Rising Stars: Meet Michael Neece of Chapel Hill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Neece

Hi Michael, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey through life has been guided by a passion for learning, teaching, and the transformative power of kindness. I began my career as a martial arts instructor from 1990 to 1992 and later from 2006 to 2014. Martial arts taught me the importance of discipline, empathy, and the value of a supportive community.

In 1991, while attending UNC (class of 1997), I began working at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill, NC. This experience deepened my childhood fascination with astronomy and allowed me to inspire others through education and storytelling. I returned to Morehead in 2007 and continued there until 2023, during which time I also had the honor of writing a children’s book titled “Tony Jenzano, Astronaut Trainer: The Man Who Made the Stars Shine,” celebrating the legacy of the planetarium’s former director.

Between my stints at Morehead, I ventured into corporate technical training at Genuity from 2000 to 2002, where I honed my skills in developing and delivering effective training programs. Following this, I spent four years teaching chemistry, physics, and astronomy at Cape Fear Academy, nurturing young minds and fostering a love for science.

In 2006, I transitioned to the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on programming and then team development. By 2024, I was running an academy for early-career pharmaceutical programmers. This role allowed me to contribute to significant advancements in healthcare while building and working with diverse teams. Throughout these varied experiences, I always sought to create environments where kindness and empathy were paramount.

In 2024, I founded Our Future is Kind, a keynote speaking and coaching business dedicated to promoting kindness in professional and personal spheres. Our mission is to provide executives with team-building tools that increase innovation and productivity while also providing individuals with practical kindness-focused tools and strategies to achieve career success and create a kinder work culture. We also support community initiatives that uplift those in need and foster curiosity, creativity, and adventure.

My book, “In Kind: Consciously Craft a Meaningful Life and Career,” encapsulates the principles that have guided my career. It offers readers a roadmap to navigate their professional lives with kindness as their compass. The book covers various topics, from understanding and overcoming limiting beliefs to building a supportive network and handling workplace challenges with grace.

Throughout my diverse career, I’ve consistently focused on creating supportive environments where people feel valued and empowered. From leading martial arts classes to developing corporate training programs and working in pharma programming, I’ve seen firsthand how kindness and mindfulness can lead to professional success and a fulfilling life.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not always been easy.

It took me almost 8 years to complete my undergraduate degree because I felt lost, purposeless, and unworthy of kindness. I almost didn’t finish, but finding a community of classmates at Morehead Planetarium helped me hold things together. I think that giving star shows at the planetarium and being surrounded by other young people who didn’t judge me helped me feel like I belonged, and that was with the backdrop of a thoroughly inspiring setting of the Cosmos itself.

Also during that time period, a few weeks before our wedding, my wife’s brother tragically took his own life. Losing this beloved figure to mental health struggles has echoed through our lives.

And Covid? Who wasn’t affected by that? It was difficult raising three teenagers, working from home, and seeing my wife go off to the hospital to care for others each day.

These three difficult snapshots from my life have taught me that mental health struggles are real. If you can name the causes, find your community and a sense of meaning, it can make a difference. It’s taught me that self-care, i.e. kindness to yourself, is profoundly important.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My purpose in life? I teach others how to build the future we want to live in, one kind act at a time.

Our Future is Kind is a keynote speaking business that focused on the simple questions
– What future do we want to live in? and
– How can we use kindness as at the individual, corporate, and community levels to build that future?

Why are workers not doing their best work? If a company’s culture is punitive, if the work doesn’t seem relevant or noble, or if speed and efficiency outrank the human elements at work….that’s when workers struggle. Helping teams get the skills and knowledge can help them do better and feel better.

Why is there bullying at your school? Bullies don’t become bullies if their needs are being met, so we need to understand at-risk youth and help them get the support, and nurturing kindness they need so badly.

What do people reach for drugs and other dangerous things? Again, if core needs are being met, most people won’t get addicted to something harmful. That means we need to understand the needs of those who are struggling with addiction and support them with loving-kindness.

In short, Our Future is Kind helps executives, school administrators, and colleges and universities with kindness-based strategies that require very little money, a bit more courage, and result in massive positive change for everyone involved.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
A collective grouping of favorite childhood memories has to be reading science fiction books while on vacation at the beach. It was just thrilling reading about what the future could be like in Star Trek books or vicariously going on adventures with the Doctor in Doctor Who novels, then looking up to take in the soothing seashore surroundings, and then diving back into adventures through time and space.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ourfutureiskind.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelgneece/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelGNeeceAuthor