What Nearly Broke Him Led to Reinvention with Tom McManimon

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:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Buy Tom's Books Here

Episode 130's Affirmation:
I am resilient, adaptable, and equipped to turn every challenge into a stepping stone for success.

Transcript

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Introduction to Tom McManimon

Alethea Felton 0:07

We are on YouTube . Subscribe to our YouTube channel . Yes , the Power Transformation podcast is on YouTube . I am gradually uploading episodes to YouTube and very , very soon I am getting assistance doing so . So that person is waiting in the wings to help me with those uploads . And , of course , you are still listening here on the audio platform and today's interview oh , my goodness .

Alethea Felton 0:35

Get ready for an incredible episode , because I am talking with Tom McManaman , a branding expert with a powerful story of resilience . He is far more than just a branding expert . You see , from Tom's early life and career in advertising to overcoming life-altering health challenges , in this episode , he reveals how self-reflection , adaptability and emotional intelligence helped him transform setbacks into unstoppable successes . Tom is so down to earth and what character he has and , beyond our roles whether you are working 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 disability beyond our statuses , we are real people with real stories , and that is what the Power Transformation Podcast is all about . It is because of you that we are able to keep this as a top ranked podcast . So thank you and welcome to our show .

Alethea Felton 1:42

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 that you know . You know 10 people who can benefit from this show . And I'm telling you , perhaps you may be a guest on the Power Transformation podcast , because we all have something worth sharing . Never think for a minute that your life is not insignificant . But if we stripped away our titles , there is a core , there is an essence of who you are as a human being , and that's what we like to share here on our show . So we're going to dive into this episode with so many game-changing insights , but first let's begin with our affirmation . I'll say it once and you repeat it I am resilient , adaptable and equipped to turn every challenge into a stepping stone for success .

Alethea Felton 2:48

It is such an honor today to have my guest . This is Tom McManaman , and when I tell you he has done so much in his life , in his career , and I am just blown away by him . And also , what is so incredible about him is , you know , with all of my guests , I get them to say their first and their last names , and so with his . I wanted to make sure that I said it correctly and you say it as it's pronounced McManamum . So know that name because , as he shares his story , it's gonna give you chills and it's going to make you want to learn more about him . It's going to cause you to want to read his books . And , tom , I'm just so honored to have you here as a guest on the Power Transformation podcast .

Tom McManimon 3:40

Thank you for having me . I'm so pleased to meet you and speak with you and be here for your show .

Alethea Felton 3:58

Thank you for having me . I'm so pleased to meet you and speak with you and be here

Early Life and Creative Beginnings

Alethea Felton 4:05

for your show . Thank you , which planet would you want to explore ? That's here in the Milky Way galaxy .

Tom McManimon 4:12

Oh , you know , I would definitely go back to the moon . I wouldn't be , obviously , but I would go back to the moon because we have shown in our journeys to the moon the promise that it has the possibility and my favorite word in life is possibility , and we've already discovered , through the bravery and courage of some really great people , that there's possibility up there , and you know . And perspective , because we've seen those videos and those photographs of astronauts looking back at Earth and talk about perspective . That's what I would do .

Alethea Felton 4:49

So it's interesting . I wasn't going to ask this , but now it brings the question . When you say possibility is one of your favorite words , when you hear that word , what does it mean to you ? Possibility ?

Tom McManimon 5:07

A number of things . Some of it has to do with you know my circumstances , but I always see it as an energized word . I always see it as a positive word . Um even when you know whatever , whatever circumstances you're facing with work , career , family , personal circumstances um , you never know what waits around the corner .

Alethea Felton 5:28

Yeah , I like that .

Tom McManimon 5:29

Awesome , right , so the whole idea of possibility kind of vibrates . It's a word that vibrates for me .

Alethea Felton 5:37

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 that and that excited me to think about it and so , in connection with that word , possibility your life has been filled with them . So , before we get into this dive of your life and who you are and things that you've overcome , this is the million billion dollar question . Who is Tom McManamum ?

