When not exploring Michael Girard is presenting to audiences from around the world. Michael is an accomplished speaker, that keeps any audience entertained and engaged at his events. He shares tales of the great outdoors, adventure, and his life as an explorer. Michael has been fortunate over the years to have enjoyed some exciting adventures. In that time, he has collected many fascinating stories while working to uncover the wonders hidden in the darker side of nature. Michael has lectured at a wide variety of venues including, private organizations, libraries, conferences, schools, historical societies, and chapters of the National Speleological Society across the country.
Michael’s expeditions are a call to arms for everyone’s inner explorer. He illustrates the value in being bold enough to begin and that we are all capable of more than we imagine. His journeys provide a view of how simple steps can lead to accomplishing incredible goals. He shares his most uncomfortable moments, and how pushing through them lead to his greatest discoveries. Michael’s goal is to not only entertains groups, but also make them believe in themselves, offering a polite nudge to do something extraordinary with our time, opportunities, and potential.
Michael has spent years undertaking adventures that are simple but not easy. Each expedition has produced a wealth of fantastic stories for him to share. Michael engages the audience with stories that encourage people to live more adventurously in what he calls the golden age of exploration. He shows how tapping into what you are passionate about can send you on a journey of discovery of the world, and yourself. His enthusiasm energizes an audience with a determination to begin something new. He shows how even a small step outside your comfort zone can lead to fantastic opportunities and extraordinary adventures..
Though virtual presentations offer a new set of challenges, from interacting with an audience to managing teleconferencing technology, Michael is well suited for the task. Michael has been doing remote presentations for national and international audiences for over 12 years. His familiarity and comfort with the technology enables him to provide incredible presentations that inform, enrich, and entertain audiences of all ages. He provides stories that energize your inner explorer and visuals that will amaze you. When needed he has a skilled staff to manage the meeting, and questions from those who attend.
Underground is a word we use to describe something illicit, secret or, beyond the known. It is also a place that most have long feared. These dark worlds deep below our feet are still a great mystery and an environment we have barely explored. Most expeditions people are familiar with starts and stops at ground level or take to the air or sea. While others seek to conquer these territories, Michael has been exploring the darker realm of this planet. Inner space is the true final frontier and exploring it takes careful planning and preparation. With a group of dedicate underground explorers and modern technology, he continues to push the edge of the known underworld. Having tread into the domain of the likes of Beowulf, Michael entertains groups with his riveting tales of frightening moments, amazing discoveries, and unexpected surprises. Though his expeditions can be stressful, daunting, and exhausting at time, Michael also share the amusing twists and turns along the trail. He shows how the end goal is not the only reward, and that the challenges, people, and places along the way can be too. Sometime the journey is more rewarding that the destination.
Over the past 20 years Michael has encountered petroglyphs and post-European settlement inscriptions while out on expeditions. Some are still part of the popular culture, while most have been lost to the deep forest of New England. There are many interesting interpretations for some of the known inscriptions in the northeast. While others are still somewhat of a mystery. Four years ago he decided to trying to locate, and document all known and newly discover stone inscriptions across the northeast. In that time, he has uncovered the location of 46 stone carvings. Many were known of in the past but forgotten, while others had never been reported before. Once he has cataloged a petroglyph or inscription, then the hard work begins. Based on local records, archeological data, legends and lore, he tries to unravel their story. Michael tires to put them into historical context with the available information. In the end, the story behind some will remain a mystery, but he entertains some of the interesting speculation on their origin.
In his presentation “Stories in Stone” Michael brings new insight into some of the more mysterious of the inscriptions. He shares new images and data offered to us by some of the latest technology. For those interested in pursuing their own research, he briefly explains these tools, and where you can access them at little to no cost at all.
Michael is a speaker who can motivate his audience through his infectious enthusiasm for life and exploration. People often find themselves inspired by his incredible achievements and how what he learned along the way helps with some of the more tedious challenges he faced in his daily lives. His anecdotes, wit, and down to earth manner appeal to a broad audience. He leaves his audience feeling excited, and wanting to hear more.
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He motivates people from accomplishing the ordinary into achieving the extraordinary. Michael highlights that he is much like everyone else, and the only value he offers is his determination, and people relate to him exceptionally well. Audiences are energized by his stories and feel a determination to begin something new and audacious.
Research for an expedition can be an adventure of its own. Often while digging through the archives Michael stumbles on some of the more peculiar moments in the early history of America. Like the call of the Sirens, he can’t resist digging up all the facts and following these stories to their conclusion. Over the years Michael has collected many fascinating stories about lost cities of gold, monster, ghouls, and shadowy figures most have never heard of before. Each of these events have well documented fact that will leave you wondering where the truth ends, and
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cultural perspectives begin.
Michael brings the audience on a journey through the eyes of those who witness these events. He shares these fantastic tales, while showing the historical and cultural value of this lore. In school you learn the important moments in America’s early history, Michael shares the more colorful moments that were experienced by the earliest settlers of this new world.
If you want to see more of what Michael is currently working on, or has been involved with in the past, there are many other places online where he can be found. Check out some of the links below where you can find where Michael posts material from his work. If what he does interest you, you can have him speak for live or virtual events.
