Michael S. Odenis a behavioral and communication expert, consultant/counselor, international speaker, trainer and workshop facilitator. He is an expert in human behavior and a coach who forthe past 20 years as a probation officer and in private practice, has helped thousands of clients (adults and teens) who struggle with addiction, abuse, low self-esteem, poor performance or unhealthy relationships, turn their lives around.

Michael developed “The Needs Based Method®” therapeutic modality and is the founder of “Final Step Int.”, abehavior awareness programthat focuses on getting to the core of the individuals needs and helping the client change those behaviors that are preventing life rewarding achievements. Michael believes that once a person has gained Emotional Wellness, they will be able to move forward and make healthier decisions throughout their lives without hesitation and fully confident.

His success rate with childhood trauma clients stems from his early years as a probation officerworking with people from all walks of life who had turned to addiction in response to that trauma.As a teacher in the juvenile camps,Michael has helped hundreds of youth with drug and alcohol abuse problems linked to criminal behavior find alternative methods for fulfilling their needs.

Michael’s book "When Nobody's Home", winner of the 2016 Eric Hoffer award, is a straight forward, compelling nuts and bolts examination of the behaviors that lead to drug abuse, addictions, violence or emotional distress and his unique technique, that gives the individual an awareness and understanding as to how certain “needs” are being met by the destructive behaviors and how to change those behaviors from life diminishing to life fulfilling.  Mr. Oden is the recipient of the IRWIN Award for Most Innovative Writer for the Needs Based Method® technique he developed.

Michael has presented his successful Needs Based Method® techniqueto numerous organizations, schools and universities including USC, Cal State LA, Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Dominquez Hills, Harvard Faculty Club, Men’s Association for Addition Treatment, Clearview Treatment Program, Bridges to Recovery, New Jersey’s Center for Mental Health, Amtrak, Del Amo Hospital, Haven House and the Department of Juvenile Services to name a few. He has been featured on several radio talk shows and received multiple awards of recognition.

Michael received his M.A. in Counseling in Psychologyfrom the National University, Los Angeles, CA and his B.A. in Sociology from the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA. He served in the US Marine Corp Reserve where he was the Director of Human Relations.Michael splits his time between his private practice and his work as a Deputy Probation Officer in the State of California.

An inspiration and role model to the millions who have heard his story and and seen his videos, Mike Harrington had no idea the impact his health journey would have on the rest of the world when he first set out. As he persisted through his journey and the weight loss was becoming noticeable, people began to tell him that it was motivating them to take charge of their own health. And, after losing over 200 pounds, Mike’s story got the attention of the media.



His story and videos have been featured in numerous web sites and on television shows such as USA Today, MSN Health, Yahoo Fitness Weight Loss Win, Fox 61’s Stan Simpson Show, RVN TV’s Mid Day with Dana, Donovan Green (Dr. Oz' Personal Trainer) Podcast, and Gilad’s Bodies In Motion newsletter. Mike was also a featured presenter at the Toastmasters District 53 Fall 2017 Conference with his “Half the Man, Double the Awesome” presentation.



Mike receives dozens of messages and emails each month from people seeking advice, pouring out their hearts about their health struggles, and how his story has inspired them and given them some hope. Over the past several years Mike has met and spoken to many people, giving tips on lessons learned through his journey, and more importantly, about sustaining health. Mike is a big fan of Lifestyle Medicine, a branch of medicine which promotes curing chronic illness with lifestyle changes over medication or other means.



Mike has a passion for healthy living and helping others who are looking for a symbol of hope. More than mere weight loss, Mike’s story is about his triumph over the adversities in his life. Most weekends you can find Mike hiking in the woods where he hosts his weekly Facebook Live broadcast, “Hike with Mike” on which he talks about a variety of topics related to health, motivation, and dealing with personal struggles.



Mike’s mission is to “Inspire People To Take Charge Of Their Lives And Their Health By Being An Example Of What Is Possible”.

