CEO of EPIC Leadership Support Inc, and founder of Unity Charity
“My organization helps others reach their potential. We want to do better in terms of the way we run nonprofits.”
Nonprofits often rise out of the intersections between passion and impact. Mike Prosserman wants to make sure they stay that way.
“I was always interested in contributing to the world in a positive and responsible way. At first, it was personal, because of my own experience with mental health. Now I want to help other charities and nonprofits reach their potentials, too.”
When Mike was in high school, he started an organization called Unity Charity. Using his skills as a breakdancer, and his experience of using dance to heal, his organization helped improve youth mental health through hip hop.
“I fell into this opportunity, but it also came out of my personal experience of dealing with my own mental health and already being part of this hip hop community.”
Now CEO of EPIC Leadership Support Inc, Mike empowers leaders of nonprofits to foster sustainable practices and maximize their impact in the workplace. “My organization helps others reach their potential. We want to do better in terms of the way we run nonprofits.”
Through workshops, personal coaching and keynotes, Mike grounds his work in fundamental authenticity and honesty. “We need to ask ourselves why we are doing what we are doing, which will lead to a clearer mission, attainable goals and a healthier work environment.”
“It is about how to have the most impact, not how to tell the best stories. Sometimes the things most needed are not the things that get the funding.”
Using creativity and problem solving skills, Mike’s work revolves around asking questions. Looking for answers and learning based on discovery is where it begins.
“We need to be supporting the impactful work of small nonprofits,” Mike stresses. “No one organization is going to save the world, and it’s getting worse faster than it’s getting better. We have to start improving the efficiency of how we do things, now.”
It’s not about the buzzwords for Mike; it is about the reality. By peeling away the surface level, Mike believes we can foster leadership styles that will make a lasting impact.
RANDOM RAPID FIRE WITH MIKE
1. Classical or jazz
2. Billy Bishop or Pearson
3. Power or Influence
4. Early or fashionably late
5. Last book you read? I listened to it – Out of Your Mind by Allan Watts
Mike Prosserman is a professional public speaker, personal coach and founder of Unity Charity. He now works as CEO of EPIC Leadership Support Inc, providing consulting services for charities and nonprofits, and supporting them to have the biggest and most responsible impact in their communities.
Interview by Adina Samuels