Visualize Tom

Helping ambitious individuals reach their potential, find clarity, and build action plans for personal and professional growth.

Coach

Sharing life-changing ideas that help millions of people improve their lives every day.
Active on Substack, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, X/Twitter.
Cumulated following of 70k+ ambitious minds.

Content Creator, Writer & Illustrator

SIMPLE + HEALTHY

Head of Business & Operations

Dott

Business Controller - Europe

Operations Manager - Paris

Arma Partners

Tech M&A - Investment Banker

Tikehau Capital

Private Debt Analyst

DigitalBridge

Private Equity Analyst - Colony Capital

Hey! I'm Tom Chain

I always knew I was too free spirited for the corporate world, even though I learned a lot and thrived in investment banking, private equity, and tech startups.

In 2021, I reached a breaking point. I could not keep playing a role I no longer believed in, so I quit my job and started making self-development videos on YouTube, learning everything from editing to scripting. I also dug deeper into philosophy, human psychology, and self-development.

That is when I discovered how much I love writing, reflecting, and using visuals to convey big ideas. My educational content soon led people to ask for coaching, so I added that to my offerings.

Teaching has always felt natural to me. I have an affinity for polymathy, and I believe one of the best ways to learn is by teaching. My passion is helping others improve their own lives, whether it is their skills, performance, lifestyle, or education.

I am still growing and building my dream brick by brick, and I am grateful for your presence and support.

This journey is just getting started, so now is the perfect time to jump onboard!

Tom Chain 🌊

Prison to Purpose | Justice Partnerships @ Beam

I went from medical school to prison. And from prison to leading a global social enterprise where I help empower overlooked communities with the skills to thrive in a tech-first world.

I care about human-first leadership, compassion without saviourism, and building things that last.

My journey shaped how I see the world and why I run Breakthrough. We deliver AI and digital skills to people on the margins: those written off by systems not built for them. Since taking over in late 2023, we’ve grown from a struggling social enterprise into a global initiative, partnering with the UN, IBM, and justice systems to train over 700 people across 40+ countries.

My focus is on AI diffusion — getting emerging tech into the hands of those who need it most. I’ve helped crypto startups raise millions, advised policymakers, and developed a curriculum delivered everywhere from UK prisons to East Africa.

If anything here resonates, feel free to reach out.

Sobanan N.

Since leaving prison, I’ve been in therapy for 2 years… 

and yet business remains my most brutal teacher.

I noticed this over Christmas, because despite being off and technically doing ‘nothing’, I had this background anxiety running the whole time. 

Just a low-level sense of “what’s going to go wrong?”

It’s not something people talk about much, especially in business. 

There’s plenty written about freedom and flexibility, but very little about carrying background anxiety even when things are objectively going well.

Because I couldn’t fully switch off, I noticed myself numbing it instead... 

Scrolling.
Overeating.

Small behaviours that took the edge off without offering real rest.

Upon reflecting, meditation and journaling, I understood why I found myself reaching for these things. 

Partly it was Christmas. But I also noticed a difference between how my mind and body responded.

My mind can actually cope with the pressure. 

But my body and nervous system aren’t there yet. 

So in 2026, I’m building big, yes. 

But I’m building in a way my nervous system can actually sustain.

Sobanan Narenthiran

From prison to global impact, I help the forgotten thrive in the future economy and write on justice, tech & transformation.

No alternative text description for this image

On 19th December, a significant invoice was late. 

For all founders, this is the worst fear: not making Christmas payroll.

Everyone in the team was counting on me. 

So I frantically tried to think of solutions.

For days, I carried that stress without telling anyone.

I showed up to meetings.

I responded to emails.

But I couldn’t face the nightmare that felt like it was about to unfold.

Finally, I plucked up the courage to call in a favour.

I rang a close friend who’s also a CEO and told him the situation as it was. He listened and, without hesitation, said he could lend what we needed so we could pay the team. 

Relief.

I could see my team’s happy faces. Their Christmas not ruined, and the business still ploughing forward with our mission.

