Ever wished someone would swoop in and give you direction in midlife?
Well, that wish just came true.
Hi! I’m Tom - and I want to help you get what you want in midlife.
Because midlife is for feeling alive.
And I never want you to spend another day in midlife hating your job—third coffee in hand by 9 a.m., eating your lunch over your keyboard, then going home at 7 p.m. just in time to put the kids to bed. Then opening your laptop to catch up on emails, and finally drinking six stubbies just to forget about your day, right before you collapse into bed… only to wake up at 3 a.m. thinking about work.
Then getting up the next day, dreading the monotony of getting on the treadmill and doing it all over again.
I know what it’s like to tirelessly climb the corporate ladder
I’ve been in your shoes—chasing the high-level titles, the dream job, the money, and the success.
I spent much of my late 20s chasing that path. In 2013, at 29, I landed what I thought was my dream job—project managing the construction of a prestigious $30 million sports centre. I was proud to be leading such a high-profile project, but the reality behind the scenes was very different.
The competition, aggression, and constant pressure quickly took their toll. What looked like success from the outside left me stressed, exhausted, and burnt out. Even with the salary and title, the corporate world didn’t feel worth it. Work–life balance didn’t exist—70-hour weeks were the norm. I didn’t feel valued or respected, and I grew tired of the relentless workload, unreasonable hours, and “churn and burn” culture.
More than anything, I was frustrated at how little time I had for the people who mattered most—my girlfriend, friends, and family. The final breaking point came when I was cheated out of bonuses and pressured to act unethically.
I needed to get out of the corporate world. The question was—how?
I know what it’s like to want to get out of the corporate world but not know how
I longed to have control of my life, to exit the corporate world and do something meaningful. But I felt trapped, with no clear way out. I wanted to leave—but how? And to do what? I didn’t know what else to do or what direction to take.
But during that project, I found a cause worth the risk of leaving the corporate world for. I was frustrated watching commercial trade businesses being taken advantage of by builders. I decided “enough is enough”—and I began looking for a way to make a difference.
So after completing that project, The Glasshouse for Collingwood Football Club—which went on to win several awards—in November 2015, at age 31, I left the corporate world and started my own independent business consulting company.
Business consulting became my new purpose—a way to give back by sharing the knowledge I’d gained in corporate construction with commercial trade businesses. By delivering operational analysis, strategic advisory, and implementing tailored change management solutions, I helped these businesses enhance performance and successfully navigate the complexities of the commercial construction industry.
I know what it feels like to be at a crossroads in midlife
Business consulting was a success, but I was beginning to unravel. The problem wasn’t the business—it was me. I became seduced by money and success—fixating on higher day rates, larger clients, and bigger profit shares.
Before long, my life was seriously out of balance. I started to define my self-worth by money and success, and as a result, everything else took a back seat. Physically, I was falling apart. I’d stopped taking care of myself—20 kilos overweight and completely burnt out. Chronic stress had taken a toll, leaving me with severe lower back pain, and years of leaning on alcohol had finally caught up with me—I had developed a drinking problem. Mentally, I was trying to be someone I wasn’t, and I had become another version of myself—someone I barely recognised. The new purpose I once had slipped through my fingers.
Four years into the business, in December 2019, at 35, I hit a crossroads. Something about the way I was working felt deeply wrong. I kept falling into the same trap—chasing more money, more success, more external validation and winding up burnt out. I knew it wasn’t sustainable. I’d reached my breaking point. I had to find a better way of working. More importantly, my physical and mental health demanded it.
So I made the call. I closed the business and took the leap to reinvent myself—and my career.
I’ve been through a midlife career reinvention
I went through a midlife career reinvention. I took a two-month career break as a “time out” to step back and reassess my life. During that period, I began to shed my old identity—the pressure to conform to societal expectations, the relentless drive to climb the social ladder, and the pursuit of money and success. In letting go, I started to see the “blind spots” where I had been getting in my own way and rediscovered who I was. I put my health first, gave up alcohol, and discovered yoga. I felt like a completely different person—full of energy, clarity, and a renewed enthusiasm for life.
I had overcome my midlife obstacles, but I noticed other men in the same boat. Many blokes were facing similar challenges, yet there weren’t coaches out there who truly understood the male midlife experience or had the specialist expertise to guide them through it.
So I set out to provide a specialist life and career coaching service that empowers men in midlife to overcome challenges and successfully navigate midlife. I went back to school to study counselling and psychology, and became a men’s midlife coach.
Men’s Midlife Coach
I connected the dots across my midlife career reinvention lessons learned, the psychology of midlife, social psychology, theories of personal change and observing midlife career reinvention in clients and others. I packaged that knowledge up, filtered it thorough my qualifications in counselling and psychology and translated it into practical steps and tools to coach men in midlife through meaningful life and career change.
The result is that I’ve found a better way of working. I’ve stepped out of the corporate hustle culture and the high-pressure construction industry, and into a more balanced, sustainable, lifestyle-friendly career. Purpose has remained in the front seat and I’ve traded making a difference in the world in exchange for money and success—and the payoff has been far greater than I expected.
