About Mike

This podcast and blog is for anyone who's ever felt like their story was too complicated, too messy, or too real to share. Trust me — those are exactly the stories worth telling. Sharing life experiences with many lessons learned the hard way. Sharing topics that affect all of us in one way or another. I’m a retired Port Authority of NY/NJ Police Officer with Au‑ADHD, a restless mind, and a lifetime of stories that never stayed where they were supposed to. I’ve spent decades dealing with people at their best, their worst, and their “you’re not gonna believe this” moments. Now I’m finally putting all of it into something new — a podcast launching in November 2026. My brain doesn’t do “idle.” It runs like a radio stuck between stations — static, music, memories, and the occasional “wait… what was I doing again?” moment. ADHD isn’t a flaw in my world; it’s the engine. It’s why I notice everything, remember the weird details, and forget the obvious ones. It’s also why my life has been one long highlight reel of chaos, comedy, and mystery. I didn’t grow up with a role model. No mentor. No guiding hand. No blueprint for how to live, how to act, or how to become the person I eventually became. Everything I learned, I learned the hard way — through trial, error, stubbornness, and a whole lot of “well… won’t do that again.” I made many mistakes — some that could’ve been avoided if I’d had someone to guide me. But that never came to be. So I became my own role model. I survived the streets on my own, living homeless through the second half of my teen years. No safety net. No backup plan. Just instinct, grit, and the kind of determination you only develop when life doesn’t give you any other choice. By my 21st birthday, I was a young husband and a dad‑to‑be — still figuring life out, still making mistakes, but never repeating the same one twice. Every lesson I carry today came from experience, not advice. Every bit of wisdom I have was earned, not handed down. Part of my story includes serving on one of the search and rescue teams at the World Trade Center after the attacks. I initially arrived at Ground Zero around 1 PM from my home down south Jersey shore and suited up by 2.  My department lost 37 officers that day, including a close friend I partnered with often before 9/11. I’m not here to retell the tragedy or make it the headline of my life. It’s simply a chapter — one that shaped me but doesn’t define me. Fast‑forward a few decades, and life decided to throw me another curveball — my ADHD diagnosis in December 2024 at age 62. Yeah… sixty‑two. Getting diagnosed that late in life was like getting punched in the throat and round‑house kick to the head at the same time. It was like having a baseball launched at my face at 60 miles an hour — all because I got distracted watching two squirrels sprint past me like they were late for a meeting. By the way, that really happened. Suddenly everything made sense — the chaos, the overthinking, the hyper‑focus, the “wait, what was I doing?” moments, the mental detours, the forgotten keys, the remembered details nobody else noticed, and the lifelong habit of turning simple tasks into epic adventures. It wasn’t a flaw. It wasn’t a failure. It was ADHD — and honestly, it explained a lot. And instead of feeling defeated, I laughed. Because of course I’d get diagnosed at 62. Of course it would hit me like a surprise attack. Of course squirrels would be involved. It’s just how my life works. I’m spiritual, not religious. I don’t fit neatly into any box — never have. I trust intuition, energy, and the strange way life drops you exactly where you need to be, even if you arrive sideways and out of breath. I didn’t plan on making a podcast. Honestly, I didn’t plan on half the things that happened in my life — they just showed up, kicked the door in, and said, “You’re coming with us.” And with Au‑ADHD, you don’t exactly argue. You just go, take notes, and hope the story makes sense later. This podcast isn’t about sadness. It’s not about trauma. It’s not about reliving the past. It’s about truth. It’s about the human stuff — the messy, funny, confusing, mysterious parts of life that we all deal with but rarely talk about. It’s about the moments that shaped me and the experiences that gave me something worth saying. All Mike’d Up is my next chapter — the one where I finally stop holding back and start telling the truth the way I lived it. And trust me… we’re just getting warmed up.  Welcome to my Shit Show. Visit for the Stories. Stay for the Crazy