Mike Montoya is the CEO and Founder of Stronger Consulting. A 30-year education sector veteran, Mike is an expert in helping organizations design, manage, and improve educational programs for young people. Mike’s identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a person of color has shaped his entrepreneurial journey, as he educates non-profit organizations to act strategically on behalf of children.
Mike grew up feeling the stress in an ultra-conservative area, but found that he had adults in his life who would allow him to just be himself. Part of the reason Mike got into his career in education, was that he had people around him when he needed them; Mike’s goal is to support the successes of young people through similar things he experienced as a child.
We need people’s wellness and their identities being included - this is the foundation of everything!
Notes:
👦 Mike grew up in conservative Colorado as a Catholic, gay kid.
2:34😇 His career choice was partly influenced by adults who helped him find safe spaces while growing up.
4:09✌🏾 The Youth Development space develops you as a whole human being.
8:17🥇 The Broad Center: a framework for what adults need to show up to lead inside school systems.
10:55🏫 K-12 education has shaped Mike's entrepreneurial journey of Stronger Consulting: the influence of his identity.
16:32🤯 People usually didn't believe that he is a person of color.
19:11🪅 Mike's parents helped him to assimilate: the importance of his connection to migrant workers from Mexico.
22:30🎯 Stronger Consulting’s approach is unique because of the diversity of its people.
26:32💎 Mike's RONdering: to achieve success for children, have we been skimming away a little bit of their humanity?
30:01💚 We need the foundation of love and wellness: people's well-being and their identities being included.
33:36Links:
Episode 43
