Tom Illand  00:00

Being mindful of the words that we use to describe ourselves and others, I think is going to make a huge difference. And I'll quickly touch on my own personal preference as to language. So I say I am on the autism spectrum, or I'm a person with autism or I have autism. This is called person first language. I see myself as a living breathing human being first and foremost, and my diagnosis is further down the road. I have so much more going for me like I am a man I am a son. I'm a brother, I am a nephew. I am an uncle. I am a speaker. I'm a coach. I'm an author. I'm an Iron Man, I'm all these things. I just happen to be on the autism spectrum.

Bridget Moroney  00:43

Welcome to the performance RX podcast the ultimate destination for anyone who wants to perform better in the gym and live a better life outside it. Whether you're just starting your journey or you're a seasoned pro. This show covers a wide range of topics to help you reach your potential and live your best life. Each week on this podcast. I'll be bringing you expert interviews, personal stories and actionable advice to inspire, educate and empower you to reach your goals. So hit follow. Grab your headphones and get ready to take your health and performance to the next level. Welcome back to the performance RX podcast. I'm your host Bridget Moroney. And today my guest is Thomas Island, a remarkable athlete and coach who has achieved incredible feats spite facing numerous challenges along the way, Thomas was diagnosed with autism at 13 years old. Since accepting his diagnosis. Thomas has been recognized as an award winning author and thought leader he left his career as a certified public accountant in 2015. To become a keynote speaker, certified human potential coach and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion consultant. He is now the owner of come to life coaching, which is based on the title of his best selling book come to life Your Guide to self discovery. His mission is to empower individuals both on and off the autism spectrum to live the life of their choice. Thomas has spoken at the United Nations given a TEDx talk titled How to come to life and is the only Toastmasters International accredited speaker with autism in the world. He's recently received a Junior Chamber internationals prestigious 10 Outstanding Young Americans award finished five marathons one half Ironman and one full Ironman Triathlon, putting him in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest person with autism to finish a full Ironman Triathlon. Thomas's story is not just one of athletic achievement, but of perseverance, courage and determination in the face of adversity. In this episode, we'll dive into Thomas's journey and explore the lessons he's learned along the way. And we'll also discuss the importance of mindset trading strategies and how to stay motivated in the face of setbacks. So whether you're a coach and athlete or someone just looking for inspiration and motivation, you will not want to miss this episode. Welcome. It's so great to see you, Tom. Thanks for being on here this morning with me.

Tom Illand  03:10

Thank you so much for having me. Bridget.

Bridget Moroney  03:12

Yeah, it's it really is truly an honor to have you here and I'm very excited to talk about your experience completing an Ironman a full Ironman Triathlon, or anyone listening I am currently fighting through a sinus infection and so the good news about this is you guys will get to hear a lot more of Tom and a lot less of me but Apologies in advance for any raspiness or extra throat clearing but yeah, yeah super excited. I mean, what what a story what what an experience that that you had with that. So I guess before we get started, did a little bit of an introduction about your background, your work as a as a speaker and coach but is there anything that you want to share with our listeners about yourself about your background, your your journey, and you know, especially as it ties to the the Ironman Triathlon that you just did?

Tom Illand  04:14

Yes. So in addition to being a Toastmasters International accredited speaker, and a certified human potential coach, I also did finish the full Ironman. And just recently, I filed an application with the Guinness World Records organization, as the oldest person with autism in the world to finish a full Ironman and just about we could go, the application was granted and I'm going to be in the 2024 edition of the Guest Book of World Records for this accomplishment. And aside from my iron man work, I've also recently taken up work teaching my peers on the autism spectrum, specifically at the Ed Asner Family Center in receita, California where I teach dating and Sex Ed to young adults on the autism spectrum. And starting in the spring 2023 also be teaching a job readiness course there to help these individuals find and keep jobs because employment is a very difficult subject for people on the autism spectrum. In fact, over 90% of people on the autism spectrum have no job or aren't working enough hours to make ends meet. And I have experienced in corporate America, I was a CPA, Certified Public Accountant, for seven years before I decided, this sucks, I hate this job, I don't want to be here. So seven years ago, I decided to leave that behind and educate my peers and show them that they have what it takes to live the life they want and wrote a book as well, I'm a best selling author come to life, your guide to self discovery is the title of my book. And it was also translated into Spanish, my mother and co authors fluent, so she wanted to help people who speak Spanish, because we find that a lot of young people on and off the autism spectrum, particularly as they prepare for adulthood are the unknown, if you will, like moving on mom and dad's house, going to college looking for work, they really don't know what's out there, what's available to them. So I'm sharing with them that life doesn't come to you. It's up to you to come to life. Like you have to go out there and make things happen for yourself. So my Ironman was kind of my way of coming to life during the pandemic. And I feel like I kinda prepared my entire life for the pandemic being isolated, making my own fun not having too many friends growing up. And I realized that I had to work off the COVID-19 that I'd gained during the pandemic. Sorry, taking up those triathlons, I'd done marathons before the pandemic and want to one up my life and take on triathlons. So, that's a little bit of a summary of what I'm working on these days. That's,

Bridget Moroney  06:52

that's amazing. I'll just say this, you know, you know, people who know me, they know, you know, in my former life, I was I was an educator, myself, and certainly had, I had a couple of classes that had students with different learning abilities and, and cognitive abilities. And so, you know, deep appreciation and respect for what you're doing, because, you know, as you mentioned, you know, for both individuals, on and off the spectrum there, it is, like, I remember myself, when I, when I graduated from college, it is like you're waiting for life to come to you versus like, take control of your life. So that's, I just think that's just such a wonderful thing that you're that you're doing. And, and so important for so many people, so many people,

Tom Illand  07:39

I agree. And I think too many people are waiting for some kind of miracle to just drop into their lap, or they're kind of doing what others say they should do. Or parents say to your kid, like your father was an engineer, and his father was an engineer. So you need to be an engineer, even though the kid doesn't like or know engineering. So they feel pressured to do something or are not sure what to do at all. And I'm looking to kind of be the mover and shaker in my peers lives, to show them that they should go find something that works for them, have some experience, kind of explore their options, experience, what is and what isn't working for them, and make better decisions based on that experience in order to evolve. That's one of the terms we have and come to life, explore, experience, and evolve. And once again, people on off the autism spectrum need to go out there, see what's working for them, particularly before college because I think too many people are told go figure out what you want to do. And they take a bunch of general ed courses, still not really narrowing down a major are picking something to really excel in. So we need to kind of reverse the process, see what's out there for them first, like go to a job fair walk around the work environments, like when I went to Cal State Northridge and we had the opportunity to tour accounting firms to see what the work environment was like and what kind of departments there were, what was the culture in the company like? So we need for our young people, again, on off the autism spectrum, to see what's out there for them and have them get their feet wet and their hands dirty before they set foot in the classroom. Start taking the courses spending a lot of money and a lot of time before they find out. Oh my gosh, this is not what I had in mind at all.

