#Hashtag | Jul. 2024
#HASHTAG: BRIAN THOMAS
By Cheyanne Lencioni
ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL
Northbrook’s BRIAN THOMAS is a busy father of two, a lawyer, and a kidney transplant recipient (twice). His book The Privilege Race—A Guide to Overcoming Negative Voices and Influences promises the reader a unique perspective on race and privilege. As a biracial man who examined his own life in the wake of the George Floyd riots, Thomas’s self-help book encourages readers to take control of their narrative and build a bridge between the life they are currently living and the one they want to live. He recently put his pen down to share how he stays current in a busy world.
#ON MY NIGHTSTAND
Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan’s 10x Is Easier Than 2x. Many people see it as a business book (which it is), whereas I see it as a personal read. I have been very intentional within my business and career in making decisions to reap certain outcomes, however that intentionality goes out the window when I get home. My book The Privilege Race is also on my nightstand. I fulfilled a lifelong goal to publish a book, and now that it is happening, I keep it close.
#ON MY MOBILE
What started as a joke within our home has become something I enjoy. When I clean our kitchen, I listen to EDM/techno to give me a bit of a jolt—much like a cup of coffee—to get me through the mundane task. My wife, Amy, knows the kitchen is being cleaned top to bottom when she hears EDM reverberating through our home. She makes the comments one would expect—yet appreciates the clean kitchen. Then it started leaking onto my cardio playlist. Then it bled into weights. Or a quick jolt at 3 p.m. when I’m a bit sluggish in the office. This joke between my wife and I led to us traveling to Montreal to go to an EDM festival (we look forward to getting back!). Next stop, Ibiza!
#IN MY EARBUDS
I follow people like Ed Mylett, Jen Sincero, Mel Robbins, Lewis Howes, and David Goggins. Although I appreciate the entrepreneur mindset they apply, I enjoy how they use that mindset in their personal lives to grow into better versions of themselves. They work at self-expansion so they can expand humanity. I love that notion. The ripple effect of good works. That I may do something that inspires someone else to do something good. They inspire me to be better to my family, my team, my clients, and random people around me.