Now at 42, nothing is more fulfilling than seeing clients rediscover themselves, put their health first, and find a new purpose—whether that means starting their own business or taking bold, rewarding steps in their careers.
What blokes are saying
Qualifications, Training’s & Experience
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Graduate Diploma of Counselling and Psychotherapy (2020)
Bachelor of Science (BSc) (Hons) Degree in Construction Management (2007)
Advanced Diploma in Civil Engineering (2005)
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Parent Hope Project Parenting Program - Dr Jenny Brown - Compass Seminars (2025)
Key Skills in Family Therapy - Dr Kate Owen - Compass Seminars (2024)
Applying Gestalt Therapy to the Drama Triangle - Gestalt Therapy Australia (2024)
Theory and Practice of Gestalt Therapy - Gestalt Therapy Australia (2024)
Schema Therapy Level 1 - Schema Therapy Training Online (2023)
Solution Focused Brief Therapy - Michael Durrant - Compass Seminars (2023)
Dads Tuning Into Kids Parenting Program Facilitator (Parenting Program Specifically for Dads) - Mindful Centre: University of Melbourne (2023)
The Body Keeps the Score: Trauma, Attachment and Neuroscience - Bessel van der Kolk - Byron Clinic (2023)
Tuning Into Kids Parenting Program Facilitator - Mindful Centre: University of Melbourne (2022)
Narrative Therapy – PDP (2021)
Couples Counselling (Gottman Level 1) - Relationships Institute Australia (2021)
Mental Health First Aider - MHFA (2021)
Family Systems Counselling - Williamsroad Family Therapy Centre (2021)
Agile Leadership: Certified Professional (ICP) - ICAgile (2019)
Agile Leadership: Product Ownership (ICP-APO) - ICAgile (2019)
Scrum Master (PSM1) - Scrum (2019)
Visual Storytelling - Visual Friends (Bikablo) (2019)
Facilitation Skills – PDT (2019)
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Model Workshop – Experiential Therapies Institute (2019)
Body Wisdom Therapy – Pat Ogden - Byron Clinic (2019)
Advanced Counselling Skills – Cairnmillar (2019)
Public Speaking - Improve Your Public Speaking (2018)
Maximising Your Leadership Potential – Melbourne Business School (2014)
Project management, Leading Teams and Manage Resources - Master Builders Association of Victoria (2010)
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Wim Hof Method: Breath & Ice Experience - The Fifth Direction (2021)
HeartMath: The Shaman's Heart - The Fifth Direction (2020)
Kambo: Ancient tree frog medicine to unblock your subconscious - The Fifth Direction (2019)
Reclaiming Your Intuition - Jackie Kenner (2019)
Pellowah Level 1 & 2 - Jeremy O’Carroll (2019)
Reiki Level 1 & 2 – Connect-Balance-Grow (2019)
Vipassana Meditation - 100 hours of meditation in 10 days (10 day silent retreat) - India (2019)
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7+ years Men's Midlife Coaching.
4 years in Mental Health (3 days a week), for Middle Park Primary School as a counsellor for families, parents and students.
4 years in Building & Construction as an Independent Business Consultant, providing advisory services to commercial trade businesses with annual turnover of up to $25M and teams of up to 125 employees.
8 years in Building & Construction, for Rendine and ADCO as a Contracts Administrator and Project Manager. Managing dollars, contracts and delivery of construction projects up to $30m in value.
1 year in Oil & Gas (UK), for Fugro as a Project Manager. Managing ships doing geotechnical seabed testing off the coast of Africa & Europe.
6 years in Civil Engineering (UK), for Balfour Beatty (like a John Holland) as a Site Civil Engineer. Setting out the “line and level” for roads, bridges, runways and pipelines.
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I was born in England, in a small city called Norwich. Norwich is on the East coast of England, about 2 hours drive North of London. Norwich's probably most famous thing is Colmans mustard (and Norwich city football club). I'm a country boy (well, English country).
My parents divorced when I was 5. I grew up half the time on a farm with my grandparents, the other half on a housing estate with my mum and saw my dad every other weekend.
Unfortunately, childhood was on the tougher side. My family had their mental health battles - anxiety, depression, PTSD, autism, attempted suicide, completed suicide, family violence, addictions, and borderline personality disorder.
I've had my own battles with anxiety, stress and depression. See my stress story here
I'm an ex-drinker. I've been sober since February 2020.
I've travelled across the USA, Australia, India, South Africa, and South East Asia.
I Immigrated from the UK to Australia in January 2008, aged 23. I became an Australian Citizen in 2018.
I've been doing yoga since 2018 with Radian Sol Yoga, Yoke Yoga and Disco Yoga
I've sat in many men’s circles (men’s support groups) with the Fifth Direction
I have a team of coaches, mentors, counsellors and psychologists that I’ve been seeing since 2015.
I've read 300+ books on leadership, coaching, human behaviour, psychology, motivation etc. See some of the best book notes here
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