308: Soulful Advice for Navigating Business Launches and Career Transitions with Confidently CEO, Tom Austin

In episode 308 of Moxielicious®, I speak with Tom Austin, the co-founder and CEO of Confidently. The Confidently app makes coaching fun, easy, and effective for both individuals and organizations who have the ability to access a variety of science-backed tools to cultivate mental fitness. Tom is also a former co-founder of AND1, a brand that grew famous for its trash-talk T-shirts and was a cultural movement in the late 1990's and early 2000's. It was so popular that hundreds of athletes tattooed the logo on their bodies, and Netflix has a documentary about this movement coming out in 2021. While I invite most guests onto the podcast, when my partner, Stephen, showed me the pitch Tom's PR company sent, it was an immediate yes for me. Not only was I super intrigued by the design of the Confidently app, but I could sense Tom would have an awesome story and wise recommendations on a variety of subjects at the intersections of developmental psychology, creativity, storytelling, and entrepreneurship. And as you'll hear in this episode, my gut was spot on. While unapologetically celebrating his successes, Tom also pulls back the curtains to describe his multiple pivots. He acknowledges that women have a much harder time being multi-passionate and accounting for career interruptions. And throughout our interview, he provides whip-smart recommendations on a variety of subjects, such as: What the Confidently app is, who it's designed for, and how it's democratizing who has access to coaching Why Tom repeatedly decided to "begin again" rather than get 10% better at something he already knew or mastered Why "Is it soul satisfying?" and "Am I productive to society?" are great questions for gauging meaningful work and future opportunities How to know when it's the right time to make a sharp right turn in your career or launch a new venture (Tom is super honest about not leaping until you have secured a net.) The mindset and strategies to activate your network to support you and your endeavors (I absolutely love Tom's recommendations for how to conduct a strengths audit, sculpt a powerful narrative, and approach the people in your network – as well as the value of "weak ties".) Resources Mentioned in This Episode:   Save $500 and apply early to the Moxielicious® Mastermind. Learn more about the Confidently app here. Listen to Moxielicious® episode 103 to identify your personal Board of Advisors. Please leave a review and subscribe to Moxielicious via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify, so you never miss an episode!