Story & Lesson Highlights with Tom Willner of Virginia-Highlands

We recently had the chance to connect with Tom Willner and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tom, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Playing the piano and going for a run. Music lets me turn emotion into something useful, and running clears the noise so I can focus on what matters. Those two practices helped me through cancer, and they still anchor my work today—especially when I’m crafting a keynote or writing my No Time Like Now newsletter. They’re how I reset, recharge, and create.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a speaker, musician, and technology leader who believes in helping people move from surviving to thriving. I serve as Director of Enterprise Applications at Georgia State University, where I lead teams building innovative systems that support thousands of students on their paths to success. Outside of that work, I combine music, storytelling, and insight to inspire individuals and organizations to create positive change.

After surviving cancer, I learned that thriving is an intentional act—it’s about how we use our time and connect with others. That idea now drives everything I do, from my speaking engagements and original music to my nonprofit, Now We Thrive, which is launching the Surviving to Thriving event to celebrate resilience and community. Across all my work, I aim to help people see what’s possible, take small steps forward, and find purpose in every moment.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My parents and my music teachers. My parents modeled compassion and perseverance; my teachers showed me how discipline can transform emotion into art. That mix of heart and structure still guides me—whether I’m leading technology teams, writing songs, or helping audiences find the thread of meaning in their own stories.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
When I was diagnosed with testicular cancer at thirty, I wrote songs to make sense of it. Those songs became a musical, Turning Thirty. That’s when the pain turned into power—when I realized story and music could help others, too. Today I bring that same approach to rooms full of healthcare professionals and corporate teams: we can’t always choose what happens, but we can choose how we respond—and that choice changes everything.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I’m committed to building Now We Thrive and everything I do into something that genuinely helps people feel less alone after life knocks them down. It started with my own story, but it’s grown into a way to connect others through music, conversation, and small moments of hope.

Writing my No Time Like Now newsletter each week keeps me honest about that. It’s my way of showing up, reflecting, and reminding myself—and anyone reading—that progress doesn’t have to be big to be real. Every story shared, every small step taken, is part of the work.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Every song I write, every speech I give, every connection made through Now We Thrive is a seed for something that may not bloom for years. I think about the people who once shared their stories with me when I was struggling and how their words carried me forward. Now, I hope to do the same for someone else.

Building Now We Thrive and the Surviving to Thriving event is part of that long game, but it’s really about leaving behind a community where people feel less alone in their challenges and more hopeful about what’s possible. If, ten years from now, someone says a story or song I shared helped them keep going — that’s the payoff I’m working toward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tomwillner.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwillner/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomwillner/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/tomwillner
• Other: https://nowwethrive.org