Tom McManimon 6:10

I am a very , very lucky , blessed person , partly because I'm almost the youngest eighth out of nine children . So I got the example of some unbelievably great parents and equally great brothers and sisters to sort of shepherd me and learn from them . I always joke with my younger sister that she's perfect , because I'm just close to perfect and you know I was . It's taken me many years of my life to really sort of discover my purpose of why I'm here . What am I supposed to do under God's view ? And I am imbued with creative talents . That's not to say that I'm incredibly talented or that I'm gifted . It's just that I have a range of creativity talents I've been able to put into play in my life and in my career , and I'm always about new discovery . So I know part of your show is about the word transformation and I'm always facing a transformation to the next thing .

Tom McManimon 7:20

I was a fine art kid taking art classes . I was a fine art kid taking art classes , 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 architect because I love building things and I studied architecture and then at the last minute you might say in the 11th hour . I changed my course and I was a fine art painter and I love that and as I near retirement I hope to get back to that Wow . But I ended up in the advertising field in the most awesome time in the 80s and I got incredible experiences around the country , around the world , with a lot of celebrities , a lot of great work . And then I joined a band and I'm a drummer . I've written books , I speak , I still draw and paint . So I utilize a lot of my creative skills in general , but especially with your life all of these different aspects and you're not locked into a box .

Alethea Felton 8:33

And so what my audience heard early on was how you've had this career in advertising , branding , storytelling and so much more .

Escaping 9/11 and Career Restructuring

Alethea Felton 8:44

And for you to start off describing yourself as to who you are not necessarily what you do was absolutely perfect , because it started with your roots and your upbringing . And this is what leads me to ask you this , tom , is that , with the dynamic life that you've had , starting with your upbringing , you've shared a bit of what your childhood was like , but how did your childhood actually shape your path into advertising , branding and storytelling ?

Tom McManimon 9:16

You know I love that question . There's a number of influences that I got from my dad and from my mother and from people like coaches that sort of shaped me into yeah , I'm in the right place and this is what I should be doing , at least at this point in my life . My dad was a government lobbyist . He did the room great . He shook hands and rubbed elbows like nobody else could . He was gifted with words , he could write beautifully those influences and he even had a sort of cachet when he walked in the room . He just sort of owned the room . When he walked in the room my mother was the most loving person you'll ever meet and she I was her project . See , there are many .

Tom McManimon 9:59

My brothers and sisters before me were ultimately in their lives , became lawyers . There's four lawyers and a judge and one who works for a lawyer . So if you can imagine the political conversation and law , you know , and all of that , and I was the painter , I mean , you know , I think my father thought that was fun , but what's he going to do with that ? My mother said I got him bud , I got him , he's mine . And so it was a very loving environment , very competitive , because I think I said to you in an earlier conversation , I grew up in an era where everybody had nine , 10 , 11 kids . We had our own ball teams . We had a whole team just in the family , if you think about it . We had a basketball court in my backyard and the entire community played in my backyard . I couldn't get in the games and I lived there . It was very competitive . The dinner table was competitive . So we learned how to toughen up around the edges and be persistent and when things get tough , you just let the tough 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 it was a global ad agency . It just happened to be an ad agency in new york pretty great place to be and I cut my teeth in the bullpen and grew as an art director and and it really helped I had some incredible people working with me , and so their example helped me think about messaging , not about just the mechanics of typefaces and images and photography . It was about the quality and relevance of messaging in advertising , which ultimately , later on , led me to write a book and led me to start speaking and led me to have a message to help people .

Alethea Felton 12:07

I see , I see how that path was was paved even before . What I want to shift into is what are some pivotal moments , so maybe even one . So what is a pivotal moment early in your career that actually laid the foundation for where you are today , that actually laid the foundation for where you are today .

Tom McManimon 12:27

When I left my first ad agency and went to another one , I worked at a tremendous ad agency , became a young art director , got involved in everything , and then I left for another agency and I had a creative director and a mentor there who helped me really understand what's called positioning and helping people carve out their own specific niche and how to compete in my little piece of real estate . I completely changed the way I thought about creativity and messaging . So that was a pivotal moment . No-transcript , everything was perfect . I mean people who say , yo , you're going to experience some troubles in your life . I'm thinking , well , when's that coming Right ? And and you know what awaits you around the corner ? You don't know .

