March 18, 2025 • 56 mins
What if you were in the wrong place at the right time, and it changed everything? The night before 9/11, Tom McManimon was celebrating at the World Trade Center, unaware that within hours, the world around him would shatter. That moment set off a chain of events that forced him to rethink everything: his career, his purpose, and his resilience.
But - years later - another life-or-death moment blindsided him, one that could have ended everything yet it led to an unexpected transformation. Now as the founder of StimulusBrand, Tom helps businesses cut through the noise with bold, strategic storytelling. In this episode, he shares how he turned life’s biggest shake-ups into breakthroughs...and how you can, too.
Connect with Tom:
Episode 130's Affirmation:
I am resilient, adaptable, and equipped to turn every challenge into a stepping stone for success.
I invite you to leave a positive message with your insights, feedback, or uplifting message.
🔗 Connect with Alethea:
Ready to go deeper in your growth journey? Visit https://www.aletheafelton.com to book Alethea for your next conference or workshop, explore one-on-one consulting, join the Resilient Leaders Alliance, and more.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Alethea Felton (00:07):
We are on YouTube.
Subscribe to our YouTubechannel.
Yes, the Power Transformationpodcast is on YouTube.
I am gradually uploadingepisodes to YouTube and very,
very soon I am gettingassistance doing so.
So that person is waiting inthe wings to help me with those
(00:27):
uploads.
And, of course, you are stilllistening here on the audio
platform and today's interviewoh, my goodness.
Get ready for an incredibleepisode, because I am talking
with Tom McManaman, a brandingexpert with a powerful story of
resilience.
He is far more than just abranding expert.
(00:48):
You see, from Tom's early lifeand career in advertising to
overcoming life-altering healthchallenges, in this episode, he
reveals how self-reflection,adaptability and emotional
intelligence helped himtransform setbacks into
unstoppable successes.
(01:09):
Tom is so down to earth andwhat character he has and,
beyond our roles whether you areworking for someone else,
whether you are an entrepreneur,whether you are retired,
whether you are an entrepreneur,whether you are retired,
whether you are on disabilitybeyond our statuses, we are real
people with real stories, andthat is what the Power
(01:31):
Transformation Podcast is allabout.
It is because of you that weare able to keep this as a top
ranked podcast.
So thank you and welcome to ourshow.
I am your host, Alethea Felton,and welcome to our show.
I am your host, Alethea Felton,and if you have not done so
already, go ahead and like,subscribe and share this episode
with at least 10 people thatyou know.
(01:54):
You know 10 people who canbenefit from this show.
And I'm telling you, perhapsyou may be a guest on the Power
Transformation podcast, becausewe all have something worth
sharing.
Never think for a minute thatyour life is not insignificant.
But if we stripped away ourtitles, there is a core, there
(02:15):
is an essence of who you are asa human being, and that's what
we like to share here on ourshow.
So we're going to dive intothis episode with so many
game-changing insights, butfirst let's begin with our
affirmation.
I'll say it once and you repeatit I am resilient, adaptable
and equipped to turn everychallenge into a stepping stone
(02:38):
for success.
It is such an honor today tohave my guest.
This is Tom McManaman, and whenI tell you he has done so much
in his life, in his career, andI am just blown away by him.
(03:02):
And also, what is so incredibleabout him is, you know, with
all of my guests, I get them tosay their first and their last
names, and so with his.
I wanted to make sure that Isaid it correctly and you say it
as it's pronounced McManamum.
So know that name because, ashe shares his story, it's gonna
(03:29):
give you chills and it's goingto make you want to learn more
about him.
It's going to cause you to wantto read his books.
And, tom, I'm just so honoredto have you here as a guest on
the Power Transformation podcast.
Tom McManimon (03:40):
Thank you for having me.
I'm so pleased to meet you andspeak with you and be here for
your show.
Alethea Felton (03:58):
Thank you for having me.
I'm so pleased to meet you andspeak with you and be here for
your show.
Thank you, which planet wouldyou want to explore?
That's here in the Milky Waygalaxy.
Tom McManimon (04:12):
Oh, you know, I would definitely go back to the
moon.
I wouldn't be, obviously, but Iwould go back to the moon
because we have shown in ourjourneys to the moon the promise
that it has the possibility andmy favorite word in life is
possibility, and we've alreadydiscovered, through the bravery
and courage of some really greatpeople, that there's
(04:34):
possibility up there, and youknow.
And perspective, because we'veseen those videos and those
photographs of astronautslooking back at Earth and talk
about perspective.
That's what I would do.
Alethea Felton (04:49):
So it's interesting.
I wasn't going to ask this, butnow it brings the question.
When you say possibility is oneof your favorite words, when
you hear that word, what does itmean to you?
Possibility?
Tom McManimon (05:07):
A number of things.
Some of it has to do with youknow my circumstances, but I
always see it as an energizedword.
I always see it as a positiveword.
Um even when you know whatever,whatever circumstances you're
facing with work, career, family, personal circumstances um, you
never know what waits aroundthe corner.
Alethea Felton (05:28):
Yeah, I like that.
Tom McManimon (05:29):
Awesome, right, so the whole idea of possibility
kind of vibrates.
It's a word that vibrates forme.
Alethea Felton (05:37):
I like how you said about you don't know what's
lurking around the corner,because I'm such a visual person
so I actually envisioned thatand that excited me to think
about it and so, in connectionwith that word, possibility your
life has been filled with them.
So, before we get into thisdive of your life and who you
(05:58):
are and things that you'veovercome, this is the million
billion dollar question.
Who is Tom McManamum?
Tom McManimon (06:10):
I am a very, very lucky, blessed person,
partly because I'm almost theyoungest eighth out of nine
children.
So I got the example of someunbelievably great parents and
equally great brothers andsisters to sort of shepherd me
and learn from them.
(06:30):
I always joke with my youngersister that she's perfect,
because I'm just close toperfect and you know I was.
It's taken me many years of mylife to really sort of discover
my purpose of why I'm here.
What am I supposed to do underGod's view?
And I am imbued with creativetalents.
(06:52):
That's not to say that I'mincredibly talented or that I'm
gifted.
It's just that I have a rangeof creativity talents I've been
able to put into play in my lifeand in my career, and I'm
always about new discovery.
So I know part of your show isabout the word transformation
(07:15):
and I'm always facing atransformation to the next thing
.
I was a fine art kid taking artclasses.
I was a fine art kid taking artclasses, but I was also a jock
and I played sports and I was,you know, the jock who painted
on the weekends.
I decided to be an architectbecause I love building things
(07:35):
and I studied architecture andthen at the last minute you
might say in the 11th hour.
I changed my course and I was afine art painter and I love
that and as I near retirement Ihope to get back to that Wow.
But I ended up in theadvertising field in the most
awesome time in the 80s and Igot incredible experiences
(07:55):
around the country, around theworld, with a lot of celebrities
, a lot of great work.
And then I joined a band andI'm a drummer.
I've written books, I speak, Istill draw and paint.
So I utilize a lot of mycreative skills in general, but
especially with your life all ofthese different aspects and
(08:31):
you're not locked into a box.
Alethea Felton (08:33):
And so what my audience heard early on was how
you've had this career inadvertising, branding,
storytelling and so much more.
And for you to start offdescribing yourself as to who
you are not necessarily what youdo was absolutely perfect,
because it started with yourroots and your upbringing.
(08:54):
And this is what leads me toask you this, tom, is that, with
the dynamic life that you'vehad, starting with your
upbringing, you've shared a bitof what your childhood was like,
but how did your childhoodactually shape your path into
advertising, branding andstorytelling?
Tom McManimon (09:16):
You know I love that question.
There's a number of influencesthat I got from my dad and from
my mother and from people likecoaches that sort of shaped me
into yeah, I'm in the rightplace and this is what I should
be doing, at least at this pointin my life.
My dad was a governmentlobbyist.
He did the room great.
(09:36):
He shook hands and rubbedelbows like nobody else could.
He was gifted with words, hecould write beautifully those
influences and he even had asort of cachet when he walked in
the room.
He just sort of owned the room.
When he walked in the room mymother was the most loving
person you'll ever meet and sheI was her project.
(09:56):
See, there are many.
My brothers and sisters beforeme were ultimately in their
lives, became lawyers.
There's four lawyers and ajudge and one who works for a
lawyer.
So if you can imagine thepolitical conversation and law,
you know, and all of that, and Iwas the painter, I mean, you
know, I think my father thoughtthat was fun, but what's he
going to do with that?
(10:17):
My mother said I got him bud, Igot him, he's mine.
And so it was a very lovingenvironment, very competitive,
because I think I said to you inan earlier conversation, I grew
up in an era where everybodyhad nine, 10, 11 kids.
We had our own ball teams.
We had a whole team just in thefamily, if you think about it.
(10:37):
We had a basketball court in mybackyard and the entire
community played in my backyard.
I couldn't get in the games andI lived there.
It was very competitive.
The dinner table wascompetitive.
So we learned how to toughen uparound the edges and be
persistent and when things gettough, you just let the tough
(11:01):
get going.
Alethea Felton (11:02):
Yeah.
Tom McManimon (11:04):
So I found my way into advertising as I was
exiting college.
Uh, and I didn't even know itwas a global ad agency.
It just happened to be an adagency in new york pretty great
place to be and I cut my teethin the bullpen and grew as an
art director and and it reallyhelped I had some incredible
people working with me, and sotheir example helped me think
(11:27):
about messaging, not about justthe mechanics of typefaces and
images and photography.
It was about the quality andrelevance of messaging in
advertising, which ultimately,later on, led me to write a book
and led me to start speakingand led me to have a message to
(11:47):
help people.
Alethea Felton (12:07):
I see, I see how that path was was paved even
before.
What I want to shift into iswhat are some pivotal moments,
so maybe even one.
So what is a pivotal momentearly in your career that
actually laid the foundation forwhere you are today, that
actually laid the foundation forwhere you are today.
Tom McManimon (12:27):
When I left my first ad agency and went to
another one, I worked at atremendous ad agency, became a
young art director, got involvedin everything, and then I left
for another agency and I had acreative director and a mentor
there who helped me reallyunderstand what's called
positioning and helping peoplecarve out their own specific
(12:50):
niche and how to compete in mylittle piece of real estate.
I completely changed the way Ithought about creativity and
messaging.
So that was a pivotal moment.
No-transcript, everything wasperfect.
(13:33):
I mean people who say, yo,you're going to experience some
troubles in your life.
I'm thinking, well, when's thatcoming Right?
And and you know what awaitsyou around the corner?
You don't know.
Alethea Felton (13:41):
That's right.
Life can be unpredictable, nodoubt about it, and you had a
life-changing, unpredictableevent.
That's kind of started what Iwould have to say a somewhat
domino effect to that veryanswer to you never know what
awaits you around that corner.
(14:01):
What awaits you around thatcorner.
So I'd like you to go backwe're recording this in 2024,
end of 2024.
