The Moment Michael Allison Chose to Stay: A Story of Trauma, Resilience, and Reinvention

The weight of silence

What struck me most about my conversation with Michael Allison was how much he had carried without ever being asked how he was really doing. From childhood abuse to a VBIED explosion in Iraq, Michael didn’t just survive trauma – he stored it, boxed it up, and tried to keep going. Like so many men of his generation and background, there was never room to stop. Never permission to feel.

He did what a lot of us do when the world feels unsafe – he got quiet, tried to “be tough,” and focused on achievement. That might work for a while. Until it doesn’t.

Trauma doesn't stay buried.

Michael shared that his trauma started early – a flood, a hurricane, a move from Jamaica to the U.S., and then abuse by someone in his extended family. That was just the beginning. At 11, he experienced another violation of trust from someone in a leadership role during a Boy Scouts trip. From there, it compounded: being bullied for being different, feeling unsafe in his own home, being taught that boys don’t cry.

And then came war.

In Iraq, Michael led Marines into combat. He witnessed things no one should. He watched his closest friend die in a car bomb attack. He placed his body in a bag. And then, just like that, he was expected to return to “normal” life.

But trauma doesn’t politely wait its turn. It lingers. It twists itself into daily habits. It shows up in your sleep, in your relationships, in your ability to feel joy. And for Michael, it led him to a Florida bridge with 50 pounds of weight strapped to his leg.

The letter that saved his life

Here’s where everything shifted – and I still get chills thinking about it.

As Michael stood on that bridge, ready to end his life, he wrote a final letter. In doing so, he remembered a different letter — one from his mom, written years earlier when he was struggling in boot camp. Her words reminded him of the resilience that runs through his bloodline. The sacrifices made by his family. The belief that he could survive hard things.

Something clicked.

In his words, it was one of the most sobering moments of his life. He chose to stay.

And not just stay – he chose to live differently.

From survival to service

That decision didn’t instantly fix everything. But it opened the door.

Michael found a counselor who didn’t need a book to understand his story. He joined a community of men who were willing to go deep and show up with love. He remarried the woman he once divorced. He got curious about emotional intelligence and began to unpack years of grief, guilt, and pain.

Eventually, he left the corporate world and started something new. He founded The Adversity Academy, built on his own lived experience and transformation. He became a keynote speaker, a coach, and a two-time best-selling author. Today, Michael travels the world sharing his story – not because it’s easy to tell, but because someone else might hear it and decide to stay, too.

Why his story matters

There’s a moment in our conversation where Michael said, “The days are few and far between where that grief, that guilt was not attached to who I was.” And I felt that. So many of us wear our trauma without realizing how much it's shaping us.

Michael’s story is a powerful reminder that healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means choosing to look at the hardest parts of your story with honesty and compassion – and deciding they don’t get the final say.

You can listen to our full conversation on The Life Shift Podcast at www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com. Michael’s voice, his bravery, and the life he’s built after choosing to stay are proof that purpose can grow in even the most painful places.