Bridget Moroney  09:16

Yeah, absolutely. Totally agree. I think you know, again, just in general, speaking about just education for anyone, you know, it is kind of like reverse or in the wrong order for so many people just thinking about how I've taught students from other countries and what you're describing is very much like their experience, they they finish high school, they they go and they explore what's out there, and then they make the decision to do an apprenticeship or go to the universe or whatever it may be there you know, so they're not wasting, speaking from experience wasting and as you've noted, wasting time and money on all these other courses, which I mean listen, I love learning. I was an educator I still educate I learned everyday. And that's beautiful. And that's it, I think we should do. But when it comes to your job and your livelihood, there's a lot better and more streamlined way to get there, as you're saying,

Tom Illand  10:12

very much so. And I found that rather than going from high school to like a huge four year university, I went to a local community college first in my hometown, and found a path that I could actually take gen ed in some accounting courses, I knew I wanted to do accounting. By the time I got to high school, I had my sights set on that. And I took some courses at the community college that were able to be transferred towards a four year bachelor's degree at Cal State College, University. So I had that path all figured out. And I also knew from the get go, that I knew I loved Star Wars and I love was good numbers. I figured I'm going to be George Lucas's accountant, and I set that site, that goal, if you will into motion, and my parents were very, very supportive. Granted, they could have said, Tom, that's a pipe dream. You really think George Lucas is gonna hire you? But they gave me a reality check instead, alright, you want to be George Lucas's accountant, you have to go to college, you have to take these courses, you have to pass these tests, you have to find jobs in the entertainment field. He's not going to hire someone run a high school. So I figured, alright, challenge accepted. And I got that work in I put in the classes, got my Bachelor's in accounting and actually went to work for Disney right out of college doing property taxes for three years as an intern. So I had a three year paid internship actually promoted within the organization to a lead intern and supervising interns and they got their work done faster than ever and the department's history under my supervision. When I literally wrote the manual how to do a property tax return and gave it to them they had fewer questions and were able to get their work done. And ironically, after I left Disney, Disney actually acquired Lucasfilm George Lucas's company. So when I see it retro actively and indirectly I was George Lucas's accountant, having worked for George Lucas's boss in a sense. So I feel like I accomplished that goal like to do felt really good to have that. That kind of feeling. It's like, Okay, what's next in accounting, and I did work at a big four accounting firm Deloitte for a summer. Didn't think that was really for me, I had a couple of temp jobs, I finally got full time permanent employment benefits. And that's a goal I think everybody should have, once again, on off the autism spectrum shoot for full time, permanent employment with benefits. Because part time work internships, temp jobs, they don't usually have the full package when you can have that support, like health insurance or retirement plan, vacation other things that the full time salaried employees get, we need to have those available to everybody. When all is said and done, definitely

Bridget Moroney  12:47

wholeheartedly agree. Well, I guess just turning back to the Iron Man. So you mentioned a few moments ago, you know, in discussing your book, this was you're coming to life. And I know you mentioned you know, the COVID-19 kind of working that off there. But I guess beyond that, like so that is kind of like the the first question I have in my mind is like, what, what inspired you to take on the Ironman because like you said, you were a runner, you did marathons before and there's there's a million other ways to exercise and to lose weight to be healthy, but the Ironman for anyone who's familiar with it, that is that is no joke.

Tom Illand  13:25

Right? And for those of you that have not heard of an Ironman that is 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 26.2 miles of running back to back to back in under 17 hours. And is one of the most difficult tests of endurance on the planet from a physical and mental perspective. And the first I heard about it was at one of Jack Canfield seminars, he wrote Chicken Soup for the Soul books and the success principles, gave a seminar in Los Angeles called one day to greatness. In 2016. I attended that event. And during the event, he encouraged all the attendees to write out their bucket lists 101 Things you want to do before you die. So I proceeded to write mine and thought about some of the his presentations or some of the people he featured. One particular person was someone who had think had cerebral palsy or some other physical disability, who went on to finish his Ironman. And so I started thinking in the back of my head, I could see myself doing an Ironman one day. And so I started doing marathons in the years after that 2020 rolled around the pandemic during the pandemic. November 2020, I heard a story of a young man with Down syndrome in Florida. His name's Chris nichic. He set a Guinness World Record as the first man with Down syndrome in the world to finish that full Ironman. And I started thinking to myself because I was staying home with a pandemic, looking for clients new work and putting on the weight I was eating about maybe one to two pints of Jerry Ben and Jerry's ice cream a day. And I realized what am I doing with my life, I should be doing stuff that Chris is doing. He's not letting a pandemic or his diagnosis stop him. So then I started looking into the Iron Man's more intensely, and my cousin in Illinois, who's a doctor, she has run half Iron Man's and full Iron Man's started talking with her about what to do next. She said start with a half Ironman. So I found a half Ironman near me up in Salem, Oregon, went up there. And granted, I'd only done like marathon training, I did a little bit of swimming in the pool had a basic road bike. So I get into the Ironman. The swim went quickly because it was in a river. And I didn't even have a wetsuit, there were lots of people wearing wetsuits, but I didn't have a wetsuit, I need to save money. But the current made me go pretty quick. I'm on time things go pretty well. Then I get on the bike, I do not have aerobars on my bike, they have those bars where you can lean forward and go much faster. Well, I didn't have aerobars on my bike, want to save money. So I had my hands out in front of me and head up like this. So it was a tough bike ride. I'd done the swim in about 36 minutes, I had about an hour 10 minutes to do it. The bike took me about four hours. It should have taken me about maybe three and a half with those aerobars. And there was a pretty windy day that day. So I had a lot of wind at my head. And then came the half marathon 13 miles for me to do. But I had been eating a lot of energy goo during the bike ride, and it accumulated in my stomach. By the time the half marathon came around, I felt like I'd swallowed a brick. And I figured I got about four hours to do this half marathon. But I don't want to risk anything bad happening to my insides. I ended up walking the entire 13 miles in 90 degree heat. And I finished with seven and a half minutes to spare because they have time cut offs. So you have to do the swim within an hour, 10 minutes, you have to do the bike within about five hours and 30 minutes. And then the whole thing that finish the run within eight and a half hours. So I finished with seven minutes. Just bear with a stomach full of goo. So I did it but barely. I figured I could do a marathon. I could do a half Ironman, but there's a whole lot more to know about your body about your nutrition about what training programs are if you and I had no formal training program prior to this half Ironman, so just winged it. Yeah, winging it. I barely finished in time. So I realized if I'm gonna go for the full I need to really hunker down. And so three and a half months after the Half Ironman, I figured why don't I go for this full Ironman in Texas. But once again, I had no formal training plans still no wet suit and no aerobars. I figured it's flat. By course it's flat run course. Maybe I can make it again. Well, as it turns out, Texas is very hot and humid in October. It's very hot and humid anytime I started to sweat proof. Yes, it's hot and humid anytime. So I'm in the water. It's taking me longer than expected. Got out with about 20 minutes to spare. I get on that bike starting to sweat. It looks like it's flat. But then I get onto this toll road. And there are some significant inclines on this toll road. I'm thinking this wasn't in the race description. I didn't read into the ups and downs of the road. They call it flat, but there might still be some significant inclines. So I'm huffing and puffing up and down these hills. And I also don't have any way of tracking how far I've gone or how fast I'm going. My watch was like a basic $20 Iron Man Walmart watch, and it wasn't doing me justice. So I was going as fast as I could for as long as I could. And about after maybe seven hours on that toll road. Some vans pulled up to me and said, We need to open up the course of the public again, your race is over. And I got off the bus back to the transition area and my race was over. So that was my first attempt at finishing and it didn't work. But I still wanted to finish so I went for another Ironman in this past June in Des Moines, Iowa. I did get a wetsuit. I did get aerobars on my bike. Still no formal training plan. Went for the Ironman in Iowa and this was the first ever full Ironman Iowa. I thought the weather would be on my side less heat, less humidity. Nope. Once again I started to sweat profusely and my cheapo Iron Man Walmart watch actually shorted out on me during the race. And I was literally riding blind. I had no idea when it was time to take nutrition or how fast I was going or wherever the next aid station would be. I figured, just keep going. And I did get a little further than I did in Texas, before my legs just cramped on me, because there were some hills in this course. My legs just cramped on me at about mile 90 out of 112 on the bike. I'm like, Nah, I had, I had a whole I had a whole calvary of trucks haul on me, I was at the very back. There were no racers behind me. I was the last racer pedaling along. And they were just waiting for me to break down and pick me up. And so that happened and I got bussed back to transition. So this is my second failure at a full Ironman. But I was still determined to finish one. So I found another one in September in Cambridge, Maryland. Once again, flat bike and run courses had my wetsuit, add my aerobars this time I had a full training plan, a full fledged schedule as to what I needed to do, how long I had to go how far I had to go. And even did a full dress rehearsal like a full Ironman practice dress rehearsal in my hometown, before I left for Maryland. And I was within the timeframe. So come race day in Maryland. The weather is perfect. No high heat, no high humidity, no serious winds. I have my equipment ready. I have my training program all lined up, I have a good quality watch that would track how far I'm going how fast I'm going. And I'm actually exceeding my own expectations. I was passing people on the bike course. I still had sustainable energy like I could, I didn't feel cramped or tired really. After the bike. I just kept on going. And I had 17 hours to finish. I finished in just under 16 hours. And I got that full Ironman finish at last third time's the charm.

