Inspiration can come in so many different forms. It can come to you in your best times or when it feels as though the whole world is against you. Entrepreneur and social media sensation Mike Majlak is a clear example that anything is possible in life. From the age of seventeen, he was lost in darkness, mixed up with the wrong crowd, and unable to pull himself out of a downward spiral of drug addiction and hopelessness. Somehow, he was able to make it out alive and turn his life around to become an inspiration for millions.
Mike has recently released his debut book, The Fifth Vital, which details his gut-wrenching journey through addiction and pain to light on the other side. Mike’s success story is one that everyone should read. Mike, thanks so much for coming on and speaking with us!
With everything that is going on in the world right now, it’s so nice to see some positivity. The story behind your book, The Fifth Vital, contains a powerful message of truth and hope. Please tell us about the book and your reasons for wanting to share this story.
We’re big fans of the Impaulsive show. How did your collaboration with Logan Paul begin, and how does it feel to have such a far-reaching voice on the show?
Logan and I met strangely through a brand deal for an oversized bean bag. I was the marketing manager for a company called LoveSac in Stamford, CT, and Logan was a douchey Viner/emerging YouTuber who needed new furniture for his apartment. We hit it off, met a couple of times in real life, I started appearing in his content, and the rest is history. You can read all about it The Fifth Vital.
Do you still pinch yourself when remembering where you were in your darkest points of addiction to where you are now?
Honestly, after I got clean in 2010, I just put my head down and started charging through obstacle after obstacle on the path to success that is now being realized. I still don’t think I’ve ever come up for air long enough to realize what just happened. I’m obviously intensely grateful and humbled by everything that has happened, but I don’t think the realizations of what I’ve accomplished in these past years since getting clean will be realized until I have enough time to turn the machine off, and I can’t tell you when that might be.
If you could go back in time to the person you were before you first began taking drugs, what would you say to that teenager to prevent yourself from choosing that path of self-destructive behaviour?
As teenagers, we believe that we have the gift of time, the luxury of taking our time. At age fifteen, our life hits this weird fast-forward button, and it never really slows down after that. One of the biggest regrets in my life was all the time I spent under the influence of drugs and alcohol—time that I sadly can never get back.
Right now, you have multiple projects keeping you busy. Are there any others in the pipeline that we should be keeping an eye out for as well?
I’m working on the audiobook, there’s a movie deal in the works, and there are definitely other book projects in the future since I love to write. I’m also continuing to put out new digital content on Impaulsive and The Night Shift, as well as on other platforms. Stay tuned!
Lastly, can you leave us with one of your favorite quotes or thoughts that has helped you personally in your life?
One of my favourite Jay-Z lyrics of all-time, “I’d rather die enormous than live dormant…” That always makes me feel like I want to go hard and push myself to be the biggest I can be. It was something I told myself in my early recovery. It made me feel like I could be great, like anything was possible.
Where is the best place for readers to find you online, and where can they buy your book, The Fifth Vital?