About Michelle Hillier

Offerings

Large Crowd Activations

WE are all better when we move: movement awakens, inspires and restores. When people Groove, their world shifts. Imagine an environment where people are brought together to work, play or create and where they assume that physical movement is a critical component to their individual and mutual success? People become accustom to the positivity and “magical” feeling that comes with moving using Groove and its unique attributes of connecting together on a simple movement that anyBODY can do. Then, add the opportunity to be individually expressive and creative, and finally connect through fun and short peer interactions.

Ultimately, it is about taking people from fear to freedom.

Michelle’s movement experiences embody critical Elements of Engagement and connect to the following themes:

1. Innovation
2. Neutral
3. Simple
4. Playful
5. Improvisational
6. Repetitive
7. Energetic
8. Daring

As people Groove, they move through a “spectrum” of fear, risk-taking, connecting, joy, freedom and then they want to repeat it all again. When you are I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D. you take people from fear to freedom. Imagine a workplace where this transformation is present in every employee… Where risk taking is a comfortable state… Where connection with others is easy and joy and freedom are desirable and attainable feelings, everyday. For everyone. Isn’t that what we all want as humans?

So, what is this Groove approach that Michelle uses? What makes it unique? It is an extremely innovative, and memorable movement experience which has the following benefits for any conference or event in any industry:

1) Gets all delegates up on their feet moving to music using simple and accessible movements that make people feel successful while having fun (everyone knows we sit too long at these conferences!)

2) Supports the research around physical movement and blood flow allowing for information to be retained and learning is therefore optimal after getting the body moving to alert the brain.

3) Engages and interacts the audience which builds community in a group and room. Often times you don’t get a chance to interact with others at a conference until the social events occur.

Find Your Breath, Ignite Your Fire

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BURN THE HOUSE DOWN TO FIND HOME.

When was the last time you really felt like yourself? This question trips so many people up. Don’t we feel like ourselves every day? No. Most people really don’t. Most people aren’t totally comfortable with who and where they are. But remembering when you last felt truly at home with yourself can have a remarkable impact. My story is proof.

For me, it was when I was 24 years old and working as a professional dancer on a cruise ship. Being paid to do what I loved was eye-opening, and being exposed to the global community of my fellow crew members gave me a new-found appreciation of and empathy for others that I hadn’t known before. It was life-altering. I came home from that year abroad a different person. A person I loved, who thought everything was possible.

But in the two decades that followed, I lost that woman. I lost her to indifference, to relationships that didn’t serve me, pain and surgery, to the grief of losing a parent, to motherhood, to substance abuse. I couldn’t find me anymore.

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed me to my breaking point. All of a sudden, everything was cancelled. The isolation spotlighted the cracks in my marriage, and I looked for ways to numb how I was feeling. Alcohol was the easiest, and within six months, I had no choice but to ask for help, to seek out treatment. That girl I knew was long gone.

But I can’t express how grateful I am to have finally decided to find her again. Being in recovery pushed me to re-examine everything I was and everything I wanted. It forced me to reconnect to my breath, to find my calm, and to reignite the fire inside, to find my passion again. 

So, let me ask you one more time: When did you last feel like yourself? And are you ready to find that person again?

Who is this experience for:

• Businesses, organizations, education districts, colleges and universities, municipalities, non-profits, not-for-profits, groups and clubs that are looking to inspire their employees or members to find their happiness

What can you expect from this keynote:

• My story and inspirational takeaways 
• Elements of movement that embody the messages
• Mindfulness and meditation to help with reflection
• An introduction to the Breath + Fire program and tools