How Mike 'The Situation' Turned His Darkest Days into Millions
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I was flying by the seat of my pants. I just thought my talent and my presence on screen would carry me through no matter what I did. As I followed through my career, that couldn't be farthest from the truth. Talent's going to take you places, but work ethic's going to bring you home. If you're making all that money, you need to know what to do with it. You need to make sure that you are paying your taxes. You need to have a good eye on your financial house and everything that's in it.

And at that time, I just wasn't. I was really just whatever happens, happens in life. What's up, rich friends? Welcome back to another episode of Net Worth and Chill with me, your host, Vivian Tu, aka Your Rich BFF.

So today, we're gonna talk a little bit about something that I am really passionate about, reality TV. I am a fiend for the dating show, the game show, the social experiment, whatever it is, I have seen it and I have loved it. And I feel like as a millennial, reality TV

Reality TV was such a big part of my growing up and it's really stuck with me. And there was one show in particular that made an impact unlike any other, Jersey Shore.

And today I have brought on one of the most iconic members of the cast here with us today from Jim Tan Laundry to coining the term Dirty Little Hamster to starting a business empire. Everyone, please welcome Mike, The Situation Sorrentino. Yes, it's happening. Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited about today. I'm so excited to chat. Before we get into everything, I want to do a little bit of an icebreaker. Okay. So, F. Mary Kill...

gym tan laundry. Oh my God. Support for Net Worth and Chill comes from Amazon Pharmacy. The last thing you want to do when you're sick is go pick up your prescription at the pharmacy because then you're standing in a long line with a whole bunch of other sick people and everyone is sick of being sick, especially around other people who are sick. Amazon Pharmacy will deliver right to you fast so you can get meds without congregating amongst the contagious.

Healthcare just got less painful. Amazon Pharmacy. Learn more at health.amazon.com. I would have to kill off tanning. Okay. Because tanning is bad for you. Okay.

My doctor tells me all the time, he's like, yeah, no more tanning. No more tanning. We're going to marry the gym. Okay. Because taking care of yourself, especially physically, will lengthen your life and also help you make better decisions. Yes. In life, make you feel good, you look good, you make better decisions.

And then obviously we're going to fuck laundry literally and figuratively because sometimes you don't want to do it, but eventually you do it. Yeah, that's right. You run out of underpants. Yes. Yes. You got to do it. You got to do it. Amazing. I feel like that was such a great answer and really speaks to kind of how you've changed over the years. Yes. Quite the character arc. Yeah, definitely. But most of us do know you from your time on the iconic show Jersey Shore. Mm-hmm.

So I got to ask, how did you actually make money on Jersey Shore? Did you actually get paid for working at the t-shirt shop? Oh my God. Well, actually we did. We got paid $25 an hour to work at the t-shirt store. And the first season, we pretty much got paid a small little salary. Mm-hmm.

of $5,000 plus the money that you made at the t-shirt store, which really was alcohol money when we went out at night. Yeah, it wasn't much. Yeah. But once season two happened and we got greenlit and it was one of the biggest TV shows in the country, that's when we got the very, very, very big raise. Yeah. I was going to say, when you were getting that raise, how did that come about? Did you guys all get together as a union and say, okay,

All of us are quitting unless you pay us or like how does that work? It's a good story. I do detail it in my book. But we were called to New York City and it was a meeting that we didn't really know what it was. But we were all – the whole cast was called there except I believe Angelina because she had quit. You knew you were going to bring that up. Yes. So we were in a room and we were in the room with a couple of lawyers in the Viacom offices and they handed us a contract and said, good news, you got –

Greenlit for season two. And everyone was kind of excited. But once we sort of looked at the contract, there really was no raise at all. It was just, you know, the same or it was pretty much the same. And I remember looking at Pauly and JWoww across the room and everyone was like, oh, my God, should we sign this? Yeah.

And me being the vocal one in the group, I looked at it and I was like, oh, no, you know, and I knew how hard we had worked the first season. And that was a groundbreaking show and that it was going to be the juggernaut that it was. Yeah. I said I said to everyone in the room, what happens if we don't sign this?

