Michael served as a professional army officer in the Irish Army for twenty years, doing tours of duty in several different European countries, Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia. In the last years of his service he worked as part of a European Battlegroup, raising and training the first specialist ISTAR unit within the Irish Army.

Military training concentrates on resilience and stress management, and since leaving the army (with the rank of Commandant [Major]), Michael has used this experience, coupled with academic study in the fields of Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, to develop three and four day programs enhancing wellness and wellbeing in the workplace. These programs are designed to manage and reduce stress in the workplace, lowering executive burnout rates and improving stress management on an organisational level.