This week we sit down with Matt Thomson  - Recent TEDx Halifax speaker, entrepreneur, and children’s book author—to unpack what it really takes to “lead courageously toward love” in work, relationships, and community.

Matt traces his shift from hustle culture and people-pleasing to a values-first life where courage means action from the heart and complacency is the real opposite. We explore how love shows up on an ordinary Tuesday: creating space where people feel seen and heard, telling the truth even when it’s hard, and setting strong boundaries so open hearts don’t burn out. Along the way, we talk ADHD, overcommitting to volunteer boards, and the resentment that builds when giving has no guardrails.

We go deep on the five regrets of the dying and the tiny course-corrections that prevent them—texting a friend you’ve avoided, choosing presence over performance, and admitting anxiety out loud. Matt shares how his firm humanizes hiring with mindful, conversational interviews and a shift from “culture fit” to alignment and contribution, building psychological safety and belonging. We also wrestle with AI’s duality: the environmental cost and existential worry, alongside its real power to clarify thinking, compress admin, and even mirror back a personal North Star—kindness first, creation without fear, connection always.

Matt’s children’s book, “I Love You, I Trust You, I’m Proud of You,” lands the message with heart, and his readings at the Ronald McDonald House reveal purpose at its simplest: bringing joy where it’s needed most. Leave with one clear action: reach out to someone and say, “thinking of you.” If this conversation resonates, follow, share with a friend, and leave a review—then tell us: what fence are you building around your wide-open heart?

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