Alethea Felton 13:41

That's right . Life can be unpredictable , no doubt about it , and you had a life-changing , unpredictable event . That's kind of started what I would have to say a somewhat domino effect to that very answer to you never know what awaits you around that corner . What awaits you around that corner . So I'd like you to go back we're recording this in 2024 , end of 2024 . But I want you , tom , to go back to 23 years ago , which was in 2001 , because something life altering really happened to you . That started off as a major celebration after a lot of hard work . So take us back to something that happened September 10th 2001 . And then what happened subsequently , the day after that , started to really change your life 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 was working for was on a high . We were tremendously successful , growing . We worked day and night , we worked weekends . We got into a zone where we were pitching everything in sight and almost winning everything in sight . So we grew very quickly from a small little agency , about 40 million in billings , to 180 million in billings , which completely changed the culture and who you hire and who you're working with and who you get to pitch . So you know , we were tired , we were weary , but we were excited and we were making money and being successful .

Tom McManimon 15:25

And the agency was purchased and , as it was purchased , we had a celebration in the World Trade Tower the South World Trade Tower just the night before 9-11 . And it was really just to witness the signing of the documents and celebrate a new ad agency . It was in the tower because an agency , a client that we served , was the Port Authority of New York , new Jersey , and so they gave us a space to work with any time we were there and meet with them , of course , but also for other reasons . So we had a sort of satellite office in the tower , office in the tower . And so we were there late in the day , into the evening , celebrating , you know , toasting glasses , and saying we didn't even really know those of us who were management of the agency . What would that mean ? The next day , were we out of the job ? We had no idea what was going to happen only hours later . And , of course , what happened hours later was , you know , the global attack on the United States and the towers .

Tom McManimon 16:26

I never , ever I'm getting the chills just telling you about this never would have expected that they would be , you know , would come down Right , and so I knew clients , I knew friends , I lost the space to work and ultimately lost the job . The agency that we had , that was purchased , was still purchased , but they essentially said 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 have been there that morning ? Who am I to be only hours away from that kind of , you know , loss of life ? You know , there's many , many people who missed even just getting in on time that day , right , and so it clearly just shook me up and I didn't realize it for years how much it shook me up .

Alethea Felton 17:22

So a quick clarifying question . Although you weren't there on the day of , I think that your story is still so powerful because we hear stories of people who either were supposed to have been and weren't , or a case like yours nobody thinks about the people who were there just the night before and knowing that they weren't going to be there the next day because we 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 learned

Health Crisis and Medical Nightmare

Alethea Felton 18:01

there was an attack ? And how did you process or feel that in the moment ? Or were you just trying to make sense of everything ?

Tom McManimon 18:13

The exact moment in my , in my agency , I had a television in my office and no one else did I think about it . I mean , you know so . So everyone in the in the building came to my big giant office to see what was going on . A colleague of mine had been in New Mexico to visit parents and he saw it on the news and called me and said just turn on your TV right now . And I was getting started a little bit late because we had a late night the night before . So I turned it on and we just what , what , what you know , and it all unfolded , you know , not even global news . They watched one by one , by one , unfold , right . And so I just was thinking about and the space I was just sitting in hours before the people that we were with , just hours before the elevator shaft . You know there were three , four different levels of elevator shafts in that building . The second airplane that hit on the South Tower was two floors above where we were .

Tom McManimon 19:22

Oh my goodness , so I had , you know , I didn't even think about , you know , for a good year or two , I would have not , I wouldn't say disruptive nightmares , but just visions of , like you know , flaming jet fuel coming down on me , you know , or the faces , because I'm a really visual person . I remember everything visually Faces of people that I knew that 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 was the beginning of what they called the pile Right and there was a woman who worked for the Port Authority , who was forever wheelchair bound , and we figured well , no way , she survived , no way . And she wheels herself into the meeting . What we were ? We got the chills and we were teary and we were already . We thought we had no tears left , right , and she wheels herself into the meeting . She had been carried all the way 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 job as an agency partner , you know .

Tom McManimon 20:35

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 my own ad agency from my home . And I decided to start my own ad agency from my home , and even that took me a long time to realize . Oh yeah , what I was really doing 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 of compartmentalized all that over here . That was bad , that was awful , but what are you going to do ? You know , this is all about my story , about resilience . Right , ok , the sun rises , you had a good night's sleep . You woke up ? Oh shit , I woke up , ok . So it's all about rebuilding your path forward and that's what I was doing forward , and that's what I was doing .

