Episode Transcript
[00:00:17] Speaker A: Hello everyone, and welcome to the it's all for Love podcast. I am your host, Cheryl Mazza, the Healing Dancer. This podcast is all about Michael Jackson and how he continues to inspire love in the world and in our lives. So in this episode, I am talking with Tommy from Orlando, Florida. We talk about his story on how he discovered Michael Jackson and how Michael has inspired him in his life. One of my favorite highlights from this episode is when Tommy talks about Michael's message of love, no judgment, helping each other and giving back and how he was one of the greatest humanitarians in the world. We also talk about how you as a fan can pay homage to Michael by just finding something that you can do to give back. Tommy mentions how he does that in this episode. I'm not going to give it away here, but this podcast is me paying homage to Michael and giving back and helping his legacy to live on and showing everyone who Michael really was and why we really love him so much. So Tommy also does thrill the world in Orlando, Florida every year. And if you're watching this before October 2024 and you are interested in being part of thrill the world in Orlando, Florida, or if you are in driving distance of Orlando, Florida, or want to fly there or whatever, reach out to Tommy and get involved because it is an amazing experience. I know this because I know Tommy. And one of these days I will make it out to Orlando, Florida to dance in this thrill the world with Tommy. Anyway, I'm going to put that information in the show notes so you can reach out to him if you would like to be part of that. I know that he would love to hear from you. If you're watching this episode on YouTube, please, please, please make sure that you like this video and subscribe to this channel and feel free to comment and let us know how you like this episode. If you're listening on any other major podcast platform, please subscribe there. And also, I would really love it if you left a review. I am always looking for guests to be on this podcast, so if you are interested in telling your story and talking about michael jackson with me, please reach out. If you follow me on social media, you can message me there or you can email me at mjdeheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh it's allforlovemail.com dot. That information will be in the show notes as well. So I hope that you enjoy this episode and remember, it's all for love. Hey, welcome to the it's all for love podcast. I am cheryl the healing dancer, your host. And today we have my amazing friend tommy from orlando, florida. So tommy is tenacious, helpful, optimistic, magnetic, manifesting and young at heart. Tommy is a certified high performance coach, certified referral trainer, co owner of the movers and shakers collective and the co organizer of thrill the world orlando. He is on a mission to inspire 10,000 entrepreneurs to build their businesses with love, generosity and appreciation so they can have a business that feeds their family and feeds their soul. His signature coaching program, upgrade, helps entrepreneurs break through to the next level of success on their march towards becoming the mover and shaker they desire to be. I love that. Welcome, Tommy.
[00:03:55] Speaker B: Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. I gotta cut that intro. That was. Anyway, I appreciate you. I love it.
[00:04:01] Speaker A: So great. I love the mover and shaker.
[00:04:04] Speaker B: Yeah, that's right. Always moving and shaking. That's what we do.
Thank you for having me. I'm so excited.
Look, when you told me about this project, I'm just like, where do I sign? I'm in. Let's go. I think I'm just, I love what you're doing here. So I'm happy to be here.
[00:04:20] Speaker A: Thank you. Thank you so much. I'm happy to have you. And I can't wait to talk about our favorite being Michael Jackson.
[00:04:26] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:04:28] Speaker A: So I want to start out with asking you, when did you first discover Michael Jackson? When did he strike you in the heart?
[00:04:37] Speaker B: Yeah, it's, I think everyone has that story of when they, when it really hits, right. So I was, I guess, my first real understanding of who he was and the scope of who he was was when I was in college, we actually studied, I was in like, I don't know, some class and we studied thriller and the effect that it had on the music video industry and I was like, oh, that's cool. Like, that's, I didn't know all of that. And then I started, I came down to Disney and worked at a Trax dance club, which was a seventies and eighties club. First I was going there as a lot as a guest, and then eventually I ended up working there. And that's really where I got to experience Michael's music in a very different environment, you know, than previously. I mean, maybe my mom would have it on in the morning, Saturday mornings when I was a kid, but that's, that was more like, turn it off, I don't want to hear it. Right. But, but this was a very different environment where it was like, wow, this, like, you can really see how it could move an audience. And I. But I think what really inspired underneath that was that certain songs like, Billie Jean would come on. And I remember a guy who was friends with Prince Eric having a dance off with a guy who ultimately, shortly after that, ended up on American Idol.
