Mike Aoki at age 2,
In front of the family mailbox

Mike’s Grandparents came to Canada from Japan in 1902. So, they’ve recently celebrated a century of Canadian living.

In the late 1940's, his Father's family bought a farm and settled in a small town called Merlin (near Chatham, Ontario. That's about an hour's drive from Detroit - on the Canadian side of the border.)

In 1963, his Mom and Dad met and married. In 1965, they had their first child... me!

Mike, age 3,
On the farm

I loved growing up on the farm. I used to play in the fields and go running around the trees with my dog King. He was a wonderful Labrador Retriever and the smartest dog in the world.

Some days, we would go into town. "Town" meant going into the nearby village of Merlin, which has only 640 people. Growing up there, I used to joke it was so small, it only had two stop signs and no stop lights. But, growing up on a family farm and in a small town, I learned a lot about working together as a family and as a community.

Mike Aoki's sister:

I had a wonderful younger sister named Diana. She taught me many life lessons. You see, Diana was developmentally challenged.

Because she mentally stopped developing as an infant, she was totally focused on the present moment. She wasn't conscious of the past or future so she didn't worry about last year's tax return or next year's interest rates. Instead, her natural state was to be happy.

Even though she passed away in 2005, her example taught me a lesson about not getting stressed out over things I can't control.

Mike Aoki's current info:

Mike, at the edge of the Grand Canyon

I live in Toronto and my hobbies include playing billiards and cards with friends and watching pro football and basketball games (I'm still a big fan of the Detroit Pistons and Lions.)

I enjoy running my own business. Although it gets hectic sometimes, I like being able to help people and make a difference through my speaking, writing and training. I'm fortunate I've found my life's purpose.

Mike Aoki

Click here for Mike Aoki's professional background

Which Mike Aoki are you looking for?

I'm the Toronto, Canada based trainer and speaker.  I was in the wireless telecom industry before starting my seminar business.

Born in Chatham, Ontario, Canada,  I've always lived in Ontario.

That should distinguish me from the half-dozen other 'Mike or Michael Aoki's in the world.

There's a 'Mike Aoki' who’s a baseball coach in the US. There's a 'Michael Aoki' who's a city planner in Seattle and another one who's a martial arts expert. There are also 'Mike Aoki's in Vancouver and Hawaii.

There's even another "Mike Aoki" in Toronto but I've never met him!