But I want you, tom, to go backto 23 years ago, which was in
2001, because something lifealtering really happened to you.
(14:29):
That started off as a majorcelebration after a lot of hard
work.
So take us back to somethingthat happened September 10th
2001.
And then what happenedsubsequently, the day after that
, started to really change yourlife forever started to really
change your life forever.
Tom McManimon (14:48):
Yeah, that day shook me to the core, as it did
most people around the world.
The ad agency that I wasworking for was on a high.
We were tremendously successful, growing.
We worked day and night, weworked weekends.
We got into a zone where wewere pitching everything in
sight and almost winningeverything in sight.
So we grew very quickly from asmall little agency, about 40
(15:08):
million in billings, to 180million in billings, which
completely changed the cultureand who you hire and who you're
working with and who you get topitch.
So you know, we were tired, wewere weary, but we were excited
and we were making money andbeing successful.
And the agency was purchased and, as it was purchased, we had a
(15:32):
celebration in the World TradeTower the South World Trade
Tower just the night before 9-11.
And it was really just towitness the signing of the
documents and celebrate a new adagency.
It was in the tower because anagency, a client that we served,
was the Port Authority of NewYork, new Jersey, and so they
(15:53):
gave us a space to work with anytime we were there and meet
with them, of course, but alsofor other reasons.
So we had a sort of satelliteoffice in the tower, office in
the tower.
And so we were there late inthe day, into the evening,
celebrating, you know, toastingglasses, and saying we didn't
even really know those of us whowere management of the agency.
(16:14):
What would that mean?
The next day, were we out ofthe job?
We had no idea what was goingto happen only hours later.
And, of course, what happenedhours later was, you know, the
global attack on the UnitedStates and the towers.
I never, ever I'm getting thechills just telling you about
this never would have expectedthat they would be, you know,
would come down Right, and so Iknew clients, I knew friends, I
(16:39):
lost the space to work andultimately lost the job.
The agency that we had, thatwas purchased, was still
purchased, but they essentiallysaid to themselves thank you for
growing the agency, goodbye,here's your package and thank
you.
So you know, I was completely,completely blown away.
You know, who am I to not havebeen there that morning?
(17:01):
Who am I to be only hours awayfrom that kind of, you know,
loss of life?
You know, there's many, manypeople who missed even just
getting in on time that day,right, and so it clearly just
shook me up and I didn't realizeit for years how much it shook
me up.
Alethea Felton (17:22):
So a quick clarifying question.
Although you weren't there onthe day of, I think that your
story is still so powerfulbecause we hear stories of
people who either were supposedto have been and weren't, or a
case like yours nobody thinksabout the people who were there
(17:43):
just the night before andknowing that they weren't going
to be there the next day becausewe don't know what a day will
bring.
So if you can remember, tom,will you take us to the exact
moment when you even learnedthere was an attack?
And how did you process or feelthat in the moment?
(18:08):
Or were you just trying to makesense of everything?
Tom McManimon (18:13):
The exact moment in my, in my agency, I had a
television in my office and noone else did I think about it.
I mean, you know so.
So everyone in the in thebuilding came to my big giant
office to see what was going on.
A colleague of mine had been inNew Mexico to visit parents and
(18:35):
he saw it on the news andcalled me and said just turn on
your TV right now.
And I was getting started alittle bit late because we had a
late night the night before.
So I turned it on and we justwhat, what, what you know, and
it all unfolded, you know, noteven global news.
They watched one by one, by one, unfold, right.
And so I just was thinkingabout and the space I was just
(19:02):
sitting in hours before thepeople that we were with, just
hours before the elevator shaft.
You know there were three, fourdifferent levels of elevator
shafts in that building.
The second airplane that hit onthe South Tower was two floors
above where we were.
Oh my goodness, so I had, youknow, I didn't even think about,
(19:25):
you know, for a good year ortwo, I would have not, I
wouldn't say disruptivenightmares, but just visions of,
like you know, flaming jet fuelcoming down on me, you know, or
the faces, because I'm a reallyvisual person.
I remember everything visuallyFaces of people that I knew that
(19:45):
were just cindered.
Alethea Felton (19:47):
That's right, right yeah.
Tom McManimon (19:49):
We went back to a building, a block away, for a
meeting a month later and it wasthe beginning of what they
called the pile Right and therewas a woman who worked for the
Port Authority, who was foreverwheelchair bound, and we figured
well, no way, she survived, noway.
And she wheels herself into themeeting.
(20:11):
What we were?
We got the chills and we wereteary and we were already.
We thought we had no tears left, right, and she wheels herself
into the meeting.
She had been carried all theway down by two guys, including
the wheelchair.
Alethea Felton (20:24):
Now I got chills off of that.
Tom McManimon (20:26):
Yeah, so you know, and I had just been
informed that I was out of a jobas an agency partner, you know.
So I was totally just like, well, okay, what else you got for me
?
You know what else you got?
Right, I decided to start myown ad agency from my home.
And I decided to start my ownad agency from my home, and even
that took me a long time torealize.
(20:48):
Oh yeah, what I was reallydoing was setting up in the safe
security of my home, you know,and then building from there.
I'm a builder, I build things.
So, you know, I sort ofcompartmentalized all that over
here.
That was bad, that was awful,but what are you going to do?
You know, this is all about mystory, about resilience.
(21:10):
Right, ok, the sun rises, youhad a good night's sleep.
You woke up?
Oh shit, I woke up, ok.
So it's all about rebuildingyour path forward and that's
what I was doing forward, andthat's what I was doing.
Alethea Felton (21:24):
And I know earlier you mentioned about you
know, marrying your wife was oneof the greatest choices that
you ever made.
How was your wife of support toyou during that time of you
having to deal with the thoughtsand the ideas of the fact that,
okay, you knew people, you werethere and then losing your job?
(21:47):
How was she of support to youduring that time?
Tom McManimon (21:51):
The biggest thing was just really being
there just to listen, you know,just to be a listener.
We have three kids and theywere young and the oldest was
beginning, you know, in highschool.
So he was all tough and loudand nasty and wanted to go out
in the world.
You know, in high school, so hewas all tough and loud and
nasty and wanted to the worldyou know, yeah and um uh, and so
it was really just kind ofholding on to what is real and
(22:14):
what is solid.
You know and um, I was startinga business, you know, and I
worked with an ad agency wherethere was many, many, many
people, many people, and here itwas now it's me and my dog, you
know.
So it really was, I think.
More quiet, confidence, okay,just each day is another step
forward.
Alethea Felton (22:35):
And the reason I asked about her support is
because of the fact there wouldbe more things to happen in the
years to come where your wifewas really having to be of
support to you, as well asothers that you knew.
And so let's fast forward here,tom, to 2008 and beyond,
(22:57):
because you actually started tohave some physical health
challenges in you, started tohave some physical health
challenges in you, and I'm goingto say this word and and then
you can just take it from therein terms of what those years of
physical struggle taught youabout resilience, patience and
perspective, and the word that Iam going to say is tetanus shot
(23:24):
.
I guess those are two words.
Take us to how something thatpeople get regularly a tetanus
shot.
You had a different experience.
Take us there, tom.
Tom McManimon (23:38):
You know I'm a fit guy, worked really hard at
being healthy.
I was involved in a basketballleague and playing regularly,
probably more fit than I'd everbeen.
I hurt my knee so, like manypeople do, I had knee surgery
and had that all fixed up.
I went to my doctor's officefor a physical because I'm
(24:00):
through therapy, I feel great,I'm going to have a physical and
in that physical I got abooster shot for tetanus.
It must've just sort of beenthe thing that they were doing
at that time, right?
So I didn't think anything ofit.
Sure, I got a little shot inthe arm.
By the time I got home, whichwas only a few minutes away, I
had lockjaw.
(24:21):
I mean, I had total frozenlockjaw and that really bothered
me Right and then shortlythereafter I had total frozen
lockjaw and that really botheredme right.
And then shortly thereafter Ihad a seizure and I've never had
anything like that and theseizure was uncontrollably up
around my face and my jaw, whereit was biting my tongue, my
cheeks and my lips, and very,very bad, very ugly, very bloody
(24:43):
.
My son, who was home fromschool, rushed me to the
emergency room and they didn'tknow what to make of me Because,
first of all, you know, all thedoctors think no one gets
tetanus anymore.
I'm trying to tell them but I'mhaving seizures, right, and it
was really awful.
And so they gave me amedication and sent me home and
(25:06):
within two hours I was back.
I had multiple seizures andcompletely bit through my cheeks
and lips and tongue and it wasawful.
So I was back in the ER within acouple hours and they sent me
(25:29):
home with another prescriptionthat was a full level, higher
level muscle relaxer and we hadan appointment scheduled for
first thing in the morning, likefive o'clock in the morning.
So you know, I thought I neverhad any kind of emergency.
So I thought, okay, they'redoctors, who am I, I'll go home
and I'll listen to them.
So our daughter was an eliteswimmer and we wanted to see her
swim in the championships acouple hours away.
(25:49):
So we went, and mostly becauseI didn't, I felt horrible, I
felt absolutely horrible, but Ididn't want to be home alone.
We went right and I didn't haveany kind of a seizure in front
of, you know, thousands ofpeople at a swim arena, but I
still felt horrible.
Along the way home, keep inmind, I'm thinking, okay, I just
(26:11):
need to make it to 5 am, I justneed to make it to 5 am and
then I'll be with a team ofpeople.
We're driving home on thehighway at 295 in New Jersey and
I have a seizure in the car andI bite right through my tongue.
95 in New Jersey, and I have aseizure in the car and I bite
right through my tongue and myteeth are locked through my
tongue and bleeding coming down.
(26:31):
Um, I couldn't open my mouth.
Fortunately I was not driving,I was the passenger, and it was
frightening.
It was, uh, uncontrollable.
It was, um, really scary.
And so, um, you know, we wentright to the hospital and I had
my appointment and I hadsuddenly an entire team on me.
(26:54):
Like everyone, there was aneuro title, anything was on me
and essentially what they did isthey shut down my whole nervous
system and I was like a hundredyear old, laying in bed and I
remember everything thathappened on the first day.
I was there for six days and inthe space of six days they ran
(27:15):
every kind of test the hospitalcould run.
I had a spinal tap, I had twoCAT scans, two MRIs.
I had all kinds of drugs in mysystem.
Two MRIs I had all kinds ofdrugs in my system and by the
end of six days I was nowcoherent.
(27:36):
It wasn't affecting me anymorein my system, right?
So they came to me to talk tome and my mouth is all sewn and
glued, my tongue is like sewnand glued and I'm all puffy
still.
So I can't really talk and Icouldn't eat for six days.
So I lost 28 pounds.
Alethea Felton (27:48):
In six days 28.
Tom McManimon (27:50):
Yeah, and so there's my.
You know some family membersbeside me and one of my sisters
is a nurse.
