Mike Arnold

I’m Mike Arnold. I’ve never really known how to sit still.

I’ve finished multiple Ironmans, raced dirt bikes, climbed mountains that don’t care whether you make it back down, and built businesses from the ground up. I’ve always been drawn to the edge of things — long distances, thin air, calculated risk. I like knowing where my limits are… and then leaning past them.

On April 9th, 2024, at 62 years old, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

That’s a different kind of mountain. No summit photo. No finish line tape. No engine noise. Just something quiet and persistent that moved in without asking.

I love challenges — always have. But this one… well, let’s see.

Here’s the twist I didn’t expect: Parkinson’s cracked something open in me. A floodgate. Creativity I didn’t know was waiting. Essays started pouring out. Poetry. And painting — which makes no logical sense because I had absolutely no idea how to paint. No training. No lessons. I just knew I wanted to attack a canvas with scrapers and spatulas; thick paint layered on heavy, pushed and carved, and moved around. Texture. Resistance. Force. It felt familiar. It felt alive.

Turns out endurance isn’t just physical. It’s creative. It’s emotional. It’s spiritual.

I’m still the same guy who chases hard things. I just happen to be chasing a different one now