And the, they call it the suit or the man in the suit. It was obviously, I would assume a lawyer or a representative. He said, we're going to replace you. And once he said that, I knew that, you know, what I had created and what the family of Jersey Shore had created, you know, you had a Snooki, you had a situation, a DJ Pauly D, a JWoww. I was like, there's no way they're going to be able to replace that. And I said, you know what, good luck. And I walked out the room. And then the next thing you know. Did your friends follow you?

I don't know. I just, I was the first one out the room and I said, you know, good luck. And obviously if one doesn't sign, then they, you know, they got to go back to the drawing board. So when I had left a couple weeks later, I knew the lawyer started to chat with them. And eventually we got pretty much a million dollar raise. The raise started at like roughly $100,000 an episode and it went to $179,000 per episode. Wow.

So it was a drastic increase from $25 an hour. Yeah.

What was the life change for you through that, right? Like the first season you're making next to nothing and then suddenly overnight. It's life changing, you know, all from that one moment where we all looked at each other and it just didn't feel right. It didn't feel kosher. We walked out of the room. So it was like winning the lottery and it really was in many ways more than one. And not just money and status, right?

The show Jersey Shore to this day has the biggest ratings in MTV history at 8.9 in season four in Italy. And what goes along with that is,

That money, that status is endorsements. Yeah. And everything else. But because we're on your show, what comes with all that money is responsibility. Yeah. Okay? And if you know anything about my story, maybe I wasn't ready for it. I was just going to ask, what do you feel like your money management style then was? Oh, my God. Such a good question. I was flying by the seat of my pants. I just thought –

that my talent and my presence on screen would carry me through no matter what I did. And, and, and, you know, as I followed through my career, that that's couldn't be farthest from the truth. Um, you know, uh, you know, talent's going to take you places, but work, work ethics going to bring you home. Of course. Um, but obviously like we just discussed, if you're making all that money, you

You need to know what to do with it. You need to, you know, make sure that you are paying your taxes. You need to, you know, have a good eye on your financial house and everything that's in it. And at that time, I just wasn't. I was really just whatever happens, happens in life. YOLO was a good phrase at that time period. Yeah. Do you have any purchase back from that era that you're like...

If I could go back and like shake, you know, younger Mike, don't do it. Oh my God. Well, I think I have two. Um, and it might jar you a little bit, but in 2000 and I think it was, uh, 13 and 14, uh, lawyers were doing a, uh, extensive forensic audit of my finances. And they said, uh,

Throughout a certain time period in my career, I spent upwards of $600,000 on drugs, also known as oxycodone and cocaine. So that right there was very, very jarring. And when they sat me down and told me that, I was in active addiction at the time. I was living the rock star life and didn't know any better. And I was like, yeah, that sounds about right. And to finish that question, I think the other –

The second part of that question, I would say that when anyone dreams of being famous and they eventually make it happen, they want to get themselves like a supercar or something. Yeah. But I ended up getting like seven. You know, instead of just getting one Ferrari or a Lamborghini or a Porsche, I ended up getting the Lamborghini, the Porsche, the Porsche.

The Ferrari, the M5, the Jeep, the, you know, I just, excess was a problem. Yeah, excess was a problem. Yeah. Big boy toys. Yeah. I get it, but...

You're right. I think that's also very astute of you to say because cars typically are one of the worst investments because if you go and buy a little shack house, even just the land that that property is on over time typically appreciates. With a car, you pull it off the lot. That's 10% down already. It's gone. And let alone getting like seven of them. You know what I mean? That's just not practical. And when I was young, I just – I wasn't making good decisions. And I'm sure you know that life is a product of –

of your decisions and you need to practice to make good ones. Yeah. If anybody has read your book, Reality Check, Making the Best of the Situation, they know that you are now at a much higher, a much healthier place than you were. Yes. But we got to go down before we come up. Yes, indeed. So you mentioned taxes. Yes. In 2014, you were indicted for tax evasion. Yes. And sentenced to eight months in prison. Yes. Can you talk...

us through just kind of like what happened? Yeah. I mean, it kind of is a long story, but it comes back to what I just said. Life is a product of your decisions. And in 2010, I was just named GQ Sensation of the Year. I was really high on myself. I was sitting on my couch. My mom was making Christmas dinner. There was shrimp oregano on the stove.