Does she understand anythingthey're going to say?
And they say to me as a team,you got, we determined that you
got a full load dose of tetanusfrom a tainted inoculation shot
and it sent your whole nervoussystem haywire.
(28:12):
And I'm thinking, you know,hell, yeah, right, it's waned
its way through your system bynow.
So no worries there, you need alot of healing going on up here
.
So before we're going to sendyou home, before you go home,
(28:33):
there's a gentleman here fromthe CDC that needs to interview
you because you're a case thatneeds to be reported to the CDC.
And we have a conversation andthen I get ready to go home and
they said well, before you gohome, we have another thing we
need to discuss.
And I said what's that andthat's?
I really didn't say what's that.
I could hardly say anything andI just endured a nightmare, an
(28:57):
absolute nightmare,uncontrollable pain and
discomfort and, by the way, mytongue got cut off.
Alethea Felton (29:03):
That's right.
Tom McManimon (29:04):
Yeah, and by the way, my tongue got cut off,
that's right, yeah.
Alethea Felton (29:15):
And they said well, we found in your last MRI
what appears to be a dangerouslooking brain aneurysm that
needs attention.
Tom McManimon (29:30):
You were walking around with a brain aneurysm,
yeah, and I.
If I had gone back on thebasketball court within a couple
of weeks, which I was going todo I would have fallen on my
face and died, oh my goodness.
So I got the chills.
I am getting them now, and it'sso many years later.
I got the chills and you knowmy family members are in shock
as much as I am.
And my mother grabs my arm andmy hand right next to me.
My mom, you know, she's mybestie and she's rubbing my arm
and rubbing my hand, and in thatmoment I'm thinking, as scared
(29:53):
as I am, of what else you gotfor me, Lord.
Right, but it was the oddest,most comfortable thing that I've
ever felt in my life, which wasmy mom rubbing my hand, saying
okay, we got this too.
We got this.
That's just the next thing.
It's just the next thing.
We got this.
And I tell you that because forme it was complete reality and
(30:15):
my mother had already beenpassed away 17 years.
Alethea Felton (30:19):
Wow, wow.
Your mother's spirit came to bebeside you.
Tom McManimon (30:26):
Absolutely, oh my goodness, it was because I
was shocked and scared, butcomfortable to say you know, I
believe it.
Yes, sir so you know, I didn'twant to ever be back in hospital
.
Now you're telling me I have abrain aneurysm that's about to
blow, you know.
So we had basically about threeweeks to get our wills done, to
(30:52):
consult surgeons for me, to getworking, you know, taken care
of and covered by other peopleand by my clients, and just to
kind of get your ducks in a rowfor your family, right and um,
we consulted with a surgeon thatwas renowned for doing what you
know was ahead.
He said I gotta really, though,go full in.
(31:13):
I gotta take out your skull andand and do, uh, you know,
exploratory and uh.
Another surgeon had a uh, lessinvasive, uh, approach that
would take about two days out ofwork.
That's it.
So you would think I would gowith that surgeon, and it was a
big city surgeon.
I went back to the surgeon thatI first consulted and I said do
(31:37):
you do pipeline surgery?
He said well, yes, I do.
You must have been talking toDr So-and-so I forget his name
to be honest with you and I saidyeah, as a matter of fact, I
just came from there.
He said you're absolutely right, I should have spoken to you
about that.
I do that surgery as well.
I didn't want to do it in yourcase because it would have given
(32:00):
you a very high chance thatyou'd be blind in your left eye
after the surgery.
Alethea Felton (32:06):
Oh, I see.
Tom McManimon (32:08):
And I'm a visual guy, I'm a designer.
He said we can do that, butit's chancy, or we do.
You know the open cranialsurgery, and I'll take care of
the whole thing.
Alethea Felton (32:19):
You've got to make all these decisions during
all the time.
Tom McManimon (32:25):
The most difficult decisions maybe not
you'll ever make, but verydifficult decisions because it's
your life right.
When I consulted with this onesurgeon in philadelphia I'm
driving home alone, you know Iwent on my own and it's the
longest drive home in, alone inyour thoughts.
You know what do I do.
What do I do.
And it was a great decisionbecause this guy says you know,
(32:49):
the surgeon he spoke with inPhiladelphia was my colleague.
I taught him, so I felt reallysecure about that and I had a 10
hour open cranial brain surgeryto fix a very critical brain
aneurysm.
Alethea Felton (33:05):
But hold on, Tom .
Tom McManimon (33:07):
Yeah.
Alethea Felton (33:08):
If I'm putting all of this together, are you
saying that if you hadn't havegotten that contaminated booster
then you wouldn't have knownabout the aneurysm?
Tom McManimon (33:20):
Absolutely, you know it's funny.
Alethea Felton (33:22):
Oh my gosh, it's wild.
Tom McManimon (33:24):
You know, a friend of mine who saw me after
the surgery said you know, it'sfunny.
Oh my gosh, that's wild.
You know, a friend of mine whosaw me after the surgery said
you know, you said the wholething about your mom and it's
like your mom is your angel.
She knew you're the talking one.
You're the one that talksendlessly in your family.
You talk so much all the time,tom, your mom knew that you had
an aneurysm in trouble and shesaw to it that you got some kind
(33:48):
of affliction that wouldprevent you from talking.
And I mean, you know what?
And that's crazy, right, but itmade me laugh hysterically at a
moment when I needed, needed,needed to smile and laugh.
And I did you know and you knowit was a pivotal, pivotal moment
in my life that actually, youknow, called on all my
(34:09):
resilience.
The thing I call you callresilience equity.
And where I went from, therewas all this renewal, a lot of
great decisions that I went yes.
Alethea Felton (34:21):
And I'm actually about to go there, but it's
like your mom coming back, and Iuse the word like in a
comparative form.
It's like your mom coming togive you that reassurance to me,
(34:42):
opened up so many more windowsand doors, metaphorically,
because she gave you that peaceand that calm.
But once you had the surgery,you came out like a new person,
tom, because that then led toyou making some decisions about
(35:02):
your own business, life and youmade a bold decision to do
something specifically to acouple of clients and share that
with us.
And how did that act allow youto rediscover your passion and
your focus?
Tom McManimon (35:21):
You know, I recovered at a shore home, a
beach house with my wife, andeach day I saw the sunrise, I
had the best tasting cups ofcoffee I ever had in my life, I
read five books and in abouteight or nine days I just
decided I need to go back towork.
I have this ability.
I could take a year off and notwork, but now I need to go back
(35:45):
to work.
But before I go back to workand I don't care what I look
like you know I had the wholescars and stuff but I I said I
have to fire two clients.
And I said this to my wife,right, and I said these are two
of the most negative, bitchy,whiny, woe is me, life stinks
kind of people every day oftheir life.
That's just who they are and Idon't have any more time or
(36:08):
energy for people like that.
Um, and that was just this bolddecision that you know I just
said you know I'm a verygenerous guy, but you never know
when your moment's up.
So I didn't have any more timein my day, in my hours, for
people like that.
So I fired two clients and Ilost significant income in doing
that, but it was a restart.
(36:29):
The whole thing was a restartfor me, you know.
And then I started working andI'll tell you what my good
clients became even better.
My quality of work became evenbetter and fresher.
I, in a very short period oftime, felt like I have a book to
write, and I used to alwaysthink, well, who am I?
(36:52):
I'm going to spend every day ofmy life continuing to learn.
Who am I to write a book tohelp people learn something?
But I had this book to writeand I did, and I self-published
and I started promoting it andthen I started speaking.
Now I've presented to boardsand to marketing people for
years and years and years, butto public speak is a completely
different dynamic.
(37:12):
Your story is yeah and so I wentto the very, very best people
to to train and, um, I, you knowit's really more about for me
knowing the relevance and impactof your story uh, what is and
this isn't even necessarily thisstory than it is the mechanics
of speaking, because I, I kindof had that.
You know that that's easy forme, I have no fear of being on
(37:35):
stage.
But so I wrote this book andthen, um, suddenly I joined a
rock and roll band as a drummerand I started playing all this
fantastic music that I grew upwith with a bunch of guys and I
did that for a bunch of yearsand that was sort of the added,
you know, material in my daysand in my nights and in my
(37:56):
weekends.
That was just joy, it was justfor me.
I had a second book to write andI wrote a second book on brand
positioning, which is acorporate positioning dynamic,
and so there I was.
You know, I did things I neverdid before, I never even thought
about doing before.
I wrote two books, I publishedthem, I started speaking, I
(38:16):
started training with the bestpeople and I'm playing music in
a band, in the clubs.
I really stumbled into thiswork-life balance, this thing
that people always want to find,you know, the work-life balance
.
And in the middle in betweenall of that, you know I found,
(38:40):
at least at this point in mylife, my purpose.
So I wrote a story about that,which could also be a book, but
I didn't make it a book.
It really is my purpose and I,you know it really is my purpose
and I, you know, encourageanyone to kind of really give a
lot of self thought to what isyour purpose in life.
You know, why are you here?
Because there were a number ofthings that we all, just we just
(39:02):
went through for the last 10minutes that hit me, that were
crises that tested.
Why am I still here now?
And I have a lot more, not more, peace you mentioned that word
earlier because at least I havethat barometer, I have that
direction, you know, knowing thethings that I do, the people
(39:23):
that I surround myself with.
The commonality is my God-given, giving creative talents to
write, to draw, to create, toplay music, to improve someone's
situation or to make the peoplearound me happy, you know, and
(39:44):
so I feel fantastic.
That was all 15 and 17 yearsago.
Alethea Felton (39:50):
Yeah.
Tom McManimon (39:51):
And you know there's a phrase about you know
your baggage.
You know the phrase of peoplethat come to something with
baggage right.
Alethea Felton (39:59):
Yes.
Tom McManimon (39:59):
And I look the flip side of that, because
baggage can be a suitcase.
In that suitcase can be allthese incredible things that you
can tap into when you a crisis.
You talk about transformation.
Right, how do you transform?
You have a thing calledadaptability.
How well do you adapt to changeyour level of persistence?
(40:25):
I'm a totally persistent guy.
Be persistent at going forward.
I had a boss that I used tocomplain to about.
I didn't really have a good day, things didn't go, I didn't do
all the things I wanted to dotoday.
And he used to say, tom, if youmove the ball forward today,
even just an inch, it's goingforward, not backwards.
Give yourself credit.
Alethea Felton (40:48):
Learning.
Tom McManimon (40:49):
You know, we're always learning.
You learn about yourself, youlearn about, you know all kinds
of things.
When you wake up in the morning, you're going to learn some new
things.
And then there's emotionalintelligence.
Do I have the emotionalstrength to get past a crisis
(41:10):
and move forward?
I always say if something badhappens to you, whatever it is
incredibly huge or justsomething unfortunate everyone
has the right to go ahead andcry about it.
Go ahead and cry, Cry today, Bedepressed or be down.