In the end, the invoice came through.

Everyone was paid, and the loan wasn’t needed.

When I spoke to my friend afterwards, he said it had happened to him three times in his career.

Everyone talks about the highs and wins in entrepreneurship. 

But so much happens that never gets shared on LinkedIn. 

So to any entrepreneurs out there: 

You’re not alone.

But sometimes, the hardest part isn’t the problem — it’s carrying it alone.

In 2018, when I walked out of prison, I was told, “No one hires people like you.”

Today, I run a 6-figure business working with government and public institutions, helping educate people who have been excluded from traditional routes into work and education.

But the journey between those two points wasn’t smooth.

For a long time, I had no one to guide me.

No one showed me that prison didn’t have to be the end of my ambition or my working life.

What I learned along the way is that people who’ve been through prison or have a difficult past don’t lack what it takes to succeed.

They lack access to learning that respects their reality and prepares them for where the job market is heading.

That’s why we’re opening applications for a free, four-week online “Future Skills Programme”
focused on AI, agency, and financial freedom.

The programme has been designed by leaders who’ve been to prison and gone on to build businesses and careers in tech. 

It focuses on practical skills that translate directly into work or entrepreneurship.

The course runs 100% online, with one in-person event to connect with people already working in the industry. 

You’ll finish with a portfolio, a CV, and a clear route into work or business.

Here’s the link to register: https://lnkd.in/eJiatTHt

2018: In prison, reading about AI in scraps of articles and borrowed books.

2026: Launching our own AI platform to help people without losing their agency, judgment, or ability to think for themselves.

Over the past few years, AI has moved into almost every sector and transformed how we work, learn, and make decisions.

Despite how deeply it’s entered our lives, most conversations about AI centre on tools, speed and productivity. 

What gets far less attention is this: What does it mean for us as humans?

…and it’s why, tomorrow on the 28th January, me and Jasmine, our head of marketing, are launching “wearebreakthrough.ai” – a platform created to support a more grounded approach to AI learning, rooted in human judgement, ethics and purpose. 

If you’re someone who wants to flourish in your career with AI this is an invitation for you.

Join us as we start a new chapter in AI education.

–
Here is the link to register: https://luma.com/1bx1rn1p

Most organisations overcompensate for remote work with rules like stricter check-ins, tighter deadlines, endless calls.

But that’s the fastest way to murder team culture.

At Breakthrough, we do the opposite.

We’ve built small, consistent rituals instead of rules, and our team has never felt more connected, aligned, or alive in their work.

One of them is our Monday 9 a.m. sync.

Everyone joins, no matter where they are in the world.

Just one hour to re-energize, align, and remind ourselves why we do what we do.

It’s easy for remote teams to lose rhythm.

Projects move, deadlines get met, but people stop feeling part of something bigger.

That’s why no matter how chaotic our schedules get, we never skip these syncs or other small rituals.

Because these are the habits that keep our culture breathing and our mission moving.

You start a food Instagram because you love cooking...

You share a few short videos, build a growing audience, then suddenly the DMs change.

“What’s your rate?”
“Can you send a contract?”
“Do you invoice?”

Overnight, your hobby turns into a business.

When you were employed, there was a system around you, catching the risks you didn’t even have to think about.

But on your own, everything lands on you… There’s nowhere to hide:

– Admin you’ve never done.
– Decisions you’ve never had to make.
– A constant sense that you might get it wrong.

And that’s where AI changes this part of the story; it acts as:

– A mentor when you’re unsure.
– A coach when you’re stuck.
– A reference library that doesn’t judge what you don’t know yet.

You can shape an idea before you commit to it.

Draft contracts without paying for advice you can’t afford.

Turn scattered thinking into a clear offer.

Build lead lists from references you’d never have found alone.

And finally run a business entirely YOUR WAY.

- -
‘Why AI is Defining Self-Employment’ is a webinar for solopreneurs and small businesses who want to stay in control of their work, their data, and their direction.

