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August 19, 2025

Episode 226 – Mike Koenigs – Innovation, Reinvention and Building a Life That Works For You!

“The distinction is, the first time around, people might use it for cheating and a short cut until you figure out how to integrate it into the learning experience. How do humans, how does all life in the Universe get better? It competes. It’s constantly pushing the upper limits.” – Mike Koenigs


 
  • Mike Koenigs is a serial entrepreneur with five successful exits, a 19x bestselling author, and a dynamic speaker who has engaged audiences of thousands. He has contributed to Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Fast Company and served as a judge on Entrepreneur.com’s “Elevator Pitch” TV show. Mike specializes in helping entrepreneurs create impactful, lifestyle-compatible businesses, guiding them in building high-ticket offers, refining messaging, and enhancing their personal brands.
  • With a proven track record of working with major brands like Sony, AT&T, BMW, and 3M, Mike has become a go-to expert for recently exited founders launching their “Next Act” companies. As a pioneer in teaching AI, he has shared his insights on prestigious stages, including Tony Robbins’ events, MIT, and EO conferences, inspiring audiences with innovative AI systems and strategies.
  • In this episode of TEDM, listen to a wide-ranging conversation as Mike and Patrick dive into how artificial intelligence can transform business and personal growth, plus self-identity in our next act. Mike shares practical frameworks like the MAC method and 6Ms, revealing how AI can save time, accelerate trust, enhance team capabilities, and open new revenue streams without replacing all human talent. The discussion spans AI adoption challenges, multiple-platform strategies, and the mindset shifts needed to fully harness its potential. Beyond tech, Mike reflects on his personal journey—from accelerated learning and overcoming cancer to building purpose-driven teams and designing an international lifestyle business with meaningful collaboration at the core of his purpose. With stories, stage tips, and deeply personal insights, Mike and Patrick explore what it takes to align values with vision, stay authentic, and leverage both technology and life experience for maximum impact.
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  • Show Notes
  • [00:42] Patrick introduces his next TEDM guest Mike Koenigs.
  • [02:11] Mike and Patrick get down to business! Mike unpacks opportunities in the AI landscape and shares a few secrets to adopting and using it, including the MAC method. He also explains why many people are intimidated by having the personal agency that AI can create. Framework, to create freedom.
  • [06:30] Superpowers for business owners. Mike describes his primary client profile, plus the time saving and increased efficacy AI can create (along with potential for increased revenue). It’s a mindset shift but using the tools Mike will share creates a powerful ally and supercharger for our business growth.
  • [10:43] Mike shares a couple of those tools and uses REIN as a real-life example to demonstrate how these tools will help accelerate attention, the speed of trust, and relevance in the marketplace. These aren’t tools meant to replace your team, rather equip them with skills and capabilities to build on their superpowers over the long term.
  • [18:24] Creating a culture together with AI. Although ChatGPT is still the go-to, Mike explains there are different platforms that do specific things really well, such as writing copy, creating slides, doing research and creating videos. And we can ask AI to teach us, how to teach it, how to do something better in our own voice.
  • [22:08] Mike’s got two more big nuggets of information to share! First: TLC as your meta coach. Mike prompts listeners/viewers to type into ChatGPT “take everything you know about me and describe me in just one word.”
  • [23:55] Patrick dives into the journey he’s on writing his first book and shows how AI is fueling his creativity and reshaping his approach to branding and rebranding. It’s been phenomenal.
  • [28:43] The second big idea from Mike: multiple geniuses, “monkey pick good banana” philosophy. Use multiple platforms to synthesize ideas and distill the best. Discernment is still a critical piece.
  • [32:54] Mike and Patrick talk about AI as a time machine. As an incredible efficiency tool for us and our teams to enhance skills and transform our way of learning.
  • [36:00] What’s getting in the way of people adopting AI? Mike shares a couple of stories about the rooms he’s in, and the people he is talking with to illustrate. There is the lingering stigma of cheating. Then again, this is nothing new!
  • [43:24] Humanity’s evolution has been altered by revolutionary ideas like the steam engine, printing press, the internet – how does Mike feel AI compares? He touches on the light and the dark.
  • [47:13] Shifting gears to the who – Mike Koenigs. What (and who) drives Mike’s relentlessness to push limits, move boldly forward, and inspire innovation both in his world and in the lives of others. It began as accelerated learning through necessity and is sustained by curiosity combined with his own pains and fear. Plus, the sheer love of making stuff.
  • [52:18] Mike talks about his core team, relationships, and their sprint-oriented framework which helps business owners who want to elevate their current business or build a new brand for their next act. Meaningful collaboration is fundamental to Mike’s sense of purpose.
  • [54:09] Changing up work styles and business models for seasons and circumstances of life. Mike has designed a lifestyle business and international workspace tailored to his unique offerings and vision.
  • [60:46] Risk tolerance fortified by inner work. Mike describes his process for overcoming the mental game of risk and hardship.
  • [65:20] Who do you need to become to achieve your goals, while remaining in alignment with your values. Mike reflects on Patrick’s words in the context of his personal life, then unpacks how he’s harnessed that as a core operating system and foundation for the businesses he’s created.
  • [70:14] Goals and vision. Mike doesn’t set goals but shares a couple of stories to articulate his process for envisioning outcomes and getting things done.
  • [73:08] Natural stage presence? Mike shares the processes he created for clients and gives 2 secrets to not being uncomfortable on stage. Telling stories about his journey opened doors to knowledge sharing and helping people improve their life. The first to open their hearts are the first to win.
  • [78:11] Patrick offers another gold nugget for speakers to consider while they’re on stage. Again, it’s not about you. The focus is always the audience member.
  • [79:39] In addition to presenting a great origin story with positive impact, Mike introduces another level to reach your market, with a presentation deck that is magazine or movie worthy. Packaging, positing and messaging. In his book Your Next Act, Mike offers a framework called the 6Ms. Mindset, Market, Model, Message, Media (medium), Multipliers. When the questions within this framework are answered it brings about clarity in self-identity and leads to breakthroughs, focus and excitement.
  • [83:31] Be Yourself. Know that “who you are” is a choice, and elevating your development and experience is a choice. It’s work! It’s also an evolution that can sometimes unfold quickly, and sometimes it takes decades, but its worth it. Bring your true self forward in authenticity for maximum fulfillment and impact.
  • [87:04] Patrick imparts a personal story of health awareness through the loss of his two sisters and highlights this critical message that he learned firsthand: get colonoscopies early! Colon cancer is treatable when caught early.
  • [91:18] Mike shares his journey through colorectal cancer 13 years ago. Post-recovery, the questions came fast and furious about his diagnosis, treatment and recovery so he captured his thoughts and wrote a book “Cancerpreneur: How You, Your Marriage, Family and Business Can Survive and Thrive Through Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment and Recovery.” These experiences both for Mike and Patrick opened a level of empathy they were previously unaware of.
  • [85:58] Rapid fire shakedown: Android or Apple; favourite genres of music; favourite movie; favourite swear word; message at the pearly gates.
  • [88:33] Mike’s gratitude today.
  • [89:12] Final words of mutual admiration.
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Episode 226 – Mike Koenigs – Innovation, Reinvention and Building a Life That Works For You!
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