Meet Michael: Thrizer's New Head of Operations

I started my career in customer service at a small video game company when I was nineteen.

That meant getting yelled at over emails by people who were angry or stressed. I had to learn that none of it was really about me, but that was difficult emotionally to understand initially. When I got on phone calls with people, the anger often melted into kindness. This made me realize that people mostly wanted to be heard and feel understood, even when nothing could actually be fixed.

That stayed with me.

I was also aware of how lucky I was. Working in videogames was a childhood dream come true, but I did not have that opportunity because I was special. I worked in games because I was nearby.

That realization made me think about accessibility, and how much our lives are shaped by simple proximity to opportunity.

A few years later, I was struggling in a different way. I was learning how to be an adult, struggling with friction in my family, professional, and personal relationships all at the same time. I had access to therapy through my benefits, and I decided to try it. What I initially approached with skepticism became foundational to my life moving forward. The process helped me slow down and gain the perspective I needed to make progress each day, especially when I felt overwhelmed.

That foundation helped me feel secure in moving to Vietnam, when I was curious about how people stay connected when distance increases. I had seen my parents become disconnected from their family immigrating to the United States. I wondered what it would look like if a new generation of people could move away for school or work and still stay connected. Could those burdens turn into opportunities?

Throughout my life, I keep coming back to the same question. As life gets more complicated, what actually helps people adapt without losing themselves?

For me, Thrizer is about making that adaptation a little easier.

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First Six Months:

Here’s where I want to be of most help to our clinicians and clients:

1. The team is working hard to make Thrizer faster and easier to use every single day. I want to make sure that when you do have questions about Thrizer and how to use it, the vast majority are answered in seconds at any time of day. Anything that requires a more personal touch, we’ll get back to you within hours.
2. As our team grows, so does the complexity of our internal communications. Keeping our team aligned on an everyday basis is critical so we can consistently execute to make the Thrizer clinician and client experience easier.
3. Thrizer exists to help clinicians and clients. We can only solve your needs when we get your feedback, so I also want to make it easy for you to participate in our development and see those changes when they’re complete.