COVENTRY — In his younger years, Michael Cooley, 52, experienced homelessness, physical and sexual abuse, alcohol and drug addiction, gang fights and more trauma. But none of it prevented him from becoming a loving husband and father, as well as a successful business development executive.
“If I didn’t have God, I would not be here,” Cooley said. “He is my barometer. I use the messages I got from God to guide me through my career and through my life. I don’t take that lightly or for granted.”
Cooley, who will be presenting at the Southern New England Women’s Expo at the Holiday Inn in Taunton, Mass, on November 9, is also an author and motivational speaker. He travels the country with one goal in mind: to tell people that the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel exists.
“I want somebody who’s dealing with some of these struggles to know that their future’s bright, too, no matter what they are going through,” said Cooley, who in 2011 published his first book, “Rock Bottom: From the Streets to Success.”
While talking about being sexually abused tends to be “nerve-wracking,” Cooley said letting victims know they are not alone is “a great blessing” that often encourages others to seek help.
When a special needs student told him that she was being sexually abused after he spoke at her school, Cooley alerted administration, and they were able to intervene. At a halfway house, one of the “biggest and toughest” inmates cried on Cooley’s shoulder, telling Cooley he was raped.
“The fact that I told it openly made a difference to him,” said Cooley. “Moments like that are why I do this.”
Still, his road to recovery was rough. He didn’t become the CEO of The Quinlan Companies, a multi-million dollar business, or write a book for Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC, a Christian-based and family-owned organization, overnight.
As a child and teenager, Cooley was shuffled back-and-forth from St. Louis, Missouri to Dallas, Texas. He lived in Missouri with his mother every summer, and stayed with his father and step-mother during the school year.
“I never recalled going to the same elementary school two years in a row,” Cooley said.
Both homes were problematic, as he says his mother was an alcoholic and had at least nine husbands, some of whom were abusive. He added that his stepmother also regularly beat him and his younger brother.
“I remember playing outside with my brother and stepbrothers and my stepmom broke a branch off of a rose bush and grabbed us by the arms and started switching us with this thorny branch,” Cooley said. “That was the beginning of the beatings.”
It wasn’t long before he said his stepbrothers joined in on the assaults. At the age of 15, after more than a decade of abuse, he left and never returned.
Until he was 27-years-old, Cooley was on what he described as “the path to hell,” often living out of his car or on the streets. He frequently slept in alleyways, rest stops or on building rooftops, snuggling up to chimneys for heat.
“When nobody else was there, God was there,” Cooley said. “When I’m sitting in an alleyway and it’s December and ice cold wind is cutting through and I don’t know where my next meal is coming from, I could only call on him.”
Rather than continue on the course of self-destruction, Cooley decided to make a change. By the grace of God, he obtained a position as a mailroom clerk at ActionSystems, a financial consulting firm in Dallas, in 1988.
After earning a GED, he earned an Associate’s Degree in business administration from Brookhaven College in Dallas. He worked every day from 8 a.m. to about 5 p.m. before rushing to class for 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. By April 2000, he was the senior vice president of the consulting firm.
“We built it from a $4 million company with 14 people to a $40 million company,” he said. “In the first half of my life, I was surrounded by people who were leading me to my demise, and the second half of my life led me to people who uplifted and empowered me. They allowed me to find my purpose and make a difference.”
Cooley credits ActionSystems’ co-founder and former CEO Robert Hall for advancing his professional life. Not only does Cooley think of him as a mentor, they are close friends.
“He helped me get to where I am today,” said Cooley. “The company, starting with him, taught me how to be human again.”
Another person Cooley praises is Lisa, his wife of 20 years. Though he was baptized a Baptist, Lisa, along with his mother-in-law, showed him the beauty of Catholicism.
“I would just sit back and watch how her mom was dedicated to her faith and her church,” he said.
“Lisa’s faith continued to get stronger, and I would admire it in the same way. When we got married, I agreed I would support her faith. She never gave up on me, and she keeps being there for me. She supports me, and is an incredible person.”
The couple has two children, Sierra and Brayden. They lived in Dallas before moving to Rhode Island seven years ago, and are parishioners of St. John and Paul Parish in Coventry.
Through God, Cooley said he also learned the power of forgiveness. He made peace with his parents before each of them passed away, and was able to come to terms with his stepmother.
“It was so freeing,” he said. “I just let it go.”
These days, Cooley is writing a second book. This one, he said, will be business-centered, and explain the steps he took to move up at work. Until it’s published, he plans to focus on continuing to share his personal experience with as many people as possible, as well as enjoying life with his family.
“I’m the luckiest man in the world,” he said. “I shouldn’t be this blessed.”
Cooley will be one of the featured authors at the Association of Rhode Island Authors Expo November 8 at the West Warwick Civic Center.
He is also taking part in the East Bay Education Collaborative on October 23, and will be speaking at upcoming events at Community College of Rhode Island and Bryant University. Learn more about him at MichaelGCooley.TateAuthor.com.
