Great leaders know when to push and when to pause.
That balance sits at the heart of my conversation with former college basketball coach Tommy Brown. Tommy shares how growing up with dyslexia and ADHD helped build the grit that shaped his career but also taught him that toughness alone is never enough. You will hear why empathy is the missing piece in leadership, how putting the team ahead of yourself changes everything, and why failure only becomes real when you stop learning. Tommy also opens up about coaching, personal setbacks, the lessons he learned from his rescue dogs, and how those experiences inspired his message of "Be the Thumb." I believe you will find practical ideas you can apply whether you're leading a business, coaching a team, or simply trying to become a better person.
Highlights:
00:01:15 – How growing up with dyslexia and ADHD helped build lifelong grit and resilience.
00:22:30 – Why empathy became Tommy's greatest leadership lesson after decades of coaching.
00:24:39 – The powerful story behind "flipping the switch" between grit and empathy.
00:36:43 – Why mental toughness and mental health are not the same thing.
00:46:12 – The coaching lesson that taught Tommy to stop complaining and simply "figure it out."
00:58:13 – The personal leadership failure that forever changed the way Tommy leads others.
About the Guest:
Tommy Brown is a former college basketball coach turned motivational speaker, author, and founder of One Heartbeat LLC, a leadership and culture-building organization that has worked with more than 1,000 athletic teams and countless business leaders across 43 states. Over his 20-year coaching career, Tommy earned 389 wins, 13 consecutive 20-win seasons, six Conference Coach of the Year honors, and the 2008 NAIA National Coach of the Year award. His leadership journey has taken him from the Big Ten to small college locker rooms—always centered on one mission: to build teams with grit, empathy, and purpose.
Tommy’s message reaches far beyond the court. After years of studying what separates teams that survive from those that thrive, he founded One Heartbeat to help coaches, athletes, and corporate leaders cultivate mental toughness, teamwork, and trust. His signature Warrior Culture Sessions empower participants to embrace both toughness and compassion as essential traits for sustained success.
He is also the author of Grundy and Sadie: Unleashing the Power of Grit and Empathy, inspired by his two dogs—a rescue Pitbull named Grundy and a Goldendoodle named Sadie—whose contrasting personalities teach powerful lessons about leadership, resilience, and relationships.
Tommy’s work has led to the creation of The Be Grundy Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps young women develop grit, resilience, and self-worth through sports and wellness initiatives, while also supporting animal rescue efforts.
A Chattanooga native, Tommy’s story reflects the lessons he teaches: that real strength isn’t just about toughness—it’s about flipping the switch between grit and empathy to bring out the best in yourself and others.
Ways to connect with Tommy**:**
https://oneheartbeatwarriors.com/
Instagram and YouTube page: @oneheartbeatwarriors
About the Host:
Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.
Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT\&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children’s Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association’s 2012 Hero Dog Awards.
https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/
https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/
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