What if the life you were taught to want was never really yours? And what if walking away from it was the bravest, most clarifying thing you ever did? In this episode of the Pink Nest Podcast, Nika sits down with Tom. coach, recovering alcoholic, world schooling dad, and accidental adventurer, for a conversation that is honest, grounding, and quietly life-changing. Tom's story begins in the UK, shaped by all the rules that tell you what a successful life should look like: the career, the status, the social rituals that come with it, including alcohol. For years he followed the script. And for years, something didn't quite fit. It was the decision to get sober, and later to uproot his family and move to Malaysia, that cracked everything open. Not into chaos, but into clarity. What makes Tom's approach stand out is the absence of drama around it. He doesn't frame sobriety as a battle or life abroad as an escape. In his world, intentional living is a quiet, deliberate practice, asking better questions, tolerating uncertainty, and building a life around memories rather than milestones. He calls it living deliberately, and once you hear him explain it, it's hard to think about your own choices the same way. This episode goes deep on identity, not in a theoretical way, but as a lived experience of what happens when you strip away the external markers of success and ask what's actually left. Tom also speaks openly about world schooling, what it really means to raise children outside the system, and the fears that almost stopped him from making the leap at all. "Live your life deliberately." This episode is an invitation to question the script, sit with the worst case scenario, and start building a life that is genuinely, unmistakably yours. IN THIS EPISODE Tom's childhood in the UK and the early conditioning that shaped his idea of successThe role alcohol played in his professional and social world and the turning point that changed everythingWhat sobriety actually opened up, beyond the obviousThe decision to move to Malaysia with his family and what it took to get thereWorld schooling in practice, the reality, the challenges, and why they chose itHow Tom rebuilt his identity and career outside the structures he had always knownWhy asking "what is the worst case scenario?" is one of the most liberating questions you can askLiving deliberately as a daily practice, not a one-time decisionWhat it means to measure a life in memories rather than achievements. Connect with Tom 💼 a2scoaching 📌 Don't forget to subscribe for more impactful conversations like this one! 🌐 WEBSITE: http://pinknestpodcast.com 📷 INSTAGRAM: @pinknestpodcast ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pink Nest Podcast.
