Mike Lee | Founder | MindShift Labs
Mike Lee has built his career around a simple yet transformative idea: presence. As the founder of MindShift Labs, a keynote speaker, and a coach, he helps leaders and teams unlock peak performance by mastering the power of being fully in the moment. His approach is not just theory—it comes from lived experience, shaped by years of working with NBA champions, building businesses, and overcoming personal struggles with anxiety and depression. At EliteX, we are proud to have Mike Lee as part of the edition: Most Inspirational Speakers to Follow, 2025.
His journey as a speaker began with a deeply personal turning point. Battling withdrawal symptoms from an antidepressant medication, Mike turned to mindfulness meditation as a last resort. The practice not only helped him heal but also opened his eyes to the ways meditation had shaped the success of people like Kobe Bryant, Steve Jobs, and Oprah. Realizing the power of combining mindfulness with his background in basketball coaching, Mike found a new path. Speaking became the way to share these lessons on resilience, leadership, and authenticity with the world.
“I don’t have to be perfect to make an impact. That belief helps me step on stage every time.”
When he speaks, Mike focuses on topics closest to his heart: presence, resilience, and heart-centered leadership. These aren’t abstract ideas for him—they are values he has lived through rebuilding his own life and witnessing transformations in others. He recalls how his early basketball coaches shaped his mindset and how mentors reinforced the importance of trust, connection, and authenticity. These lessons became the backbone of his philosophy.
One moment in his speaking career stands out as a reminder of why he does this work. After a keynote, a woman approached him with gratitude, explaining that she planned to share his book with her daughter who was struggling with anxiety after being sidelined from sports for more than a year. Mike not only gave her a book but also wrote a personal note to her daughter, sharing his own struggles and reminding her she wasn’t alone. For Mike, it was a small gesture. For the mother and daughter, it meant everything. It was a powerful exchange that showed how vulnerability creates connection and healing. He admits that stage fear and doubt still creep in, but he has learned to accept them instead of fighting against them. For him, the key is remembering that impact doesn’t come from perfection—it comes from authenticity. He connects with audiences by sharing not just his wins but also his struggles, creating space for others to feel seen and heard.
Preparation, for Mike, is another form of presence. He approaches every keynote as equally important, whether speaking to a room of 10 executives or 1,000 conference attendees. His process begins with curiosity—asking questions during discovery calls and designing a program tailored to the specific needs of the audience. By weaving his personal stories with lessons from neuroscience, psychology, sports, and the future of work, he ensures his talks stay both fresh and timeless.
“What people crave isn’t more data. It’s authenticity, presence, and humanity.”
Mike believes the mark of a truly inspirational speaker lies in vulnerability and lived experience. Storytelling, in his view, is at the heart of impactful speaking. It’s how information becomes memory, and how an audience feels something deeply enough to carry it forward into their lives and work. The feedback he treasures most often comes from leaders who invite him back year after year, a clear sign that his message continues to resonate.
For those aspiring to become speakers, his advice is simple: don’t follow someone else’s model. Instead, figure out the problems you solve and embrace your authenticity. That, he says, is what truly sets a speaker apart. Criticism and tough questions are part of the job, and Mike approaches them with curiosity rather than defensiveness. He leans into clarifying questions, seeing challenges as opportunities to learn and engage rather than obstacles to avoid. This mindset reflects his broader philosophy—choosing presence over perfection, openness over judgment.
Looking ahead, Mike’s mission is clear. He wants to help leaders transcend the noise of modern life, win the moments that matter most, and build organizations where people and performance thrive together. His vision goes beyond profits and KPIs to creating workplaces that make a real impact on communities and society at large. His message is timely in a world where burnout, disconnection, and surface-level communication are all too common. He believes people are yearning for connection, and that leaders have the opportunity to model vulnerability and authenticity in ways that transform not just companies but cultures.
“Pain is the thread that connects us. When we create safe spaces for real connection, massive healing can happen.”
Mike Lee’s work reminds us that leadership isn’t about titles or strategies alone—it’s about presence, humanity, and the courage to be real. His story, both personal and professional, is proof that the moments that matter most are the ones where we choose to show up fully, not just for ourselves, but for each other.