And it was the coolest thing. And I thought the fact that Michael's music inspired that to happen, and it made me go, like, wow, I'd love to be able to do that. I think that was the first real point where the desire to learn from Michael first hit me. I didn't know it at the time. I was quite young compared to now, but I think that was the moment that, that seeing that, that really struck me.
[00:06:34] Speaker A: That's great. I know. He always has that effect of, like, you first see it and you're like, yeah, yeah. What is this that I'm watching? Who is this person?
[00:06:44] Speaker B: Yeah. And that's the thing. There's a curiosity behind it and, and all of that. And then at a certain point, I decided I was really gonna dig in.
Well, anyway, there's. There's. There's probably more questions you have, so I'll save that. But there is something, uh, there's another layer there, for sure.
[00:07:02] Speaker A: No, go tell us about that for sure. It might lead into another question here.
[00:07:07] Speaker B: Yeah. You never know. Right? So. So, um, I I got to sort of a point where I was like, all right, I need to really get to understand this guy as a performer and his philosophies.
And so I really started to watch interviews. Right. Of him. And the biggest thing was, in high school, I did not dance. I didn't go to prom. I was an awkward band kid. Now I'm just a more outrageous band kid.
And I figured out how to harness that. But at that time, that wasn't the case.
I loved music.
Music, my senior quote, was something to the effect of music whispers in the depth of our soul. And so it was in that experience of working at the dance club. I started to come out of my shell and find that layer of authenticity within me and how much I really enjoyed it. I never really. I kind of just learned how to develop my own style to what I did. Now, some may say I'm not dancing. My husband would certainly say, I can't dance, and that's okay. But I really started to find that, and I could never really explain it. And I watched an interview, and Michael says it was Oprah asking him about why he grabs his crotch, and he goes, I don't know. You'll have to ask the music. And it's just that that's where I was like that. And I didn't watch that interview for several years after I started learning and finding my love of dancing and what a part that played in the development of who I am.
And so I was like, oh, that's it. And I really feel that's when I connected to Michael and his philosophies and really began to understand that he felt, as I kind of naturally did, which is that dance is your body becomes the expression of the beat and of the music. Right. And that it's a very whatever comes to you in the moment, getting out of your head and into your heart and feeling that energy. And it was when he said that, that I was like, I felt very validated, I guess, because I had kind of found that within. And so I think that's really. Well, I initially came to know him through that environment, watching the dance house. But when it really hit me was when I felt connected around that, that very core, and it gave me all the validation in the world to, yeah, I'm actually not an awkward dancer. I feel what I feel, and that's. That's how I do it.
[00:10:12] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. I love that. I love when you said out of your heart, out of your head and into your heart. Like, that's exactly. Dancing is for me, like, even though I grew up taking, you know, all the professional classes and I wanted to be a professional dancer, but dancing really was about just the music and feeling the music and letting the music lead me, I eventually got to a point where I was like, I don't want to do choreography. I just want to do my own dance.
[00:10:40] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly. Yeah. So powerful.
[00:10:44] Speaker A: Inspired by Michael, too. Like, he. I heard him in an interview or some, something one time saying, like, listen to the music. Listen to all the intricate sounds in the music and let that move your body, like, something along those lines, you know?
[00:10:58] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
[00:11:01] Speaker A: Awesome. So how does Michael inspire you throughout your life, or how has he inspired you throughout your life?
[00:11:12] Speaker B: I look at how he took the best people, and there's a quote that he made about it and said, be better, pull from the greats and then be greater kind of thing.
And so I try to live that on a day to day basis.
I do a lot of study in my profession and learning from a lot of different people and then kind of try to pull it all together and maybe make something better or evolve it in some way. So I think that that has guided a lot.
But then I also think that the day to day just comes from. It doesn't really matter what you're feeling for the day, there's kind of a song for it that you can listen to. So some days we are. The world really hits home, and other days it's far more like stranger in Moscow.
It's just very wide ranging. And so I think the beauty there is, even on a day to day basis, the ability to tap into that based on whatever you're feeling. So I'm well known for just having an MJ playlist all the time.
[00:12:25] Speaker A: Same, same.
[00:12:26] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, definitely.
[00:12:28] Speaker A: Nice, nice.
Have you had any kind of, what I like to call Michael Jackson synchronicities, where, like, he just shows up magically somehow? It's whether, like, a song comes on and you're just like, ah, like, reminds you of something or.
