Meet Michael Finn

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michael Finn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michael, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

It wasn’t until I became a parent that I really explored or pondered the idea of my “purpose” to any great degree. I had pursuits, but I judge they were driven purely by self interest and egoic desires. When my first-born son was around six months old, this deep sense of overwhelm came over me. At first glance I chalked it up to lack of sleep induced anxiety, but as I began to spend time with it, I realized that the origins of this “energy” was much deeper than that. I had lost my sister, mother and father in recent years past, all in uniquely traumatic ways, and I had not fully processed that loss. Filled with the pride that young men can possess, I just barreled forward without really looking at the depth of pain that I had stuffed deep into my psyche, thinking that a few sessions in therapy had sutured this wound. The birth of my son quickly removed that veil and showed me that I indeed had much work to do in regards to healing relationships with people that were not physically around, so I could be in integrity with the ones that were.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be writing children’s books, I would have told you that you have the wrong guy, but life rarely acts according to our plan…

I remember it like it was yesterday. My wife, our two boys, and I were driving to a weekend birthday party. My wife was manning the Sirus XM. She landed on a station, and the words, “Kobe Bryant and others are dead following a helicopter crash today in Calabasas—” pierced the air in our family SUV. My oldest son, who had just turned 4 years old, didn’t miss a beat and pointedly asked, “What does dead mean?” He had danced around this word before in a somewhat casual way that children do while playing with toys or having abstract conversations, but this time was different. He was determined that we would give him a substantial answer.

I knew this time was coming…by the preschool years, children are starting to understand the concept of death but struggle with the idea that death is permanent. My wife and I pride ourselves in being as honest with him as possible, giving him little pieces of the pie to satiate his highly inquisitive nature. We looked at each other, swallowed, and attempted to answer his question to the best of our ability without overwhelm. I don’t remember exactly what we said, I just know that I felt relief when we arrived at the party shortly thereafter, and his attention shifted to play and cake mode. We finished the weekend without any heavy follow-up questions.

A dour and overcast Monday morning came and went, and I picked my boy up from preschool. I had to run errands in town afterwards. I pulled into the parking lot, stepped out of my truck, and made my way to the back to get him out of his child seat. I was exactly at eye level with him as I began the unbuckling process. He looked directly at me and asked, “Daddy, when I die, will you come to Heaven with me?”

My heart stopped, and I just froze. It felt like hours, or no time at all. His question was beautiful, scary, and heartbreaking all at the same time. In the realm of parenthood, I realize these kinds of question can be standard fare. Still, I personally had been in the throes of anxiety and grief dealing with familial loss for a while.. By my early 30s I had lost my sister, mother, and father; each of their deaths was different in nature, but similar in scope of tragedy. I had been working on my acceptance of this through many different modalities, but at the time, our son’s question cut straight to my core. I was caught off guard. I steeled myself, gave him a big hug, and told him, “Of course, I would.” I knew as the words came out of my mouth that it was the best I could muster, given the situation at that moment, but my answer felt insufficient, if not disingenuous. I followed up, telling him that I am always here for him and that my love for him knows no bounds. He didn’t really press further, and we went about our errands.

A few days later I pulled into our driveway in the evening. I became overwhelmed with emotion and instinctually I pulled out my iPhone and began writing a poem. There was no agenda, just my honest attempt to clumsily answer his question. I sat with it for a while and had a novel thought. “This would actually be better served as a picture book for children.” And thus, my book journey began.

I knew I wanted to address the topics of intergenerational healing in my work, especially the role, relationship, and identity of boys and men in the changing landscape in which we find ourselves. Dealing with loss can be an intense topic, and often young children, especially males, don’t feel confident enough to express their true feelings and, therefore, bury them, stunting emotional growth as well as healing. I judge that we need more children’s books that address the dynamic of children and their elders, especially of a masculine energy that fosters real understanding and relationships between them. My ongoing experiences as a writer and spiritual and personal growth speaker have shown me that all anyone really wants is to be loved and understood.

This is my driving force for writing these books, as well as future stories; to provide content that will offer comfort, joy, and self empowerment. There is strength in vulnerability, and true healing comes from honoring our differences by recognizing our commonality. I lost both my grandparents and parents at a relatively young age, and I wish more of these types of books had been available to me and my family so we could have bonded on a deeper level. I am taking it upon myself to write them now.

My first book, “I’ll Be With You Wherever You Are,” published by MASCOT Kids!, an imprint of Amplify Publishing Group was released on Ocotober 7th, 2025 and is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or wherever you shop for books.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Patience, resilience and finding community.

There were so many times when I was in the throws of grief and anxiety were I felt like I just wanted to give up. Life seemed overwhelming and scary, so I just went inward…maybe too inward, and I severed myself from being in relationship, in communion, to those around me. No person is an island, and wasn’t until I began getting involved with community; getting active at our church, joining a men’s group, did I start to truly feel whole again.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

Piggybacking off of my last answer, I would remind myself that I feel most alive and vital when I am engaged with those around me. I somewhat of an introverted/extrovert…if that is a thing…and my natural default is to want to be alone. And I am not saying that we don’t need to rest and recharge, but I think that we shortchange ourselves when we don’t get out there, being fully present with our community or whatever company we might find ourselves with.

I would also spend every free waking moment I had with my two boys and my wife, and make sure that we explore a different part of this fascinating world that we live in at least once a year. If this is truly the once chance that we get to spend on this planet, I want to overturn every rock and check it all out!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michaelfinnbooks.com/
• Instagram: @michaelfinnbooks
• Facebook: @MichaelFinn

Image Credits

Whit McGuire
Stacy Berg