many people over the years. One of my favorite stories would be my friend Graham. He went from multiple overdoses to now being clean, sober and a BJJ champion and an MMA fighter.
Are there three things the community can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- Donate time and effort to organizations that are doing more for the greater good.
- Simply be kind to one another. We are all facing something. A little smile can go a long way.
- One of my daily mantras: walk the talk. Don’t just discuss ways to improve and empower your life and that of others. Take the necessary actions to do so.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
True leaders inspire by action, they walk the talk. Great leaders have social and emotional intelligence. They live with purpose knowing how to bring the best out of people. If you want to lead you must have self awareness, compassion, will power, self discipline and always be sharpening your sword.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or an example for each.
- Set goals daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. Goals always keep us on track and focused on the big picture.
- Live with Purpose. Purpose is the glue that keeps us focused when things seem as though they are falling apart. Whenever my life has gone off track without purpose, I have felt as though I had nothing.
- Have a plan and turn it into action. We can’t hit a target we don’t see. Whenever we have a goal, we need to create action plans to turn our dreams into reality.
- Have Priorities and live by them. Follow the 80/20 rule; 20% effort for 80% of your results.
- Always Maintain Perseverance — the bamboo tree must be fertilized and watered for 5 years before it sprouts. Then, it grows a staggering 90 feet in 6 weeks. We usually quit before the magic happens. Perseverance will help us get to the next level.
- Learn To Practice Patience — Early in life, I was always eager to get out of the blocks but never had the ability to be patient enough to realize that life is a marathon, not a sprint.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
A movement I have actually created is called the “Conscious Outlaws.” The 6 Principles of the Conscious Outlaw are as followed:
1. A Conscious Outlaw is calm, secure, doesn’t complain, blame or play the victim.
2. A Conscious Outlaw creates solutions to situations and finds a positive in every negative because they have the power to control their thoughts.
3. A Conscious Outlaw is in control of their emotions, feelings and takes full responsibility for their own actions. They know that they have the freedom of choice, as they know that no one can ever control them.
4. A Conscious Outlaw knows life is not what happens to you but how you choose to react in the present moment.
5. A Conscious Outlaw knows life is about living with purpose and truth no matter what is going on in the world around them.
6. A Conscious Outlaw takes the road less traveled. They don’t follow in other people’s footsteps. They step to the side and create their own path.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I was watching a palm tree in a hurricane one morning and couldn’t believe it’s ability to withstand the devastating winds. Everything was getting crushed but the palm tree wasn’t flustered. It keep bending and never broke. In life, we must become flexible in our mindset. When facing adversity, we must become the palm tree in the hurricane and bend, not break.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?
Joe Dizpenza, hands down. His books have changed my life and helped me become, as Joe would say, Supernatural.