It could be really reallyhorrible, or it could be a small
(41:33):
thing.
Go ahead and cry, Cry for a day.
When I say a day, a day, couldbe a period of time.
Right, and you wake up in themorning and now what are you
going to do?
You're still here.
What are you going to do?
So you have to decide to beresilient.
That's right.
And what I?
(41:54):
I speak about a thing calledresilience equity.
Like we have equity in a home.
Right In your life, you haveresilience equity in the sense
that you've got a number oflessons that you've learned up
to that point in your life.
You have key people that are ofinfluence to you in your life.
You have your best friends.
That you've learned up to thatpoint in your life.
You have key people that are ofinfluence to you in your life.
(42:15):
You have your best friends thatyou share every little thing
with.
You have coaches that havecoached you through difficulty
and challenge.
All of those moments and all ofthose people have helped
strengthen you, and if you justthink about it, you don't even
need to tap into any of that yet.
But if you just think aboutthat, you don't even need to tap
(42:36):
into any of that yet, but ifyou just think about that, you
already start to feel stronger.
You know what is going to makeyou strong to get past what the
crisis was and renew yourselftomorrow, and so what I feel
really good about as I patmyself on the shoulder, is that
I discovered that and it enabledme to renew and reinvent.
(42:56):
And so you know my last point.
There is what I said earlieryou don't know what lies around
the corner.
Don't be afraid to peek.
Alethea Felton (43:04):
That's right.
That's right, and I'm not evensure if you realize that you did
this, but the way that my brainprocesses things.
It's in acronyms, and I knowthat you're a public speaker
also.
But with those whole fourthings, starting with
adaptability, ending withemotional intelligence, it
(43:28):
actually is spelled A-P-L-E.
It's not Apple, all of the wayway, but tom that might be
something in the future.
apple formula, because, as youwere making each point, my brain
was trying to figure out a wayto process it and I said I don't
think tom realizes that it'snot not a p-E, but it's A-P-L-E
(43:50):
and it could be some Appleformula.
And so yeah, so, so, yeah, yeah,so I'm like hey, that could be
a speech or a book, who knowsbut that is definitely something
you can use because in order toget get to the whole concept of
(44:12):
that resilience and and I likehow you put a spin on it that is
actually helpful.
And what I love about the waythat you're answering these
questions is that there werecertain questions I've had that
I'm not even going to ask nowbecause you've already covered
it in that.
And so when you talk, forexample, you have a talk that is
(44:37):
called Rebound Lessons inResilience.
And that encapsulates so much ofyour journey and you've shared
some of those key lessons fromthat message.
But what else do you hope thatyour messages of resilience will
do to help empower others whoare facing challenges?
Tom McManimon (45:01):
That's a really great question.
You know it's so you know how.
You know it's.
It's so much.
It's so easy for people to wantto be lazy Instead of doing the
work to achieve that's right.
So it's so natural.
(45:22):
It's a natural feeling whenyou've suffered a crisis, been
through a crisis, and again Isay they can be massive,
personal, deep, personal criseswhere a thing happened right.
Massive personal, deep,personal crises where a thing
happened right.
Alethea Felton (45:42):
It's so easy to be discouraged to just come away
from that down and depressedand even lost in depression and
be discouraged, right.
Tom McManimon (45:47):
But, like I said , what happens is you fall
asleep and you wake up in themorning.
A new day dawns and and there'stremendous power in just trying
to do one thing today thathelps you get stronger, and then
the next thing and the nextthing and the next thing.
It's like a person who's analcoholic it's it's
(46:09):
step-by-step-by-step, so youdon't don't think about the
massiveness I need to achieve tobe wholly me again.
Just try to do one thing todaythat helps you be stronger, and
then stronger, and then strongerand stronger, and it's a choice
.
So you know and I say thislightly because you know, I also
(46:33):
think about people who lost aspouse or a child or were raped,
right, those are massive.
Okay, it still is a choice.
You have a choice to stay downin the dark shadows or to try to
get out, and sometimes thatmeans you need to seek
professional help.
Alethea Felton (46:53):
That's right.
Tom McManimon (46:53):
And help from your very, very best friends,
who know you inside out, right,but you add into that mix.
You have all these life lessonsthat helped you be strong.
I can't tell you how many timesin my life I've had, I've been
able to tap into my experienceplaying sports in high school,
(47:14):
so I can still go back to thisexperience I had.
I played football andbasketball On the football team.
We were awful, we wereabsolutely awful.
I came into a team that hadlost 19 games in a row.
We just couldn't even score.
We were just awful.
And the coach had cancer andshowed up late for practice and
we just were not a disciplinedgroup of kids.
(47:36):
My senior year they changedeverything.
They brought in a renownedcoach from Philadelphia Catholic
League, new uniforms, newequipment.
Everything was new.
We learned from all of thatthree years of toiling in the
mud and trenches how to be evena team to compete to my senior
(47:56):
year.
We won the league and the statechampionship.
Alethea Felton (48:01):
Wow, what a turnaround it was a huge
turnaround.
Tom McManimon (48:03):
Talk about a comeback story.
What we learned was me and mybest friends, we all went
through all of that tough stufftogether.
We weren't going to do that toour class.
That wasn't going to happen andwe all learned how to get
stronger, how to get better atour own individual.
You know position.
This guy came in and made us ateam right and so, as a team, we
(48:28):
learned about the competitionevery week.
So every week was a differentgame plan.
You know what is it about thatteam that we need to expose to
be able to beat that?
And so we all learned a lotabout coaching later on for our
needs later in life.
We learned about.
You know, you got to keeptrying, you got to keep trying.
(48:49):
You got to keep trying.
It's like I said you don't knowwhat's around the the corner,
and sometimes what's rightaround the corner can be
unbelievably exciting.
It can be exciting, yeah, youknow.
Um, I didn't know what waitedme around the corner and it was
awful.
I can't tell you how many timesgod, what else he got for me
come on, but and there still maybe in the rest of my life more
(49:11):
of that right but this word thatI see so many people writing
and speaking about, calledresilience, is because it taps
into everyone's need, everyone'sright.
You know mental health,physical health, the stress,
stresses and pressures of justliving and working today.
And pressures of just livingand working today, everyone
(49:32):
needs to know.
You know, where do I find myresilience?
You know.
So that's a meaningful topicfor me.
Alethea Felton (49:48):
Yes, it is, and you know, just so the audience
will have more context is thatTom and I met through a mutual
colleague friend, so to speakand when we had to introduce
ourselves and what we did andhow I shared.
I have a podcast and that I'm atransformational coach and a
speaker who speaks about helpingleaders master resilience and
transforming those setbacks intobreakthroughs.
(50:11):
I love the fact that when Isaid I'm always seeking guests
on my show, tom reached out, andwhat I love about all of my
guests is you will see that Iinterview men, women, young,
older, all backgrounds, from allaround the world, and it's
because of that common thread.
(50:31):
We've all had a story ofadversity, challenges and
resilience, and you said earlier, tom, that you have a personal
brand book, but you also have acorporate brand book, and so
there are going to be aspects ofthose lessons weaved into those
books.
So if a person wanted topurchase those books or even
(50:54):
find out how to learn more aboutyou, how can they go about
doing that?
Do you have a website?
Are your books on Amazon?
Tell us about that.
Tom McManimon (51:01):
Yeah, first, anyone is open to contact me
directly.
My business website isstimulusbrandcom.
It's S-T-I-M-U-L-U-S Brandcom.
My name is Tom McManaman.
There is a contact page on thatwebsite that not only gives a
(51:23):
direct email to me but also mydirect phone number.
You can also see on that pagewhere you can purchase the books
.
Each of the books are on Amazon.
One of them is called thePositioned Player and it's the
story of this whole sports andfootball story that leads into
what is company and corporatepositioning.
(51:46):
It's the one that my brotherthinks I should take to the next
level, right, and that's what Icall a corporate book, because
it's business brand positioning.
And the other one is called theStuff that Sticks, and that's a
personal branding book.
It's a thin, quick, easy bookto read and it's an exercise
book.
So you fill in a number ofplaces where only the answers
(52:10):
you put in can only be about you, and you realize at a certain
point in the book I am my ownunique person.
There is no one else in theworld like me.
I'm pretty good.
So it's not your personal brand, and so the stuff that sticks
by Tom McMahon and the positionplayer, by Tom McMahon and the
(52:30):
position player by Tom McMahonand Tom, I could just go on and
on and talk about you.
Alethea Felton (52:39):
Well, talk with you about your life and
experiences, but due to time Ihave to bring this interview to
a close.
But this is my closing questionfor you In sharing, and I love
your transparency abouteverything.
But I was going to ask adifferent question, but I'm
compelled to ask you this as thenext chapter of your life comes
(53:05):
, and I'm going to hope thatit's just as fruitful and
abundant as it's been while yourmother was there in that moment
for you.
You shared with me about all ofyour siblings, but one in
particular who left a profoundeffect on the world and on you.
So in this closing question isif that particular brother were
(53:29):
with you today, what would hetell you about continuing to be
resilient in this next chapterof your life?
Tom McManimon (53:39):
Wow, he just passed away.
What would he tell me?
He wasn't as social vocal as Iam, but he could lead a room,
right, I think he would.
He told me boy, I think you'vegot a good book there, even
(54:02):
though it was reading the oneposition player book.
What if you took it here?
What if you took it there?
It can be so rich and rewardingto go visit those places again
in your life.
Okay, I think you should do it.
It's what he told me before hepassed away.
He, he and I, among the nine ofus, are the most alike, because
(54:27):
if you give me eye contact, I'msaying hello.
There's no one intimidates me ina room, and he was the same way
.
So he would just say keep beingyourself, because you're pretty
great, you know.
He would say that you are farbetter than you give yourself
credit for.
So that's, even though he wouldsay that I would hold on to my
(54:51):
own humility.
Alethea Felton (54:51):
Even though he would say that I would hold on
to my own humility Indeed.
Oh yeah, that's a beautifulresponse and I've noticed that
throughout the interview andmaking reference.
Sometimes you say things in thepresent tense about him and
sometimes in the past.
But I would dare challenge thateven using that present tense
is so okay, and even when yourmom was with you, because people
(55:14):
have the right to have theirown perspectives.
But I've shared with you evensome experiences I've had.
So I know without a shadow of adoubt that they still live
forever, maybe not in this realm, but they're elsewhere, and
that their love, their legacies,will continue to live through
you.
And I'm just so happy, tom,that you've made it through all
(55:38):
that you have, and I'm going tocontinue to hope and pray the
best for your life, for yourwife, for your children, and
that God's protection andabundance be upon all of you.
And I just thank you, tom, forgracing us with your presence
here on the Power TransformationPodcast.
And keep sharing resiliencewith the world, because it is
(56:00):
certainly needed.
It has been such a pleasure andthank you.
Tom McManimon (56:04):
Thank you so much.