Bridget Moroney  22:09

Absolutely. Oh my gosh. Um, well, first of all, congratulations, once again for that. And I didn't say this earlier. But congratulations on the Guinness Book of World Record title there, you know, you learned a little bit along the way, like, you know, each time you kind of adjusted your equipment, you just did your training plan. I'm going maybe going a little bit deeper into that, like, you know, on a surface level like you know, we kind of talked about what you adjusted, but I guess what else like what do you think were some of the biggest adjustments you made in your approach to that final finish.

Tom Illand  22:41

So I would say it was the first two attempts in Texas in October 2021 and Des Moines in June 2022 I had no formal training plan, I was just kind of winging my training kind of doing it sporadically maybe two, three days a week at best for those but by the time I finished Iowa got the full schedule of what to do I was training five to six days a week and had exact distances and times to do it and I actually like made appointments in my phone Iron Man train do this, this and this every day that the schedule said so my phone is my calendar. And if I have it in the calendar, I'm gonna do it. So the training went into my phone calendar and I made sure to put in the time and the distance each time even going into like the wee hours of the night at times in order to avoid like high summer heat. Here in California it was getting to like 110 At some point so I figured I have to do five hours of biking I better wait till the sun goes down do that well I would say really dedicating my training putting and having the discipline to see that train through because yeah there there were times I felt like oh I can do it tomorrow I'll wait a day. Like no no stay this you want finish this race you have to put it in what in that time your Friday's your rest day, everything else you're doing something so really making that dedication and that effort to train and see that exercise to really train and prepare my body and my mind for Maryland was what needed to be done.

Bridget Moroney  24:12

Absolutely 100% agree like again, I guess kind of you know, the point there is like for anyone like it is it dedication it is like showing up like this gets spoken about or talked a lot about and in the fitness world of fitness industry is like you know, motivation, motivation and to your point like the idea of of motivation always being there is kind of a false hood even even for someone like yourself chasing a dream. There's days where you didn't want to and of course like you mentioned there's that that voice in your head like oh, you know just skip it or do it you know, and and again, to accomplish something of this magnitude it really does take a lot of dedication but also following that plan to a tee. So I guess really quick Did you have some One did you have like a coach or anyone come up with a plan for you or

Tom Illand  25:04

my cousin, my cousin in Illinois, who's a doctor provide a schedule and a training plan for me, cuz she knows about good health, and the best practices for Ironman training, having done several herself. So she was kind of my implicit coach or someone I could consult with, like, what would you say about this particular brand of nutrition? Or what do you suggest as far as equipment here, and so she gave me some wonderful pointers, I also had a chiropractor, who introduced me to a procedure that really increased my stamina. It's called adhesion, the procedure known as adhesion, if you've ever done cupping, where they put the cup over your skin kind of absorbs it like a vacuum. Well, adhesion is like a vacuum going all over your body. So I would have a session in his office, you take this machine, rub it all over my body, it's like my skin has been sucked up by like a vacuum of blisters that cutting might leave behind. So the point of adhesion is to increase blood flow by strengthening connective tissue in the muscles. So I never had adhesion for Texas or Iowa, I had adhesion and training are preparing for Maryland. And it allowed me to go longer and lasts longer, of go faster and lasts longer during the race because my connective tissue was stronger, I had better blood flow, because blood flow tends to be healing and better in bringing in oxygen to the muscles. So I think adhesion was another big step or procedure that put me over the top in Maryland.

