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Keynote Speaker · Author · Podcast Host · Book Coach
The event doesn't define you. Your response does.
I'm Michael C. Jones - and whether I'm speaking to your organization, coaching you through your first book, or sitting across from you on the podcast, I'm here to help you see what I've learned the hard way:
E + R = O. The Event plus your Response equals the Outcome.
You may not be able to change what happens to you. But you always get to choose what you do next.
That's not just my message. It's how I live.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
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The Story Behind the Message
Life doesn't ask for your plan.
It asks for your response.
At 52, I got a diagnosis that rewrote everything I thought I knew about my future. Young onset Parkinson's. Then deep brain stimulation surgery. Then a job loss. Then another one - right at Christmas.
In the middle of all of it, Christine and I were anchored by a verse we first heard at our wedding in 1998: Jeremiah 29:11. 'For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' We didn't choose that verse because life was easy. We chose it because we believed it when it wasn't.
And somehow, through all of it - the surgery, the setbacks, the starting over - there was also Olivia. A daughter from China. Five marathon finish lines with the flag for fallen heroes. Twenty-eight years of a marriage that held when everything else cracked.
I didn't find my purpose despite the hard chapters. I found it inside them.
Every chapter - even the painful ones - is part of the journey.
Watch the Message Become a Marathon
How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
I talk about resilience, second acts, and taking the next step when you don't know where you're going. And I believe the most powerful thing I can do is show you what that actually looks like - not from a stage, but in real life.
My goal is to run the Marine Corps Marathon (for the fourth time) in October 2027, carrying the flag for a fallen hero. Again.
Parkinson's means I can't just decide to run 26.2 miles. I have to earn every distance.
Here's where I am:
Progress Milestones
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5K with the flag - Azalea Trail Run, Mobile, Alabama - March 2026
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10K with the flag - Vulcan Run, Birminbham, Alabama - November 2026
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Half Marathon with the flag - Disney Half Marathon, Orlando, Florida - January 2027
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Marathon with the flag - Marine Corps Marathon, Washington D.C. - October 2027
Wherever you are in the journey - there's a next step here for you.
Corporate & Event Buyers
You need a speaker who does more than inspire.
Michael's keynote gives your audience a framework they'll actually use - E + R = O grounded in a story they won't forget.
Real, credible, and built for organizations navigating change, adversity, and what comes next.
Aspiring Authors
You have a story worth publishing.
You've lived something real, and you know it needs to become a book.
The 90-Day Book Coaching program takes you from blank page to published author - with structure, accountability, and a coach who's been through the fire himself.
Faith Community & Personal Growth
You're in a hard chapter right now.
The diagnosis. The job loss. The grief. The detour you didn't see coming. The Part of the Journey podcast is where we talk honestly about what it means to trust the process when the process is painful.
You're not alone, and this is not your last chapter.
The Podcast - Part of the Journey
Real conversations about resilience, purpose, and what it actually looks like to build a meaningful second act, hosted by Michael C. Jones, MBA
Each episode is honest, hopeful, and built around one idea: the hard chapters aren't the end of your story.
Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · Amazon Music
New episodes every Sunday
Browse all episodes at partofthejourneypodcast.com
The journey is better when you're not walking it alone.
Every week I send one email.
No noise, no filler. Just honest reflection on purpose, resilience, and the next step - drawn from my story, the podcast, and whatever I'm learning right now.
Some weeks it's about Parkinson's. Some weeks it's about marriage or running or faith or what Olivia said that stopped me cold.
It's always real. It's always written to give you something to think about or serve you.
And it's always part of the journey.
Subscribe below and receive the free guide "5 truths I learned from Parkinson's, brain surgery, and starting over.
No spam. No fluff. Unsubscribe anytime. Just one honest email a week.