Hello, world. Please, allow me to reintroduce myself.
My name is Matthew John Thomas, and I go by Matt. I'm an entrepreneur, experience crafter, and chessboxing world champion.
I was born outside Philadelphia and grew up in the south doing Tae Kwon Do, chess, and soccer. In college, I started boxing and competed for University of Georgia against other schools. I started a charity boxing event series at The Georgia Theatre called Bulldawg Brawl, and became the youngest promoter to sell out the venue in 2014. That event evolved into a 7-figure non-profit called Brawl for a Cause, supporting over 100 causes worth fighting for to date.
Until COVID, my career was directing Brawl for a Cause, and planning worldwide events like the Bermuda Entrepreneurship Summit, Bali's Wildly Woven Yoga Retreat, SEC Excursions Georgia-Florida Tailgate, and countless concerts, workouts, and networking events. COVID cleared space in a big way, making my former line of work fall apart, so my new purpose and path could come together.
Currently, I'm developing a virtual fitness concept called Fight and Flow, which is a fusion of body calisthenics, martial arts, and yoga for a workout that can be done anywhere without equipment. It's been featured in Jezebel and Forbes, and I've worked with lululemon, Anheuser-Busch, and Zoom over the last year of research and development.
I'm partnering with Shannan Slevin as President of WellFests, which serves corporate workforces with daily desk stretching, breathwork, and guided meditation. Our client base and facilitator team is growing, so please reach out if your company could benefit from more mindfulness and movement, or if you feel called to lead others in this kind of work.
Lastly, I've joined the Georgia Followers team as an advisor and equity partner focussed on business development and diversifying their content strategy and revenue streams. If you'd like to advertise to a Georgia-based audience, collaborate on content creation, or contribute to Everything Georgia, let's talk!
I'm grateful for the challenges and changes that COVID brought, and the new direction my career is taking. Thanks to all who supported me along the way, and can't wait to reconnect with the rest of y'all soon!