Meet the founder
Practical guidance grounded in lived experience, instruction, and the responsibility of helping people through difficult moments.
Why True Meridian
Based in New Jersey. Working with people and organizations who want to be better prepared.
Michael Bollentin founded True Meridian Advisory to help people prepare for the moments when a plan meets reality. His background spans more than three decades in emergency medical services, alongside experience in law enforcement, 911 communications, coaching, instruction, and operational response.
Those roles put him alongside people making difficult decisions with incomplete and changing information, limited time, and real consequences. They also taught him that a useful plan has to account for the people expected to carry it out.
Michael brings that experience into practical training, organizational preparedness, leadership workshops, and facilitated conversations. His approach starts with questions: What do we actually know? What are we assuming? Who else needs to be heard? What happens after we make this decision?
Orientation is central to that work: helping clients understand where they stand, identify what matters, prepare their people, and choose a next step they can explain and follow through on.
Selected background
Experience informs the questions. Your circumstances determine the recommendations.
More than three decades in emergency medical services, with experience in law enforcement and 911 communications. Michael brings firsthand understanding of decisions made under pressure—where clear communication, sound judgment, and accountability carry immediate consequences.
Practical instruction that prepares people to recognize an emergency and act. Michael is an American Heart Association BLS Instructor and also teaches Stop the Bleed and Narcan education. He draws on field experience and college teaching to connect lifesaving skills with the judgment to use them.
Structured facilitation for difficult conversations, competing interests, and stalled decisions. Michael draws on formal mediation training and public-safety experience to help people clarify disagreements and work toward practical next steps.
“A true meridian is a fixed reference point. It does not tell you where to go. Orientation means knowing where you stand, understanding what surrounds you, and choosing your direction deliberately. That is where our work begins.”
Client testimonial
Laura reflects on Michael’s support after the loss of her husband.
“Michael helped me work through those questions without making me feel rushed or overwhelmed. He took the time to explain my options, helped me understand how the different pieces could work together, and guided me through the process one decision at a time.”
Begin the conversation
A complimentary 20-minute introductory call gives us a chance to understand your needs, discuss whether True Meridian is a fit, and identify a practical next step.
We’ll discuss your setting, the concern, who needs to be involved, and your timing. If there’s a fit, we’ll outline a proposed scope and fees for your consideration. There’s no obligation to proceed.
Based in Hightstown, New Jersey. Available for paid on-site engagements within approximately 60–90 minutes of Hightstown, depending on location and traffic. Travel arrangements are confirmed when we scope the work.
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