It's been a gift to meet youand spend time with you, and
anything I can ever do for you.
Please keep my number and reachout.
Alethea Felton (56:13):
Will do, thank you.
Tom McManimon (56:15):
Betcha, have a great day.
Alethea Felton (56:17):
Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the
Power Transformation Podcast.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to follow or subscribe,
leave a five-star rating andwrite a review.
It helps us inspire even morelisteners.
And don't keep it to yourself.
Share it with someone who coulduse a little power in their
(56:40):
transformation.
Until next time, keep bouncingback, keep rising and be good to
yourself and to others.
We are on YouTube.
Subscribe to our YouTubechannel.
Yes, the Power Transformationpodcast is on YouTube.
I am gradually uploadingepisodes to YouTube and very,
very soon I am gettingassistance doing so.
So that person is waiting inthe wings to help me with those
(00:27):
uploads.
And, of course, you are stilllistening here on the audio
platform and today's interviewoh, my goodness.
Get ready for an incredibleepisode, because I am talking
with Tom McManaman, a brandingexpert with a powerful story of
resilience.
He is far more than just abranding expert.
(00:48):
You see, from Tom's early lifeand career in advertising to
overcoming life-altering healthchallenges, in this episode, he
reveals how self-reflection,adaptability and emotional
intelligence helped himtransform setbacks into
unstoppable successes.
(01:09):
Tom is so down to earth andwhat character he has and,
beyond our roles whether you areworking for someone else,
whether you are an entrepreneur,whether you are retired,
whether you are an entrepreneur,whether you are retired,
whether you are on disabilitybeyond our statuses, we are real
people with real stories, andthat is what the Power
(01:31):
Transformation Podcast is allabout.
It is because of you that weare able to keep this as a top
ranked podcast.
So thank you and welcome to ourshow.
I am your host, Alethea Felton,and welcome to our show.
I am your host, Alethea Felton,and if you have not done so
already, go ahead and like,subscribe and share this episode
with at least 10 people thatyou know.
(01:54):
You know 10 people who canbenefit from this show.
And I'm telling you, perhapsyou may be a guest on the Power
Transformation podcast, becausewe all have something worth
sharing.
Never think for a minute thatyour life is not insignificant.
But if we stripped away ourtitles, there is a core, there
(02:15):
is an essence of who you are asa human being, and that's what
we like to share here on ourshow.
So we're going to dive intothis episode with so many
game-changing insights, butfirst let's begin with our
affirmation.
I'll say it once and you repeatit I am resilient, adaptable
and equipped to turn everychallenge into a stepping stone
(02:38):
for success.
It is such an honor today tohave my guest.
This is Tom McManaman, and whenI tell you he has done so much
in his life, in his career, andI am just blown away by him.
(03:02):
And also, what is so incredibleabout him is, you know, with
all of my guests, I get them tosay their first and their last
names, and so with his.
I wanted to make sure that Isaid it correctly and you say it
as it's pronounced McManamum.
So know that name because, ashe shares his story, it's gonna
(03:29):
give you chills and it's goingto make you want to learn more
about him.
It's going to cause you to wantto read his books.
And, tom, I'm just so honoredto have you here as a guest on
the Power Transformation podcast.
Tom McManimon (03:40):
Thank you for having me.
I'm so pleased to meet you andspeak with you and be here for
your show.
Alethea Felton (03:58):
Thank you for having me.
I'm so pleased to meet you andspeak with you and be here for
your show.
Thank you, which planet wouldyou want to explore?
That's here in the Milky Waygalaxy.
Tom McManimon (04:12):
Oh, you know, I would definitely go back to the
moon.
I wouldn't be, obviously, but Iwould go back to the moon
because we have shown in ourjourneys to the moon the promise
that it has the possibility andmy favorite word in life is
possibility, and we've alreadydiscovered, through the bravery
and courage of some really greatpeople, that there's
(04:34):
possibility up there, and youknow.
And perspective, because we'veseen those videos and those
photographs of astronautslooking back at Earth and talk
about perspective.
That's what I would do.
Alethea Felton (04:49):
So it's interesting.
I wasn't going to ask this, butnow it brings the question.
When you say possibility is oneof your favorite words, when
you hear that word, what does itmean to you?
Possibility?
Tom McManimon (05:07):
A number of things.
Some of it has to do with youknow my circumstances, but I
always see it as an energizedword.
I always see it as a positiveword.
Um even when you know whatever,whatever circumstances you're
facing with work, career, family, personal circumstances um, you
never know what waits aroundthe corner.
Alethea Felton (05:28):
Yeah, I like that.
Tom McManimon (05:29):
Awesome, right, so the whole idea of possibility
kind of vibrates.
It's a word that vibrates forme.
Alethea Felton (05:37):
I like how you said about you don't know what's
lurking around the corner,because I'm such a visual person
so I actually envisioned thatand that excited me to think
about it and so, in connectionwith that word, possibility your
life has been filled with them.
So, before we get into thisdive of your life and who you
(05:58):
are and things that you'veovercome, this is the million
billion dollar question.
Who is Tom McManamum?
Tom McManimon (06:10):
I am a very, very lucky, blessed person,
partly because I'm almost theyoungest eighth out of nine
children.
So I got the example of someunbelievably great parents and
equally great brothers andsisters to sort of shepherd me
and learn from them.
(06:30):
I always joke with my youngersister that she's perfect,
because I'm just close toperfect and you know I was.
It's taken me many years of mylife to really sort of discover
my purpose of why I'm here.
What am I supposed to do underGod's view?
And I am imbued with creativetalents.
(06:52):
That's not to say that I'mincredibly talented or that I'm
gifted.
It's just that I have a rangeof creativity talents I've been
able to put into play in my lifeand in my career, and I'm
always about new discovery.
So I know part of your show isabout the word transformation
(07:15):
and I'm always facing atransformation to the next thing
.
I was a fine art kid taking artclasses.
I was a fine art kid taking artclasses, but I was also a jock
and I played sports and I was,you know, the jock who painted
on the weekends.
I decided to be an architectbecause I love building things
(07:35):
and I studied architecture andthen at the last minute you
might say in the 11th hour.
I changed my course and I was afine art painter and I love
that and as I near retirement Ihope to get back to that Wow.
But I ended up in theadvertising field in the most
awesome time in the 80s and Igot incredible experiences
(07:55):
around the country, around theworld, with a lot of celebrities
, a lot of great work.
And then I joined a band andI'm a drummer.
I've written books, I speak, Istill draw and paint.
So I utilize a lot of mycreative skills in general, but
especially with your life all ofthese different aspects and
(08:31):
you're not locked into a box.
Alethea Felton (08:33):
And so what my audience heard early on was how
you've had this career inadvertising, branding,
storytelling and so much more.
And for you to start offdescribing yourself as to who
you are not necessarily what youdo was absolutely perfect,
because it started with yourroots and your upbringing.
(08:54):
And this is what leads me toask you this, tom, is that, with
the dynamic life that you'vehad, starting with your
upbringing, you've shared a bitof what your childhood was like,
but how did your childhoodactually shape your path into
advertising, branding andstorytelling?
Tom McManimon (09:16):
You know I love that question.
There's a number of influencesthat I got from my dad and from
my mother and from people likecoaches that sort of shaped me
into yeah, I'm in the rightplace and this is what I should
be doing, at least at this pointin my life.
My dad was a governmentlobbyist.
He did the room great.
(09:36):
He shook hands and rubbedelbows like nobody else could.
He was gifted with words, hecould write beautifully those
influences and he even had asort of cachet when he walked in
the room.
He just sort of owned the room.
When he walked in the room mymother was the most loving
person you'll ever meet and sheI was her project.
(09:56):
See, there are many.
My brothers and sisters beforeme were ultimately in their
lives, became lawyers.
There's four lawyers and ajudge and one who works for a
lawyer.
So if you can imagine thepolitical conversation and law,
you know, and all of that, and Iwas the painter, I mean, you
know, I think my father thoughtthat was fun, but what's he
going to do with that?
(10:17):
My mother said I got him bud, Igot him, he's mine.
And so it was a very lovingenvironment, very competitive,
because I think I said to you inan earlier conversation, I grew
up in an era where everybodyhad nine, 10, 11 kids.
We had our own ball teams.
We had a whole team just in thefamily, if you think about it.
(10:37):
We had a basketball court in mybackyard and the entire
community played in my backyard.
I couldn't get in the games andI lived there.
It was very competitive.
The dinner table wascompetitive.
So we learned how to toughen uparound the edges and be
persistent and when things gettough, you just let the tough
(11:01):
get going.
Alethea Felton (11:02):
Yeah.
Tom McManimon (11:04):
So I found my way into advertising as I was
exiting college.
Uh, and I didn't even know itwas a global ad agency.
It just happened to be an adagency in new york pretty great
place to be and I cut my teethin the bullpen and grew as an
art director and and it reallyhelped I had some incredible
people working with me, and sotheir example helped me think
(11:27):
about messaging, not about justthe mechanics of typefaces and
images and photography.
It was about the quality andrelevance of messaging in
advertising, which ultimately,later on, led me to write a book
and led me to start speakingand led me to have a message to
(11:47):
help people.
Alethea Felton (12:07):
I see, I see how that path was was paved even
before.
What I want to shift into iswhat are some pivotal moments,
so maybe even one.
So what is a pivotal momentearly in your career that
actually laid the foundation forwhere you are today, that
actually laid the foundation forwhere you are today.
Tom McManimon (12:27):
When I left my first ad agency and went to
another one, I worked at atremendous ad agency, became a
young art director, got involvedin everything, and then I left
for another agency and I had acreative director and a mentor
there who helped me reallyunderstand what's called
positioning and helping peoplecarve out their own specific
(12:50):
niche and how to compete in mylittle piece of real estate.
I completely changed the way Ithought about creativity and
messaging.
So that was a pivotal moment.
No-transcript, everything wasperfect.
(13:33):
I mean people who say, yo,you're going to experience some
troubles in your life.
I'm thinking, well, when's thatcoming Right?
And and you know what awaitsyou around the corner?
You don't know.
Alethea Felton (13:41):
That's right.
Life can be unpredictable, nodoubt about it, and you had a
life-changing, unpredictableevent.
That's kind of started what Iwould have to say a somewhat
domino effect to that veryanswer to you never know what
awaits you around that corner.
(14:01):
What awaits you around thatcorner.
So I'd like you to go backwe're recording this in 2024,
end of 2024.
But I want you, tom, to go backto 23 years ago, which was in
2001, because something lifealtering really happened to you.
(14:29):
That started off as a majorcelebration after a lot of hard
work.
So take us back to somethingthat happened September 10th
2001.
And then what happenedsubsequently, the day after that
, started to really change yourlife forever started to really
change your life forever.
Tom McManimon (14:48):
Yeah, that day shook me to the core, as it did
most people around the world.
The ad agency that I wasworking for was on a high.
We were tremendously successful, growing.