Alethea Felton 21:24

And I know earlier you mentioned about you know , marrying your wife was one of the greatest choices that you ever made . How was your wife of support to you during that time of you having to deal with the thoughts and the ideas of the fact that , okay , you knew people , you were there and then losing your job ? How was she of support to you during 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 they were young and the oldest was beginning , you know , in high school . So he was all tough and loud and nasty and wanted to go out in the world . You know , in high school , so he was all tough and loud and nasty and wanted to the world you know , yeah and um uh , and so it was really just kind of holding on to what is real and what is solid .

Tom McManimon 22:15

You know and um , I was starting a business , you know , and I worked with an ad agency where there was many , many , many people , many people , and here it was 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 would be more things to happen in the years to come where your wife was really having to be of support to you , as well as others that you knew . And so let's fast forward here , tom , to 2008 and beyond , because you actually started to have some physical health challenges in you , started to have some physical health challenges in you , and I'm going to say this word and and then you can just take it from there in terms of what those years of physical struggle taught you about resilience , patience and perspective , and the word that I am going to say is tetanus shot . I guess those are two words .

Alethea Felton 23:27

Take us to how something that people 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 basketball league and playing regularly , probably more fit than I'd ever been . I hurt my knee so , like many people do , I had knee surgery and had that all fixed up . I went to my doctor's office for a physical because I'm through therapy , I feel great , I'm going to have a physical and in that physical I got a booster shot for tetanus . It must've just sort of been the thing that they were doing at that time , right ? So I didn't think anything of it . Sure , I got a little shot in the arm . By the time I got home , which was only a few minutes away , I had lockjaw .

Tom McManimon 24:21

I mean , I had total frozen lockjaw and that really bothered me Right and then shortly thereafter I had total frozen lockjaw and that really bothered me right . And then shortly thereafter I had a seizure and I've never had anything like that and the seizure was uncontrollably up around my face and my jaw , where it was biting my tongue , my cheeks and my lips , and very , very bad , very ugly , very bloody . My son , who was home from school , rushed me to the emergency room and they didn't know what to make of me Because , first of all , you know , all the doctors think no one gets tetanus anymore . I'm trying to tell them but I'm having seizures , right , and it was really awful . And so they gave me a medication and sent me home and within two hours I was back . I had multiple seizures and completely bit through my cheeks and lips and tongue and it was awful .

Tom McManimon 25:15

So I was back in the ER within a couple hours and they sent me home with another prescription that was a full level , higher level muscle relaxer and we had an appointment scheduled for first thing in the morning , like five o'clock in the morning . So you know , I thought I never had any kind of emergency . So I thought , okay , they're doctors , who am I , I'll go home and I'll listen to them . So our daughter was an elite swimmer and we wanted to see her swim in the championships a couple hours away . So we went , and mostly because I didn't , I felt horrible , I felt absolutely horrible , but I didn't want to be home alone .

Tom McManimon 25:57

We went right and I didn't have any kind of a seizure in front of , you know , thousands of people at a swim arena , but I still felt horrible . Along the way home , keep in mind , I'm thinking , okay , I just need to make it to 5 am , I just need to make it to 5 am and then I'll be with a team of people . We're driving home on the highway at 295 in New Jersey and I have a seizure in the car and I bite right through my tongue . 95 in New Jersey , and I have a seizure in the car and I bite right through my tongue and my teeth are locked through my tongue and bleeding coming down . 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 .

