Biography

Mike Donahue is the founder and director of Value Up, a motivational speakers’ bureau dedicated to building positive school culture. A nationally recognized speaker, he has addressed millions of students across the United States and internationally, sharing powerful messages on respect, bullying, and resiliency. His work has placed him alongside leaders such as former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Donahue is also the author of Groomed, a courageous memoir exposing the parallels between evangelical church culture and the manipulative tactics of sexual predators. Despite a childhood marked by abandonment, violence, and trauma—including emancipation at age seventeen—Donahue rose to become a respected voice in education and youth development.

From his early experiences with underground Christian churches in China to decades of leadership in some of America’s largest congregations, Donahue offers a rare insider perspective on the dangers of toxic systems, the resilience of the human spirit, and the power of intrinsic value.