EXPERT ON:
◉ Customer Experience & Branding
◉ Decision-Making & Emotional Intelligence
◉ Effective Communication
◉ Entrepreneurship & Innovation
◉ Digital Marketing Strategy
◉ Leadership Development
◉ Inspirational Life Story
◉ Goal Setting & Achievement
◉ Motivation & Mindset
◉ Overcoming Adversity
◉ Sales & Persuasion
◉ Team Building & Collaboration
◉ Work-Life Balance & Focus
EXPERIENCE:
◉ Serial entrepreneur who invented a new industry with IncentOne, survived the 2008 collapse through relentless discipline, and built a movement for high-performing founders.
◉ Known for extreme standards, 38 years without missing a workout, decades of disciplined living, and a mindset forged through crisis and reinvention.
◉ Now challenges entrepreneurs to stretch their limits, outlast adversity, and prepare to survive and thrive in the age of AI.
Michael Dermer built what didn’t exist, nearly lost it all in 2008, and rebuilt through extreme discipline. What followed wasn’t balance — it was extremism. What emerged wasn’t just a successful exit and a new industry. It was a movement. Unlocked by one of the extreme personalities of our time. Now he is helping entrepreneurs answer the question on everyone’s mind — will you survive AI?
Wired for extremes. Two-time Academic All-American. Joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher — then walked away. Invented an Industry Built what didn’t exist. “We’ll never pay people to be healthy.” He built IncentOne anyway. 2008: The Collapse Ten years — nearly erased in ten days. Clients collapsed. Contracts vanished. Most stories end there.
His didn’t. 20-Hour Days You don’t manage collapse. You outlast it. Three years. No end in sight. “You got kicked 20 times a day. You stopped noticing.” Cold Shower A ritual to test limits. Five minutes in freezing water every morning since October 2008. Starbucks Origin “Who here is a lonely entrepreneur?” Every hand went up.
The movement had a name — and people felt seen. Extreme Discipline 38 years without missing a workout. No carbs for 30+ years. Not stunts — identity. Yoga On the Edge Most people would snap. Stretch your limits or your ceiling becomes your coffin. Workouts On the Edge Most people would redline. Every day for 38 years. Calves from outer space. “People say Taylor Swift connects because young women feel like she’s talking to them in their bedrooms. Michael is the same for entrepreneurs. What he says is what we all feel every day.