[00:12:45] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Well, these days it seems to be more orchestrated. Like, I show up at the, at our clubhouse and people now know, so they put thriller on. I'm like, okay, then. You know, but I think. I think it.
I view it more as in learning, in organizing through the world. We're in our third year, first year had a hurricane blew, blow through right before, you know, a month before, so made it a bit challenging to turn it into what I wanted, but we still did a good job last year. I was way too busy.
Yet here's the thing.
The resources keep showing up.
It's even the very first year that it's like, purely because it's a passion project and how much I love Michael and everything he stood for.
People just come out of the woodwork to help. And so I look at it as, that's the synchronicity, because people, you don't help someone put on a big, huge thriller event if you're not a fan of Michael, which means that Michael inspired them as well. So I look at the synchronicities as when I find those people that are providing resources for a passion project like, this is really where that shows up. And I continue to be amazed at doors that are now opening that I really think are going to allow us to grow into a level that will eventually be the biggest throw the world event in the world on a yearly basis, which is my goal. So I think. I think when the resources show up to me, that's a microsynchronicity, because he had to have inspired them in some way for that to happen.
[00:14:39] Speaker A: Definitely. I love that. Yes, I love it. So what inspired you to start thrill the world?
Remember when you were like, yeah, I'm gonna do this.
[00:14:53] Speaker B: It sounds so selfish to say it, yet there was always something bigger behind it. Right.
I was a mobile dj when I came back from working at Disney, and I like to say I loved MJ. I saw the moves on the videos and I thought maybe, like, would it be super cool if I could get people to do thriller at weddings?
And so I learned it really for the reason of performing it, but really.
And, you know, would some tips be nice for that? Yeah, sure. So that may have been a little bit of the motivation, which is, I guess, the selfish part. I never did get a tip for it, by the way.
But underneath that, though, I always wanted that army of people that were doing it with me. And there were a couple times I did teach it and people would kind of follow along a little bit. Um, so I think that I, I just, I don't know. I always had that vision of how cool would it be to have a bunch of people doing the synchronized Michael Jackson dance. I can't explain why. Um, and then the, the opportunity to learn came in 2007, and then, uh, it took me many years before I kind of saw the capability to actually host a throw the world event. And once I became skilled at hosting events, I was like, okay, I think I can tackle this and, and make it successful. So that was kind of, there was a big gap in learning skills, but it was always there. It was always there from the very beginning. How many people could I get to do? I wanted thriller, flash mobs. You know, that was, that was the thing. Well, if I can learn it, I can teach other people to learn it. And then we can do thriller, flash mobs, and we can go bar hopping on Halloween and do thriller and, you know, because everyone plays it and, you know, that kind of thing. When I was, when I was that age, so that was always, I think underneath it, it wasn't really one particular thing. I just, I've always been fascinated by choreographed, big choreographed dances and the ability to get a bunch of people to do something at the same time.
[00:17:05] Speaker A: Yes. That's amazing. That's amazing. Hopefully I get to do the thriller dance with you someday.
[00:17:11] Speaker B: Yes. Yes. There we go. We're going to do, we're going to try virtual rehearsals, too, so we'll see.
[00:17:16] Speaker A: Okay, great. Yeah, let me know.
[00:17:19] Speaker B: Love it.
[00:17:21] Speaker A: If you had to pick a favorite MJ song, what would it be?
[00:17:26] Speaker B: It's always a hard one, right? Because it really does depend on the mood.
[00:17:32] Speaker A: Everyone said that. It's so true, though.
[00:17:34] Speaker B: Yeah, it really, it really is. I mean, and it also sounds so cliche to say the same ones that everyone else or many people say, yet it does always come down to the man in the mirror. Without question.
That's definitely the favorite. I mean, if you look at my playlist, the number one song, you get an email from Spotify every year with the number one song that you personally played, man in the mirror, blows it up by a mile. So the data doesn't lie. Right. So, I mean, that is a song that will lift you up when you're down and will also energize you when you're already sore and high. I think it's the thing. So that's. That's definitely my favorite.
[00:18:15] Speaker A: Good choice. Good choice. Definitely a very inspirational song for all of us.
All right, how about your favorite MJ short film.
[00:18:26] Speaker B: Or music video? I'm going to qualify that as a short film. Well, it is really.
[00:18:31] Speaker A: Right?
[00:18:31] Speaker B: It was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's close between that and smooth criminal.
