Meet Mikey Tableman | Mental Health Advocate, Spoken Word Artist, and Founder

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

Hi Mikey, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Work used to be my identity. If I wasn’t producing, building, or pushing forward, I felt uncomfortable. I was operating from a place of urgency all the time and eventually that catches up to you. Over time, especially through recovery, I realized that constant motion was actually a form of avoidance. It wasn’t strength. It was burnout disguised as ambition.

Today, I move differently. I’ve stepped away from hustle culture and into something more sustainable. Slow mornings at a coffee shop with a book. Intentional time offline. Boundaries around my phone. Even scheduling time to sit and do nothing which used to feel impossible. The biggest shift is I no longer measure my worth by how busy I am. I measure it by how present I am.

At times, I think we’re talking about balance more than we’re actually practicing it. There’s awareness now, which is good. But awareness without structural change doesn’t move the needle. If companies say they care about mental health but still celebrate burnout, nothing really changes. We’re at a tipping point. People are questioning the grind, questioning constant accessibility, questioning whether productivity is worth the trade-off. The future of balance depends on leadership. If leaders model healthy boundaries and sustainable pacing, culture shifts. If they don’t, burnout just becomes normalized again under a new name.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What I’m most excited about right now are our next two releases from A Mind’s Pursuit: “Conversation With The Boys” and “My Manic Maze.”
Conversation With The Boys is a space dedicated to honest dialogue among men, highlighting the conversations that usually happen off-camera or not at all. It’s about unpacking masculinity, mental health, relationships, identity, and the things we’re often conditioned to suppress. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s presence. It’s creating a space where vulnerability feels strong, not shameful.

On the creative side, My Manic Maze is a deeply personal undertaking I’m sharing. It’s a spoken-word and storytelling project that explores the complexity of the mind. The highs and low, the spirals, the questions, the growth. It’s not about diagnosing or labeling. It’s about making people feel seen inside their own internal chaos. The initiative blends poetry, narrative, and visual elements to create something immersive and reflective.

Both projects are different in tone, but aligned in mission. They’re about changing how we talk about mental health whether that’s in a room full of men or inside someone’s private thoughts.That intersection of culture and creativity is what I’m most excited about right now.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. There were days I questioned everything, the vision, the timing, even myself. Starting something rooted in vulnerability while also building real infrastructure is a heavy lift. It stretches you emotionally and mentally. What changed things for me was learning that I didn’t have to do it alone. I leaned into my team. I leaned into recovery. I leaned into structure instead of chaos. Instead of reacting from stress, I started responding from intention. That shift alone changed everything.The challenges shaped the mission. They made it real.

Along the way, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that vision without structure burns out. Passion is powerful, but infrastructure is what sustains impact. I’ve learned that rest isn’t weakness, it’s strategy. That boundaries protect creativity. That silence around mental health is costly, but reckless vulnerability isn’t the answer either. There’s strength in thoughtful, intentional openness. I’ve also learned that you can’t build anything meaningful alone. Ego isolates. Collaboration multiplies. And maybe the most important lesson: your worth is not tied to your output. Once I internalized that, I became a better leader, a better creative, and a healthier person.

When I think of myself as a brand, I want people to understand that everything I’m building is rooted in real life. The highs and lows, the burnout, the recovery, the rebuilding – none of it was curated. It was lived, and that’s why the mission matters so much to me. My brand isn’t about perfection. It’s about honesty. It’s about creating spaces where people don’t feel alone in their thoughts or struggles. Whether that’s through spoken word, conversation, corporate talks, or creative projects, the goal is the same: make silence less heavy. If someone feels seen because of this work, then it’s working.

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?
If my best friend was visiting, I’d show them the version of LA I actually live in, not just the postcard version. We’d start slow with coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee or Horror Vibes Coffee in North Hollywood for real conversations, no rushing, and just ease into it. Breakfast is non-negotiable at Hank’s Bagels in Burbank for comfort food. I am from New York, so bagels are important to me and this place is top notch for LA. For culture, we’d spend an afternoon downtown at The Broad or mid-city at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. LA’s art scene is bold and immersive; it reflects the city’s creative pulse really well.

Brunch in West Hollywood at The Belmont is always good for great food and even better people. Then we’d head to either Hyde Lounge for a Laker game or see a Broadway show at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. We’d definitely lean into some fun at Universal Studios Hollywood or Disneyland Park because I love anything that lets you feel like a kid again To close one night, we’d hav to plan for a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Live music under the open sky in LA just hits the soul differently. That’s the city to me, slow mornings, creative afternoons, big nights. Balance, Energy, and moments you actually feel.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out to my team at A Mind’s Pursuit- the mental health and wellness advocacy organization I founded a few year ago. Early on, I realized that vision alone isn’t enough, and infrastructure matters. Execution matters. Governance matters. Culture matters. And I’ve been fortunate to work alongside people who bring deep expertise in each of those areas. They push me to be sharper. They hold me accountable. They step in when I’m stretched. And most importantly, they share the same commitment to changing how we talk about mental health. A Mind’s Pursuit may have started from my personal story, but it has grown into a collective one. The strength of this organization comes from the strength of the team behind it.

There are so many people who deserve recognition in this story. Building something meaningful is never a solo act, it takes a village. We’ve already talked about my team at A Mind’s Pursuit, but if we were to take more granularly, the leadership of Sheela Abdi stepping in as CEO has been transformative. Her operational clarity and ability to build real infrastructure around vision has elevated everything. Big Billy Clark has been instrumental in shaping culture; he’s a legend in the music world, and his guidance around leadership and growth has meant more than I can put into words.

Creatively, Nate Sounds believed in my voice before I fully did. He pushed me to create my first album, with himself and Jerry Lang producing it, and that leap changed my trajectory. Nedda Soltani has been instrumental in shaping our public narrative and connecting us to partners that are helping us step into a much bigger chapter of the organization. Additionaly, Ben Meredith’s impeccable production style and JP Betnacur’s visuals and creative direction have been there with me every step of the way. JP has especially has worn more hats than anyone, often times also being my emotional anchor through it all. From the beginning, people like Chris Kim and Myron Batsa have shown up in ways that don’t always get seen publicly, but matter deeply to me. My family and friends, have all continued to push me on this journey and finally, my girlfriend, Nicole, who is the only one who really sees me in the down moments and continues to lift me up everyday.

And if I had to name one person who’s been there through every chapter, it’s my dad. He listens to every podcast episode. He calls me after each one to talk about it. He tells me how proud he is consistently. He’s believed in me at times when I didn’t believe in myself. All of these people are the reason I’m here. No one builds anything alone.

Website: https://www.amindspursuit.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikeytableman/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-tableman-297252202/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGw5t9V6yLAgGmTrB_cgvbA

Other: https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialChaosControlled

Image Credits
Mikey Tableman