Dead at 16? With Thomas Williams

We are often given labels from as early as birth. Thomas Williams’ was ‘gang leader,’ a sentence handed to him during a 6th-grade parent-teacher conference, along with a threat that it would cut his life short. A talkative Williams had low academic inclinations coupled with his biracial identity crisis. The dejected teen studied the success of his peers and made a conscious decision to permanently flip his life’s script. Showing up early and being fully vested in each undertaking saw his GPA soar from 2.3 to 3.5 upon graduating.

After a successful college football stint, Williams wanted to relinquish his NFL dream. He ultimately cast aside his doubts and made it to the big league. After an unfulfilling first year, persistent unsteadiness and a neck injury that dealt the final blow, Williams left the NFL to build a largely successful career motivating and coaching others. He now gets paid to do what he loves most: talking.

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  1. Really enjoyed the podcast this evening. Incredibly inspiring story Thomas…..”Do what you have to do first, so you can do what you want to do later!” This stuck with me and is something I will instill into my 2 young children. Also, “if you just show up, you’ll get shown up.” It’s amazing how certain words can change the trajectory of your entire life. Congrats on all of your success and becoming the man you are today. Thanks to you and David both!

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