I don’t say this lightly: I listen to Eric Thomas every single day.
Not because it’s trendy. Not because I need a hype video to feel something. But because there’s something about him — his story, his voice, his truth — that hits me in the chest in a way most people never will.
Eric Thomas isn’t just “motivational.” He’s real. He’s lived what he talks about. And that’s why I love him. That’s why I trust him. That’s why, when I’m tired, distracted, doubting myself, or feeling like life is trying to humble me again… I press play.
I Love Him Because He Came From Nothing… and Still Became Everything
Most people see Eric Thomas now and think: world-renowned speaker, author, educator, consultant, Ph.D., stages, lights, crowds, success.
But that’s not where he started.
He was born in Chicago and raised in Detroit, and his early life wasn’t some polished “I struggled a bit” story. It was hard. He dropped out of high school. He was homeless for two years. He was out there surviving — no safety net, no plan, no guarantee that things would ever change.
And that’s the part that inspires me the most.
Because he didn’t get handed a miracle. He didn’t get lucky. He didn’t wake up one day and suddenly become a different person.
He got challenged. He got called higher. And he decided to rise.
The Turning Point That Still Gives Me Chills
One of the reasons I respect Eric Thomas so much is because he’s honest about how change really happens.
He credits a pastor and an evangelist team who met him during his homeless years — people who saw something in him when he probably couldn’t see it in himself. They pushed him toward getting his GED and going after education, not as a “nice idea,” but as a lifeline.
That moment matters to me because it reminds me of something simple:
Sometimes all it takes is one person, one conversation, one wake-up call… and your whole life can shift.
And Eric didn’t waste that moment.
He moved in with a church member’s family. He worked jobs that most people would look down on — McDonald’s, Olive Garden — and he kept going. He met his wife, De-De, and built a real life brick by brick, not pretending it was easy, but refusing to quit.
From Street Life to a Ph.D. (Yeah, Read That Again)
This is the part that always makes me shake my head like, “How can you not be inspired by this?”
Eric Thomas went from homeless and a high school dropout… to earning a Ph.D.
He attended Oakwood University in Alabama. He worked there for twelve years before graduating in 2001 — and while he was doing all of that, he was still preaching, still speaking, still showing up for disadvantaged youth, still turning his pain into purpose.
That’s what separates him.
He didn’t just “make it.” He made it mean something.
“Get That Work” Isn’t a Catchphrase — It’s a Lifestyle
People know Eric Thomas for his energy, his raw delivery, the hip-hop edge, the way he talks like someone from your ends — not like some distant, polished guru.
And of course, people love the line:
“Get that work!”
But to me, it’s not just something you shout when you’re fired up.
It’s a reminder.
A reminder that nobody is coming to save you.
A reminder that your vision doesn’t mean anything without effort.
A reminder that you can pray, plan, and dream — but you still have to work.
A reminder that your vision doesn’t mean anything without effort.
A reminder that you can pray, plan, and dream — but you still have to work.
Eric talks about being self-driven — not reactive like a gazelle running from life, but intentional like a lion going after what it wants. That idea stays with me because it’s so simple and so true:
You don’t become great by accident.
Why I’m So Inspired (And Why I’ll Keep Listening)
I love Eric Thomas because his story proves something I need to remember constantly:
Your past doesn’t get to decide your future.
Homelessness didn’t stop him.
Dropping out didn’t define him.
Struggle didn’t break him.
It built him.
Dropping out didn’t define him.
Struggle didn’t break him.
It built him.
And when I listen to him, it’s like he’s speaking directly to the part of me that refuses to stay stuck — the part of me that wants more, not just for ego, not just for money, but because I want my life to mean something too.
Eric pushes vision hard — not just “get rich,” but “change lives.” And that’s what makes him different. He’s not just about success. He’s about purpose.
The Truth Is… I Needed His Voice
Some people have comfort shows. Some people have playlists. Some people scroll.
Me? I listen to Eric Thomas.
Because when I’m doubting myself, he reminds me who I am.
When I’m tired, he reminds me what it costs.
When I’m distracted, he reminds me what matters.
When I’m tired, he reminds me what it costs.
When I’m distracted, he reminds me what matters.
And honestly, I don’t just admire him — I’m grateful for him.
His story is amazing. His mindset is contagious. And his message is the kind that doesn’t just sound good… it changes you.
So yeah. I listen every day.
Because I’m building something.
Because I’m becoming someone.
And because Eric Thomas reminds me to keep going.
Because I’m becoming someone.
And because Eric Thomas reminds me to keep going.
To keep believing.
And to get that work.