I mean, I was literally living my best life. And my brother comes up to me. He was my management at the time. And he goes, Mike, we got to file taxes. You just made $5 million for the year. And we got to file. And I also was intoxicated on who knows what. But if I wanted details, my drug of choice was RocaCet or Oxycodone at the time. So I was high as well on the couch during Christmas. And he said, or we can get them next year.

And obviously it's my choice. Yeah. And I said, you know what? We'll get them next year. So it goes back to earlier in this conversation that when you are presented with the great power and great money comes the responsibility. And I just wasn't running my life my best at that time in order to, you know, I guess continue to

have the longevity, I guess. Yeah. I think you've talked so openly and vulnerably and candidly about knowing that you would hit rock bottom with your addiction. Oh yeah. Was there ever a point that you felt like you would hit rock bottom with your money?

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Oh, yes. Um, a hundred percent. Um, I mean, I was making, um, millions of dollars per year and I remember, um, defending the case, the United States versus Mike, the situation, which I was, it was, it cost me, um,

over a million dollars to defend that case. Just for lawyers and stuff. Just for lawyers. And I remember the show, uh, the show ended in, uh, in 2012. And, um, I remember using my last $300,000, um, to open up a business to try to soften the landing that was the shooting star, which that was like the situation. And I realized to myself, like, wow, like,

That million dollars that I thought was so much, really, at the end of the day, it's really not that much, you know? And if I planned better...

then I would be in a lot better situation, you know? So, you know, I've learned a ton on my journey, but, you know, you got to make good decisions in life, you know? What has compelled you to be so honest about your addiction, about the, you know, the indictment, the everything? Like, I feel like you are such an open book. Like, why do you feel like this is an important story to tell?

I think the part of my success in my life has always been authenticity and transparency. Yeah. I believe that authenticity in general is one of the most powerful vibes that you can sort of emit.

And at the end of the day, we're all human. You know what I mean? We're not perfect. We can make mistakes and other people can also learn from my story as well. I love that. And fortunately for you, you were able to come out of that really dark time. Yeah, it was tough. You got clean. Yeah. You did your time. You came out. You started making smarter decisions. Yeah. Like, so...

So many reality stars aren't able to do what you did. Yes. To have that downturn and then come out of it. Like, what do you what financial advice, what tips would you have for someone who's starting to make a lot of money on TV, but wants to be smart about it and maybe keep that longevity, keep that career going?

Well, technically, Jersey Shore, we just had our 15th anniversary recently, which I've turned 15 minutes of fame into 15 years. Most shows are not like that, though. But anybody that's going into reality TV or TV and they're making a lot of money, I would say save and plan ahead.

You need to plan ahead. I'm talking like 10 steps ahead because a lot of times with TV and even my job, your head's on the chopping block every single year. And if you are not one of the top three shows, they're going to try to get rid of you. So the best rule of thumb is to always save. Yeah. And you mentioned 15 years out of 15 minutes of fame. These days, I have a question. So after

Jersey Shore. There was Jersey Shore Family Reunion. That was obviously a more recent like spinoff. Yeah, that was on for like a spinoff for like six or seven years. Yeah. But do you still make money from the first season, from season two, season three? Oh, wow. Good question. When we had that big negotiation in season two and I had walked out of the room, I was

The lawyers were able to negotiate for me to get royalties of the original franchise, which I've been getting royalties for the past 15 years quarterly. And they're definitely handsome royalties because everyone just loves that franchise of Jersey Shore. Yeah. Do you think that that's changed now with the rise of like streaming? I feel like you guys were on TV when TV was still TV versus just Netflix.

