Meet The Captain
I wasn’t born on a river, but I learned to row early.
When life doesn’t give you a paddle, you sharpen your hands and start carving.
I’m Tom.
Former wrestler, mental health nurse, occasional mystic, reluctant adult.
Raised in places that don’t show up on postcards. Built a life anyway.
Dragged myself through trauma, chaos, marriage, meaning, fatherhood, and back again… Often all in the same week.
The Longboat Self isn’t just a model.
It’s the wreckage I rebuilt into a vessel. A metaphor strong enough to hold grief, love, rage, and joy, without sinking.
It’s the fundamentals of human experience, wrapped in metaphor; something you don’t just understand, but feel. Then use. To row wherever you need to go.
I’m not perfect. Not polished.
But I’ve sat in silence with men who were breaking.
I’ve stood in front of crowds with nothing but bruises and belief.
And I’ve learned how to keep going when nothing makes sense but the rhythm of the oars.
I’ve got the degree, I’ve got clinical experience, but most of all I have lived and through that I’ve learned to translate knowledge that is protected by gatekeepers and jargon.
You’ll find honesty here. Lived experience. A little salt.
And a deep belief that people can row through anything — if they learn to listen to the current.
This is where I row from.
You’re welcome aboard.
But don’t expect calm waters.