Bridget Moroney  26:37

Yeah, absolutely. Especially when you're talking about endurance, sports and things like that, like having that blood flow. You know, like, like you mentioned in the Iowa race, they're like your, your legs cramped up on you. And I've definitely been on a bike ride where I've bonked as well. And it's yeah, it's it's not fun. So So you had your cousin, you know, advise you on, you know, training, you know, nutrition, kind of keeping yourself healthy. And you went through different recovery techniques with your with your chiropractor. What about you mentioned mindset, and you know, of course, you're you're a coach. And so, you know, already, I'm assuming you have quite a bit of a background and in managing mindset, but what else did you do specifically, or maybe even change? Because, as you mentioned in the beginning, and as anyone could imagine, an Ironman or any sort of like, incredible endurance race is not just a physical test, it is a mental test. I, I think it probably a lot of people say it's more of a mental test. I mean, yes, indeed.

Tom Illand  27:41

And from a young age, I've always been a fan of the superhero, Batman, because he's the kind of guy who used his mind to overcome difficulties in his life. And whether it's facing darkness or finding a way to beat the bad guys to save Gotham. So he used his mind to accomplish a lot. And so I decided, I'm going to keep kind of a Batman mentality in my life, use my mind, find some way to overcome the obstacles that I was facing, hey, I call it being the hero in your life and come to life, you think of someone that you look up to, that you aspire to be like that could be real fictional, living or dead, and see what they have going for them. And by the time you go through the process of self discovery, you see that you can be the hero in your own life. So I think of Batman. And I kind of think of Ironman to Tony Stark and full Ironman persona, and kind of put that into the Ironman experience. But I also found some motivation and a good little mindset from another person with autism, who is a professional triathlete. His name is Sam Holeness. He's in England, and he had competed in the half Ironman World Championships. I thought to myself, who I'd like to maybe see if I can get to a full Ironman and finish it before he does. So I went for Texas and Iowa, unprepared attempting to beat Sam to the punch as the first person with autism in the world to do it. Well, after I finished and or rather, I didn't finish in Iowa. Two weeks ago, he finished his first full Ironman in Frankfurt, Germany. So shoot, I'm not going to be the first person with autism in the world. But I could be the first American with autism in the world. To do the full i are the oldest and I actually had to tell the Guinness World Record people I'd like to be the first American. Can you have a title that they said no. Well, how about the oldest person with autism in the world? It's like, alright, we'll take it give us the evidence. We'll put you in the book. So I didn't want to take no for an answer on this. I really wanted to show myself, my peers and the world that someone with a social communication disorder, someone who may have difficulty managing their self regulating their nutrition or their body temperature or sense of where they are healthwise and has had several failures, including the two failed attempts can still persist, can still keep going can still learn from the failures bounce back and ultimately finish what they set out to do. Because people with autism, a lot of their lives have been told they can't do something or have been rejected and fired. And ostracized just for being who they are. They're looking for someone like them, that has made it that has done something with their lives, they're not settling for an ordinary life, they're going for an extraordinary life. That's the image that I'm looking to create. And that's what really motivates me to keep going.

Bridget Moroney  30:41

I talk about this a lot with with my own coaching clients, and just like a deeper why, and I think, you know, like, what you just explained is like, a beautiful example of that, not just, it's for your own personal aspirations. But there's something bigger there for, as you mentioned, for people, your peers in your community. And, and, you know, especially for people like you mentioned, you know, who are on the autistic spectrum, who are constantly are often told no, and you can't, and they face setbacks, and are maybe led to believe that like, well, you know, that first failure? Well, that's it then like, don't try again, and again, and again, I think so many people like regardless of their their abilities, but yeah, I mean, gosh,

Tom Illand  31:31

and I see it a lot with my clients, particularly as they're looking for love or a girlfriend, but they are maybe a little socially awkward, or they haven't found someone who's willing and able to accept them as they are and be patient with them through their difficult times or through a job search, they get a job or they get fired. And then it's like, oh, that's it, I'm done. That was all I've got, or, or even get even getting past the interview process. It's it's daunting for people with autism to sit down answer questions, draw upon relevant experience, if they don't have any to begin with. Or if they did fail, discuss what have they learned and how they bounce back and become better for it. They're not making that connection or explaining what they've learned and recruiters like, yeah, next. So that's what I think are, again, what peers on and off the autism spectrum, need to see that they will have failures, they will get fired, they will have to quit a job, sometimes they may get rejected. But that's all leading them towards something better. They get and it can be difficult to see what hasn't happened yet, or to envision what is to come. But by having hope that better times are ahead, that you can make the change towards something better. That can lead to much better outcomes. And I think it's really a little bit of an injustice or a disservice for some people on the autism spectrum in particular to have college degrees. Like I know, one young man who got an engineering degree, but because of his social difficulties, he had to settle for stocking boxes at a Walmart. That's the only job he could get. Do you think someone with an engineering degree should be stocking boxes at a Walmart? I don't think so either. And thankfully, he did join an organization that did find use of his engineering degree. And he went on to get a job as a computer numerical control machinist. And so there are so many skills, so many qualified individuals, again, on off the autism spectrum that have degrees. But for whatever reason, employers are not seeing those gifts or the potential and the possibilities of what people on the autism spectrum in particular, can bring to the table. They just see someone who can't look them in the eye or doesn't know how to answer questions or just wants to talk about Star Wars all day or something. They see the problems and the perils instead, the potential and the possibilities. So I'm actually working with an organization called the unique labelled project, I'm on their board, to show employers that people with autism have something to offer your organization. They love working with computers, they can do mundane tasks, they're very detail oriented, as these CNC machine jobs often are. So these are the candidates that will help you and your clients,

Bridget Moroney  34:16

I think the word that comes to mind is is empathy. Right and just seeing the common humanity, right, seeing individuals, as human beings who have, you know, hopes and dreams and challenges and but different abilities and gifts and everything else like that. So

Tom Illand  34:34

very much so and that's actually something that the uniquely abled project really focuses on the words we use to describe somebody with a diagnosis. You could say someone has a disability, and employer hears that they're thinking, this conversation just became about charity, or this person's a charity case. Whereas if you say, I know someone who has some unique abilities, or their unique labeled, and the employer say, oh, unique label, tell me more about that. So they're more turned on if you will by someone with unique abilities or someone who's uniquely abled. So the mission or the underlying wish, if you will, of the unique label project is to do away with terms like disability, and make conversations less about charity, and more about change. Because your organization can and will change for the better when uniquely abled individuals are put to work. And that's going to make for better outcomes all around. So being mindful of the words that we use to describe ourselves and others, I think is going to make a huge difference. And I'll quickly touch on my own personal preference as to language. So I say I am on the autism spectrum, or I'm a person with autism, or I have autism. This is called person first language. I see myself as living breathing human being first and foremost, and my diagnosis is further down the road, I have so much blood for me, like I am a man, I am a son, I am a brother, I am a nephew, I am an uncle, I am a speaker, I'm a coach, I'm an author, I'm an Iron Man, I'm all these things, oh I just happen to be on the autism spectrum. That's person first language, then there's identity first language, people who say I'm autistic, or I'm an autistic, those that want to make or choose to make their diagnosis a huge part of their identity and kind of lead with it. Whereas I believe that if we want to be acknowledged and accepted by humanity, we must first acknowledge and accept our own humanity. And if you leave with us saying you're autistic, you can diminish or dismiss your own humanity, or your own, that you are a person and that you have something to offer you are part of the human race. So that's why I choose as unpopular as my point of view may be, I choose to say, I'm a person first, with autism a distant second, or even further than second down the line.