We worked day and night, weworked weekends.
We got into a zone where wewere pitching everything in
sight and almost winningeverything in sight.
So we grew very quickly from asmall little agency, about 40
(15:08):
million in billings, to 180million in billings, which
completely changed the cultureand who you hire and who you're
working with and who you get topitch.
So you know, we were tired, wewere weary, but we were excited
and we were making money andbeing successful.
And the agency was purchased and, as it was purchased, we had a
(15:32):
celebration in the World TradeTower the South World Trade
Tower just the night before 9-11.
And it was really just towitness the signing of the
documents and celebrate a new adagency.
It was in the tower because anagency, a client that we served,
was the Port Authority of NewYork, new Jersey, and so they
(15:53):
gave us a space to work with anytime we were there and meet
with them, of course, but alsofor other reasons.
So we had a sort of satelliteoffice in the tower, office in
the tower.
And so we were there late inthe day, into the evening,
celebrating, you know, toastingglasses, and saying we didn't
even really know those of us whowere management of the agency.
(16:14):
What would that mean?
The next day, were we out ofthe job?
We had no idea what was goingto happen only hours later.
And, of course, what happenedhours later was, you know, the
global attack on the UnitedStates and the towers.
I never, ever I'm getting thechills just telling you about
this never would have expectedthat they would be, you know,
would come down Right, and so Iknew clients, I knew friends, I
(16:39):
lost the space to work andultimately lost the job.
The agency that we had, thatwas purchased, was still
purchased, but they essentiallysaid to themselves thank you for
growing the agency, goodbye,here's your package and thank
you.
So you know, I was completely,completely blown away.
You know, who am I to not havebeen there that morning?
(17:01):
Who am I to be only hours awayfrom that kind of, you know,
loss of life?
You know, there's many, manypeople who missed even just
getting in on time that day,right, and so it clearly just
shook me up and I didn't realizeit for years how much it shook
me up.
Alethea Felton (17:22):
So a quick clarifying question.
Although you weren't there onthe day of, I think that your
story is still so powerfulbecause we hear stories of
people who either were supposedto have been and weren't, or a
case like yours nobody thinksabout the people who were there
(17:43):
just the night before andknowing that they weren't going
to be there the next day becausewe don't know what a day will
bring.
So if you can remember, tom,will you take us to the exact
moment when you even learnedthere was an attack?
And how did you process or feelthat in the moment?
(18:08):
Or were you just trying to makesense of everything?
Tom McManimon (18:13):
The exact moment in my, in my agency, I had a
television in my office and noone else did I think about it.
I mean, you know so.
So everyone in the in thebuilding came to my big giant
office to see what was going on.
A colleague of mine had been inNew Mexico to visit parents and
(18:35):
he saw it on the news andcalled me and said just turn on
your TV right now.
And I was getting started alittle bit late because we had a
late night the night before.
So I turned it on and we justwhat, what, what you know, and
it all unfolded, you know, noteven global news.
They watched one by one, by one, unfold, right.
And so I just was thinkingabout and the space I was just
(19:02):
sitting in hours before thepeople that we were with, just
hours before the elevator shaft.
You know there were three, fourdifferent levels of elevator
shafts in that building.
The second airplane that hit onthe South Tower was two floors
above where we were.
Oh my goodness, so I had, youknow, I didn't even think about,
(19:25):
you know, for a good year ortwo, I would have not, I
wouldn't say disruptivenightmares, but just visions of,
like you know, flaming jet fuelcoming down on me, you know, or
the faces, because I'm a reallyvisual person.
I remember everything visuallyFaces of people that I knew that
(19:45):
were just cindered.
Alethea Felton (19:47):
That's right, right yeah.
Tom McManimon (19:49):
We went back to a building, a block away, for a
meeting a month later and it wasthe beginning of what they
called the pile Right and therewas a woman who worked for the
Port Authority, who was foreverwheelchair bound, and we figured
well, no way, she survived, noway.
And she wheels herself into themeeting.
(20:11):
What we were?
We got the chills and we wereteary and we were already.
We thought we had no tears left, right, and she wheels herself
into the meeting.
She had been carried all theway down by two guys, including
the wheelchair.
Alethea Felton (20:24):
Now I got chills off of that.
Tom McManimon (20:26):
Yeah, so you know, and I had just been
informed that I was out of a jobas an agency partner, you know.
So I was totally just like, well, okay, what else you got for me
?
You know what else you got?
Right, I decided to start myown ad agency from my home.
And I decided to start my ownad agency from my home, and even
that took me a long time torealize.
(20:48):
Oh yeah, what I was reallydoing was setting up in the safe
security of my home, you know,and then building from there.
I'm a builder, I build things.
So, you know, I sort ofcompartmentalized all that over
here.
That was bad, that was awful,but what are you going to do?
You know, this is all about mystory, about resilience.
(21:10):
Right, ok, the sun rises, youhad a good night's sleep.
You woke up?
Oh shit, I woke up, ok.
So it's all about rebuildingyour path forward and that's
what I was doing forward, andthat's what I was doing.
Alethea Felton (21:24):
And I know earlier you mentioned about you
know, marrying your wife was oneof the greatest choices that
you ever made.
How was your wife of support toyou during that time of you
having to deal with the thoughtsand the ideas of the fact that,
okay, you knew people, you werethere and then losing your job?
(21:47):
How was she of support to youduring that time?
Tom McManimon (21:51):
The biggest thing was just really being
there just to listen, you know,just to be a listener.
We have three kids and theywere young and the oldest was
beginning, you know, in highschool.
So he was all tough and loudand nasty and wanted to go out
in the world.
You know, in high school, so hewas all tough and loud and
nasty and wanted to the worldyou know, yeah and um uh, and so
it was really just kind ofholding on to what is real and
(22:14):
what is solid.
You know and um, I was startinga business, you know, and I
worked with an ad agency wherethere was many, many, many
people, many people, and here itwas now it's me and my dog, you
know.
So it really was, I think.
More quiet, confidence, okay,just each day is another step
forward.
Alethea Felton (22:35):
And the reason I asked about her support is
because of the fact there wouldbe more things to happen in the
years to come where your wifewas really having to be of
support to you, as well asothers that you knew.
And so let's fast forward here,tom, to 2008 and beyond,
(22:57):
because you actually started tohave some physical health
challenges in you, started tohave some physical health
challenges in you, and I'm goingto say this word and and then
you can just take it from therein terms of what those years of
physical struggle taught youabout resilience, patience and
perspective, and the word that Iam going to say is tetanus shot
(23:24):
.
I guess those are two words.
Take us to how something thatpeople get regularly a tetanus
shot.
You had a different experience.
Take us there, tom.
Tom McManimon (23:38):
You know I'm a fit guy, worked really hard at
being healthy.
I was involved in a basketballleague and playing regularly,
probably more fit than I'd everbeen.
I hurt my knee so, like manypeople do, I had knee surgery
and had that all fixed up.
I went to my doctor's officefor a physical because I'm
(24:00):
through therapy, I feel great,I'm going to have a physical and
in that physical I got abooster shot for tetanus.
It must've just sort of beenthe thing that they were doing
at that time, right?
So I didn't think anything ofit.
Sure, I got a little shot inthe arm.
By the time I got home, whichwas only a few minutes away, I
had lockjaw.
(24:21):
I mean, I had total frozenlockjaw and that really bothered
me Right and then shortlythereafter I had total frozen
lockjaw and that really botheredme right.
And then shortly thereafter Ihad a seizure and I've never had
anything like that and theseizure was uncontrollably up
around my face and my jaw, whereit was biting my tongue, my
cheeks and my lips, and very,very bad, very ugly, very bloody
(24:43):
.
My son, who was home fromschool, rushed me to the
emergency room and they didn'tknow what to make of me Because,
first of all, you know, all thedoctors think no one gets
tetanus anymore.
I'm trying to tell them but I'mhaving seizures, right, and it
was really awful.
And so they gave me amedication and sent me home and
(25:06):
within two hours I was back.
I had multiple seizures andcompletely bit through my cheeks
and lips and tongue and it wasawful.
So I was back in the ER within acouple hours and they sent me
(25:29):
home with another prescriptionthat was a full level, higher
level muscle relaxer and we hadan appointment scheduled for
first thing in the morning, likefive o'clock in the morning.
So you know, I thought I neverhad any kind of emergency.
So I thought, okay, they'redoctors, who am I, I'll go home
and I'll listen to them.
So our daughter was an eliteswimmer and we wanted to see her
swim in the championships acouple hours away.
(25:49):
So we went, and mostly becauseI didn't, I felt horrible, I
felt absolutely horrible, but Ididn't want to be home alone.
We went right and I didn't haveany kind of a seizure in front
of, you know, thousands ofpeople at a swim arena, but I
still felt horrible.
Along the way home, keep inmind, I'm thinking, okay, I just
(26:11):
need to make it to 5 am, I justneed to make it to 5 am and
then I'll be with a team ofpeople.
We're driving home on thehighway at 295 in New Jersey and
I have a seizure in the car andI bite right through my tongue.
95 in New Jersey, and I have aseizure in the car and I bite
right through my tongue and myteeth are locked through my
tongue and bleeding coming down.
(26:31):
Um, I couldn't open my mouth.
Fortunately I was not driving,I was the passenger, and it was
frightening.
It was, uh, uncontrollable.
It was, um, really scary.
And so, um, you know, we wentright to the hospital and I had
my appointment and I hadsuddenly an entire team on me.
(26:54):
Like everyone, there was aneuro title, anything was on me
and essentially what they did isthey shut down my whole nervous
system and I was like a hundredyear old, laying in bed and I
remember everything thathappened on the first day.
I was there for six days and inthe space of six days they ran
(27:15):
every kind of test the hospitalcould run.
I had a spinal tap, I had twoCAT scans, two MRIs.
I had all kinds of drugs in mysystem.
Two MRIs I had all kinds ofdrugs in my system and by the
end of six days I was nowcoherent.
(27:36):
It wasn't affecting me anymorein my system, right?
So they came to me to talk tome and my mouth is all sewn and
glued, my tongue is like sewnand glued and I'm all puffy
still.
So I can't really talk and Icouldn't eat for six days.
So I lost 28 pounds.
Alethea Felton (27:48):
In six days 28.
Tom McManimon (27:50):
Yeah, and so there's my.
You know some family membersbeside me and one of my sisters
is a nurse.
Does she understand anythingthey're going to say?
And they say to me as a team,you got, we determined that you
got a full load dose of tetanusfrom a tainted inoculation shot
and it sent your whole nervoussystem haywire.
(28:12):
And I'm thinking, you know,hell, yeah, right, it's waned
its way through your system bynow.
So no worries there, you need alot of healing going on up here
.
So before we're going to sendyou home, before you go home,
(28:33):
there's a gentleman here fromthe CDC that needs to interview
you because you're a case thatneeds to be reported to the CDC.
