Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Burns.
Hi Michael, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
After graduating from high school in 1988, I began working full-time in the electrical trade. I spent my years wiring houses, then moved into commercial and industrial work, and finally became an electrician/maintenance worker in a factory. In those years, I became acutely aware of the need for safety. As a maintenance worker, I found myself taking those shortcuts that I had been taught because production was the top priority. I have witnessed amputations and other horrific accidents throughout my years. It was then that I realized I had to take action. So I got involved in our safety committees and tried to make a difference there.
At the age of 37, I decided I needed to take another path in helping others, so I went back to school. I graduated with an associate’s degree in criminal justice and then a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science. For the next five years, I worked as a correctional officer, a firefighter, and a reserve police officer. Also, I started a safety consulting business called Active Training Consultants on the side.
My business started to grow rapidly, so after five years of public service, I transitioned to a full-time role in my business. We are now in our twelfth year, and we continue to grow. We now go all over the US helping companies become more aware of safety.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Most businesses’ struggles are associated with growing pains, and I struggle with that as well. However, my biggest struggle was when I was diagnosed with Small Cell Carcinoma.
I smoked cigarettes from the time I was 18 until I was 47. I averaged 2.5 packs a day; in fact, I had a cigarette in my hand more often than not. After I stopped smoking, my doctor wanted me to get cancer screening once a year, for at least ten years. For fear of picking up the nasty habit again, I needed something to occupy my time. So, I decided to go to the gym. My old “glass half empty” self would have never stepped into a gym, but the new “glass half full” self would. I looked at different programs to do, but only one really intrigued me, and that was powerlifting.
I began working out regularly. I went to the gym between 5 and 6 times a week and trained to become a powerlifter. I continued to do my cancer screenings every year, just like my doctor suggested. In 2021, I began competing in the United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) and set state records in my age and weight class. In 2022, I broke all my records and qualified for the International Powerlifting League (IPL) Drug Tested Worlds, which was scheduled to take place in Coventry, England, in October 2023. Unfortunately, that would not happen.
In January 2023, I had my 5th yearly cancer screening scan, but this time they picked up a mass in the right lower lobe of my lung. They scanned me again in April 2023, and the mass had grown a little. That same month, they biopsied it, and on May 4th, I was diagnosed with Stage 2B small cell carcinoma, as it had already spread to one of my lymph nodes. My doctor told me right there that I would not be competing in the IPL Drug Tested Worlds because I would be fighting cancer. However, I had a fierce determination that I would not let this beat me!
Was I scared? Of course I was. It was the same cancer that ended the lives of my uncle and my cousin. From May to the end of August, I went through radiation and chemotherapy. I continued to work and also maintained my weightlifting routine. I couldn’t lift what my cancer doctor called “stupid weight” because of the chemo port in my chest. I refused to go back to my old way of thinking. I was not going to be a “glass half empty” person with a negative attitude! Every day I had to choose my attitude, and it wasn’t always easy. I made sure to let my “glass half full” positive attitude be an inspiration to others. I made it my mission to attend my treatments with a smile and a kind word. There were other people there who were fighting the same battle as I. We didn’t all have the same kind of cancer or the same stage. However, we were all fighting cancer. I made sure to speak with others, listened to their stories, and encourage them to keep fighting the fight.
In September 2023, after all the chemotherapy and radiation, they rescanned me, and my cancer was gone. In November, they took my port out, and I started to lift “stupid weight” again. I went from being scanned every three months for a year, then to every four months, and now every six months. I am proud to say I am still cancer-free. Since then, I have continued to hold world records in powerlifting. Now, every time I am in the gym or step on the powerlifting platform, I do it for those who are fighting that fight.
I use my story in the classes I teach for my clients. It is called “Where Is Your Attitude Taking You?” I take my obstacles/challenges as an opportunity to encourage people. When our attitude is right, nothing can stand in our way.
We’ve been impressed with Active Training Consultants, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a safety consultant training organization located in Newaygo, Michigan, offering in-person training.
We offer safety training, as well as OSHA 10- and OSHA 30-hour training, for both general industry and construction. We specialize in a wide range of services, including safety consulting, safety program development, risk assessment, job hazard analysis, lockout/tagout, emergency action plans, and more.
We are accredited with the BBB and have been nominated for their prestigious Torch Awards for Ethics for the last eleven out of our twelve years.
What sets us apart from many others is that we are an in-person organization. Training hands-on allows students to ask questions and actively participate in the training.
One of the things that I am most proud of is the reaction we get from our clients. I can’t tell you how many times we have heard “I have taken many classes like this, but this class was hands down the best I have ever taken.”
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I live in Michigan, and we have the best state, probably because I live here! However, I do see a lot of talent in our state, as well as in the city where I live. But it’s not just my city, it’s all over the USA. Our country is bursting with talent. My dislikes are like those of many in my field, like bad attitudes, narrow-mindedness, and production over safety.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.activetrainingconsultants.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/activetrainingconsultants
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/active-training-consultants-llc/?viewAsMember=true
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@activetrainingconsultants
- Other: https://www.bbb.org/us/mi/newaygo/profile/safety-consultants/active-training-consultants-llc-0372-38191317#accreditation
