About Michael
Michael E. Smith is a former CEO, executive protection strategist, and transformational author whose life bridges disciplined leadership and profound personal awakening.
For more than thirty-five years, Michael operated in environments where precision, accountability, and calm under pressure were non-negotiable. He built and scaled a multi-million-dollar security firm from inception to acquisition. He has protected public figures and senior executives, presented to boards of directors, managed complex operations, and led organizations through volatility and growth.
His leadership philosophy has always been direct. Protect what matters most and execute with excellence.
He is also a father.
Michael has been the father of five children and four bonus children who have shaped his life in lasting and meaningful ways. Fatherhood, in all its forms, has been one of the deepest forces guiding his growth, humility, and strength. Though seasons change and paths sometimes diverge, love does not disappear. It evolves. It remains.
In 2015, Michael lost his son, Michael Gunther Smith, known as Gunner. His son’s transition home after just one and a half trips around the sun profoundly impacted Michael’s life and reshaped his sense of self, marking a defining shift in his world.
Years later, a life-threatening aortic dissection brought Michael to the edge of death. He returned altered in time and space, carrying a clarity he could not ignore and a deeper understanding of why he had returned.
The Sum Total is the central premise of the book. Every experience becomes part of the shaping of who we become. It represents the lived accumulation of a lifetime, what the heart has carried and what the soul refuses to forget.
Beyond his professional and literary work, Michael is an avid writer, photographer, sailor, bike rider, and fisherman. He cooks like a chef and makes drinks that might make you forget your name. He is also recognized for voiceover work and overseeing large-scale special events requiring precision, composure, and leadership.
He writes and speaks for those who sense their life experiences were not random but remembered.