Coach. Athlete. Builder.
"A former NCAA student-athlete who spent his career inside the world's most recognized brands — and came back to college athletics to make a real difference."
The Playbook Lab Mission
To provide coaching that empowers you, your team, and department to perform your best — by building culture, trust, and performance in and out of competition.
Two Worlds. One Mission.
Tom Hess is a former NCAA DIII student-athlete who built his career inside some of the world's most recognized brands — Disney, Sports Illustrated, IMG, and Saatchi & Saatchi — before bringing that experience back to college athletics.
That combination is rare. Tom doesn't just understand athletic culture — he's lived it. And he doesn't just talk about leadership — he's practiced it at the highest level.
Career Background
Disney — Entertainment & brand experience
Sports Illustrated / Time Inc. — Sports media and editorial leadership
IMG — Global sports, events, and talent management
Saatchi & Saatchi — World-class advertising and brand strategy
My Sports Dreams — Entrepreneurial sports venture
The Playbook Lab — Founded to bring leadership development to college athletics
Honest. Challenging. Supportive.
Tom uses the principles of Core Energy Coaching™ and the TTI Success Insights® assessment portfolio as the foundation for his work — giving individuals and teams the language, tools, and insight to make meaningful change.
Career Background
Disney · Sports Illustrated · IMG · Saatchi & Saatchi · My Sports Dreams · NCAA DIII Athlete
Certifications & Memberships
People Tom has Worked with
"He addresses our student-athletes with authenticity, refreshing leadership ideas, and lets them engage in an active learning environment. He's an asset to any program." Gina Nicoletti — Associate AD · Centre College
"Student-athletes walked away with usable strategies they could implement with their teams right away. The results were eye-opening." Jennifer Enke — Associate AD · Alfred State College
"Tom's creative workshops were interactive, collaborative, and insightful. His 1:1 connections provided additional value for personal and professional reflection — a window for further exploration towards leadership growth and departmental success." Dr. Brock Anundson — Director of Athletics · University of Alaska Fairbanks
Tom provided insightful and refreshing workshop topics over two days for our joint ECC-CACC SAAC Leadership Conference. His ability to engage the SAAC representatives in thoughtful and interactive sessions was apparent. The sessions were approachable and relevant to these student-athletes, and important to their individual and group growth there and as they return to their schools. I would gladly recommend Tom if you want inspiration for your SAAC’s and student athletes.
Bob Dranoff, Former Commissioner, East Coast Conference, NCAA DII
Ready to work with Tom
Whether you're an AD looking to elevate your department, a coach ready to grow as a leader, or a conference seeking scalable programs — it starts with a conversation. The discovery session is free, focused, and completely tailored to you.