Biography

Michael Modzelewski is a Correspondent/Co-Host for EarthWise — the anchor TV show on the Outdoor Life channel, featuring all the powers and nuances of the Natural World. Michael is a roving Correspondent for the national radio show The Good Life, reporting from the field on his adventures all over the world.

Michael grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where his father played professional football with the Browns. He graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in Journalism. For the past 12 years he has traveled to 40 countries around the world on assignment for national publications. He’s the author of Angeles Crest: A Memoir about world travels, ultramarathon running, and metaphysics; Inside Passage: Living with Killer Whales, Bald Eagles, and Kwakiutl Indians, based on a two year stay on a northern wilderness island along the rugged coastline between Seattle and Alaska; and North Through Paradise, about varied adventures in Alaska. His speech: “Triumph of The Spirit” is an inspiring, motivational account of what it takes to survive; then thrive in the wilderness — or any challenging situation.

After living “date-less” on the wild island, upon returning to civilization, Michael was startled to find he was chosen Cosmopolitan Magazine’s “Bachelor-of-The-Month” and AlaskaMen Magazine’s centerfold story (keeping his pants & parka on, but getting a staple through his navel). After receiving 5,000 letters from women around the world, he married one of the correspondents. Michael’s latest book, WILD LIFE: THE MISS–ADVENTURES OF A COSMO BACHELOR is attracting rave reviews from everyone except his mother.

“Michael Modzelewski is the John Muir of our times. Like Muir, he provides quiet and reverential observance of nature and our own humanity, while interjecting riveting narratives of unanticipated death-defying adventures. His writing is visceral and poetic, alternately humorous and heart-rending, able to sweep the reader seamlessly into his world. I have spent happy hours with his writing.” — Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club and The Hundred Secret Senses.

Michael’s inspirational and entertaining speeches have received rave reviews and standing ovations from audiences world-wide. He was chosen “Speaker of The Year” by Sharing Ideas Magazine. He has been awarded The Key To The City across the United States. He is a celebrity speaker on cruise ships; and Michael has been featured on many national TV shows, including “A Closer Look with Faith Daniels,” Bill Cosby’s “You Bet Your Life,” and is a frequent guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Michael’s action-packed life was dramatized in the New York City off-Broadway play: LIFEGAME.

When not traveling on Assignment, Michael enjoys mountain climbing, marathon running, sea kayaking, surfing, and exploring his two favorite places in the world: Tracy Arm Fjord in Alaska and the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, Africa.