Hip Hop Audible Series Ep4: Mikey Piecez Prosserman

Nidhil Vohra 

Welcome to Hip Hop Audibles where local Toronto Hip Hop artists, educators and practitioners share passages from their favorite books and verses and talk about how these pieces made an impact in their lives. Today we feature Michael Piecez Prosserman, a best-selling author, professional b-boy, university instructor and certified coach who specializes in scaling start-ups, team culture, fundraising and succession. In Michael's book "Building Unity, Leading a Nonprofit from Spark to Succession", He shares practical tools and stories to launching, leading, and leaving a sustainable organization. He scaled a grassroots organization from the ground up as the founder of Unity Charity, an organization using Hip Hop to improve Youth Mental Health. Over 15 years, Michael grew Unity from a volunteer group to employing 80 staff raising $7 million and having an impact on 250,000 youth. Michael is committed to empowering leaders in the public and private sector to build more resilient and responsible organizations through a social enterprise EPIC Leadership. 

Mikey Piecez Prosserman 

My name is Mikey Piecez Prosserman, and I'm going to read an excerpt from my own book, "Building Unity". "Hands are shaking, I'm tearing up, I can barely speak. I'm frozen. It feels like my chest is going to jump out of my throat. Although I'm in no real danger, nothing has ever felt more real, and the terror going through my veins. This is anxiety, Real Deal anxiety. I take a deep breath and keep moving forward. I go to my next meeting, do my next presentation go on with my day as normal, but I don't feel well. I've decided I'm not going to let this own my life. I will not let it when I can live a great life, even if I feel terrible inside. I owe it to myself and everyone around me to continue moving forward. Despite how I feel. This experience is the most perplexing challenge I've ever faced. When I'm in control. I can handle 100 emails a day. No problem. 12 meetings a day with no breaks in four locations across the city. No problem. Eating while doing a phone conference while driving to a program in Mississauga with someone in my car. No problem until it is a problem. And now I've learned a problem I cannot change or is it a problem? Am I a problem? No. I am me with every great thing and every not 

so great thing in me. I will continue to always be me despite my anxiety, my illness. Is it an illness or more of a challenge? I am not my anxiety." I read this excerpt to say that it's okay to live with mental illness especially as a practitioner in the Hip Hop community and to normalize that a lot of people are struggling with their mental health. 

Nidhil Vohra 

Thank you to Mikey Piecez Prosserman for sharing with us. Hip Hop Audibles was produced on Dish with One Spoon territory and is a co-pro between the Hart House Hip Hop Education program and the Hart House Student Podcasting team with music by Vic Adamo. For more Hip Hop Audibles, and to learn more, visit www.harthouse.ca. I'm Nidhil Vohra. Peace.