If you’re building on your own, this is an essential event to attend.

Join here - event is on Tues 13th of Jan: https://luma.com/3z42qf4r

Progress rarely makes headlines…

But this is what it looks like.

This is the story of a man I met inside prison who couldn’t read or write properly: 

He’d been convicted of something very serious. 

But meetings happened, papers were handed to him, decisions were being made in rooms he didn’t fully understand, and he nodded along, trusting that someone else knew what those words meant.

One day, he showed me a card he’d been given.

It was an apology letter from the person who had accused him of the crime he was inside for, a crime he was adamant he didn’t commit. They had admitted it in writing. It was there, clear and undeniable.

But he had no idea.

To him, it was just another piece of paper in a system already stacked against him.

I explained to him what it said, and his eyes filled with tears.

A few weeks later, he was released.

We forget how much of society is written. 

Legal proceedings. Forms. Letters. Notices. 

Yet, around 57% of adult prisoners in the UK have literacy levels below those of an 11-year-old.

Estimates suggest 50–70% struggle with reading altogether.

A system that decides people’s lives through words, while knowing large numbers of those people can’t read them, isn’t neutral…

It’s rigged from the start.

The definition of being “human” has changed drastically over the past 200 years.

200 years ago, it meant:

– survive
– reproduce
– live out the role handed to you
– stay rooted in your faith and community
– find purpose in community, not individuality
– inherit your identity from your gender, religion, and ethnic background

Today, it means:

– understand yourself
– search for meaning and purpose
– work towards self-actualisation
– choose your own path rather than inherit one
– carry a reputation that stretches far beyond your local world

Back when survival and reproduction shaped our lives, identity was grounded in the people around you.

Today, social media and the environment make the core human tasks…purpose, meaning, self-actualisation far harder to navigate.

Where we put our attention has shifted from our hands to our minds.

Survival is no longer the battle; it’s the question of who we are, why we exist, and how to stay true to ourselves in a world that constantly pulls us away.

I have been obsessed with Solarpunk for years.

A future where technology, ecology, and human dignity are designed together.

I could see a Solarpunk landscape clearly in my head: the aesthetics, how the systems worked, and the values underneath it.

But I can’t draw or paint.

And learning to do that would have taken years.

That gap between vision and form used to be the cost of creativity.

AI has changed that.

It has removed friction between ideas and execution.

Because creativity is actually really simple:

It is taking an idea and giving it form.

With AI, I can work on Solarpunk at the level I think about it.

I can shape, test, and refine ideas without technical skill getting in the way.

Used well, AI helps you:

– Turn ideas into form
– Keep momentum
– Improve judgement through iteration
– Bring ideas into the world faster

This is why creative capability will be an unfair advantage in 2026.

I will be unpacking this journey in a session on Thurs 15th called:

‘Creative Skills Are the Unfair Advantage in 2026’

Sign up here: https://luma.com/zoasly87

The first book I read in prison was ‘The Art of Happiness’ by the Dalai Lama. 

In the book, it shares an idea I still talk to the team about today: interconnectedness.

You take something ordinary, like a cup, and trace it backwards.

The materials it’s made from, the people who shaped them, the factories, the transport, the systems that quietly carried it from one place to another until it ended up in your hands.

Especially in a place like prison, you’re reminded that even there, you’re still part of a wider chain.

The separation is never as complete as it feels, and you’re never as isolated as you think.

In fact, this story itself could even be a version of that…

Isn’t it funny that was the first book I reached for?

I could have picked up a 1000 different books, and yet something pulled me towards that one.

Because the lesson learned is so powerful and still resonates with me today:

Everything I build comes from understanding how our connected systems shape us as people, not the other way around.

Is AI killing graduate jobs?

Since 2022, the year ChatGPT launched, graduate job postings in the UK have dropped by almost two-thirds.

In the US, they’re down around 43%.

That fall is happening much faster than entry-level roles overall.

Here’s my take on what’s going on:

For decades, graduate roles were a training ground. 

