The Tom’s Life Lab Podcast

In this episode of Tom's Life Lab, Tom shares the lessons he’d pass on to his younger self, an honest exploration of comparison, courage, shame, and what it really means to feel “enough". It’s about letting go of the pressure to have it all figured out, learning to trust your path, and finding joy in progress rather than perfection. Tom opens up about the importance of caring for your body, invest...

Overwhelm isn’t always about doing too much, sometimes it’s about being too much. In this episode of Tom’s Life Lab, Tom explores how the real weight of overwhelm often comes from the pressure to play too many roles. The strong one. The calm one. The one who keeps it all together. When we try to be everything for everyone, we lose sight of who we are for ourselves. But overwhelm isn’t a flaw, it’s...

This episode of Tom's Life Lab is all about those conversations we avoid. The ones that sit at the back of our minds like unfinished business.  Whether it's to tell a hard truth, ask for help, or to say sorry, we often tell ourselves that avoiding the conversation means avoiding conflict, but the truth is, avoidance doesn't make the problem go away. Instead, we sit with it, feel the weight of it a...

In this episode of The Life Lab, Tom explores the courage it takes to make new friends. Most people fear rejection but research shows others are more open than we think. Be the one who follows up, sends the message, and takes the step. Your Life Lab challenge: Reach out to someone you like but don’t know well and invite them for a coffee, walk, or chat. One small act of courage can lead to real co...

In this reflective episode of the Life Lab, Tom explores the tension between authenticity and performance in modern leadership and life. In a culture that constantly tells us to pitch, polish, and promote ourselves, he asks: What happens when we stop selling ourselves and start being ourselves? Through personal insight and coaching experience, Tom shares why overperforming can disconnect us from w...

In this Tom's Life Lab episode, Tom explains why you don't need to fit in to make an impact. The feeling of not fitting in can creep in anywhere. Whether it's the boardroom, family dinner table or group chat, it's a feeling that can appear quietly, but powerfully, and it can shape how you show up. Many of us grow up believing that belonging is about fitting in, but real belonging isn't about samen...

This episode of Tom's Life Lab explores how growth comes from pursuing the cringe. Cringe is the emotional signal that we're brushing up against our edges. It's something most of us instinctively avoid, but if you're never cringing, you're probably not growing. When we cringe, it's often because we feel exposed, at risk, or a bit awkward; however, the leaders that learn to embrace this feeling, ev...

Powerful partnerships are often at the heart of breakthroughs in leadership, business and life. Big leaps forward rarely come from acting alone; they come from leaning into partnerships. Collaboration isn't just nice to have; it's a necessity. We need people around us who challenge us, support us and see possibilities we wouldn't see on our own. Powerful partnerships aren't just about working toge...

In this week's episode of Tom's Life Lab, Tom explores the feeling of being stuck and how to move through it. We all know how it feels to be stuck. When we know something needs to change, but we're not sure what to do next. Feeling stuck isn't a sign of failure; it's a sign something matters to you; however, problems can arise when we stay stuck, and staying stuck is a choice. We often tell oursel...

Complaining feels good. We all get tempted to do it, because it can make us feel seen and validate feelings of frustration, but it rarely gets us anywhere.  Whether it's about traffic, the weather, tech issues or company culture, complaining may feel like taking action, but this act alone won't move us forward, and instead causes us to get stuck in a loop where nothing changes. The energy you brin...

Many of us believe life just happens to us. We react, respond, cope and manage like we are passengers in our own stories. What if we flipped this and, instead, behaved like we happen to our lives? This isn't about control, it's about agency. The ability to decide how you show up, what you focus on and how you respond in any situation. This shift to 'I happen to my life' doesn't need to be dramatic...

We’ve all heard the phrase: You never get a second chance to make a first impression. But how true is it in leadership and life? In this episode, Tom explores the importance of first impressions. From the subtle, instinctive signals people read in those opening seconds, to the deeper trust that only grows over time, he challenges whether we place too much weight on the moment, and not enough on th...

In this episode of Tom's Life Lab, we welcomed leadership expert and founder of Fenton Place, Lee Rogers. Lee shared his personal weight loss story, the inspiration behind his 'Fit Over 40' campaign, and how this evolved into the 'Fitter4Forties' Instagram channel he runs today. He explained how he developed the '5 P Model' (Purpose, Plan, Prepare, Perform and Pursue), a goal setting framework he...

