When we think back to our teenage years, a lot of us cringe looking back on the difficult, awkward, or totally misguided times that we went through. Without a mentor to guide youth on the right path, they can end up with the wrong crowd and make decisions that are not aligned with who they want to be. Today’s guest is a person of influence to many adolescents and is impacting the direction of their life by being a mentor and providing a safe space.

Mike Machin is the owner and creator of Machine Studio, whose mission is to improve communities with art and hard work. Whether it's hosting free art-related events, cleaning up the streets, or just keeping the graffiti culture alive, they strive to provide safe, legal venues for underserved communities to create, share, and enjoy graffiti art. Mike shares all about his journey and how he became confident in himself and built his dream. Tune in to hear more!

Key highlights:

• Introduction to Mike Machin
• Backstory of his business and art
• Being a person of influence to adolescents and changing the direction of their lives
• The sacrifices Mike made to build his dream
• How he built a safe and fun place for teenagers that might be troubled
• How Mike's parents supported his passion growing up and he wanted to support other kids
• How do we get our confidence up?

Connect with Mike:

Instagram: @machinestudio

TikTok: @machinestudio

Website: Machinestudio.com

Graffiti Machine podcast

Connect with Alison:

Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounseling

Website: LagerCounseling.com

YouTube: Alison Answers

Facebook: Alison Lager Lcsw Casac