Tom McManimon 26:44

And so , um , you know , we went right to the hospital and I had my appointment and I had suddenly an entire team on me . Like everyone , there was a neuro title , anything was on me and essentially what they did is they shut down my whole nervous system and I was like a hundred year old , laying in bed and I remember everything that happened on the first day . I was there for six days and in the space of six days they ran every kind of test the hospital could run . I had a spinal tap , I had two CAT scans , two MRIs . I had all kinds of drugs in my system . Two MRIs I had all kinds of drugs in my system and by the end of six days I was now coherent . It wasn't affecting me anymore in my system , right ? So they came to me to talk to me and my mouth is all sewn and glued , my tongue is like sewn and glued and I'm all puffy still . So I can't really talk and I couldn'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 members beside me and one of my sisters is a nurse . Does she understand anything they're going to say ? And they say to me as a team , you got , we determined that you got a full load dose of tetanus from a tainted inoculation shot and it sent your whole nervous system haywire . And I'm thinking , you know , hell , yeah , right , it's waned its way through your system by now . So no worries there , you need a lot of healing going on up here . So before we're going to send you home , before you go home , there's a gentleman here from the CDC that needs to interview you because you're a case that needs to be reported to the CDC . And we have a conversation and then I get ready to go home and they said well , before you go home , we have another thing we need to discuss . And I said what's that and that's ? I really didn't say what's that . I could hardly say anything and I just endured a nightmare , an absolute nightmare , uncontrollable pain and discomfort and , by the way , my tongue 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 dangerous looking 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 the basketball court within a couple of weeks , which I was going to do I would have fallen on my face and died , oh my goodness . So I got the chills . I am getting them now , and it's so many years later . I got the chills and you know my family members are in shock as much as I am .

Tom McManimon 29:39

And my mother grabs my arm and my hand right next to me . My mom , you know , she's my bestie and she's rubbing my arm and rubbing my hand , and in that moment I'm thinking , as scared as I am , of what else you got for me , Lord . Right , but it was the oddest , most comfortable thing that I've ever felt in my life , which was my 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 .

A Nearly Tragic Discovery

Tom McManimon 30:12

And I tell you that because for me it was complete reality and my mother had already been passed away 17 years .

Alethea Felton 30:19

Wow , wow . Your mother's spirit came to be beside you .

Tom McManimon 30:26

Absolutely , oh my goodness , it was because I was shocked and scared , but comfortable to say you know , I believe it .

Tom McManimon 30:36

Yes , sir so you know , I didn't want to ever be back in hospital . Now you're telling me I have a brain aneurysm that's about to blow , you know . So we had basically about three weeks to get our wills done , to consult surgeons for me , to get working , you know , taken care of and covered by other people and by my clients , and just to kind of get your ducks in a row for your family , right and um , we consulted with a surgeon that was renowned for doing what you know was ahead . He said I gotta really , though , go full in . I gotta take out your skull and and and do , uh , you know , exploratory and uh .

Tom McManimon 31:21

Another surgeon had a uh , less invasive , uh , approach that would take about two days out of work . That's it . So you would think I would go with that surgeon , and it was a big city surgeon . I went back to the surgeon that I first consulted and I said do you do pipeline surgery ? He said well , yes , I do . You must have been talking to Dr So-and-so I forget his name to be honest with you and I said yeah , 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 your case because it would have given you a very high chance that you'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 , but it's chancy , or we do . You know the open cranial surgery , 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 very difficult decisions because it's your life right . When I consulted with this one surgeon in philadelphia I'm driving home alone , you know I went on my own and it's the longest drive home in , alone in your thoughts . You know what do I do . What do I do . And it was a great decision because this guy says you know , the surgeon he spoke with in Philadelphia was my colleague . I taught him , so I felt really secure about that and I had a 10 hour open cranial brain surgery to 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 have gotten that contaminated booster then you wouldn't have known about 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's funny . Oh my gosh , that's wild . You know , a friend of mine who saw me after the surgery said you know , you said the whole thing about your mom and it's like your mom is your angel . She knew you're the talking one . You're the one that talks endlessly in your family . You talk so much all the time , tom , your mom knew that you had an aneurysm in trouble and she saw to it that you got some kind of affliction that would prevent you from talking . And I mean , you know what ? And that's crazy , right , but it made me laugh hysterically at a moment when I needed , needed , needed to smile and laugh .

Tom McManimon 33:59

And I did you know and you know it was a pivotal , pivotal moment in my life that actually , you know , called on all my resilience . The thing I call you call resilience equity . And where I went from , there was 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 I use the word like in a comparative form . It's like your mom coming to give you that reassurance to me , opened up so many more windows and doors , metaphorically , because she gave you that peace and that calm . But once you had the surgery , you came out like a new person , tom , because that then led to you making some decisions about your own business , life and you made a bold decision to do something specifically to a couple of clients and share that with us

Renewal and Purpose

Alethea Felton 35:14

. And how did that act allow you to rediscover your passion and your focus ?

