Michael Wilkes
Helping People Get Unstuck and
Grow Forward
Michael Wilkes - Youth Worker, Mentor & Author of the Unschooled Life
Discover the Lessons Missing from Your Curriculum
The Unschooled Life is for anyone feeling caught between their current self and their true potential. With insights from over a decade of youth work and transformative conversations, Michael Wilkes shares powerful stories, invaluable wisdom, and practical tools that resonate in real life. Whether you're just starting your journey, supporting someone else, or seeking meaning in a new chapter, this book meets you where you are and empowers you to move forward.
Unlock the You That’s Been Waiting. Step Inside!
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What Others are Saying
It rewired how I help others
"Mike sets examples of great leadership. His book has rewired the way I approach helping people through hardships. It teaches a fundamental skill set that is important for people in all positions helping to make a difference with the people around them."
HIT ME WHERE I LIVE!
"I wish I had someone speaking into my life like you when I was younger. This hit me where I live and the work you do is so inspiring An inspirational look at a journey being led by a team in a small town who are making a real difference in the lives of youth wanting to reset their compass in life."
I FELT EQUIPED TO GROW
"This isn't your typical self-help book. Mike gives you the practical tools to challenge your own stories, shift your thinking, and actually grow. As a young adult, I can honestly say this book has changed how I see myself and how I show up in the world."
Michael Wilkes is a youth worker, author, and mentor whose work is built on a simple premise: the most important lessons in life are rarely the ones we're taught.
With more than a decade of experience walking alongside young people, families, and communities in New Zealand, Michael has developed a reputation for honesty over polish and depth over inspiration. His approach is grounded in real stories, many of them hard ones, and a genuine belief that struggle, navigated with the right tools, is where character is built.
His book, The Unschooled Life, is the distillation of two decades in the trenches. It’s a guide to resilience, toughness, and purposeful living that speaks to those finding their footing and those searching for renewed meaning. It is not self-help in the traditional sense. It is something even more rare, an honest account of what it actually takes to grow, coming from someone who has been there.
Michael lives in Thames, New Zealand with his wife Jovana and four children. He leads a charitable trust that brings transformation to young people and continues to mentor, speak, and build resources for people who are ready to start moving forward with intention.
