My Story

Mr. Michael Harden was born and raised in the inner-city of Kansas City, Missouri, with his two sisters to Connie Harden and Michael Stanley.  Mr. Harden's parents split up when he was only 3 years old so his mother had to sacrifice a lot to raise 3 kids on her own.  She did the best she could absolutely do with the resources she had. This included going hungry some nights just to make sure her 3 children had enough to eat.   His mother instilled in them to always work hard, show good character, and have great integrity.  Mr. Michael Harden made sure he did his part by excelling in school, sports, and staying out of trouble.  

After graduating from Southeast High School, Mr. Harden enrolled at the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou).  While at Mizzou, Mr. Harden walked onto the football team, became a starter, and eventually earned a scholarship.  Mr. Harden graduated from Mizzou in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management.  Following college, he tried on to the Seattle Seahawks NFL team and made the practice squad.  He would later get his chance to play in an NFL game later on that year.  Unfortunately, Mr. Harden's career was cut short due to injuries.  

Mr. Harden settled in Denver, Colorado where he had two wonderful children and started up a debt collection company.  After several years of running the company successfully, his business went under due to new regulations that made it difficult to stay in business.  Afterwards, Mr. Harden fell into a deep state of depression and battled with anxiety.  Not knowing how to cope with his mental state at the time, Mr. Harden spiraled and ended up in federal prison where he served a 6 year sentence.  While in federal prison, Mr. Harden had a lot of time to reflect on his past and what he wanted his future to look like.  He began reading a researching materials that sparked ideas for The Hardley Group.  He vowed to spend the rest of his life being an advocate for the underdogs and the underserved communities.  

He dedicates his life to leveling the socioeconomic playing field for inner-city children and poverty-stricken individuals, so that those who want to BE better will have the financial and educational resources to DO better.  Mr. Harden was released from federal prison in May 2023 and with the help and support of the Mile High United Way, AYA Foundation, and his close family and friends, Mr. Harden is well on his way to helping those who need a second chance to make a difference.  As you can see, Mr. Harden has overcome many adverse situations and for this, he's more resilient than ever.  Stay tuned...this is only the beginning.