Welcome to CORE 10, an off-the-cuff interview series with prominent CORE figures. This week, we invited world-champion surfer, businessman, environmentalist and our most recent ALLCORE keynote speaker Shaun Tomson to answer our rapid fire questionnaire.
Who is the living person you most admire? Richard Branson for his entrepreneurship, social responsibility and because he keeps smiling and loving life. Then there is also my Mom for her faith, hope, optimism and even enduring 3,400 bombing raids during World War 2. Too, there’s my wife whose artistic vision, smile and warm touch light up my life.
Who is the most interesting New Yorker you know? Shaun Osher! Passion is one of the key ingredients to a successful and flourishing life and Shaun translated his passion for music into passion for people, passion for business and along the way transformed so many people to be the best they can.
What is your earliest New York memory? January 1969: walking out of a film with my Dad en route back to South Africa from Hawaii and feeling pure white snow gently fall on my face for the first time.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Win like a gentleman, lose like a man.
What do you consider your greatest achievement so far? Creating the Code that has helped so many people figure out their true purpose in life.
What are your three most treasured possessions? Other than my family that means more to me than anything, it would be my Kuniyoshi woodblock print of one of the 47 Ronin, my Dad’s bar mitzvah cup and my State President gold medal sport award.
Name a movie, book or work of art that changed your life. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. His book came at the right time for me and helped me crystallize my ideas that life is about creating an attitude that ultimately drives our choices which define us.
What’s your greatest extravagance? My 1977 Rolex GMT Master that I bought with my first contest winnings and competed with throughout my career.
What’s your secret talent? Banana French toast that I cook for my beautiful son Luke – when I serve it to him he gives me a big thumbs up and smile that lifts my heart to the heavens.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? “Stoked”, “awesome”, “live by your code” and “always paddle back out”.