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Martellus Bennett is\\xa0reimagining imagination.\\xa0

He\\u2019s perhaps best known in cultural press for his\\xa0championship NFL career\\xa0which included\\xa0the famous Super Bowl LI comeback\\xa0where his Patriots were down 28-3 at halftime and rallied for a 34-28 win in OT. But Martellus, who goes by Marty now as well as the new moniker\\xa0Mr.TOMONOSHi, served as starting Tight End and recorded five catches for 62 yards as well as drawing the key Pass Interference penalty that set up the game-winning touchdown. He said afterwards he didn\\u2019t know they won. \\u201cI\'m telling you, bro. I was in flow. Like, I don\'t know what the score is, right? I had no idea.\\u201d

There may be a few reasons for that flow experience, though. Marty has always been a truly broad and dimensional thinker who questions and examines everything. Why? \\u201cI had parents who let us talk at the kitchen table.\\u201d As a result, he\\u2019s still only in his 30s and has just massively varied interests and pursuits. \\u201cI\\u2019m always reading, searching, asking why, what if, or how?\\u201d\\xa0

Just as likely to be found in Japan searching for illumination, drawing cartoons to inspire young black kids (the award-winning book\\xa0Dear Black Boy, as an example), tracing his family\\u2019s pre-slavery origins in Senegal, writing and\\xa0releasing hip-hop albums, and always \\u2014 always! \\u2014 standing up and speaking out for what he believes in. No wonder he was one of the first NFL players kneeling in 2016 \\u2014 joining Colin Kaepernick and older brother Michael \\u2014 in a tough position that made him a target. Indeed, he left the Green Bay Packers after that year... \\u201cThe way you feel the coldness when you walk into a freezer, you could feel the racism there.\\u201d

Today Marty carries and emanates the deep purpose of re-igniting imaginations worldwide. He wants to \\u201cactivate imagination through touch, sound, smell, taste, and the body\\u201d and help support every human\\u2019s \\u201copportunity to play, explore the universe, experience joy, wonder, and have active social connections regardless of age.\\u201d

He lives in Houston with his wife and daughter AJ and operates out of an an incredible in-the-neighborhood studio-space he\\u2019s named the\\xa0TOMONOSHi! I+d LAB\\xa0\\u2014 a kind of magical Willy Wonka factory-esque playground full of hand-built bookshelves, woodshop tables, computers for recording music, a stump garden, and, yes, a Bird Hotel. When kids walk by they smile and scream out \\u201cHi Mr. TOMONOSHi!\\u201d and he smiles and screams back. He\\u2019s even adopted their moniker as a way to communicate his expanding identity and purpose. He soaks into the identity and challenges societal norms around labels in almost every way.

Mr. TOMONOSHi interacts, serves, and connects with the community, writes and illustrates\\xa0children\\u2019s books\\xa0\\u2014 like his popular\\xa0Hey\\xa0AJ\\xa0series \\u2014 and even has a deal with Disney for an upcoming series based on his books. \\u201cMy life is my biggest art project,\\u201d he says.

And it\\u2019s a beautiful one.\\xa0

So let\\u2019s fly down to Houston, Texas and enjoy a long sunny morning at a hand-made table \\u2014 made by Mr. TOMONOSHi, of course \\u2014 to experience the wit, wonder, and wisdom of a true renaissance man. I hope you find this conversation as inspiring, challenging, and soul-fueling as I did.

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You can find show notes and more information by clicking here:\\xa0https://www.3books.co/chapters/124

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3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover and discuss the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter discusses the 3 most formative books of one of the world\'s most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Bren\\xe9 Brown, David Sedaris, Malcolm Gladwell, Angie Thomas, Cheryl Strayed, Rich Roll, Soyoung the Variety Store Owner, Derek the Hype Man, Kevin the Bookseller, Vishwas the Uber Driver, Roxane Gay, David Mitchell, Vivek Murthy, Mark Manson, Seth Godin, Judy Blume and Quentin Tarantino. 3 Books is published on the lunar calendar with each of the 333 chapters dropped on the exact minute of every single full moon all the way up to April 26, 2040. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show and is 100% non-profit with no ads, no sponsors, no commercials, and no interruptions. 3 Books has 3 clubs including the End of the Podcast Club, the Cover to Cover Club, and the Secret Club, which operates entirely through the mail and is only accessible by calling\\xa01-833-READ-A-LOT. Each chapter is hosted by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome, The Happiness Equation, Two-Minute Mornings, etc. For more info check out:\\xa0https://www.3books.co