Michael Maisey | How facing death made one man embrace life.
The Emma Guns Show
Emma Gunavardhana
4.8 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 23 April 2023
⏱️ 79 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Trigger warning: this episode contains references to suicide.
I’ve said it before and it’s highly likely I’ll say it again… One of the best things about creating this podcast is getting to have conversations with and see the world through someone else’s eyes. Seeing it through Michael Maisey’s lens, as someone who spent the majority of his teens in the prison system, overcame heroin addiction and survived a suicide attempt, who is now a successful businessman and motivational speaker is a real privilege.
I ask all my guests what their relationship is like with risk and, as you can imagine, Michael’s answer is completely unique. His life experiences have given him an incredible perspective and his struggles have motivated him to be the helping hand someone else, who finds themselves at the thin end of opportunity and privilege, needs.
I’m not going to lie, this conversation is INTENSE and deeply thought-provoking.
Michael’s book Young Offender is available now.
To join the closed Facebook group for the podcast click here >> The Emma Guns Show Forum.
To follow me on social media >> Twitter | Instagram.
Watch clips from the podcast >> Youtube | The Emma Guns Show
Sign up for my newsletter here >> Newsletter.
Hey! Why not share your thoughts and insights to make your listening experience even better. Complete this listener survey to tell me what you want to hear: http://bit.ly/theemmagunsshow-survey
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I went to the gates of hell, and I found a way out. |
| 0:05.8 | Growing up, I just wanted to be a better man than my father, |
| 0:08.0 | and here I was in a prison cell detoxing from heroin |
| 0:10.8 | with a rope around my neck and it was just deep and regret. |
| 0:13.4 | I wanted to escape. I didn't want to die. |
| 0:15.6 | I left prison with nothing. |
| 0:17.5 | Dad was a heroin addict's mom was now called it. |
| 0:19.5 | Everyone rejected me, and for a long time, |
| 0:22.0 | it felt like they were right. |
| 0:23.5 | But I could trust that little flicker in my heart of love. |
| 0:26.3 | And so I'm carrying the ancestral trauma. |
| 0:28.8 | I couldn't truly understand me without understanding their journey. |
| 0:32.0 | One of the things we've lost is these beautiful sacred traditions |
| 0:35.2 | that help educate us. |
| 0:36.4 | So we have to go back and we have to look at the things that happened in our life. |
| 0:40.8 | My responsibility is to create spaces where young men and elder men |
| 0:45.5 | and women can come together and heal. |
| 0:48.1 | I don't think we're ever meant to have it all figured out. |
| 0:50.2 | We're just meant to learn and grow so we can better equip the next generation. |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Emma Gunavardhana, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Emma Gunavardhana and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