Tom McManimon 35:21

You know , I recovered at a shore home , a beach house with my wife , and each day I saw the sunrise , I had the best tasting cups of coffee I ever had in my life , I read five books and in about eight or nine days I just decided I need to go back to work . I have this ability . I could take a year off and not work , but now I need to go back to work . But before I go back to work and I don't care what I look like you know I had the whole scars 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 of their life . That's just who they are and I don't have any more time or energy for people like that . Um , and that was just this bold decision that you know I just said you know I'm a very generous guy , but you never know when your moment's up . So I didn't have any more time in my day , in my hours , for people like that . So I fired two clients and I lost significant income in doing that , but it was a restart . The whole thing was a restart for me , you know .

Tom McManimon 36:32

And then I started working and I'll tell you what my good clients became even better . My quality of work became even better and fresher . I , in a very short period of time , felt like I have a book to write , and I used to always think , well , who am I ? I'm going to spend every day of my life continuing to learn . Who am I to write a book to help people learn something ? But I had this book to write and I did , and I self-published and I started promoting it and then I started speaking . Now I've presented to boards and to marketing people for years and years and years , but to public speak is a completely different dynamic .

Tom McManimon 37:12

Your story is yeah and so I went to the very , very best people to to train and , um , I , you know it's really more about for me knowing the relevance and impact of your story uh , what is and this isn't even necessarily this story than it is the mechanics of speaking , because I , I kind of had that . You know that that's easy for me , I have no fear of being on stage . But so I wrote this book and then , um , suddenly I joined a rock and roll band as a drummer and I started playing all this fantastic music that I grew up with with a bunch of guys and I did that for a bunch of years and that was sort of the added , you know , material in my days and in my nights and in my weekends . That was just joy , it was just for me .

Tom McManimon 38:00

I had a second book to write and I wrote a second book on brand positioning , which is a corporate positioning dynamic , and so there I was . You know , I did things I never did before , I never even thought about doing before . I wrote two books , I published them , I started speaking , I started training with the best people and I'm playing music in a band , in the clubs . I really stumbled into this work-life balance , this thing that people always want to find , you know , the work-life balance . And in the middle in between all of that , you know I found , at least at this point in my life , my purpose . So I wrote a story about that , which could also be a book , but I didn't make it a book .

Tom McManimon 38:49

It really is my purpose and I , you know it really is my purpose and I , you know , encourage anyone to kind of really give a lot of self thought to what is your purpose in life . You know , why are you here ? Because there were a number of things that we all , just we just went through for the last 10 minutes 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 have that barometer , I have that direction , you know , knowing the things that I do , the people that I surround myself with . The commonality is my God-given , giving creative talents to write , to draw , to create , to play music , to improve someone's situation or to make the people around me happy , you know , and so I feel fantastic . That was all 15 and 17 years ago .

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 people that 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 all these incredible things that you can tap into when you a crisis . You talk about transformation . Right , how do you transform ? You have a thing called adaptability . How well do you adapt to change your level of persistence ? I'm a totally persistent guy . Be persistent at going forward . I had a boss that I used to complain to about . I didn't really have a good day , things didn't go , I didn't do all the things I wanted to do today . And he used to say , tom , if you move the ball forward today , even just an inch , it's going forward , not backwards . Give yourself credit .

Alethea Felton 40:48

Learning .

Tom McManimon 40:49

You know , we're always learning . You learn about yourself , you learn 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 emotional intelligence . Do I have the emotional strength to get past a crisis and move forward ? I always say if something bad happens to you , whatever it is incredibly huge or just something unfortunate everyone has the right to go ahead and cry about it . Go ahead and cry , Cry today ,

The Resilience Equity Formula

Tom McManimon 41:27

Be depressed or be down . It could be really really horrible , or it could be a small thing . Go ahead and cry , Cry for a day . When I say a day , a day , could be a period of time . Right , and you wake up in the morning and now what are you going to do ? You're still here . What are you going to do ? So you have to decide to be resilient . That's right . And what I ?