And we have a conversation andthen I get ready to go home and
they said well, before you gohome, we have another thing we
need to discuss.
And I said what's that andthat's?
I really didn't say what's that.
I could hardly say anything andI just endured a nightmare, an
(28:57):
absolute nightmare,uncontrollable pain and
discomfort and, by the way, mytongue got cut off.
Alethea Felton (29:03):
That's right.
Tom McManimon (29:04):
Yeah, and by the way, my tongue got cut off,
that's right, yeah.
Alethea Felton (29:15):
And they said well, we found in your last MRI
what appears to be a dangerouslooking brain aneurysm that
needs attention.
Tom McManimon (29:30):
You were walking around with a brain aneurysm,
yeah, and I.
If I had gone back on thebasketball court within a couple
of weeks, which I was going todo I would have fallen on my
face and died, oh my goodness.
So I got the chills.
I am getting them now, and it'sso many years later.
I got the chills and you knowmy family members are in shock
as much as I am.
And my mother grabs my arm andmy hand right next to me.
My mom, you know, she's mybestie and she's rubbing my arm
and rubbing my hand, and in thatmoment I'm thinking, as scared
(29:53):
as I am, of what else you gotfor me, Lord.
Right, but it was the oddest,most comfortable thing that I've
ever felt in my life, which wasmy mom rubbing my hand, saying
okay, we got this too.
We got this.
That's just the next thing.
It's just the next thing.
We got this.
And I tell you that because forme it was complete reality and
(30:15):
my mother had already beenpassed away 17 years.
Alethea Felton (30:19):
Wow, wow.
Your mother's spirit came to bebeside you.
Tom McManimon (30:26):
Absolutely, oh my goodness, it was because I
was shocked and scared, butcomfortable to say you know, I
believe it.
Yes, sir so you know, I didn'twant to ever be back in hospital
.
Now you're telling me I have abrain aneurysm that's about to
blow, you know.
So we had basically about threeweeks to get our wills done, to
(30:52):
consult surgeons for me, to getworking, you know, taken care
of and covered by other peopleand by my clients, and just to
kind of get your ducks in a rowfor your family, right and um,
we consulted with a surgeon thatwas renowned for doing what you
know was ahead.
He said I gotta really, though,go full in.
(31:13):
I gotta take out your skull andand and do, uh, you know,
exploratory and uh.
Another surgeon had a uh, lessinvasive, uh, approach that
would take about two days out ofwork.
That's it.
So you would think I would gowith that surgeon, and it was a
big city surgeon.
I went back to the surgeon thatI first consulted and I said do
(31:37):
you do pipeline surgery?
He said well, yes, I do.
You must have been talking toDr So-and-so I forget his name
to be honest with you and I saidyeah, as a matter of fact, I
just came from there.
He said you're absolutely right, I should have spoken to you
about that.
I do that surgery as well.
I didn't want to do it in yourcase because it would have given
(32:00):
you a very high chance thatyou'd be blind in your left eye
after the surgery.
Alethea Felton (32:06):
Oh, I see.
Tom McManimon (32:08):
And I'm a visual guy, I'm a designer.
He said we can do that, butit's chancy, or we do.
You know the open cranialsurgery, and I'll take care of
the whole thing.
Alethea Felton (32:19):
You've got to make all these decisions during
all the time.
Tom McManimon (32:25):
The most difficult decisions maybe not
you'll ever make, but verydifficult decisions because it's
your life right.
When I consulted with this onesurgeon in philadelphia I'm
driving home alone, you know Iwent on my own and it's the
longest drive home in, alone inyour thoughts.
You know what do I do.
What do I do.
And it was a great decisionbecause this guy says you know,
(32:49):
the surgeon he spoke with inPhiladelphia was my colleague.
I taught him, so I felt reallysecure about that and I had a 10
hour open cranial brain surgeryto fix a very critical brain
aneurysm.
Alethea Felton (33:05):
But hold on, Tom .
Tom McManimon (33:07):
Yeah.
Alethea Felton (33:08):
If I'm putting all of this together, are you
saying that if you hadn't havegotten that contaminated booster
then you wouldn't have knownabout the aneurysm?
Tom McManimon (33:20):
Absolutely, you know it's funny.
Alethea Felton (33:22):
Oh my gosh, it's wild.
Tom McManimon (33:24):
You know, a friend of mine who saw me after
the surgery said you know, it'sfunny.
Oh my gosh, that's wild.
You know, a friend of mine whosaw me after the surgery said
you know, you said the wholething about your mom and it's
like your mom is your angel.
She knew you're the talking one.
You're the one that talksendlessly in your family.
You talk so much all the time,tom, your mom knew that you had
an aneurysm in trouble and shesaw to it that you got some kind
(33:48):
of affliction that wouldprevent you from talking.
And I mean, you know what?
And that's crazy, right, but itmade me laugh hysterically at a
moment when I needed, needed,needed to smile and laugh.
And I did you know and you knowit was a pivotal, pivotal moment
in my life that actually, youknow, called on all my
(34:09):
resilience.
The thing I call you callresilience equity.
And where I went from, therewas all this renewal, a lot of
great decisions that I went yes.
Alethea Felton (34:21):
And I'm actually about to go there, but it's
like your mom coming back, and Iuse the word like in a
comparative form.
It's like your mom coming togive you that reassurance to me,
(34:42):
opened up so many more windowsand doors, metaphorically,
because she gave you that peaceand that calm.
But once you had the surgery,you came out like a new person,
tom, because that then led toyou making some decisions about
(35:02):
your own business, life and youmade a bold decision to do
something specifically to acouple of clients and share that
with us.
And how did that act allow youto rediscover your passion and
your focus?
Tom McManimon (35:21):
You know, I recovered at a shore home, a
beach house with my wife, andeach day I saw the sunrise, I
had the best tasting cups ofcoffee I ever had in my life, I
read five books and in abouteight or nine days I just
decided I need to go back towork.
I have this ability.
I could take a year off and notwork, but now I need to go back
(35:45):
to work.
But before I go back to workand I don't care what I look
like you know I had the wholescars and stuff but I I said I
have to fire two clients.
And I said this to my wife,right, and I said these are two
of the most negative, bitchy,whiny, woe is me, life stinks
kind of people every day oftheir life.
That's just who they are and Idon't have any more time or
(36:08):
energy for people like that.
Um, and that was just this bolddecision that you know I just
said you know I'm a verygenerous guy, but you never know
when your moment's up.
So I didn't have any more timein my day, in my hours, for
people like that.
So I fired two clients and Ilost significant income in doing
that, but it was a restart.
(36:29):
The whole thing was a restartfor me, you know.
And then I started working andI'll tell you what my good
clients became even better.
My quality of work became evenbetter and fresher.
I, in a very short period oftime, felt like I have a book to
write, and I used to alwaysthink, well, who am I?
(36:52):
I'm going to spend every day ofmy life continuing to learn.
Who am I to write a book tohelp people learn something?
But I had this book to writeand I did, and I self-published
and I started promoting it andthen I started speaking.
Now I've presented to boardsand to marketing people for
years and years and years, butto public speak is a completely
different dynamic.
(37:12):
Your story is yeah and so I wentto the very, very best people
to to train and, um, I, you knowit's really more about for me
knowing the relevance and impactof your story uh, what is and
this isn't even necessarily thisstory than it is the mechanics
of speaking, because I, I kindof had that.
You know that that's easy forme, I have no fear of being on
(37:35):
stage.
But so I wrote this book andthen, um, suddenly I joined a
rock and roll band as a drummerand I started playing all this
fantastic music that I grew upwith with a bunch of guys and I
did that for a bunch of yearsand that was sort of the added,
you know, material in my daysand in my nights and in my
(37:56):
weekends.
That was just joy, it was justfor me.
I had a second book to write andI wrote a second book on brand
positioning, which is acorporate positioning dynamic,
and so there I was.
You know, I did things I neverdid before, I never even thought
about doing before.
I wrote two books, I publishedthem, I started speaking, I
(38:16):
started training with the bestpeople and I'm playing music in
a band, in the clubs.
I really stumbled into thiswork-life balance, this thing
that people always want to find,you know, the work-life balance
.
And in the middle in betweenall of that, you know I found,
(38:40):
at least at this point in mylife, my purpose.
So I wrote a story about that,which could also be a book, but
I didn't make it a book.
It really is my purpose and I,you know it really is my purpose
and I, you know, encourageanyone to kind of really give a
lot of self thought to what isyour purpose in life.
You know, why are you here?
Because there were a number ofthings that we all, just we just
(39:02):
went through for the last 10minutes that hit me, that were
crises that tested.
Why am I still here now?
And I have a lot more, not more, peace you mentioned that word
earlier because at least I havethat barometer, I have that
direction, you know, knowing thethings that I do, the people
(39:23):
that I surround myself with.
The commonality is my God-given, giving creative talents to
write, to draw, to create, toplay music, to improve someone's
situation or to make the peoplearound me happy, you know, and
(39:44):
so I feel fantastic.
That was all 15 and 17 yearsago.
Alethea Felton (39:50):
Yeah.
Tom McManimon (39:51):
And you know there's a phrase about you know
your baggage.
You know the phrase of peoplethat come to something with
baggage right.
Alethea Felton (39:59):
Yes.
Tom McManimon (39:59):
And I look the flip side of that, because
baggage can be a suitcase.
In that suitcase can be allthese incredible things that you
can tap into when you a crisis.
You talk about transformation.
Right, how do you transform?
You have a thing calledadaptability.
How well do you adapt to changeyour level of persistence?
(40:25):
I'm a totally persistent guy.
Be persistent at going forward.
I had a boss that I used tocomplain to about.
I didn't really have a good day, things didn't go, I didn't do
all the things I wanted to dotoday.
And he used to say, tom, if youmove the ball forward today,
even just an inch, it's goingforward, not backwards.
Give yourself credit.
Alethea Felton (40:48):
Learning.
Tom McManimon (40:49):
You know, we're always learning.
You learn about yourself, youlearn about, you know all kinds
of things.
When you wake up in the morning, you're going to learn some new
things.
And then there's emotionalintelligence.
Do I have the emotionalstrength to get past a crisis
(41:10):
and move forward?
I always say if something badhappens to you, whatever it is
incredibly huge or justsomething unfortunate everyone
has the right to go ahead andcry about it.
Go ahead and cry, Cry today, Bedepressed or be down.
It could be really reallyhorrible, or it could be a small
(41:33):
thing.
Go ahead and cry, Cry for a day.
When I say a day, a day, couldbe a period of time.
Right, and you wake up in themorning and now what are you
going to do?
You're still here.
What are you going to do?
So you have to decide to beresilient.
That's right.
And what I?
(41:54):
I speak about a thing calledresilience equity.
Like we have equity in a home.
Right In your life, you haveresilience equity in the sense
that you've got a number oflessons that you've learned up
to that point in your life.
You have key people that are ofinfluence to you in your life.
