Realizing Audacious Dreams
Your superpower is how you respond.
Former world-record snowboarder. Motivational school-assembly speaker reaching over 100k young adults across America.
The Story
Tom grew up dyslexic and struggling in school. It took him time to figure out how his brain worked — and that understanding is ultimately what led to his success.
A Midwest kid, Tom dreamed of one day becoming a professional snowboarder. He got everything he ever wanted. But through compromise, the dream turned into a nightmare. Seven years into touring the world, Tom found himself addicted, depressed, and alone. Something needed to change.
So he changed it. Tom did the hard work of turning his life around — owning his choices, rebuilding from the bottom, and discovering that how you respond is the one thing nobody can take from you. Today he carries that same message to every audience he stands in front of, reaching over 100k young adults across America.
Obstacles are ultimately opportunities to overcome, and setbacks are setups for great comebacks.
Why Schools Book Tom
Principals, counselors, and youth leaders bring Tom in because students listen to him. He has lived the highs every kid is chasing and the crash that nobody warns them about, and he turns that story into a challenge they can use on Monday morning — about their attitude, their effort, their friends, and their choices.
His message meets students where they are on vaping, substances, bullying, kindness, and hope, and points them toward a future worth choosing. Audiences walk away knowing they were seen, valued, heard, and cared about.
What Tom Speaks On
The RAD message in full — Tom’s snowboarding story becomes a blueprint for setting an audacious dream and committing to it when it gets hard.
Setbacks are setups for comebacks. Tom shows students that their response is the one thing nobody can take from them.
An honest, age-appropriate look at the pressures students actually face — vaping, substances, bullying — and the power of kindness and hope.
The comeback message in full — Tom’s story of hitting bottom and rebuilding becomes a challenge to own your future before it owns you.
Students walk away with something they can use Monday morning.
Rad Coaching
Beyond the school stage, Tom works privately with adults, professionals, and athletes through Rad Coaching — transformational, business, and mindset coaching that gets to the root cause, builds real self-awareness, and helps you operate from a state of flow.
This is not the assembly. It’s a one-on-one partnership for people ready to change how they show up — in their work, their goals, and their life.
“If you are fortunate enough to get the opportunity to work with Tom, I can assure you that the transformational change in your life will far surpass anything that you can think possible. I have worked with multiple coaches, spending tens of thousands of dollars a year, to good success. But Tom is able to walk alongside you and get right down to the real root causes — and not just change your business or your mindset, but create transformational internal change so that you feel a state of flow. And most importantly, the ability to have self-awareness to know when you’re off track and how to adjust. Tom’s gift is helping others to see their potential and help that come out.”
“Tom has been an invaluable asset and friend in my athletic career. I’ve had a number of very important pivotal points in my career that have required a lot of thinking and planning, and Tom stepped right in at the perfect moment with years of lived-out knowledge and direction that spoke into where I was at. Having Tom as a solid pillar to lean on took a lot of weight off my shoulders and helped me realize that I don’t need to have everything figured out or held in control.”
What Educators Say
Students walk away from Tom’s assemblies feeling seen, valued, heard, and cared about. He connects with kids in a way that stays with them long after he leaves — which is why we have brought him back again and again.
For Bookers & Press
Download the one-page speaker sheet — Tom’s story, topics, and booking details in a single PDF you can forward internally.
Book Tom
Tell Tom a little about your event and he’ll be in touch. For school assemblies, community events, and one-on-one coaching alike, this is the place to start.
Or email directly
wordbigbird@hotmail.com