In this Tom's Life Lab episode, Tom explores the myth of finished. This idea that we'll be enough when we're confident, clear and finally 'get there'. When we cling to the myth of arrival, we increase pressure on ourselves. We chase certificates, titles and clarity as if there is a 'final' version of ourselves, but the reality is there is rarely a finished product.  Growth doesn't stop as you work...

Welcome to this week's episode of Tom's Life Lab, where Tom discusses how to manage a challenging relationship. Whether it's with a colleague, boss or family member, if you've ever found yourself thinking, "I just have to live with this" when a person seems unreachable, immovable or uninterested, this is for you.  Whilst it might feel easier to believe you've done all you can, this isn't always tr...

This week's episode of Tom's Life Lab is for anyone who has ever felt like they know they're good at what they do, but they've struggled to get it across to others. You've put in the work, earned your insight and built your capability, but some of those around you just don't get it or, worse, they ignore or reject it. The gap between knowing what you can bring, versus what others are seeing, is id...

Welcome back to the Life Lab, where we experiment with life, work, and all the weird and wonderful stuff in between. In today’s episode, we explore how meaning shows up not in the grand gestures or big milestones, but in the small, quiet moments of life, the ones that often go unnoticed. From late-night sunsets to Lego towers that keep falling over, we look at how to find joy, connection, and purp...

In this episode of Tom’s Life Lab, Tom explores a truth every leader wrestles with but few talk about openly: how we show up during times of change. When uncertainty strikes, the instinct can be to pull back, go quiet, or try to “fix it all” behind the scenes. But real leadership isn’t about perfection, it’s about presence. Tom shares why leaning in (not withdrawing) is the most powerful move a le...

Everyone loves a shiny beginning or a big finish. But what about the bit in the middle? The slog. The self-doubt. The “why did I even start this?” phase. In this episode of Tom’s Life Lab, we’re talking about the hard yards in the middle, where motivation fades, support dries up, and the grind gets real. Tom shares his own mid-journey wobbles (yep, even with this podcast) and why we need to normal...

In this podcast episode, Tom is making the case for asking "stupid" questions. He explains how holding back is often the worst choice, as when we don't ask, we stay confused. By querying, we learn, and so do those around us. Listen to the episode to understand: Why we hold back from asking questions The benefits of caring more about getting something right over looking smart How to get better at q...

In this uplifting episode of Tom’s Life Lab, Tom Emery is joined by empowerment coach Raquel Braganza for a conversation about joy, what it really means, how we can cultivate more of it, and why it matters. Raquel offers a refreshing take on joy as something we actively pursue, rather than something that simply happens to us. Together, she and Tom explore how joy can coexist with other emotions li...

In this powerful episode of Life Lab, Tom Emery sits down with performance coach Rob Tracz to explore the journey from hustle-fuelled burnout to founding Prime Performance Coaching. Rob opens up about the emotional and physical costs of overwork, the deeper motivations behind his relentless drive, and how reflection helped him reset. They unpack the pitfalls of hustle culture, the role of resilien...

In this episode of Life Lab, Tom dives into a habit many high performers quietly battle: rumination. If you’ve ever found yourself replaying a meeting moment at 2 am or over-analysing a raised eyebrow in a boardroom, you’re not alone. But what if this pattern of thought wasn’t a flaw, but an untapped strength? Tom shares a personal story of rumination in an executive setting and explores how the b...

We’re more digitally linked than ever—yet so many of us feel alone. With smart assistants, AI-generated replies, and curated feeds shaping our interactions, it’s easy to mistake constant contact for true connection. But is efficiency eroding our empathy? In this episode, Tom invites us to reflect on what authentic connection looks and feels like, and why it matters. He challenges listeners to embr...

Imposter syndrome affects up to 70% of people (perhaps more) - in this short episode of Tom's Life Lab, Tom delves into this important topic. Inspired by a recent event at the Fletchers Group Female Lawyers Breakfast Network (FLBN), where Tom hosted a panel on the subject - and was the only male in the room - he details his own experiences of imposter syndrome. He goes into detail about where thes...