You have your best friends.
That you've learned up to thatpoint in your life.
You have key people that are ofinfluence to you in your life.
(42:15):
You have your best friends thatyou share every little thing
with.
You have coaches that havecoached you through difficulty
and challenge.
All of those moments and all ofthose people have helped
strengthen you, and if you justthink about it, you don't even
need to tap into any of that yet.
But if you just think aboutthat, you don't even need to tap
(42:36):
into any of that yet, but ifyou just think about that, you
already start to feel stronger.
You know what is going to makeyou strong to get past what the
crisis was and renew yourselftomorrow, and so what I feel
really good about as I patmyself on the shoulder, is that
I discovered that and it enabledme to renew and reinvent.
(42:56):
And so you know my last point.
There is what I said earlieryou don't know what lies around
the corner.
Don't be afraid to peek.
Alethea Felton (43:04):
That's right.
That's right, and I'm not evensure if you realize that you did
this, but the way that my brainprocesses things.
It's in acronyms, and I knowthat you're a public speaker
also.
But with those whole fourthings, starting with
adaptability, ending withemotional intelligence, it
(43:28):
actually is spelled A-P-L-E.
It's not Apple, all of the wayway, but tom that might be
something in the future.
apple formula, because, as youwere making each point, my brain
was trying to figure out a wayto process it and I said I don't
think tom realizes that it'snot not a p-E, but it's A-P-L-E
(43:50):
and it could be some Appleformula.
And so yeah, so, so, yeah, yeah,so I'm like hey, that could be
a speech or a book, who knowsbut that is definitely something
you can use because in order toget get to the whole concept of
(44:12):
that resilience and and I likehow you put a spin on it that is
actually helpful.
And what I love about the waythat you're answering these
questions is that there werecertain questions I've had that
I'm not even going to ask nowbecause you've already covered
it in that.
And so when you talk, forexample, you have a talk that is
(44:37):
called Rebound Lessons inResilience.
And that encapsulates so much ofyour journey and you've shared
some of those key lessons fromthat message.
But what else do you hope thatyour messages of resilience will
do to help empower others whoare facing challenges?
Tom McManimon (45:01):
That's a really great question.
You know it's so you know how.
You know it's.
It's so much.
It's so easy for people to wantto be lazy Instead of doing the
work to achieve that's right.
So it's so natural.
(45:22):
It's a natural feeling whenyou've suffered a crisis, been
through a crisis, and again Isay they can be massive,
personal, deep, personal criseswhere a thing happened right.
Massive personal, deep,personal crises where a thing
happened right.
Alethea Felton (45:42):
It's so easy to be discouraged to just come away
from that down and depressedand even lost in depression and
be discouraged, right.
Tom McManimon (45:47):
But, like I said , what happens is you fall
asleep and you wake up in themorning.
A new day dawns and and there'stremendous power in just trying
to do one thing today thathelps you get stronger, and then
the next thing and the nextthing and the next thing.
It's like a person who's analcoholic it's it's
(46:09):
step-by-step-by-step, so youdon't don't think about the
massiveness I need to achieve tobe wholly me again.
Just try to do one thing todaythat helps you be stronger, and
then stronger, and then strongerand stronger, and it's a choice
.
So you know and I say thislightly because you know, I also
(46:33):
think about people who lost aspouse or a child or were raped,
right, those are massive.
Okay, it still is a choice.
You have a choice to stay downin the dark shadows or to try to
get out, and sometimes thatmeans you need to seek
professional help.
Alethea Felton (46:53):
That's right.
Tom McManimon (46:53):
And help from your very, very best friends,
who know you inside out, right,but you add into that mix.
You have all these life lessonsthat helped you be strong.
I can't tell you how many timesin my life I've had, I've been
able to tap into my experienceplaying sports in high school,
(47:14):
so I can still go back to thisexperience I had.
I played football andbasketball On the football team.
We were awful, we wereabsolutely awful.
I came into a team that hadlost 19 games in a row.
We just couldn't even score.
We were just awful.
And the coach had cancer andshowed up late for practice and
we just were not a disciplinedgroup of kids.
(47:36):
My senior year they changedeverything.
They brought in a renownedcoach from Philadelphia Catholic
League, new uniforms, newequipment.
Everything was new.
We learned from all of thatthree years of toiling in the
mud and trenches how to be evena team to compete to my senior
(47:56):
year.
We won the league and the statechampionship.
Alethea Felton (48:01):
Wow, what a turnaround it was a huge
turnaround.
Tom McManimon (48:03):
Talk about a comeback story.
What we learned was me and mybest friends, we all went
through all of that tough stufftogether.
We weren't going to do that toour class.
That wasn't going to happen andwe all learned how to get
stronger, how to get better atour own individual.
You know position.
This guy came in and made us ateam right and so, as a team, we
(48:28):
learned about the competitionevery week.
So every week was a differentgame plan.
You know what is it about thatteam that we need to expose to
be able to beat that?
And so we all learned a lotabout coaching later on for our
needs later in life.
We learned about.
You know, you got to keeptrying, you got to keep trying.
(48:49):
You got to keep trying.
It's like I said you don't knowwhat's around the the corner,
and sometimes what's rightaround the corner can be
unbelievably exciting.
It can be exciting, yeah, youknow.
Um, I didn't know what waitedme around the corner and it was
awful.
I can't tell you how many timesgod, what else he got for me
come on, but and there still maybe in the rest of my life more
(49:11):
of that right but this word thatI see so many people writing
and speaking about, calledresilience, is because it taps
into everyone's need, everyone'sright.
You know mental health,physical health, the stress,
stresses and pressures of justliving and working today.
And pressures of just livingand working today, everyone
(49:32):
needs to know.
You know, where do I find myresilience?
You know.
So that's a meaningful topicfor me.
Alethea Felton (49:48):
Yes, it is, and you know, just so the audience
will have more context is thatTom and I met through a mutual
colleague friend, so to speakand when we had to introduce
ourselves and what we did andhow I shared.
I have a podcast and that I'm atransformational coach and a
speaker who speaks about helpingleaders master resilience and
transforming those setbacks intobreakthroughs.
(50:11):
I love the fact that when Isaid I'm always seeking guests
on my show, tom reached out, andwhat I love about all of my
guests is you will see that Iinterview men, women, young,
older, all backgrounds, from allaround the world, and it's
because of that common thread.
(50:31):
We've all had a story ofadversity, challenges and
resilience, and you said earlier, tom, that you have a personal
brand book, but you also have acorporate brand book, and so
there are going to be aspects ofthose lessons weaved into those
books.
So if a person wanted topurchase those books or even
(50:54):
find out how to learn more aboutyou, how can they go about
doing that?
Do you have a website?
Are your books on Amazon?
Tell us about that.
Tom McManimon (51:01):
Yeah, first, anyone is open to contact me
directly.
My business website isstimulusbrandcom.
It's S-T-I-M-U-L-U-S Brandcom.
My name is Tom McManaman.
There is a contact page on thatwebsite that not only gives a
(51:23):
direct email to me but also mydirect phone number.
You can also see on that pagewhere you can purchase the books
.
Each of the books are on Amazon.
One of them is called thePositioned Player and it's the
story of this whole sports andfootball story that leads into
what is company and corporatepositioning.
(51:46):
It's the one that my brotherthinks I should take to the next
level, right, and that's what Icall a corporate book, because
it's business brand positioning.
And the other one is called theStuff that Sticks, and that's a
personal branding book.
It's a thin, quick, easy bookto read and it's an exercise
book.
So you fill in a number ofplaces where only the answers
(52:10):
you put in can only be about you, and you realize at a certain
point in the book I am my ownunique person.
There is no one else in theworld like me.
I'm pretty good.
So it's not your personal brand, and so the stuff that sticks
by Tom McMahon and the positionplayer, by Tom McMahon and the
(52:30):
position player by Tom McMahonand Tom, I could just go on and
on and talk about you.
Alethea Felton (52:39):
Well, talk with you about your life and
experiences, but due to time Ihave to bring this interview to
a close.
But this is my closing questionfor you In sharing, and I love
your transparency abouteverything.
But I was going to ask adifferent question, but I'm
compelled to ask you this as thenext chapter of your life comes
(53:05):
, and I'm going to hope thatit's just as fruitful and
abundant as it's been while yourmother was there in that moment
for you.
You shared with me about all ofyour siblings, but one in
particular who left a profoundeffect on the world and on you.
So in this closing question isif that particular brother were
(53:29):
with you today, what would hetell you about continuing to be
resilient in this next chapterof your life?
Tom McManimon (53:39):
Wow, he just passed away.
What would he tell me?
He wasn't as social vocal as Iam, but he could lead a room,
right, I think he would.
He told me boy, I think you'vegot a good book there, even
(54:02):
though it was reading the oneposition player book.
What if you took it here?
What if you took it there?
It can be so rich and rewardingto go visit those places again
in your life.
Okay, I think you should do it.
It's what he told me before hepassed away.
He, he and I, among the nine ofus, are the most alike, because
(54:27):
if you give me eye contact, I'msaying hello.
There's no one intimidates me ina room, and he was the same way
.
So he would just say keep beingyourself, because you're pretty
great, you know.
He would say that you are farbetter than you give yourself
credit for.
So that's, even though he wouldsay that I would hold on to my
(54:51):
own humility.
Alethea Felton (54:51):
Even though he would say that I would hold on
to my own humility Indeed.
Oh yeah, that's a beautifulresponse and I've noticed that
throughout the interview andmaking reference.
Sometimes you say things in thepresent tense about him and
sometimes in the past.
But I would dare challenge thateven using that present tense
is so okay, and even when yourmom was with you, because people
(55:14):
have the right to have theirown perspectives.
But I've shared with you evensome experiences I've had.
So I know without a shadow of adoubt that they still live
forever, maybe not in this realm, but they're elsewhere, and
that their love, their legacies,will continue to live through
you.
And I'm just so happy, tom,that you've made it through all
(55:38):
that you have, and I'm going tocontinue to hope and pray the
best for your life, for yourwife, for your children, and
that God's protection andabundance be upon all of you.
And I just thank you, tom, forgracing us with your presence
here on the Power TransformationPodcast.
And keep sharing resiliencewith the world, because it is
(56:00):
certainly needed.
It has been such a pleasure andthank you.
Tom McManimon (56:04):
Thank you so much.
It's been a gift to meet youand spend time with you, and
anything I can ever do for you.
Please keep my number and reachout.
Alethea Felton (56:13):
Will do, thank you.
Tom McManimon (56:15):
Betcha, have a great day.
Alethea Felton (56:17):
Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the
Power Transformation Podcast.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to follow or subscribe,
leave a five-star rating andwrite a review.
It helps us inspire even morelisteners.
And don't keep it to yourself.
Share it with someone who coulduse a little power in their
(56:40):
transformation.
Until next time, keep bouncingback, keep rising and be good to
yourself and to others.
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