Bridget Moroney  36:59

I don't I didn't realize that's an unpopular point of view. But I, I love that point of view, you know, again, as someone who's who's, who's a coach themselves, and I've just worked with, you know, many different people and all sorts of cultures, you know, all sorts of identities, I guess you could say, again, going back to like what I said, like that, that common humanity, like I'm a person first, because we all have labels, right? And I guess that's your point there. It's like, we all have labels. But at the end of the day, we're also human beings with everything that comes with being a human being not necessarily a question, but just kind of like a theme that has kind of come to mind for me in our discussion, just not just for the Ironman, but just kind of again, just like, your whole, like life experience here is the idea of of support system. You know, obviously, you mentioned your parents from a very early age, there huge support in your life. And then again, I would assume, you know, taking on this Ironman challenge, certainly had quite a bit of support, you know, mentioned briefly some of the the assistance you got from your cousin and, and others there. But yeah, I would, I would love to hear more about how that's maybe played a part in the Ironman challenge. And then again, just like in your life in general.

Tom Illand  38:19

So starting from the get go, right around the time, I was born in Illinois, my mother's sister, that's my aunt was the autism specialist for the state of Illinois. And my aunt suggested to my mother that I might be on the autism spectrum. And my mother didn't want to hear any of it. Like I was her firstborn. She thought I was, like you're mentioning earlier, like I was too smart, or I'm just a genius. Those quarks I have, that's what a genius would do. Well, my aunt actually took me for an informal screening without my mother's knowledge, disguising it as a play date. I'm taking Tom out for a play date. And I'm not thinking twice about it I'm solving some puzzles, playing some games, thinking, Oh, I'm having fun with my aunt. This is nice. Little did I know that I was being screened for autism. And the diagnostic criteria at the time said I had to have an intellectual disability or mental retardation to qualify for an autism diagnosis. And since I didn't have an intellectual disability, there was no autism diagnosis in the mid 80s. But fast forward to the mid 90s, when the diagnostic criteria changed, to where I didn't have to have an intellectual disability to fit the bill for an autism diagnosis. And that's when I got officially diagnosed. And my mother eventually overcame her denial that indeed, autism was part of my life and my family's life because once one person with autism, autism is in the family, the entire family has autism, in a sense, and she had to end up she had to tell me about my diagnosis and there was a time where my my younger sister and my younger brother, they were getting calls from their friends looking at hanging out after school or on the weekends. And one day I asked my mom, Mom, why doesn't the phone ever ring for me. And she had to think on her toes pretty quick. She could have said, I don't have any friends or I don't know how to make friends. But she explained to me that I was still learning how to make friends. And that's when she and my dad sat me down at the table. And they proceeded to tell me about my diagnosis. And I'm like, Well, I don't want to have autism, I want to be like everybody else. And I was so devastated that my brain might be broken, or that something terrible was going to happen to me because of this. I must have cried in my room for about a good hour. Before I, my Batman mentality kicked in, like, what would Batman do here, he would find a way to face the darkness, he would find a way to overcome this, he would go out and face the music so to speak his fears. So I went out of my room and went back to my parents said, okay, Mom, what's this autism thing all about. But from that point on, when we had that conversation, and my parents told me, mind you, I could not accept my diagnosis, until I knew my parents had. And I want to stress that to any parents listening to this, that may have a child with a diagnosis in the family, that that child needs to know about it. And the parents need to accept that diagnosis before the child can in some cases, they need to know that they are worthy and capable of unconditional love and that you love them for who they are. Because I knew if my parents loved me and would fight for me, they would not take no for an answer on gave me services that really set the tone for the rest of my life. Because I see, oh, I'm worth fighting for, I'm gonna start fighting for myself to speaking up when I need or want something. So those conversations of sitting your kids down and mind you, there will come a time where you may have to answer that question or explain to them a diagnosis that's in their life, but you still love them. And your siblings, other family members still love that person too. And those siblings and other family members can actually help. Like my sister really helped me with dating. She told me guys, girls, like a guy who can cook, who can clean, who keeps himself clean, who knows how to dance. So to get dates, I cleaned myself up, I learned how to cook, I learned how to dance. And I got dates, because my sister had the inside scoop. And in return, I helped her with her math homework in return, those kind of give and take relationships. So it starts in the house. Those conversations about who we are, particularly if there's a diagnosis involved, and the family being united. As you move forward, it starts in the household, everyone being accepting and loving of each other. And that is going to continue throughout one's life. Because even in recent years, my parents, namely my mother have still had a little bit of a grasp on me. And they did recently move 1000 miles away, and I'm now here in a condo that they own, I pay them rent every month. But I am starting to discover who I am becoming my own man, building my own brand, finding my own clients, because I did work with my mother after I left accounting, but now I'm starting to find my own work. And she's on the verge of retirement. So sometimes parents as much as they care and love their kids, at some point, they have to release that grip and let their kids spread their wings, because how can they know that can fly if they can't spread their wings? Yeah,

Bridget Moroney  43:27

I love that. I mean, great point about like support is, you know, certainly being there, but also allowing the people in your life who you who you care about to, to, like, as you said, spread their wings and and you know, go out on their own. That's that's also, I think, in my opinion, like a form of support as well.

Tom Illand  43:47

And my parents believed in my Ironman journey as well, granted, I was making enough coaching money to as if they were to like, or use a credit card in their name, I would then reimburse them for expenses incurred in an Ironman journey. So I have the money to offset all my Ironman journeys. And my parents like, Okay, if you have the money, or if you use our family credit card, you pay us back, we're golden. And I'm able to see that through. So I'm not like using my parents money or credit card to live totally freely going around the world doing Ironmans, no I'm keeping a budget, making sure that my coaching money is enough to offset the Ironman expenses. And I make sure my parents are paid in a timely manner. So that's a little bit of financial responsibility, having the CPA background that I can apply, but one thing I really want to talk about, particularly as it pertains to my coaching clients, those that might be conserved, like in a conservatorship or somebody like a parent has power of attorney over them. I feel that is a really big setback or a barrier if you will to one's self determination, independence, freedom, because, like with my experiences, I had to fail I had to sometimes We've learned the hard way in order to make better decisions in the future. Whereas some parents think my kid will never know how to use money. So I'm just going to prevent them from using any at all. How was that kid going to learn the value of the dollar, how to make a budget balance a checkbook, if you still use checkbooks, if you take that away from them. So I really want to encourage parents and young people to have a good conversation about money imagine because parents, you're not going to be around forever. And too many parents, I know, worry every day asking themselves, what's gonna happen to my kid after I die. And there are too many parents thinking like one of my kids gonna live with me until one of us dies. And that's a really sad, but true reality for many people. So we need to prepare and believe that our young people can and will have a good life after our parents pass.

