Live a life without limits

Mike Bates is a celebrated International Keynote Speaker & Voice Artist, former counter-terrorism covert operations leader, entrepreneur & adventurer

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There's no-one in the world with Mike's experience.

Former human intelligence specialist, counter-terrorism operations leader and commando - turned community builder, fundraiser and keynote speaker.

Mike Bates, shares his awe-inspiring story to help you live a life without limits.

A circular logo with a hand making the shaka sign in the center, surrounded by the text 'Mike Bates' and 'Live a life without limits'.

Projects

  • The Sunday Briefing

    A free, weekly transmission written by me, for you.

    Intel · Inspiration · Mission · Connection

    Join Here
    Mike Bates with glasses and a beard drinking coffee while working on a laptop in a sunlit room.

  • Gracie Barra Roundhay Leeds

    An award winning and world-renowned Jiu Jitsu academy.

    A community first project.

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    Mike Bates wearing a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gi with red and white patches on a dark background.

  • ROW4MND

    4 Ocean rows. 4 Years. 4 MND.

    Aiming to raise £57m to find a cure and create hope.

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    Four people in athletic clothing stand on a dock near water, smiling, with a lighthouse in the background. This is the ROW4MND team which includes Mike Bates.

  • UNIFY

    Helping men live happier, healthier & more fulfilled lives.

    Events. Connection. Community.

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    Mike Bates smiling with sunglasses and short, light-colored hair talking to another man in a blue shirt outdoors.

  • The Atlantic Grappler

    2022 solo Atlantic Ocean row winner.

    Raised £137,000 for Leeds Hospitals Charity.

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    Mike Bates, shirtless with tattoos and a black cap celebrating the end of his solo Atlantic Ocean row with arms raised near a marina in Antigua with boats in the background.
View fullsize Parenting teenage boys is a lesson in restraint. Something I’m still learning. Knowing when to guide. Knowing when to step back. Knowing when silence shouts louder than instruction. There’s real pressure on our kids now. The world is
View fullsize M.I.N.D.set D = Discipline Discipline is the final piece. Not discipline for socials. Not discipline for punishment or ego. But the kind of quiet discipline that happens in the dark when everyone else is looking for the light. The discipline to t
View fullsize Yesterday’s Sunday Briefing was about earning your seat at the table. Invitation, not expectation. Credibility built over time. Judgement earned quietly. Consistency in being there for others when it would be easier not to be. Trust. In my
View fullsize Face for Radio 🎙️ Voiceover narration for the NEW Spirit of the Rhinos documentary - episode 1 in the can. Thanks for inviting me back @ramfilmsofficial @leedsrhinos #faceforradio #voiceartist #speaker #therealjamesbond #agentrunner
View fullsize A little over a year ago, my wife and I stood on the start line together for a mixed doubles HYROX. It was hard, chaotic and humbling. But we did it as a team. 1:10:52 - a proper grind. Today she’s back on the start line again, this time in
View fullsize We’ve been watching @ukthetraitors together as a family recently. That doesn’t happen often. The boys are busy and life moves fast. So when we get a night in all together, I notice it. The programme always takes me back. Not to tele
View fullsize Most goals don’t fail. They never start. Not because people don’t want them badly enough, but because starting requires nerve. M.I.N.D.set N = Nerve Leaving a career after serving your country for half your life takes nerve. Startin
View fullsize Yesterday’s Sunday Briefing stayed with me. It was about circles. Who we keep close. Who we trust. Who belongs inside the walls of our lives, and who no longer does. There’s a reason snakes shed their skin. Growth makes the old layer