I mean, listen, anytime I go into a negotiation, you can ask my lawyer. I'm like, listen, can we get back ends? So it's always a conversation. It's very possible. A lot of the times they're going to fight you for it, but there's a very big chance you might even be able to get it. Yeah. I feel like that's great advice. You get what you negotiate.

Yes. Yes. I mean, listen, I think it's important to try to negotiate that back end. But even you see celebrities that have been in TV and movies for, you know, 10, 20 years, they're not even getting a salary. They're getting pieces of the companies now. Yeah. You know, and and that's also very smart, too.

Where did you learn to negotiate? Is that like a family trait? Is it something you picked up on the playground? I don't know. You know, me walking out of that room about 15 years ago was life changing for myself and, you know, everyone involved. So I don't know. I think it just I think it's belief in self. Yeah. You know, the belief in self and, you know, it's also could be manifestation as well.

I love that. And it feels like you took that big swing and it paid off and then it was like reinforcing the fact that you should keep doing it. Yeah, I know. But imagine if I walked out of the room and I'm like, oh, let's replace this guy. There's the situation. Let's get the precedent. You know what I mean? I don't know. It could be funny, you know, but yeah. That's so silly. If you had to call one of your castmates for like money advice for, you know, tips, who do you think you would call?

They're all pretty good. You know, Polly is super rich. So I probably would go with

Uh, Polly, uh, JWoww or, or Snooki. Those are the, my three that I pick. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. They're, they're all, they're, they're all, you know, household names, their brands and themselves. Um, so, um, I, I know that they'll offer good advice. I love that so much. Um, these days, how are you managing your money?

Oh, good question. Well, first of all, I have a financial advisor. Yes. I have a financial advisor. I walk around like I have no money, which means I pretty much save everything. Everything goes towards my family, my future. Yeah.

and the financial advisor. And that's how I operate. And obviously I have an accountant, obviously, as well. Yeah. And we pay our taxes quarterly. Learn that lesson while we make that mistake again. Yeah, we are dotting our I's, crossing our T's. We come to the four-way stop, we look eight ways. Yeah. Yeah.

I've never heard that. I'm going to start. It's a good one, right? I'm going to steal that. I'm going to use that. Yeah, it pretty much means you just don't trust anything. You got to do your due diligence and check everything over and over again because I believe that you are the writer, director, and producer of your life. And

And if you want a better outcome, then you need to make it so. Yeah. Hi, friends. Quick pause in our show to take a question from my besties in our new segment called Phone a Friend, presented by Amazon, where we answer your burning questions. Should I get an HSA or an FSA? Sincerely, medically confused. Let's break down the HSA versus FSA debate.

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out-of-pocket expenses in healthcare and is available through most common employer health plans. HSA funds are tax-deductible and can roll over year to year. The funds that you contribute can be invested, and after age 65, you can take out that money and use it for non-medical expenses. What's so special about an HSA is that they have the triple tax advantage.

Contributions are tax-deductible, growth is tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free as well. On the other hand, FSA funds are also tax-deductible but are typically

use it or lose it within the plan year. One thing to think about is your current health plan and spending habits. If you have a lot of medical expenses and prefer a lower deductible plan, signing up for a PPO or an HMO and an FSA plan might be a better fit. But if you're eligible for an HSA and want a long-term savings vehicle, it could also be a strong contender. Now, back to our show. We're

We're going to get into your businesses now, but you have really diversified your income. Before, it used to just be maybe a little bit of TV money and a little bit of T-shirt money. Yes. And now it's TV money. It's social media endorsements. You have a business that you run. You're a published author. There are so many things. What are all of the different income sources that you have coming in?