Bridget Moroney  45:58

So how do you when you have clients who maybe are in this situation? Or like you said clients or their parents do? I guess, how do you kind of work through that situation? How do you do? How do you help your clients at this and that way?

Tom Illand  46:14

Well, first of all, so first, I look at what kind of money they have coming in and what they're spending. So get an idea as to income and expenses, using my CPA background, some financial literacy. And as we look at what they're making versus what they're spending, they can see, oh, wow, looks like your expenses are significantly outweighing what you're making. So let's see if we can't cut some of these expenses. Maybe earn yourself like a side gig or some extra pocket money. If you can do both. Even better. But I think showing young people particularly tapping into their talents, even some side hustle like if you were to make something like an art and craft or a drawing a painting and sell that like on Pinterest or something, get some extra money and also say saving that money, putting it aside for like a fun, something big you want to do down the road and you've got some kind of fun you can accumulate, apply towards that or saving X amount of dollars. Every month, I actually went to a financial literacy course. And it actually encouraged like having envelopes with actual dollars like cash in those envelopes, like, here's your utility bills envelope, here's your gas bill, envelope, here's your rent money envelope, so you put the cash into the envelope, don't touch the envelopes until the bills are due. So that's one way that I sometimes approach money management with clients so that they can actually see the cash and once the cash has gone, it's gone. No going to borrow or you have to sell something or find another job or do something to make the money up.

Bridget Moroney  47:49

It's financial literacy for anyone is important. But again, like as I mentioned, you know, having been a teacher and having taught all sorts of different students and people just in general, you know, like we all everyone has a different way of learning and understanding and processing things. So I love I love that approach or just taking a different or unique approach approach there to you know, help people with that turning back really quick so on the on the topic or or note of of managing things Managing Schedules and and everything else like that. And talking about the the Ironman again, you mentioned again briefly like managing your your nutrition and the timing and everything else like that during the race. And I know you kind of brought this up on one of your social media posts, but for people who who have a autism or autistic autism diagnosis there the potential for sensory overwhelm can be can be huge and you mentioned a couple of times like trying to avoid the heat and kind of manage your you know, manage becoming overheat and everything else like that. So yeah, I would love to hear more about just that. In general. Having an autism diagnosis usually involves some kind of sensory sensitivity be it from their external environment or inside their own bodies.

Tom Illand  49:15

So in my case when I was growing up loud noises like fireworks explosions were like really bad for my ears. So I feel like I was in a war zone I cried left and right. And as of late, particularly living in California, excess heat. If I'm not drinking enough water if I'm wearing too many clothes, I might pass out so in being more mindful of my my temperature or if I'm starting to sweat or smell pretty bad that's probably a sign that I should take off some clothes or drink some more water put use more deodorant, things of that nature and also knowing what are my options to cope or adjust accordingly. And on the Ironman course, as I have different sensations like from the wind or In the cold water in the swim portion, having a wetsuit, and being able to have that me It provides a little extra layer of protection and warmth and even better buoyancy like I feel myself being able to float or go faster in the water with that wetsuit on for some, certain fabrics or materials against their skin can be totally intolerable. So they may not be able to handle that wet suit for so long or might have to go without. Whereas if in some cases, if it's required, like a wet suit, required portion, then that that could be grounds for disqualification unless they can really show a medical letter, like a doctor's note or something that says, This person cannot handle like neoprene or other materials on their skin, so they need to be excused. And but for me, I also noticed that I think I have a higher than usual body temperature. So when there's humidity or extra sweating with me, I find I have to really rehydrate and keep replenishing my body constantly. And I actually customized my bike to hold four big water bottles on it at a time. So I have two below my bike seat and two on the back of my bike seat. So I can constantly have liquids available through the entire race. And at every aid station when they're offering that water. I yell take the cap off the water, please take the cap off the water. So somebody takes the cap off, I grabbed the water, I gulp it gulp it gulp it and spill it all over the top of my head to cool myself down and be rehydrated. So I think water I have found is my medicine. I constantly need fresh water. Yes, I have the Nuun tablets in water on my bike bottles. But every now and then a fresh gulp and shower if you will of cold water keeps me going. So I've found that that is has really made a difference in my training and to offset the sweating and the excessive heat that I feel from like an Ironman experience. And also protein bars I found Clif Bars are my go to when it comes to food. During the training, I have also a honey Stinger gummies that I take about every 30 minutes for energy. And I mentioned the Nuun tablets and my water on the bike. And when I run granted, this is what works for me. If you're listening to this, I'm not saying go fill up on Nuun tablets, honey Stinger gummies and Clif Bars, you have to find out what's the best for you what doesn't give you the bubble gum, or pardon the term the runs or something. So you don't have to go to the bathroom as much on the course.

