Unbecoming with Trell Thomas & his journey of self-discovery

Trell Thomas is one of those people you meet who you instantly feel a sense of warmth and purpose from. With a diverse range of skills and a background that will impress anyone, he is probably one of the humblest people you could ever meet. From working on the first Obama presidential campaign to working with global brands. He has seen and done it all, but isn’t done yet. 

This was an intimate conversation on Trell Thomas and what it took to get him to where he is today.

Cox: Trell you are a very talented man doing so many amazing things. I want to know your origin story.

Thomas: I graduated college with a degree in journalism broadcasting. I wanted to be the next Ed Bradley. And I had the fortunate opportunity to intern with NBC and get a full-time position with the company. This was the trajectory I was on in my career until I had the moment that changed my life forever. I had received the opportunity to work on the Obama presidential campaign in 2008. 

Thomas (contin): I took a leap of faith with opportunity because I just got the job at NBC but I knew this would be an experience that would change the world. This didn’t just change my life because I worked on the campaign that elected the US’s first Black president, but it was the first time I truly followed my heart and gut even when my mind was not understanding it. 

This was a moment for Thomas that he attributes to changing his life completely because he now navigates the world with his heart and never fear or doubt. It gave him the power of listening to his intuition and blocking out all outside noise. 

Through his journey he had landed roles with companies such as Viacom, BET, and VH1 where he spearheaded and assisted major communication, talent relations and brand campaigns. But through his journey in these organizations he still wanted more and saw that more was needed to be done for his community. 

Cox: With all this success what was it that made you want to go out and create your own?

Trell: It was in 2017 that I embarked on my own personal journey. It’s the fruits from that which you see today. The Black Excellence Brunch for example is a product of that and it is what most people recognize me from. The entire concept is based on the family tradition of Sunday dinner. As a man from the south, Sunday dinner played a major role in my upbringing with my mom hosting them at our home every Sunday after church.

Thomas(contin): That same time in 2017 is when I moved to LA and I upped the aesthetics of the Black Excellence Brunch. I started changing small things about it because I wanted to create a safe and uplifting environment. I wanted an empowering space where us as Black people could come and celebrate our individual and collective excellence. 

Trell Thomas is the type of person you have to brag about because he won’t do it. Normally taking the backseat where he is not just comfortable but because he doesn’t look for the spotlight. It’s the work and impact that he is creating that’s the most important. But this story and my words are to illustrate how impactful he truly is as well as selfless. He is creating for creating sake to have a space for Black people to be celebrated and not tolerated. 

Cox: Self journeys are so important. What was it that started you down that path of self-discovery?

Thomas: It started when I reflected on how I could really give back to my community. I worked in space building other people and major corporations. I wondered how I could speak to the Trells of the world coming up and people who look like me. Growing up, I didn’t have that much representation outside of my family which I’m thankful for and sometimes characters on television. I wanted others in our community to know that things are possible for them even when it might not seem so. 

Thomas(contin): It took me further on a journey of even asking more of my own self worth. I feel like from the moment we are born people are putting labels on us. They are telling us who we are, who were aren’t, what we can do, and what we can’t do.

Thomas (contin): This part of the journey I looked at all the things that were placed on me by the world. I wanted to figure out what were the things that were true to me and the things that weren’t. It was about what labels do I need to keep and which ones do I need to remove. 

“I asked myself who do you want to be, who do you want the world to see, and how can you be more authentic.”

Trell mentioned that the best part of his journey was unbecoming everything the world placed on him at birth. We are taught at such an early age that we are to become these great things, but those great things are mere controls on what society and culture may think are true to you. Trell finding this out and peeling away labels that didn’t survive him and that were never meant for him was the process. This process led him to realizing that others, especially within the community, needed more than ever a space for them to do the same thing. 

Cox: There was this moment during the journey where you realized you didn’t have to dim your light anymore for others. 

Thomas: Yes because there would be many times I would be in this space and people would tell me I’m getting too big for my breeches. It was getting so frustrating to hear that more than often. I remember having a meeting with Bozoma Saint John who is a Black woman who does things on her terms working with major brands like PepsiCo. She shut her door and said Trell, sometimes people will make you feel less than and dim your light because they feel inadequate. She said make them put on shades if you shine too bright. That really stuck with me because I felt less than I need to shrink myself and more that I can really pop out.