Well, usually it's TV. We usually don't like to get into anything unless it checks the boxes and checks the boxes means it's authentic. Because if you get into a deal that you're reaching, it's not going to sell and people are going to know that. So anything that's authentic, we're going to jump in. So right now we're working on multiple TV projects. Obviously we get our royalties from Jersey Shore from the original franchise. We have multiple spinoffs that we're working on. We are a

published celebrated author. We won some literary awards with my book, the first

year of Reality Check. Our gross sales were seven figures, which was amazing. Oh, God, my heart. I couldn't believe I sold that many books. We're also working on a documentary of that book as we speak right now. We're taking what's on those pages and putting it on the silver screen, which is very cool. We did get a couple phone calls about making it into a movie, but nothing concrete yet. We also do have our own t-shirt shop.

Wait, I didn't know this one. Yeah, we have our own t-shirt shop, which we've been for about a couple years now. So I take all of my sayings over the, let's just say, 15 years, and they're in various t-shirts. The comeback is greater than the setback? Yes, the comeback is greater than the setback. We didn't come this far just to come this far. Shut up, you dirty little hamster. Some are funny, some are motivational. We have that. Right now we're also working on being a part of a cookie franchise. Yes.

Cookie, because you love to eat. Oh, yes, yes. Big Daddy Sitch loves to eat. And also my pride and joy, which is I'm opening up my centers across the country right now. The first three in New Jersey, which will be opening up May, June, and November, where I'm not just the face, but I'm the owner of these treatment centers to help those that are still suffering from the disease that almost killed me. Yeah. Let's take a second to talk about that. Like,

That's a very scary thing, like addiction, even just like the fear of potentially relapsing. Like what made you actually want to get into that world and be constantly in it to then be able to help other people? Well, I had to save myself first. You know, my life was on the line in 2014. And I realized, like, listen, I need to put all hands on deck to recover from the disease of addiction that usually kills people.

Um, the odds were against me, but you know, between, you know, God and, and my hard work, I was able to, to make it happen. And I also vowed that, you know, if I was able to save myself, I would go back in and save others. So now on my 10th anniversary, which is this year, my 10th anniversary is this year, which is amazing. My story, I'm now opening up my own centers, uh, called the Archangel Centers. And that would make me St. Michael.

St. Michael. That's awesome. Yeah, it's pretty cool. That's really, really wholesome. And it's so amazing. It's very authentic too. You know what I'm saying? Like you feel like you're divinely guided when you're moving like that, you know? So many doors have opened for me over the past couple years as I was going down this because it's my purpose. You know, I've turned my pain into purpose.

purpose and now I'm helping others. The amount of people that reach out to me and that either want to help, donate, work there, and also scale this business across the country has just been really heartwarming. Yeah.

And you couldn't have done all this without one of the most important people in your life, Lawrence. I don't know why you put the S at the end sometimes. I did that early on and it was probably a good decision because it almost like, it kind of almost like branded, branded the family or my wife or whatever early on. It was her nickname, you know, in the house. Yeah. Talk to me about how you guys navigate both being husband and wife, but also business partners.

Well, I think it's important to discuss that marriage is probably the most important business venture of all. Talk to me about that. I've read that somewhere and I totally believe it, that marriage is a business. And if not operated correctly...

you know, it's going to fail. And I always put my wife first. I put my wife on a pedestal. We have total honesty and transparency in everything that we do. And I trust her wholeheartedly. My wife has my passwords to all my social media. My wife handles the banking with the accountant and with the financial advisor. And sometimes, to be honest with you, I don't even step foot in a bank.

You know, because, I mean, I feel, you know, I don't want to say traumatized because I don't want to say that, but that was one of the things that the, you know, the government used against me in my case. If you've read my book, I came into the bank one day to deposit some, I don't know,

appearance money. And there was, you know, maybe $50,000 in a bag. I didn't know how much was in it. And I didn't know the banking, you know, laws and rules. The $10,000 flag. The $10,000 flag that no one tells you about. Yeah. Explain this to our audience. So I didn't know that, you know, when you walk into a bank...