Tom McManimon 41:54

I speak about a thing called resilience equity . Like we have equity in a home . Right In your life , you have resilience equity in the sense that you've got a number of lessons that you've learned up to that point in your life . You have key people that are of influence to you in your life . You have your best friends . That you've learned up to that point in your life . You have key people that are of influence to you in your life . You have your best friends that you share every little thing with .

Tom McManimon 42:19

You have coaches that have coached you through difficulty and challenge . All of those moments and all of those people have helped strengthen you , and if you just think about it , you don't even need to tap into any of that yet . But if you just think about that , you don't even need to tap into any of that yet , but if you just think about that , you already start to feel stronger . You know what is going to make you strong to get past what the crisis was and renew yourself tomorrow , and so what I feel really good about as I pat myself on the shoulder , is that I discovered that and it enabled me to renew and reinvent . And so you know my last point . There is what I said earlier you 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 even sure if you realize that you did this , but the way that my brain processes things . It's in acronyms , and I know that you're a public speaker also . But with those whole four things , starting with adaptability , ending with emotional intelligence , it actually is spelled A-P-L-E . It's not Apple , all of the way way , but tom that might be something in the future .

Alethea Felton 43:37

apple formula , because , as you were making each point , my brain was trying to figure out a way to process it and I said I don't think tom realizes that it's not not a p-E , but it's A-P-L-E and it could be some Apple formula .

Alethea Felton 43:53

And so yeah , so , so , yeah , yeah , so I'm like hey , that could be a speech or a book , who knows but that is definitely something you can use because in order to get get to the whole concept of that resilience and and I like how you put a spin on it that is actually helpful . And what I love about the way that you're answering these questions is that there were certain questions I've had that I'm not even going to ask now because you've already covered it in that . And so when you talk , for example , you have a talk that is called Rebound Lessons in Resilience .

Alethea Felton 44:41

And that encapsulates so much of your journey and you've shared some of those key lessons from that message . But what else do you hope that your messages of resilience will do to help empower others who are 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 want to be lazy Instead of doing the work to achieve that's right . So it's so natural . It's a natural feeling when you've suffered a crisis , been through a crisis , and again I say they can be massive , personal , deep , personal crises where 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 depressed and 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 the morning . A new day dawns and and there's tremendous power in just trying to do one thing today that helps you get stronger , and then the next thing and the next thing and the next thing . It's like a person who's an alcoholic it's it's step-by-step-by-step , so you don't don't think about the massiveness I need to achieve to be wholly me again . Just try to do one thing today that helps you be stronger , and then stronger , and then stronger and stronger , and it's a choice . So you know and I say this lightly because you know , I also think about people who lost a spouse or a child or were raped , right , those are massive . Okay , it still is a choice . You have a choice to stay down in the dark shadows or to try to get out , and sometimes that means 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 lessons that helped you be strong . I can't tell you how many times in my life I've had , I've been able to tap into my experience playing sports in high school , so I can still go back to this experience I had . I played football and basketball On the football team . We were awful , we were absolutely awful . I came into a team that had lost 19 games in a row . We just couldn't even score . We were just awful . And the coach had cancer and showed up late for practice and we just were not a disciplined group of kids . My senior year they changed everything . They brought in a renowned coach from Philadelphia Catholic League , new uniforms , new equipment . Everything was new .

Tom McManimon 47:46

We learned from all of that three years of toiling in the mud and trenches how to be even a team to compete to my senior year . We won the league and the state championship .

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 my best friends , we all went through all of that tough stuff together . We weren't going to do that to our class . That wasn't going to happen and we all learned how to get stronger , how to get better at our own individual . You know position . This guy came in and made us a team right and so , as a team , we learned about the competition every week . So every week was a different game plan . You know what is it about that team that we need to expose to be able to beat that ? And so we all learned a lot about coaching later on for our needs later in life . We learned about . You know , you got to keep trying , you got to keep trying . You got to keep trying . It's like I said you don't know what's around the the corner , and sometimes what's right around the corner can be unbelievably exciting . It can be exciting , yeah , you know . Um , I didn't know what waited me around the corner and it was awful .

Tom McManimon 49:04

I can't tell you how many times god , what else he got for me come on , but and there still may be in the rest of my life more of that right but this word that I see so many people writing and speaking about , called resilience , is because it taps into everyone's need , everyone's right . You know mental health , physical health , the stress , stresses and pressures of just living and working today . And pressures of just living and working today , everyone needs to know . You know , where do I find my resilience ? You know . So that's a meaningful topic for me .