You learned by doing low-risk work.

You watched how decisions were made. 

You made mistakes quietly and slowly. 

Competence was built over time, often without anyone calling it training.

But now, people are expected to arrive “job-ready” without ever being allowed to learn on the job. 

Experience is concentrated in a smaller group. 

Everyone else gets filtered out earlier and more quietly.

Is AI taking graduate jobs or not? Let me know!

Whenever societies drift into decadence, they have relied on mavericks and rebels like Joan of Arc, Hồ Chí Minh and Rosa Parks, who refused to accept decay as normal.

We’re in that moment again, and now more than ever, we need people willing to see the truth clearly and act before the drift becomes irreversible.

Look around.

Workplaces are hollowing people out: taking their energy, their agency, and the meaning that once made the work worth doing.

Politics has become performance art, recycling the same patterns of decay it claims to oppose.

Institutions have lost their centre of gravity, drifting further into chaos while insisting everything is fine.

And through all of this, we keep waiting: for systems to fix themselves, for culture to correct itself and for the chaos to settle on its own.

But history shows it never works that way.

Every turning point we’ve ever had was sparked by people who refused to accept decline as the price of living.

Which brings us to the question that sits heavily on all of us today:

How far can a society drowning in decadence really go when every leader is too cautious to confront decay and too comfortable to change it?

Carousel

Let me tell you about Joe. He's 28 and he works at a mid-sized tech company in Manchester. He’s thoughtful, hard-working, and generous with his efforts

One of those people who keeps things moving…quietly, reliably behind the scenes…but rarely gets credit for it.

Before joining our Leadership & Management course, he was:

– Silent in meetings, even when he had ideas.
– So quiet his boss doesn’t even know his name.
– Often overlooked when opportunities came up.
– Constantly second-guessing himself, even when he was right.

Today:

– He speaks up with confidence.
– His manager now asks for his input in every meeting.
– He knows how to stand behind his ideas with conviction.
– Most importantly, he finally feels “heard”.

If you’ve ever felt like Joe unheard, overlooked, or unsure where your voice fits, our Leadership & Management course is open for applications.

- - -

P.S. Joe is an alias - but the story we share here is from someone who really experienced our Leadership & Management course

Last month, our “AI Literate to AI Fluent” course received so much love and support from learners around the world.

So we are back with the second cohort, starting soon.

If you missed it the first time or have been waiting for the right moment to start your AI journey, this is it.

It is a beginner-friendly and practical course that will give you hands-on experience to use AI meaningfully in your work and life.

Learn more and register here:

Open article: Learn to Work Smarter with AI | No Tech Talk, Just Results by breakthrough-social-enterprise.mykajabi.com

breakthrough-social-enterprise.mykajabi.com

Learn to Work Smarter with AI | No Tech Talk, Just Results

As per recent studies, it takes 3–6 months to train an employee in AI-related skills. 

Yet fewer than one in three people who complete AI or digital training meaningfully change how they work.

It’s more important now to hire people who are not only AI-literate but also able to apply AI safely, productively, and in real operational contexts.

To help employers navigate this gap, on Wednesday, 4 February, I will be hosting a practical session on “Hiring AI-Ready Talent Without the Risk.”

This is a practical, employer-focused session that looks beyond tools and training, and focuses on how organisations can hire real AI capability that meaningfully contributes to the organization. 

The session breaks down:

– what “AI-ready” actually looks like in today’s roles
– why common hiring and training signals no longer work
– the hidden operational cost of waiting or getting it wrong
– low-risk ways to bring proven AI capability into your organisation

If you’re responsible for hiring, operations, or delivery, this session is designed to help you make clearer decisions and bring AI capability into your teams with confidence.

Register here: https://luma.com/eb9g5rhk

taplio

The Battle

Tom Chain 🌊

Sobanan N.

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreSobanan N.'s LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Tom Chain 🌊

Sobanan N.

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Sobanan N.'s LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreSobanan N.'s LinkedIn Performance