But I like, you know, captain IO having the Disney tie in and being very unique songs that, I mean, one of the songs from Captain Eo, you can't even get, except like, the four disc set, you can't play it on Spotify even.
So I really, I really like Captain Eo. And then, yeah, secondarily, probably Smith criminal, which is really more music video, but what's the definition? Right, because they're kind of like two.
[00:19:05] Speaker A: In one because he had smooth criminal and he had Moonwalker. So, like the full length, like, video from that and then there's like, the actual music video, but. Yeah, I love all of that.
[00:19:16] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. I think overall, that's, that's probably got the Beatle.
It was good. I was so glad when they brought it back after he, after he passed away, because I didn't get to experience it originally on his original run, so that was super cool.
[00:19:30] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, I. What do you want the world to know about Michael Jackson?
[00:19:36] Speaker B: Oh, I thought a lot about, about that.
I think.
I think that Michael, it's gonna be super interesting to see when the biopic comes out, but I think it's that Michael was misunderstood.
I think he was very misunderstood.
And don't get me wrong, there's interviews of people now that have said he would do things just to get at the press.
I was just reading a story where he had his bodyguard with him and he had bandage on his nose, and so he went outside and of course, the press goes, and he said to the bodyguard, now watch, they're gonna, they're gonna go crazy with it and say that my nose is falling off. And he said, it's just for allergies that's all it is. I'm gonna put it on there just because that's what they're gonna do with it. And he said, if you want to be, you have to keep intrigue. So he, on the one hand, he kept a lot of intrigue, right.
But there's also a lot of blowing up of that for their own thing. And so I think you have to recognize that he was misunderstood in part because of his success, while also recognizing that he definitely poked the bear a little bit at times with things. But I think there's that. And I think, most importantly, his message truly was to heal the world. His message was love. His message was no judgment. His message was helping each other, giving back.
He's one of the greatest humanitarians. I mean, he did an entire tour for charity, for crying out loud.
So I would think anyone listening to this probably feels the same way, yet it's always important. And I think the other thing is, like, I don't feel like, I guess this is more a message to the fans, from my perspective, anyway. We don't need to defend him.
The more you defend him, the more it gets worse. Just let the legacy stand. Let your example of being love, helping others, rising above the hate. That is what he stood for. And if you are doing that, you are carrying on the truth of Michael Jackson's legacy.
[00:22:19] Speaker A: Amen. Yeah, no, that's beautiful.
And I totally agree, because it's all for love, right? That's all for love.
[00:22:28] Speaker B: We are all one, all for love.
[00:22:31] Speaker A: That's what he taught us, I think.
[00:22:33] Speaker B: And I think there's also that, you know, for the fans out there, find that little thing you can do that pays homage. Right? So, like, um, I like to do pictures where I'm put my hands out with the peace sign, like, at, like you would at the end. Um, and that, you know, I'll do pictures with that. I went to Janet Jackson concert, and, uh, just, like, last weekend, and, uh, which is just amazing.
Incredible. Um, I mean, when scream came on, it's just. I mean, this came over, right? It's just like, you just melt and, um. But, you know, so I did that there. I've done it, you know, World Trade center. Sorry, one world. The name of the tower. I can't think of it offhand, but I did it up there. I've done it just all kinds of fun places, right? So it's like that little. That little picture, that little nod that says, like, hey, I'm, you know, doing my best to do my part to carry on that legacy. And I think. I think if we do that, then, um, history will. Will see things the right way.
[00:23:43] Speaker A: Yes, I agree that, uh, to just. If we can just all do a little bit to keep his mem. I mean, I'm not going to say his memory alive, because that. That's never going to go away, you know?
[00:23:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:23:59] Speaker A: He's such a big energy in the world and will always be.
[00:24:03] Speaker B: Yeah, you. You nailed it. It's the energy. How can you give people the same feeling? You look at his concerts and how people would just faint. Right. It's the energy. It was the amount of energy in the room when. When he was on, and he was always on. But it like that. That is so powerful. And so, you know, when you can incorporate that, that's how people remember how you made them feel.
I believe the reason why Michael had the success he did is because of how he made people feel. At the end of the day, he understood that at a very, very, very deep level. And it was the concerts that just grew that without social media, that was all just that. And you look at this is it. And how fast those concerts sold out.
It really was that. That thing. So can we.
