Break Your Shell

In this episode of Conversations with Thomas, Thomas shares a powerful story from his childhood about the moment he unknowingly absorbed the belief that money and happiness could not coexist. Decades later, that inherited message was still shaping his life in ways he never saw coming.

Through therapy, coaching, and one very uncomfortable prosperity exercise, Thomas reveals how old stories become shells we grow inside and eventually outgrow. He unpacks why these shells form, why breaking them feels terrifying, and how we can loosen the patterns that keep us confined.

With humor and heart, he offers a simple three-part practice for breaking any shell, whether it is rooted in scarcity, identity, worthiness, or fear. He also invites listeners to join HeartFULL Rebellion on Instagram for short, supportive videos that help you rise into the life you are becoming.

If you are ready to shed an old story and breathe into something bigger, this episode is for you.

The Courage to Be Stupid

We spend so much of life trying not to look foolish. We polish our words, perfect our image, and perform certainty — all to hide the places we feel unsure.

But what if the moments we call stupid are actually moments of sacred openness?

In this tender conversation, Thomas explores the lifelong pattern of masking vulnerability with knowing, and the healing that comes when we meet our own uncertainty with compassion instead of shame.

Drawing on Gangaji’s invitation to “be willing to be stupid,” Jungian psychology, and modern neuroscience, he reveals how the courage to not know can free us from perfectionism and deepen our connection to self and others.

Featuring insights from Esther Perel and rest activist Tricia Hersey, this episode invites listeners to reclaim curiosity, humility, and the quiet brilliance that lives inside imperfection.

It includes a gentle, heart-based practice, The Three-Step Pause, for the moments you feel the urge to cover up instead of open up.

A reminder that wisdom isn’t found in having all the answers. It begins in the willingness to learn out loud.

What if thriving isn’t the opposite of surviving?

In this episode, Thomas explores the beautiful tension between the two, a hybrid he calls SurThriving. With warmth, humor, and a dose of neuroscience, he unpacks how endurance becomes evolution and how survival itself can be sacred.

Thomas shares a personal story from his memoir Little Fag: A Story of Self-Acceptance and Healing, and draws wisdom from Dr. Thema Bryant, Brittney Cooper, Rachel Cargle, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Ocean Vuong.

You’ll learn two SurThriving Practices:

The Daily Debrief — a two-minute ritual to reframe survival as wisdom.
The Joy Rebellion — a practice of choosing delight as a radical act of healing.

Because somewhere between holding on and letting go, we find the rhythm of being beautifully, imperfectly human.

What if the moments that shook your world weren’t breakdowns at all, but breakthroughs in disguise?

In this episode of Conversations with Thomas, we explore lifequakes—those soul-rattling events that crack open who we thought we were so something more authentic can emerge.

Thomas shares a deeply personal story from his football years, where a single sentence from his mother became a fault line that split his life into before and after. From that heartbreak came his awakening: the realization that love, belonging, and worth can’t be earned through performance.

Blending humor, science, and soul, Thomas unpacks how our brains respond to massive change, why laughter is the body’s most underrated healing tool, and how to rebuild your life with more truth and less pretending.

You’ll also learn a heart-led practice called “Aftershocks of Kindness”—a simple but powerful way to find grace in the rubble and start rebuilding from love.

If you’ve ever lost your footing, questioned your purpose, or wondered what’s left when everything familiar falls away, this episode will remind you:
You’re not falling apart. You’re falling true.

Listen now and rediscover your power to rebuild from the heart.

S2E4: Chasing Real Dopamine

In this episode of Conversations with Thomas, Thomas dives into our modern obsession with dopamine — that tiny “pleasure chemical” that makes scrolling, notifications, and binge-watching feel thrilling. He blends heart, humor, science, and neuroscience to explore the difference between cheap, rented hits and real dopamine that comes from creation, alignment, and small wins.

Thomas unpacks why our brains get hooked on anticipation rather than fulfillment, how social media and modern life exploit that “maybe” feeling, and what real dopamine feels like — the buzz of finishing a run, writing a paragraph, or showing up fully for what matters. Interwoven are irreverent, memorable quotes and references from neuroscience, James Clear, and Maya Angelou, highlighting the value of congruence, self-respect, and small victories.

