Meet Mike Bolland | Keynote Speaker and Nonprofit Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Bolland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Being a person born without a right hand, I have always been a part of the limb loss community. I have had great leadership in my life, and paying that forward is why I started my nonprofit, Joe & Maris Bolland’s Helping Hands, Our mission is to empower amputees and other people with limb differences to realize their boundless potential through transformative collaboration with their peers. We nurture a mindset of infinite possibilities, foster self-advocacy, and inspire our community to live a life without limitations.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I own a business called “One Hand Man Productions.” We are a full-service agency specializing in web design, social media, video production, podcast production, and live events. We separate ourselves by also being clients of our work. In our opinion, there’s no better way to learn than by hands-on experience, and if we didn’t trust ourselves, we wouldn’t have produced some of our biggest shows. An example of this was a show I did called “I’m Not Stumped” at the Herberger Theater in Phoenix in May 2024. Our organization handled the press and earned interviews with two local television affiliates. We managed the negotiations, program design, teaser video, social posts, ‘day of’ setup and teardown, stage design, and more. There is so much that goes into a successful production that you must keep tabs on to make it successful.

Using the “I’m Not Stumped” show at the Herberger again as an example, keep in mind that I was also the star of this one-person show. This, in itself, presents other experiences we can offer to help make other productions a success. Knowing how to build websites and put on major productions is one thing, but having the experience as the performer is a completely different thing. Having experience on both sides of the production is what sets us apart from most.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many great places in and around the Phoenix area! First day – pub crawl around downtown Chandler. We’d hit Murphy’s Law, a great hidden gem called QuartHaus, SanTan, The Perch, Bourbon Jacks, Pedal Haus and the The Sleepy Whale. We’d end the day with some great food and wine at either DC Steak House or Elliott’s Steakhouse. Then…expand or horizons with some other fun places in the Phoenix area by stops at Walter Station, PHX Beer Co., Uncle Bear’s, Freely Taproom & Kitchen, Bottleshop 48, Throne Brewing and 12 West. If the week was still young, we would have to go a bit beyond Phoenix with either a trip to Bisbee (St Elmo, Room 4 Bar, Old Bisbee Brewing Company) and/or Cottonwood (Pillsbury Wine Company, Page Springs Cellars and one of my favorites, DA Ranch).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
No question, my parents are the ones who deserve the most credit for what I have been able to accomplish in my life. They had a one-handed child thrust upon them (me) at a time when there were no ultrasounds—meaning there was no advanced warning. Research, peer support with other parents, and online resources were not available to them. Yet, they made it work. I have talked with thousands of others in the limb loss community, so I know how different my story could have been without those two special people.

Website: https://mikebolland.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mike.bolland/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebolland/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialMikeBolland

Other: My nonprofit: https://joeandmariehelpinghands.org/
My limb loss podcast: https://werenotstumped.com/

Image Credits
Mike Bolland