Marc Mallat is a transpersonal psychotherapist, corporate trainer, and creator of the groundbreaking therapeutic healing process – the Dimensional Awareness Process. He has over 30 years of experience in personal development training, acquiring “hands-on” knowledge and practical expertise in several different types of psychotherapies, healing and behavioral change methods. He has dedicated himself to intense “inner work” and continuous, never-ending improvement. Mallat is the CEO of Progressions Group—a company specialized in classical corporate trainings, life coaching, personal development, transpersonal psychotherapy, and energetic healing modalities. More information available at: www.progressionsgroup.com

A founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Michael Greger, MD, is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues. He has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, testified before Congress, and was invited as an expert witness in the defense of Oprah Winfrey in the infamous “meat defamation” trial. In 2017, Dr. Greger was honored with the ACLM Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award. He is a graduate of Cornell University School of Agriculture and Tufts University School of Medicine. His latest book How Not to Die became an instant New York Times Best Seller. He has videos on more than 2,000 health topics freely available at NutritionFacts.org, with new videos and articles uploaded every day. All proceeds he receives from his books, DVDs, and speaking engagements is all donated to charity. More information is available at: https://drgreger.org/  

Medea Benjamin is the co-founder of the women-led peace group CODEPINK and the co-founder of the human rights group Global Exchange. She has been an advocate for social justice for more than 40 years. Described as "one of America's most committed -- and most effective -- fighters for human rights" by New York Newsday, and "one of the high profile leaders of the peace movement" by the Los Angeles Times, she was one of 1,000 exemplary women from 140 countries nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the millions of women who do the essential work of peace worldwide. She received numerous prizes, including: the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Prize from the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Peace Prize by the US Peace Memorial, the Gandhi Peace Award, and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Award. She is a former economist and nutritionist with the United Nations and World Health Organization.

In 2000, she was a Green Party candidate for the California Senate. During the 1990s, Medea focused her efforts on tackling the problem of unfair trade as promoted by the World Trade Organization. Widely credited as the woman who brought Nike to its knees and helped place the issue of sweatshops on the national agenda, Medea was a key player in the campaign that won a $20 million settlement from 27 US clothing retailers for the use of sweatshop labor in Saipan. She also pushed Starbucks and other companies to start carrying fair trade coffee.

Since the September 11, 2001 tragedy, Medea has been working to promote a U.S. foreign policy that would respect human rights and gain us allies instead of contributing to violence and undermining our international reputation. Medea has also been on the forefront of the anti-drone movement, publishing Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control in 2013. She organized the first-ever International Drone Summit, led delegations to Pakistan and Yemen to meet with drone strike victims, and directly questioned President Obama during his 2013 foreign policy address. The campaign against weaponized drones has helped reduce the number of civilian casualties and force the government to compensate the families of innocent victims. 

Medea’s work for justice in Israel/Palestine includes taking numerous delegations to Gaza, organizing the Gaza Freedom March in 2010, participating in the Freedom Flotillas and opposing the policies of the Israel lobby group AIPAC. In 2011 she was in Tahrir Square during the Egyptian uprising and in 2014 she was detained, beaten and deported by the Egyptian security forces. In 2012 she was part of a human rights delegation to Bahrain in support of democracy activists; she was tear-gassed, arrested and deported by the Bahraini government. In 2015 and 2018 she participated in Women Cross the DMZ, an international delegation of women calling for peace in Korea.

Her groundbreaking work on the negative consequences of the US-Saudi alliance include the 2016 book Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection, and the 2016 International Summit on Saudi Arabia. Her latest book, Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is part of a campaign to prevent a war with Iran and instead promote normal trade and diplomatic relations. 

Medea is the author of ten books.  Her articles appear regularly in outlets such as The Guardian, The Huffington Post, CommonDreams, Alternet, and The Hill. Medea can be reached at: medea@codepink.org or @medeabenjamin.

If you'd like to book Medea Benjamin for an event, please contact Brienne at brienne@codepink.org.