Michael Brody-Waite is an inspirational speaker, acclaimed TEDx presenter, bestselling author of Great Leaders Live Like Drug Addicts: How to Lead Like Your Life Depends on It, and award-winning 3x CEO. Michael’s TEDx talk, “Great Leaders Do What Drug Addicts Do,” has been viewed over 3 million times, becoming the #1 talk in TEDx Nashville history.
At age 23, Michael faced rock bottom—kicked out of college, fired from his job, and evicted, he entered rehab, beginning a transformative journey rooted in rigorous authenticity, surrendering outcomes, and confronting uncomfortable work.
In 2010, Michael left a Fortune 50 role during the recession to co-found InQuicker, a healthcare SaaS company enabling patients to self-schedule appointments online. Under his leadership, InQuicker grew by 20,000%, earned an Inc. 500 ranking, and was recognized multiple times as a “Best Place to Work” and Healthcare Company of the Year. Michael then served as CEO of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, guiding over 2,000 entrepreneurs annually to start or scale their ventures.
Today, Michael leads Addictive Leadership, teaching individuals and organizations how the proven principles of addiction recovery can transform leadership and culture. Through compelling keynotes, immersive workshops, and practical coaching programs, Michael equips leaders at large and small companies to embrace rigorous authenticity, unlock everyone’s hidden potential, and create high-performance cultures where people thrive.
Recognized as a Most Admired CEO, Top 40 Under 40, and Healthcare Entrepreneur of the Year, Michael’s engaging style blends raw storytelling with actionable tools. He challenges audiences to stop hiding, start leading courageously, and build workplaces where everyone unlocks their FULL potential.
