Mike Donahue
Mike has worked with people all over the world, including the United States, Asia, South America, and Europe. He is the founder and director of a non-profit company dedicated to helping young people know and embrace their true intrinsic value.
Mike spoke alongside Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, and Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama, at the National PTA Conference on bullying and social profiling in 2014. He has worked with several governors and state politicians when called upon, to help with a school-related crisis. He has developed relationships with some of the key players in social climate solutions in public schools across the country. He is an expert on knowing and connecting to young people at a level that is very effective in key critical situations.
Mike has come to understand that so many teen issues are directly related to how students view themselves. If a student believes they have high intrinsic value and identify with that high value, they will make life choices that reflect their perceived value. Mike explains how, when he was younger and using substances like alcohol and marijuana as a teenager, he didn’t necessarily have a substance abuse problem as much as he had a Mike abuse problem. When he came to the understanding that he was valuable, the choice to stop that behavior was easier because those behaviors no longer reflected how he saw himself.
Mike and his wife Rachel live in Bennington, Nebraska, but he hails from Boston, Massachusettes and was a member of the United States Air Force. He is the father of four children and one stepdaughter. Mike has dedicated his life to helping young people see that no matter what has happened to a person, their value never changes.
The pressure educators face today is greater than ever before
There is a host of mental health issues and emotional baggage students walk into the building with every day. When students are emotionally healthy, they thrive. Value Up exists to help you in your efforts to create and maintain a healthy emotionally safe environment.