I’ve known
since before he had 5,000 of his now 83,000 followers on Medium. When I got on a call with him for the first time 6 years ago, I was a little shocked to hear he had a stutter. Not for any particular reason, it’s just that stutters are somewhat rare.We then went on to have a wonderful hour long conversation. He was just one of the coolest people I’ve ever met, with lots of energy, positivity, and humor. I hung up the phone and laughed to myself wondering “Who the f*ck is this guy?”
I checked his Medium profile and he had 5,000 followers. ‘Not bad,’ I thought.
Well, little did I know Michael was about to take Medium by storm.
Since 2018 I’ve watched him go viral on Medium seemingly every week with exceptional storytelling, raw emotions, and practical life lessons.
He went from “not bad” to “holy crap!” really quick.
I sh*t you not, he’s the best writer I know.
That’s the highest compliment I can give, and I’m giving it now.
His stuff just flies. Everything he touches turns to gold.
Right now he’s got a new book out called Shy By Design: 12 Timeless Principles To Quietly Stand Out. Here’s the synopsis on Amazon:
“In Shy by Design, Michael Thompson shares his inspiring journey of moving from being riddled with self-doubt due to his shyness and debilitating stutter to becoming a sought-after career coach, university leadership lecturer, and strategic communication advisor for top global business executives and entrepreneurs.”
For me personally, it’s amazing to watch a guy I’ve known for years come into his own as a blogger, take the internet by storm, and publish a book with an endorsement from a writing wizard like Cal Newport.
This funny, clever, warm guy with a stutter who befriended a 25 year old moron like me six years ago.
I’m so very proud of him. I look up to him. I write this with tears in my eyes because his story is so damn inspirational, and I know all that he’s been through to get here.
Nobody deserves this more than him.
So, please consider buying his book and leaving a review on Amazon. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed. And I won’t be surprised if this book becomes the next big mega hit around the world.
I’m so happy for you Michael!
This is a conversation I had with Michael just recently about shyness, his book, how he became a top salesman in his first job despite having a stutter, lost $250,000 in one day, and moved to Spain to find the love of his life and start a family.
I hope you enjoy it.
Timestamps
0:00 - How I met Michael
2:40 - Michael’s journey to writing online and eventually getting a book deal
8:35 - How to craft a great personal story
14:15 - Why shyness can make you a great storyteller
19:35 - Shyness is not a bad thing
22:23 - The world is starting to value introverted people more
28:30 - Conversation starters for introverts
32:30 - Why Substack is an oasis in this social media wasteland
34:45 - People are sick of ridiculous clickbait on social media
38:27 - Inject some craziness into your writing and let it rip
41:27 - Substack allows you to be yourself better than any other platform
45:50 - A word about Michael’s book, Shy By Design.
Those Mentioned In The Interview
Shy By Design: 12 Timeless Principles to Quietly Stand Out
John P Weiss
Michael’s website
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