Alethea Felton 49:48

Yes , it is , and you know , just so the audience will have more context is that Tom and I met through a mutual colleague friend , so to speak and when we had to introduce ourselves and what we did and how I shared .

Alethea Felton 50:00

I have a podcast and that I'm a transformational coach and a speaker who speaks about helping leaders master resilience and transforming those setbacks into breakthroughs . I love the fact that when I said I'm always seeking guests on my show , tom reached out , and what I love about all of my guests is you will see that I interview men , women , young , older , all backgrounds , from all around the world , and it's because of that common thread . We've all had a story of adversity , challenges and resilience , and you said earlier , tom , that you have a personal brand book , but you also have a corporate brand book , and so there are going to be aspects of those lessons weaved into those books . So if a person wanted to purchase those books or even find out how to learn more about you , 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 is stimulusbrandcom . It's S-T-I-M-U-L-U-S Brandcom . My name is Tom McManaman . There is a contact page on that website

Books and Contact Information

Tom McManimon 51:21

that not only gives a direct email to me but also my direct phone number . You can also see on that page where you can purchase the books . Each of the books are on Amazon . One of them is called the Positioned Player and it's the story of this whole sports and football story that leads into what is company and corporate positioning . It's the one that my brother thinks I should take to the next level , right , and that's what I call a corporate book , because it's business brand positioning . And the other one is called the Stuff that Sticks , and that's a personal branding book . It's a thin , quick , easy book to read and it's an exercise book . So you fill in a number of places where only the answers you put in can only be about you , and you realize at a certain point in the book I am my own unique person . There is no one else in the world like me .

Tom McManimon 52:21

I'm pretty good . So it's not your personal brand , and so the stuff that sticks by Tom McMahon and the position player , by Tom McMahon and the position player by Tom McMahon and 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 I have to bring this interview to a close . But this is my closing question for you In sharing , and I love your transparency about everything . But I was going to ask a different question , but I'm compelled to ask you this as the next chapter of your life comes , and I'm going to hope that it's just as fruitful and abundant as it's been while your mother was there in that moment for you . You shared with me about all of your siblings , but one in particular who left a profound effect on the world and on you . So in this closing question is if that particular brother were with you today , what would he tell you about continuing to be resilient in this next chapter of your life ?

Tom McManimon 53:39

Wow , he just passed away . What would he tell me ? He wasn't as social vocal as I am , but he could lead a room , right , I think he would . He told me boy , I think you've got a good book there , even though it was reading the one position player book . What if you took it here ? What if you took it there ? It can be so rich and rewarding to go visit those places again in your life . Okay , I think you should do it . It's what he told me before he passed away . He , he and I , among the nine of us , are the most alike , because if you give me eye contact , I'm saying hello .

Tom McManimon 54:33

There's no one intimidates me in a room , and he was the same way . So he would just say keep being yourself , because you're pretty great , you know . He would say that you are far better than you give yourself credit for . So that's , even though he would say that I would hold on to my 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 beautiful response and I've noticed that throughout the interview and making reference . Sometimes you say things in the present tense about him and sometimes in the past . But I would dare challenge that even using that present tense is so okay , and even when your mom was with you , because people have the right to have their own perspectives

Closing Thoughts and Tribute

Alethea Felton 55:16

. But I've shared with you even some experiences I've had .

Alethea Felton 55:21

So I know without a shadow of a doubt 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 that you have , and I'm going to continue to hope and pray the best for your life , for your wife , for your children , and that God's protection and abundance be upon all of you . And I just thank you , tom , for gracing us with your presence here on the Power Transformation Podcast . And keep sharing resilience with the world , because it is certainly needed . It has been such a pleasure and thank you .

Tom McManimon 56:04

Thank you so much . It's been a gift to meet you and spend time with you , and anything I can ever do for you . Please keep my number and reach out .

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 , be sure to follow or subscribe , leave a five-star rating and write a review . It helps us inspire even more listeners . And don't keep it to yourself . Share it with someone who could use a little power in their transformation . Until next time , keep bouncing back , keep rising and be good to yourself and to others .