that if you try to deposit anything over $10,000, they're going to flag it and they're going to put a form in front of you and say, we're going to hand this to the IRS and let them know. And, you know, they're going to, you know, do what they do with it. So me thinking, okay, my money is my money. When they gave me the form, I said, oh, I don't want to fill that out. Give me back this money and I'm only going to give you 9,000. That was a huge mistake because then they used the teller to depose her and say that I was structuring, which, again,

I was just scared and I didn't know what was happening. I was like, this is my money. I'll deposit it another time. Yeah. So that was one of the mistakes that was used against me. And I haven't set foot in the bank in probably a decade. You know, my money comes in. I act like I'm broke. Yeah. The financial advisor sees it. My wife and my management, everyone, you know, takes care of it. We save, you know, 80% of it for the kids and the kids' college. Yeah.

the UTMAs and everything that goes with it. So I walk around like I'm broke and all I do is hustle to make deals all day long. Yeah. Just so everybody listening is very clear, structuring is when you have more than $10,000, typically in cash, you want to deposit it. And to avoid setting off the flag of the $10,000 rule, you start depositing in increments slightly below that. But if there's a

pattern of that, that's actually even worse. Oh my God. You are awesome. Cause that's exactly what was in my case. Yeah. Yeah. And you, you said it perfectly. Yeah. It's listen, I think I frankly wish that they taught us personal finance in schools because you get K through 12, you get math, science, history, English. Great.

When is the last time you needed to know that the mitochondria was the powerhouse of the cell? I've never used that. What about the Pythagorean theorem? When's the last time you used that? Never. And they don't even teach you about taxes and that Uncle Sam is your lifelong partner. They don't tell you that.

You know, it's it's you have to find out for yourself. And if you don't file, they're going to try to send you to prison. Yeah. They'll come for you. Uncle Sam always needs to get this due. Yes. Uncle Sam will come for you probably in that three year window because it's usually a three year window. I didn't file in 2008.

And 10, and they came back in that three-year window. Yeah. Let's talk a little bit about your investments now. So you are a proud father. Oh, yes. So you talked a little bit about this already. You are setting money aside for the kiddos for sure. Oh, 100%. So much money for them. Again, I walk around because I have no money. All the money that comes in this year or every year, and I am making millions.

- Okay, yeah, say that with your chest. - Yes, and all of it goes to put away. It goes to the kids, it goes towards the house, it goes towards obligations, it goes towards bills. - How do you think about what you want to invest in? 'Cause some people are like, oh, I want to buy a bunch of real estate. Some people are like, I'm gonna invest in the stock market. Some people are like, I'm going to invest in businesses and companies. It feels like you're doing a little bit of all of that, but how do you prioritize? - It has been a little bit of all of that, but I'm starting to learn what has been working.

Um, over the past couple of years, the stock market hasn't really done, uh, too well. Um, we, we had a little bit in the stock market. We had UTMAs, we had the 529s for the kids. Um, I used a big chunk of when the babies were born. So I've been investing since the babies are born and now the, the oldest baby is about to be four. Yeah. So, um...

We also had their REITs. Real estate investment trusts for everyone listening. And I'll be honest with you, those have yielded the biggest results as of everything that we're putting in besides stock market. Usually the REITs have always performed well as it relates to everything else. Yeah. And again, for everybody listening, a REIT is just essentially a property group of people

a company that'll buy a bunch of properties. And instead of you having to put in all this money to buy a physical piece of land in the ground, you can invest in them. And it's essentially just like buying a stock, but you get real estate exposure. Yes. And then also the past couple of years, we've done the CDs with bulks of money. Yeah. Yeah. Talk to me a little bit about the CDs. Like typically CDs are lower risk, lower return. Is there something big that you guys are saving up for?

Yes, it's called the future. That's a good answer. Yeah, it's just called, you know, almost like save for a rainy day because I've been through a lot of rainy days, I guess. Yeah.

Um, so usually every year, you know, different banks will have, you know, special offers on, you know, four and a half percent for a specific time period for the CDs. So usually we do that with the big chunks of money and then we sort of like forget about it. So, and again, then I act and then I walk around like I'm, I'm broke and then I try to do another book deal. Honest. Yes. Um, when you talk to your kids, um, are there any money lessons that you are imparting on them?

