Mike talks to Jim Polito about his crack cocaine addiction, his recovery through God, and following his promise to God.
Highlights:
- Mike’s inspiration for the MyPillow company came from God through a dream of a pillow. As Mike describes it, it was “like a download – even the logo for MyPillow came from a dream.”
- But during the early years of MyPillow, Mike had an addiction to crack cocaine. For, Mike had a fear of rejection, as he was very shy. That was one of the reasons he had to have a cocaine “crutch” all the time. And Mike’s cocaine habit got so bad that his dealers actually did an intervention. They reminded Mike that he made a promise to them that someday he would return, and would help them all, and that God was going to bless Mike with his pillow platform.
- Nine months later, after battling addictions for many years, Mike finally found peace overnight on January 16, 2009, through a prayer where he said, “God, please free me of these desires”. From that day on, he has been clean and sober.
- Mike was able to grow his company to 1,600 employees by making made-in-America products. And, the company is so successful that Mike went to President Trump’s Made in America Roundtable, where Mike sat right next to the president, who said, “you’re exactly what I want” in an American company.
- And, Mike has advice for others who find themselves addicted:
“People tell me I’m not any different than I was, that I have the same energy level (as with cocaine). But I found out I didn’t need cocaine, that I was okay. And you know, so many people grow up with the spirit of unworthiness from the wounds from their childhood. It took a long time for me to get over that, and God redeemed me from having those feelings.”