Tom was born in Lancaster, UK. Early in his childhood, he had an aptitude and interest in writing. He was fortunate enough to have parents that supported and encouraged outdoor activities like climbing, camping and hiking, an interest that would continue to grow throughout his life.

In 2012, after living in the UK for 15 years, Tom and his parents moved to the mountains outside of Santa Cruz, CA. The next few years of Tom's late teens and early adulthood saw his interest in the outdoors expand into a passion for environmentalism and conservationism. Trips to Yosemite became a regular pilgrimage, and after spending a few years working full-time while completing community college, he had decided his purpose and career path — to combine his love and skill for writing with his passion for advocacy and the environmental justice by working in public relations in the outdoor industry. 

Tom began his studies at Cal Poly Pomona in August of 2020, in the peak of the pandemic, while evacuated from his home due to the CZU complex wildfires of that year. While he and his family were fortunate to lose only some infrastructure, many in the community lost everything to the blaze. The experience illustrated how urgent the climate crisis has become, and further inspired Tom to pursue a career path that could do something about it. 

In 2021, Tom moved to Los Angeles to complete his final academic year on campus, as pandemic restrictions were reduced or lifted. While there, he built hands-on experience working on PR projects for real clients as part of his coursework, and in the early stages of his career. He started working for a local grassroots alliance of non-profits and businesses called the Environmental Education Collaborative, bringing his PR skills into the real world. 

After graduating in 2022, Tom returned home to Santa Cruz, CA, and began a remote internship at the Ad Council in New York. Here, he was able to build on the skills he had developed during his education, and put them into practice. Working with an advocacy organization that emphasizes a host of environmental and social issues was a great confirmation that he was on the right path.