Yes. Save for the future. Save. Save for the future. Save, save, save. If I knew what I knew now, I would have probably made better decisions as a younger man. Yeah.

You know, I just feel that the best tool that you will ever learn is how to calculate the ramifications of a future decision. So, you know, if you're about to make a decision, you know, if you could run the tape on what's going to happen with that decision and if there's more negatives than positive, then you don't do it. Yeah.

Speaking of the future, when you and the cast first started Jersey Shore, you guys were all broke, young. Oh, yes. Young, dumb. Young, dumb, and broke. But as the seasons have progressed, as your contract started to get bigger and bigger, did that make things ever weird with other friends? Yeah.

What, the cast? Because everybody was making different? No. Or friends? Just like friends. Like, would they ever be like, oh, well, Mike, you know, you're making a million dollars. You got to pay for dinner.

I'm not going to say that that's not going to happen because I think that will. You're going to have sometimes, you know, anyone that's newly famous or maybe you win the lotto or something. Yeah. You know, there's going to be people coming out of the woodwork, you know, and for favors. And it's going to be your job to set what's called boundaries. Okay. And our healthy boundaries, you know, and there should be rules of thumb, you know, and rules of thumb like,

you know, I don't give out money to family and I don't give out money to friends. And so as soon as someone says something to you immediately, like, well, good news is I have a boundary and I have a rule of thumb and I don't give out money to friends and family. But good news is I can refer you for a job. Give me your resume. I'll pass it to a friend. Doesn't mean you're not going to help somebody. It just means I'm not going to make it, um,

like a get out of jail free card or make it too easy. You gotta work for things in life. - Yeah, I love that advice. And now I want all of your good advice. Can I get the top three Mike-isms that you want our listeners to learn from you? - Ooh, yes. Let's say always be grateful because being grateful attracts more abundance.

Okay. Always keep moving forward. Never stay still. Getting on the path of self-improvement, whether mentally, physically, spiritually, personally, and professionally is a great thing to do. And also the comeback is always greater than a setback. If you make a mistake in life, we're human. It's okay. One bad chapter in your book doesn't mean your story's over. Yeah. Was there ever a time in your life that you didn't think you were going to come back? No.

Oh, man, that's a good one. You know what? I think I was blindly optimistic and it ended up working out. I was super optimistic, super optimistic during sentencing, during prison, you know, and also I'm contracted with TV. If one time they didn't pick up my job, it could have been a problem, you know, but everything worked out.

and, and I have a really unbelievable story. Hence, you know, let's talk a little bit about this. Okay. Everyone, please look Mike's wonderful book, reality check, making the best of the situation. You see former Mike. Yes. New Mike. Yes. Um, but yeah, tell us about your book. Tell us about where folks can find it. Um, yes, it took me about two years to, to write this book and to articulate it perfectly so that readers know what came from my voice. Um,

Um, and it's, um, it's just, um, I, I, I'm sort of a young man. I'm, I'm in my forties to have a, an autobiography. I've, I felt like I've lived a hundred lives, but you can get this book wherever books are sold. Uh, check out Amazon. We have an audio book. We got the Kindle, um, paperback and also hardcover. And, uh, technically right now we are working to put this on the screens for a documentary. So, uh, wish me luck and keep an eye out for that. I love that so much.

Thank you so much for being here. Can you let everybody listening at home know where we can find you on social media? Yes. I would like you guys to go to my new project, archangelcenters.com. My new center should be launched shortly and you guys can go to wherever books are sold for this bestseller right here.

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Net Worth and Chill, part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. If you liked the episode, make sure to leave a rating and review and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Got a burning financial question that you want covered in a future episode? Write to us via podcast at yourrichbff.com. Follow Net Worth and Chill Pod on Instagram to stay up to date on all podcast related news. And you can follow me at yourrichbff for even more financial know-how. See you next week.

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