Bridget Moroney  52:48

Hey really quick while Tom and I are on the topic of the nutrition and hydration protocols that he used during his Ironman competition, I wanted to let you all know about something that I've been using for my own hydration and health and wellness routine. And that is Liquid IV. So liquid IV is a category winning hydration brand that fuels your well being and I'm telling you, the hydration multiplier is the one product that you're missing in your daily routine, especially right now it's starting to get warm, we're starting to sweat more, you're losing electrolytes, you need to be hydrated. And with liquid IV and just one stick you're going to get five essential vitamins and it's going to be two times faster in hydrating you than water alone. So you can use it first thing in the morning. You can use it before your workout after your workout. When you feel rundown after a long night out if you know what I mean. And on long flights. Speaking of travel, one of the things that I love about it is the fact that it has very very convenient packaging. So like I said, it comes in these like little sticks here, I throw it in my backpack, I throw it in my gym bag in my carry on, I'm able to take it out, I'm able to pour it into my water and get that hydration that I need. There's no mess. It's not messing around with these big clunky bags or anything else like that. Super simple, super tasty with all the different flavors they have strawberry lemonade is probably one of my favorites there. I'm addicted to it. And you know beyond that, if you know me, then you know that I'm all about companies that stand for something and are trying to make the world a better place. And that is one thing that liquid IV does so they believe that equitable access to clean and abundant water is the foundation of a healthier world. So liquid IV partners with leading organizations for innovative solutions to help communities protect both their water and their future. And to date liquid IV has donated over 39 million servings in over 50 countries. He's around the world. So one thing that I want to offer to you, as a listener for the performance RX podcast is 20% off. So you can get 20% off when you go to liquid iv.com. And use code performance RX at checkout, that's 20% off anything you order when you shop for better hydration today using promo code performance RX at liquid iv.com. So check it out, get some hydration going. Now back to the conversation with Tom. Great, great point there, I think, you know, again, like for, for anyone who's who's training for any, especially like these ultra endurance marathons, or ultra endurance races, like it's, it is a little bit of experiment, experimentation there, like what what works for you, you know, may not work for someone else, and so on and so forth. But, you know, again, going back to, you know, people with with, with different abilities, and just like the thought that just kind of came up like with some of these sensory sensitivities is like, you know, again, it's like, it's, it's an obstacle that just needs to be overcome, where, you know, again, we're, so often people see these things, and it's like, well, oh, well, this is this is going to keep me from pursuing this versus like, as you're mentioning, like just finding a way finding a way to to manage that.

Tom Illand  56:24

Another thing I kind of felt in the water, everyone had to wear a swim cap, swim caps, or at least in my experience, they kind of pull up on my ears or the goggles are pressing against my eyes, and but I realized I had to at least keep my numbers seen. So maybe I can put the swim cap up above the ears or wear wear goggles or not wear goggles, put them above the eyes or something or down as needed. So I experimented a lot with the right equipment. And also, for instance, I had I put the goggles on first and then the swim cap. So if from the friction of the head, like the goggles might slip off and end up at the bottom of a river or something that did happen in my two previous failures. I lost goggles in the water during the swim, because I had them on the outside of the cap, instead of putting them on first and then putting the cap over it. Another thing I found that earplugs extra ear protection, I wearing earplugs in the water so that water doesn't get in when because when you feel that water circling around in your head after the swim that can be a little disorienting. And there was a Oh, experimenting with my wetsuits going back to the wetsuits even I went with what like a like a snorkeling swimsuit or a basic like Body Glove one actually got a really bad rash on my neck, from the friction of doing the laps in a community pool had to go to my dermatologist to get special cream for that rash because of the Body Glove, material wetsuit. And once I found good Xterra neoprene suit, I could go like this and I used Vaseline and Body Glide. So Vaseline and Body Glide on those joints where there's a lot of friction, reduce the possibility of me breaking out or getting a nasty rash. That's that's another sensory activity that some people don't doesn't might get rashes because they can't take certain materials or if there's friction, it gets to their skin. You can't

Bridget Moroney  58:19

as us as we said in the beginning of the of the conversation like you can't just can't go in and wing it. Like there's so much detail, I guess that goes into these races in this in these challenges. Going back to you know, something I saw you post on social media as well. You kind of brought this up people who are on the autism spectrum have just like an incredible amount of endurance there and and kind of it goes unacknowledged or unappreciated.

Tom Illand  58:46

I agree. I think people with autism in particular have very high levels of dedication and determination that they are really laser focused on what they like and want to do. And in a lot of cases won't take no for an answer and given enough energy or endurance, if you will, that they will bounce back or find a way to see it through and there are lots of celebrities and famous world figures that have been on the autism spectrum and and are on the autism spectrum that see their dreams through and make the world a better place like Albert Einstein was believed to be on the autism spectrum. He locked himself in a room for hours or days he wouldn't eat to be so focused on solving the problem at hand. Elon Musk is has identified himself as having Asperger Syndrome that's a form of autism. richest man in the world just bought Twitter and all. If you've ever heard of Greta Thun Berg, the Swedish climate change activist started on the steps of parliament in Stockholm holding up a sign about climate change did this every week, and it grew into a worldwide movement. And I actually met her briefly at a march in Los Angeles. And after the event, she said to me, the rally is over, I'd like to be alone now. So she wasn't very social and didn't want to talk to people after the event, I could understand why her after she'd given the speech and want to do her own thing, but, but that's an example of people with autism, being really focused on what they want to do, knowing what kind of gifts they have, and putting those gifts to good use to make the world a better place. Granted, they might be a little socially awkward, be a little quirky in their own ways. But they still find a way to gather and make a huge following. And people can follow what they do, and become better people for it. So I look at people like Einstein, Elon and Greta, see how I can make the world a better place to be at at the Plaza Family Center, be it with my clients, be it on my social media, someone sees that, like, wow, this guy finished an Ironman, let's see what I can do. Or I'm gonna keep going a little longer, because he went a little bit longer.

Bridget Moroney  1:00:55

Yeah, I talked about this a lot with my, with my wife, again, you know, she works in diversity and inclusion. And we say this, like, this gets brought up a lot in her job. And we say it a lot in our conversation. But representation matters so much for for so many people, you know, again, like there's all different sorts of people out there in the world. And regardless of who you are, it's so impactful to have someone like yourself, accomplish something, and then someone else, you know, someone younger, be like, Wow, Tom just did this, like, I can do it too. That's the beautiful part of of humanity, right? We all have these gifts, abilities, characteristics about ourselves.

Tom Illand  1:01:37

And if you were to tell me so many years ago that I'd be running Iron Man's or being a certified human potential coach or Toastmasters accredited speaker, I may not have believed you. I think that's something that, once again, people on and off the autism spectrum need to understand is that what you have your sights set on now might not be what you're doing 10, 15, 20, 25 years from now. And I've discovered that I've had several changes in tastes, career goals, what have you. So I've had differing walks of life, and to have gone forward with new ideas and journeys, in order to become the best person that I can be. Because you might very well get what you want, like I did with my George Lucas accounting type job. But then when you finally get what you want, you might realize this is not what what you were expecting, or what you had in mind at all. Or it might be a short term, high, or you feel good about it. But then you realize, oh, I actually have to work for a living. Because this is big with, I think the autism community, they love to play video games. So they want to design video games for a living. But guess what, there's work involved in designing video games, you have to analyze the market, you have to write code, you have to provide reports. So I think that's where we give young people a reality check. Help them see that this is what is going to be happening if you want to do what you're planning to do. And then they can decide, alright, challenge accepted, let's go for it. Or, oh, no, this is not what I wanted, or I don't want this, let's go somewhere else. So when all sudden done, I'm a product of my failures. And by finding some way to keep one upping my life, finding the good in a situation, also listening more to what others have to say, because autism actually comes from the Greek word authos, which means self. So I've been kind of self absorbed for a good portion of my life. When I stopped talking and started listening more. That's when I really discovered what I really want to do with my life and how I can really serve this planet. Because I started reading books. After I got out of a four year relationship with a woman with autism. I started reading more books about like, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Here's a big one. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray. I read that book after a big breakup. And then my eyes were opened, I realized I had to be less of a problem solver Less talking, more listening and more being there for people. So that I think was a big game changer for me. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, whether you're looking for a relationship or not. I think that it was really something that can show how different genders different people for that matter, communicate and what they want out of a relationship and how you can be that listening ear for people who really need it.

