Michael is a Performance Consultant for organizations, teams, business executives, coaches, athletes, sports psychologists, and professional creatives. He has certified hundreds of professional coaches internationally as Play Zone Pros© through his unique methodology, which applies Polyvagal Theory to optimize health, resilience, and performance, endorsed by Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D.Michael has served as a professional consultant for coaches, teams and athletes within Major League Baseball MLB, The National Basketball Association NBA, Association of Tennis Professionals ATP, Women's Tennis Association WTA, Federation Internationale de Football Association FIFA, International Tennis Federation ITF, American Volleyball Coaches Association AVCA, USA Track & Field USATF, Association of Volleyball Professionals AVP, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA in a wide variety of sports. Michael is an educational partner with Polyvagal Institute and provides a variety of educational offerings, learning platforms, and certification programs accredited by the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaches and supported by Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D., developer of Polyvagal Theory. Michael is a leading expert teaching Polyvagal Institute’s flagship course and is a contributing author to a forthcoming Norton Book, Somatic-Oriented Therapies and Trauma, co-author with Dr. Porges of a chapter in a Norton Professional Series Book titled Polyvagal Perspectives, contributor to a chapter on Polyvagal Performance in a book titled Our Polyvagal World: How Safety & Trauma Change Us, a Norton Professional Series Publication, and contributor of a case study examining performance enhancement through physiological state regulation, a Sounds True publication. Michael is a public speaker on topics related to Polyvagal Theory, play, team building, resilience, and performance. He has presented at a variety of conferences, including sports performance, collegiate athletics, human resources, education, and trauma recovery. He was a featured speaker at the Polyvagal Institute’s Annual Summits in 2022 and 2023 and The Master Series in Oxford University, UK, in August 2023 and September 2024.In 1999, Michael co-founded Physical Focus Inc., a wellness center in Santa Barbara, California, and served as CEO for 25 years, where he managed a comprehensive team of wellness professionals. During this time, he was a certified Health Coach, Personal Trainer, Senior Personal Trainer, Medical Exercise Specialist, Post-Rehab Specialist, and Oxygen Advantage Breathwork Instructor.