Michael K. Gainey's signature talk "WHAT IF YOU CAN?'' asks students a question most of them have never been asked. What if you can? What if you're not too broken, too far gone, or too behind? What if your story isn’t over?
Michael opens up about his own journey through poverty, school expulsion, having a drug addicted father, losing his beloved uncle to alcoholism, and a near-death experience from a brain tumor, cyst, and hydrocephalus. He shares what it was like to grow up with a father battling addiction, and what it took to keep going when life felt impossible. This keynote is designed to ignite resilience and break the chains of identity incarceration. Through it all, he learned how to lead, how to grow, and how to fight for his future.
This talk is a mix of powerful storytelling and real-life strategies that push students to grow in four key areas:
Identity – helping them understand who they are beyond what they’ve been through
Leadership – showing them how to take ownership and influence the world around them
Resilience – giving them tools to stay steady and strong through hard seasons
Mental health – teaching them how to recognize what they’re feeling and how to handle it
Students don’t just leave motivated. They leave with skills they can actually use. They walk away with the tools to make better choices, carry themselves with confidence, and start rewriting their own story.
What If You Can? isn’t just a message. It’s a mindset shift that stays with them long after the lights go down.
This workshop picks up where the keynote leaves off. After hearing “What If You Can?” students step into a deeper experience where we don’t just talk about resilience, identity, and leadership — we practice it.
We get honest about pressure. We talk about real stuff like fear, failure, and feeling stuck.
“What If You Can?” is more than just a motivational message. It gives students real tools to handle pressure, make better choices, and believe in themselves again. But it also invites parents and caregivers into that process so they can better understand what their kids are going through.
During this session, Michael shares parts of his personal story and walks parents through the four key areas he focuses on with students: identity, leadership, resilience, and emotional health. He shows how these areas directly impact behavior, academics, and everyday decisions. Parents leave with a deeper understanding of what their children are working through and simple ways they can support them at home.
This night is about building connection. It gives parents fresh insight, shared language, and a sense of hope for the path their child is walking. When families grow together, everything around them gets stronger.