Bridget Moroney  1:04:46

Like you say, like constantly one upping yourself there in life. I think, again, people regardless of who they are, you know, where they may be in life like that's something that we all should be trying Do I know that's I think that's that's always like my goal is just keep evolving keep trying to to grow and explore well I guess what that said so so what's so what is next for you? Are you going to do more Ironman or listen I live in Colorado and there are some like 100 mile races up mountains here so

Tom Illand  1:05:24

well I'm nowhere near ready for any mountain races at this moment but I am I am signed up to do all of the California Ironman events starting with the Half Ironman Oceanside on April 1 Half Ironman in Morro Bay, California and may 20, half Ironman Santa Cruz on September 10, a full Ironman in Sacramento on October 22. And there's also going to be a half Ironman in Indian Wells in December. So those are five Iron Man's I plan to race in in 2023. Knock on wood, I get invited to the World Championships in Kona Hawaii, through like a wildcard or some other Ironman find foundation draw. If I get invited, I would be very interested in attending that. For 2023. I also will be teaching job readiness skills and sex ed at the Ed Asner Family Center in receita. That's something I have planned. I also will be going to Dubai in April for an international autism conference in April is autism awareness acceptance month at that conference, I'll be discussing law enforcement interactions and people with autism because my mother and I do presentations about training police about autism, and training young people about interacting with the police. So we train both parties, how to interact with each other what to expect from one another so that they can have better interactions and relationships and be united instead of being strangers with each other. So police, law enforcement and autism and other diagnoses communities, we bring them together my mother and I do. I also have my girlfriend staying with me. Until after New Year's she and I are moving forward with our relationship we've been together for five months, we've known each other for three and a half years. And we're doing really well for ourselves. And that's I should tell you, this will probably be big for your listeners, my girlfriend is a little bit older than me, she is also a woman of color and does not have autism. So here you have, for lack of a better term, a neurodivergent and neurotypical person, a white man, a black woman. And she being a little there's been a little bit of an age difference between us. So we really embody diversity, and how different backgrounds different cultures can and do love one other can be successful in that relationship. Granted, we have had some trials, some ups and downs as we've entered this relationship, like I've had many women who are friends. And I've had to keep that in check, because I'm now in a serious relationship. So little things like that, that I am having to look at myself in the mirror. And she's also taking the time to research how she can be better for me, like for instance, sarcasm. Some people use sarcasm a lot. People with autism don't particularly do well with sarcasm, or they may not know when someone is being sarcastic. So my girlfriend read that she cried like, oh my god, people with autism don't like sarcasm, and I'm sarcastic all the time. So, so she said, I'm gonna keep that in mind as I keep her in mind when I go about my day. So let me end more or less on that term that it is possible for us to have relationships when we take the time and the effort to really understand one another. And not care about what other people say or think if you make a connection with somebody, if you truly love them for who they are, and they love you for who you are. That is something to really value and treasure and see where that can take you. Yes, it's scary. You don't know what's beyond the bend, so to speak, or around the corner. Let's see if you can enjoy that journey together and see where it takes you. And how can make you both and the people you work with and are with better people.

Bridget Moroney  1:09:20

Beautiful message there. And not just message but just you're you're living that that message and so many things you do. Thank you so much for being on the show today. Tom, it's It's truly been an honor and a pleasure. And I can't say enough about how much the stories you shared and your experience and just what you've disclosed here is so inspiring and so helpful and impactful to so many people as I'm sure you already know, but just anyone who's listening, I know myself. I'm so inspired just listening to everything that you've shared today as I'm sure anyone you know who listens to this is episode when it airs will agree. So yes, thank you so much. And yeah 2023 Sounds like an incredible year and I guess safe to say the the Ironman bug has officially bitten you? Yes. I for one, as I'm sure so many will be will be cheering you on through all these races, goodness and definitely keep us as posted on on all of these events that you're doing and in any in the future. I guess really quick for people who are listening who want to learn more about you, how can they reach out to you if they they want to talk to you, personally or work with you like what's what's the best way to do all of that.

Tom Illand  1:10:43

So I have a website that I just put into the messages here it's come to life coaching.com It's based on the title of my book come to life. You can also find me on Facebook under the name Thomas Iland and that's I L A N D is like Rhode Island but no s the island is Thomas Iland. You can see me on Instagram at Thomas Iland. I have a YouTube channel I was on I also have a very, very like TED talks or TEDx talks. I have a TEDx talk out there. titled How to come to life you can find on YouTube, how to come to life TEDx talk. And I have a LinkedIn account as well. If you want to follow my professional, social media, LinkedIn, it's Thomas Iland. ch, PC that certified human potential coach. As for accredit speaker, that's the Toastmasters. Right and speaker.

Bridget Moroney  1:11:33

So plenty of opportunities to find you on on the internet and social media there. And, and I think we've mentioned it a couple of times, but you do have a book and you said your mother translated to Spanish as well. So it's and it's also the same as your TED talk, right? Come to Life.

Tom Illand  1:11:50

Yeah. How to come how to come to life as the TEDx talk. And here are those two books again, you can buy them through my website, I actually recommend you go to my website to buy these books, and not Amazon, even though they are on Amazon. If you want me to dedicate it to you or sign it, you have to go through me. I can't send a signed book through Amazon. They'll kick it right back to me.

Bridget Moroney  1:12:09

Nice. Awesome. Well, yes, yeah, please go check out Tom. Toms books is his TEDx talk. And yeah, like I said, we'll be we'll be looking forward to your posts about your, your upcoming events and all of the races that you'll be doing in 2023. And and beyond. Once again, thank you so much. And yeah, we'll see you. We'll see you next time.

Tom Illand  1:12:36

My pleasure. Bridget, thank you so much for having me.

Bridget Moroney  1:12:43

Hey, really quick, before you go, I need you to do one thing for me. If there was something in this episode that you think would be a value to someone else, please share it. For me. My goal is to empower as many people as possible on their health and fitness journeys and one of the best ways to do it is to share awesome information like what you heard in today's episode out with many others, so do me a favor, copy and paste that link, send it to one of your friends, your family or anyone who you think would get some enjoyment and value out of this. I appreciate you for listening. I'll see you next time.