Can we do our best to leave people with the same feeling that he had on people in the concerts and such? Then again, you've truly carried that on.
[00:25:13] Speaker A: Yes. And that is how we can continue to spread his message of love.
[00:25:19] Speaker B: Exactly. Exactly.
[00:25:21] Speaker A: In the world.
[00:25:21] Speaker B: There's a feeling always. Yes.
I love it.
[00:25:26] Speaker A: I know I could talk all day. Is there anything else that you would like to say about Michael or the impact on you?
[00:25:34] Speaker B: I think it's funny, I can't even almost put it into words, which I think speaks to the feeling that you get from it.
I so wish I would have been able to see him.
That's definitely for sure.
But, no, I think just gonna keep doing my part to share and grow and make sure that legacy doesn't. Legacies never die, but you carry it on as strong as you can and support others who are doing that, too. I think that's important. And, you know, about Michael in particular.
I think the one thing is, I wish I could have just been a friend.
I think Michael needed a friend, and I don't think he had very many.
I think so many people were just trying to get something from him. And there's just that part of me that wishes goshen, you know, if he just needed someone really could truly see him as a person, not the superstar. That's really what he needed. And so I try to keep that in mind also when looking at, I don't know, day to day. Right. How do you model that?
[00:27:00] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:02] Speaker B: That's good.
[00:27:04] Speaker A: Yeah.
Well, tell us how we can find you, you know, for your business, but also for thrill the world.
[00:27:15] Speaker B: Yeah. Throw the world so well, I think. I think the first thing is to understand, let's focus on thrill the world for sure.
And reason I say that is anyone, anyone, every single person has the capability to start a thrill the world in their city. If you don't have one, you can create one. I know you're smiling because we've talked about it, right? But I really, I really, really, really hope that people listening, if there is any inkling of the idea of people coming together and doing thriller at the same time, if you have any interest at all, go to thrilltheworld.com, comma, which is the global site, and get registered. Reach out. There's a community. The community manager is fantastic. She's very fast to respond and it literally, you can have one other person over to your house, record yourself at 06:00 p.m. eastern time on October 26 and submit that video and you will be included in the global throw the world video for that year.
It only takes one person.
It really does.
If you're inspired by him and you want to do your part to carry it on, go to the website and get plugged in. We will help you.
I'll also say I mentioned Zoom, you know, reach out to me. We'll find a way to get you involved so you can learn the dance and help in whatever way we can. And like I said, there's a community around it. So please, if you want to host in your own city, go to thrill. Thrilltherorld.com dot. And then for ours it's thrillorlando.com is our link tree.
So you can, you know, if you're around Orlando, honestly, if you are in driving distance to Orlando, we have had people come from Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tampa, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, all over the state. And that's the magic is you don't have to alone because it has name recognition. So anyway, so you're welcome to join us, thrillorlando.com. and we're going to have rehearsals in person and hopefully do hybrid also have online available and then we'll be together for the main event on October 26. So I just say that I think go there and get plugged in and you know, for some, my contact information should be on there. My other website personally is welive higherlevel.com dot. That's the movers at Shakers collective link Tree. And that's got, you know, you can book a call or join our Facebook group or whatever you want to do. Right?
[00:30:05] Speaker A: So, yeah, I'll put all that in the show notes, too. So fantastic.
[00:30:09] Speaker B: Good, good, good. Actually, more organizers, more organizers, more organizers.
And I think just to. I want to beat the proverbial dead horse, but I am so surprised at how many people are like, oh, my God, that's so cool. I want to do it. All you got to do is talk to people about it. And, you know, like I said, the resources show up, right? So just talk to people about it. It's not nearly as hard as you think.
[00:30:41] Speaker A: I'm going to talk to you more about it because we're going to have New Jersey coming soon.
[00:30:45] Speaker B: Let's go. Yes.
[00:30:48] Speaker A: And I need to start it, so there you go.
[00:30:51] Speaker B: Awesome. Especially with this. I mean. Absolutely. And let's get you plugged into the community, and you're going to have a lot of stories to share, so.
[00:31:00] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, thank you so much, Tommy.
[00:31:02] Speaker B: Yeah, you're welcome. Thank you so much for having me. I am looking forward to helping you have more guests and anything I can do to help, just let me know.
[00:31:12] Speaker A: I sure will. All right. Bye, everyone.
[00:31:16] Speaker B: Bye.
