Mike’s Story
Freestyle Skiing
Mike stepped into his first pair of skis at age six—a defining moment that would unknowingly shape the next three decades of his life. By age fourteen, competitive freestyle skiing became his obsession.
Mike competed in big air, slopestyle, and half pipe on the provincial, national, and international stages. Unfortunately, injuries derailed his competitive dreams, but persistence prevailed. Mike became a professional skier, coaching some of Canada’s top-performing half pipe skiers.
“I suffered two broken ankles, which derailed my dreams of skiing at the highest level at a pretty young age. With endorsements on the line and higher stakes on the competition tour, it was devastating timing. I tried to push through the pain and compete, but my results suffered. The harsh realization set in, and I knew I needed to step back to give my body time to heal.
It was heartbreaking, but things don’t happen to you; they happen for you. And soon, I was living my pro-skier dreams, just in a slightly different way. I was coaching some of Canada’s top half pipe skiers and shooting photos and videos. I skied all year long, all over the world!” - Mike Shaw
Olympic Development Coach
Mike’s love of skiing kept him involved in the freestyle community. He began coaching on the weekends to help subsidize his education. After completing his business degree, he moved to Whistler, BC, to coach the Canadian Olympic Development Half Pipe Ski Team.
Mike’s job was to put Canada’s top half pipe talent onto the Canadian Olympic team and, ultimately, the Olympic Podium.
He took his team to competitions in North America, Europe, and New Zealand. He was truly living his dreams, travelling the world, and skiing the best competition venues imaginable. Rarely a month went by where he wasn’t skiing.
Mike’s Accident
On December 16th, 2013, while skiing with his team in Colorado, Mike’s life changed instantly.
In a ‘scorpion-like’ crash, Mike dislocated and broke his neck, paralyzing himself from the neck down.
His world physically—and figuratively—came crashing down. Nothing would ever be the same. Everything he loved about skiing and his hopes and dreams for his future were ripped away. His neck was surgically fused just hours later—his only hope for physical recovery.
Doctors told him, “Prepare yourself because you’ll probably never walk again. In fact, you’ll be lucky to get back the use of your arms.”
Following the successful surgery, Mike miraculously began to heal. His mindset was fortified, but it would not be an easy road. Mike set off down a path riddled with hardship and seemingly insurmountable challenges. He became more resilient than ever by holding onto one propelling goal – getting back on skis.
The days, weeks, and months following the crash were full of peaks and valleys—good times and devastating times. However, his gracious and gritty perspective ultimately pulled him through.
He approached his recovery with relentless effort and a transformative perspective of gratitude. Gratitude not only pulled him out of the depths of depression, it expedited his healing. He defied all the odds and expert opinions by walking out of the hospital in under 4 months. But his story was far from over…
Back on his Feet
Soaring to New Heights
A brief timeline:
3.5 months: Walked out of the hospital.
4 months: Back on snow at Revelstoke Mountain in an adaptive sit-ski with the Live It Love It Foundation.
6 months: Walked 5km in 1.5 hours in the Scotia Bank Marathon in Vancouver, fundraising for Spinal Cord Injury BC
1 year: Stepped back into the same pair of skis he crashed on the anniversary of his crash and went skiing in Whistler, BC.
1 year, 5 months: Ran 10km in the Wings For Life World Run as an ambassador for Spinal Cord Injury Research.
2 years: Achieved a lifelong goal—Mike went heli-skiing!
2016: Starred in a Redbull TV film documenting his return to the mountains called: Mike Shaw The Healing Agent.
2017: Spoke in front of thousands on stage at TEDx Stanley Park ~ Grief Happens
2018: Conquered the Red Bull 400 Race, Steepest Running Race in the World. Co-founded Headstartpro Performance Training Inc. Joined Freestyle Skiing BC Board of Directors.
2019: Team Captained over 700 Canadians on #TeamCoast2Coast, uniting Canada's fundraising efforts for the Wings For Life World Run.
2020: Published his book, Never Part of The Plan. Launched new virtual speaking workshops and programs during the pandemic.
2021: Married the love of his life! Went backcountry ski touring for the first time since his accident with the help of the High Fives Foundation as a #highfivesathlete.
2022: Shared his story with world-class organizations on three different continents. Started his Masters of Clinical Psychology at Yorkville University.
2023: Conquered a massive 7-day backcountry ski-touring trip to celebrate his ten-year anniversary of his injury.
Founded Gratus Health Inc. with a mission to help others optimize their mental and physical well-being.
#GratefulEveryDay
What Mike’s Doing Now
Mike works with organizations, companies, and teams, and his goal is straightforward: to better prepare you to manage change, overcome adversity, and choose a mindset that will help you reach your full potential. Although he faces challenges every day related to spinal cord injury, he strives to keep pushing his personal limits and achieve his potential—and if he can do it, you can too. Mike feels fortunate to have recovered as well as he has from his injury, and gratitude has become engrained in all that he does.
Some things don't go to plan and some things are never part of the plan, but we can all push through. We can all go from surviving to thriving by choosing gratitude and our full effort. When you take control of your mind, it's incredible what you will achieve.