Listeners get actionable practices to generate real dopamine, including a 4-step exercise for setting intentions, completing small tasks, and celebrating wins. Thomas also invites those ready to untangle their dopamine habits to explore coaching and build a life where joy and motivation are self-generated.

Packed with wit, insight, and practical guidance, this episode is for anyone ready to stop chasing cheap thrills, start showing up for life, and cultivate the kind of joy that lasts.

In this episode of Conversations with Thomas, Thomas dives into a surprisingly underrated life skill: being satisfyable—learning to feel genuinely content without endlessly chasing “more.” He blends heart, humor, science, and philosophy to explore how gratitude, presence, and boundaries on desire can transform your experience of life.

He unpacks the origins of this concept—from the Stoics, Buddha, and Aristotle’s eudaimonia, to modern psychology’s insights on the hedonic treadmill, dopamine vs. serotonin, neuroplasticity, and awe research—showing that satisfaction is a skill we can cultivate. Interwoven are inspiring quotes from Black transformational women writers like Toni Morrison, bell hooks, Maya Angelou, and Audre Lorde, highlighting the wisdom of finding contentment in simplicity and living fully in the present.

Thomas shares actionable practices for strengthening a satisfyable mindset, including daily gratitude, savoring rituals, “The Pause Practice,” making an “Enough List,” and a comparison detox. Plus, he invites listeners to explore coaching with him to move from constant striving to grounded satisfaction.

Packed with laughter, relatable reflections, and practical guidance, this episode is for anyone ready to embrace a life that’s rich, whole, and—yes—satisfyable AF.

The Transformative Power of Deep Listening

In this episode, Thomas (he/him) invites you into one of the most underrated life skills: listening, not just the polite nod or the distracted scroll, but listening as your accomplice, a transformative act that moves heart, mind and soul.

Drawing from a powerful moment on a Maui, Hawai’i beach with a dream-interpreting psychologist, Thomas shares how truly listening opened a doorway to profound self-understanding and healing. Through neuroscience insights, thoughtful reflections, and quotes from voices like Alok Vaid-Menon and Andrea Gibson, this episode explores how deep listening creates connection, lowers stress, and sparks transformation.

Plus, Thomas offers practical tips on cultivating “listening-only mode”, a mindful practice of focused listening through podcasts, audiobooks, or guided meditations that can give your nervous system a much-needed break.

And here’s a fun twist: did you know these solo podcasts are actually conversations? You’re invited to jump in by sharing your thoughts via the website, social media, or YouTube comments — turning this into a community of listening and growth.

If you’re ready to be truly heard and discover your own next steps, Thomas also introduces his coaching practice where deep listening meets real-life change.

Tune in for a rich, heart-centered conversation that might inspire you to rethink the power of listening — and why it deserves to be your lifelong accomplice.

You’ll hear about:

• 💡 Why “listening without a clipboard” is an act of love and bravery
• ✨ Practical tips to build your “listening muscle” every day
• 🧠 The science of how our brains sync when we truly listen

This isn’t just about hearing words — it’s about listening as an accomplice to healing, connection, and transformation.

Welcome to Season Two of Conversations with Thomas! This season is deeper, braver, and more brilliantly human—where we’ll laugh, reflect, and sit honestly with the lessons that life insists on repeating.

In this first episode, Pop Quizzes from the Universe, we explore the idea that repetition is not failure—it’s refinement. Drawing on wisdom from Mark Nepo, Dr. Esther Perel, and Dr. Thema Bryant, I share why the lessons that circle back aren’t proof you’re behind—they’re proof you’re alive.

We will weave together philosophy, science, spirituality, and a few of my own stories (yes, even the slightly embarrassing ones) to uncover why life keeps handing us the same tests—and how those “pop quizzes” are actually invitations to grow deeper in patience, self-worth, courage, and love.

By the end of this episode, you’ll see repetition differently: not as punishment, but as practice. Not as failure, but as rhythm.

Because growth doesn’t happen in straight or gay lines—it spirals. And each lap around brings us closer to who we really are.