“If we ever stopped sharing Thomas stories, thoughts, ponders, pictures, etc., it would be a sad day! Thomas helped every one of us - whether we knew him or not - become who we are today. His influence is ever present in every coaching conversation, every training, every book about coaching, etc.

My biggest fear for many years was that Thomas would die and so would coaching. I so loved how he propelled coaching forward, gave it so much life, and how he carried such a big vision that included all of us. Every conversation, interaction, meeting, tele class, conference was a blessing for me in that I ALWAYS learned something useful and helpful. Even meeting him at a conference by the elevator. I made a quick comment and he said "I basically hate being with people." I was surprised, but it showed me how despite that feeling, there he was amongst hundreds of people and I tried to imagine what that must have been like for him. It opened up my thinking around things we don't like or are uncomfortable around… so what? It was those quick encounters or the times when he opened his phone for personal conversations that I loved. Asking him a question that seemed so fraught with ambivalence and not knowing and having him respond with a simple word or question or statement that changed everything was absolutely amazing. “

“Thomas was not only an out-of-the box thinker, he took action steps and/or got people to stand behind him. When he talked about 'arranging confidence' I was most intrigued. Whenever he felt that he was onto something but wasn't sure if it would fly, he would connect with his trusted R&D team. The best part was that he really listened to what we had to say. When I complained about the Personal Foundations course needing some help - especially in how it was taught for coaches to use, he immediately summoned a group and we got right to work on how to change it for the better.
More importantly, Thomas once said to me "If you are inspired, you don't need motivation." For me, Thomas was that inspiration. He was fiercely afraid of and disliked talking with groups of people so he created the Millennium Tour where he would have to do that non-stop. I'll never forget when I first met him in person how shocked I was that he wasn't about 90 years old because he had produced so much material. He got a real chuckle out of that.
When Thomas was alive, there was always something to look forward to - a new program, a new way to market, a new idea around coaching skill, a new form for something, etc. He so lived from abundance because he just kept on giving. Sure, we can get into some of the things he did/ didn't do that didn't go over well, but overall, he was a true inspiration that kept on believing and never giving up on what he saw as possible. I loved how he shared some really personal things about himself, showed us personal photos - he kept himself off of the pedestal despite so many wanting to put him there.
Now that coaching is more mainstream (vs. What sport? as we used to hear), Thomas left in place exactly what he needed to and likely what he had hoped for and had a vision of…. I can't imagine anyone creating as much as he did in such a brief time with an office that never looked used!
In my mind, he leaves a huge void/ vacuum because he can't continue to create, and on the other hand, he is always with us because of all that he did create.”- Marion Franklin

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