My name is Micah Dawanyi, and I’m an author, licensed coach, and speaker based out of the Miami area. My journey into the world of storytelling, speaking, and advocacy has been kind of unorthodox. I started as an athlete when I was younger. I played soccer for a competitive academy until I was 15, when I was forced to stop due to life-threatening medical issues. I was a junior in high school then, and I found myself in this strange transitional period where I had to find new hobbies and passions.

First I got my national coaching license, and I started a non-profit training program in my city. I also joined my school’s yearbook program and picked up some coaching gigs as I finished high school. When I moved to college, I began drafting an idea for my first book titled ‘Step Into My Shoes: Memoirs From the Other Side of America.’ I used to say that the book idea came from left field, but these days, I don’t know if that’s true. I wanted to use my writing as a form of social advocacy, and that’s technically what I was already doing with my nonprofit business and other gigs. Nonetheless, that book launched me into speaking, working on social justice projects, and multifaceted forms of social advocacy. My main focuses have been mental health and social injustice- but I’m curious and always trying to learn and expand the scope of my work.

Can you share a bit about your mental health journey and the challenges you've faced?

I know I’m not alone in this experience, but I never really heard the phrase “mental health” when I was a kid. These conversations have become more prevalent recently. I first started to hear the phrase after my soccer career came to an end. See, my experience with my medical complications was traumatic because my heart was affected. I had several close encounters with death, including collapsing episodes out on the field. And it was weird; as traumatic as that was, I expected a resolution at the end. To find out that my career was completely over was probably just as challenging as the medical issues themselves. I’d lost friends before, but I had to learn how to grieve a phase of my life; the closing of a major chapter. Nobody really teaches you how to do that; how to let a part of you die. I went through this period of emotional confusion because the loss of my career also forced me to deal with family issues in my home that were an afterthought when I had sports to focus on.   

I started seeing a therapist during my freshman year of college, and I remember learning that it was important for me to identify my emotions to be able to find clarity. I couldn’t do that at first because I didn’t have any previous experience in working through my emotions on a deep level. I had to learn the true meaning of transparency and vulnerability, especially as I looked inward. 

How did you find your way into the health and wellness space? Was there a specific experience or inspiration that led you to pursue this path? 

I really couldn’t say. Going to therapy for the first time was probably the catalyst for me opening up to the idea of mental health conversations. I also switched my field of study in college from exercise science to social and behavioral sciences, and I remember learning such interesting concepts about the human mind and the nuances of wellness. I also remember certain days when I first started coaching, and my students would sometimes show up early to training just to talk. Many of them were coming from difficult circumstances at home and they recognized that my training sessions presented a safe space to open up. 

That realization was major because it allowed me to process the idea that wellness is just as much mental as it is physical. So with all that in mind, I’d say that my entire life prepared me to enter the health and wellness space. 

How do you incorporate mental health awareness and support into your professional endeavors? 

There are so many valid approaches, but my main focus has been storytelling. You’re right- mental health is such a stigmatizing concept. The question I’ve often asked myself is “How can we engage people in these conversations without triggering them or appearing judgemental?” I’ve found that when we tell stories, people can look for fragments of themselves in the storylines. They can look at the artistic representations of themes like mental health and take away important concepts. 

My second book ‘Battle Scars & Blossoms’ is a fictional story about a young college student dealing with a traumatic past, and when he arrives at college, his mom gives him an ultimatum to force him to deal with all that he’s been through. I’m able to detail the nuances of a mental health journey and explain those concepts without calling out the audience or making them feel bad. They can simply follow along with the story.

When I’m asked to speak at events or schools, I also share my own mental health journey to show that vulnerability is okay. I really believe that vulnerability is the scariest part of opening up for a lot of people, so if I can show that it can be a good thing, then I’m able to help change perspectives.

Coping mechanisms vary for each individual. What practices or activities have been particularly helpful for you in maintaining good mental health?

I know my first answer is going to sound like a lecture from a parent, but getting off my phone has been major in maintaining my mental health. Reducing my screen-time has dramatically improved my attention-span and ability to be present in the moment every day. 

The other practice I’ve focused on is reflection- specifically about the spaces that I enter. The older you get in life, you have a bit more autonomy with the spaces you enter into. I try to reflect on which spaces allow me to thrive, which spaces bring me peace, and which spaces bring me angst or discomfort. It doesn’t make much sense to entertain a negative space and then try to heal afterward; I’d rather just stop entertaining that space altogether. It could be in the digital world (like on a certain social media page, for example) or it could be in a tangible, physical, environment. 

I’ve found that reflecting on these spaces has allowed me to re-align the type of environments and people I want to be around for my own prosperity.

What motivated you to share your story, and how do you hope it will impact others? 

I think I just recognized that my experiences in life are unique but also universal. I’m not the only person who has ever had to grieve the closing of a memorable chapter of life. I’m not the only person who has ever had a fear of failure or has ever neglected their mental wellness. I realized that I could help people possibly avoid some of the mistakes I made if I shared my story.

I wish someone had detailed the importance of mental health when I was 10, or 11, or 12, but these topics just weren’t talked about then. 

Ultimately, there’s power in vulnerability, and each person will probably be impacted differently from my story. I just hope I can inspire people to find the tools they need to nurture their resilience and keep on fighting. 

Based on your experiences, what advice would you give to others who are reading this?