Eric D. Thomas was born on September 3, 1970, in Chicago, Illinois. He is an American motivational speaker, author, consultant, and minister.
Known worldwide as “the Hip Hop Preacher,” his story of overcoming homelessness has shaped his entire career.
Who is Eric Thomas?
Eric Thomas is a renowned American motivational speaker, author, coach, and consultant. He also serves as a minister and co-pastor at A Place of Change Ministries in Lansing, Michigan.
Millions know him simply as ET. His speeches have circulated widely on YouTube for over a decade.
Thomas built his entire message around a personal turnaround story. He spent two years homeless as a teenager before rebuilding his life through education and faith.
Early Life of Eric Thomas
Eric Thomas was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He was born to a single, teenage mother, and his biological father was never part of his life.
After repeated arguments with his parents and aunts, Thomas dropped out of high school. He then lived homeless on the streets of Detroit for two years.
During that period, a friend brought him to a local church. There, a pastor and evangelist team encouraged him to earn his G.E.D. and pursue college.
A church family took him in during this transition. Thomas also worked at a local McDonald’s and later at an Olive Garden on the west side of Detroit.
It was around this time that Thomas met De-De Mosley at the Detroit Center Seventh-day Adventist Church. The two later moved to Huntsville, Alabama, together to attend college.
Eric Thomas Age
Eric Thomas is 55 years old as of 2026, born on September 3, 1970. His zodiac sign is Virgo.
He built his motivational career gradually, reaching national recognition well into his thirties and forties. That slower rise is part of why his message about persistence resonates with older audiences too.
Eric Thomas Ethnicity and Nationality
Eric Thomas is American by nationality. He is of African American descent.
His upbringing in Detroit’s Black community shaped much of his early ministry work and his later focus on mentoring at-risk Black and Latino students. Faith, drawn from his connection to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, remains central to his identity.
Eric Thomas Education
Thomas and De-De Mosley moved to Huntsville, Alabama, to attend Oakwood University. They married while still students there.
Thomas spent twelve years working toward his undergraduate degree at Oakwood University. He graduated in 2001.
While in Huntsville, he preached and helped set up a program for underachieving youth. That early outreach work became a pattern he would repeat throughout his career.
In 2003, Thomas took a position with Michigan State University along with a fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in K-12 Administration, with an emphasis in Educational Leadership. He earned that master’s degree from Michigan State University in 2005.
He continued his studies afterward. Thomas completed a Ph.D. in Education Administration at Michigan State University in 2015.
Eric Thomas Career
Early Career
At Michigan State University, Thomas worked as an academic advisor to students with unrealized potential. Along with fellow advisor and motivational speaker DeAndre Carter, he helped develop an undergraduate retention program called The Advantage.
The Advantage program targeted academically high-risk Black and Latino students. Thomas also served as senior pastor at A Place of Change Ministries in Lansing, Michigan during this period.
His speeches began spreading through word of mouth on college campuses. Coaches and administrators started inviting him to address their teams and students directly.
Major Works and Contributions
Thomas launched his YouTube channel in 2008 and began posting motivational videos in 2009. His early speech “Secrets 2 Success” went viral, eventually reaching more than a million views on the platform.
He has since given motivational talks to collegiate and professional athletes across multiple sports. Thomas also appeared on Fox News to discuss his life story and his impact on audiences.
His voice has reached music audiences too. Portions of his sermons appear on the opening track of Disclosure’s 2013 debut album, Settle, and on the intro to Meek Mill’s 2017 album Wins & Losses.
In 2020, Thomas reunited with Disclosure to contribute spoken word to their song “Energy.” Around the same period, he founded ETA LLC, a consulting firm offering education, athletic development, and executive coaching services.
Current Position
Thomas now works as CEO of ETA LLC. Through the firm, he has consulted for Fortune 500 companies including General Electric, AT&T, Nike, Under Armour, New Balance, and UPS.
He continues to consult for major sports organizations within the MLB, NBA, NFL, and MLS. Thomas also tours regularly, delivering keynote speeches domestically and internationally.
His firm markets him as “ET, The Hip Hop Preacher,” a name built around his energetic, hip hop-influenced delivery style. That branding has carried through his books, videos, and speaking tours for close to two decades.
Eric Thomas Books and Publications
Thomas has written several books built around his personal philosophy of persistence. His debut work, The Secret to Success: When You Want to Succeed as Bad as You Want to Breathe, chronicles his journey from homelessness to national speaker.
His follow-up release, Greatness Is Upon You, offers readers daily exercises and principles for personal growth. Thomas later published You Owe You, which became a New York Times bestseller.
His audiobook work has also earned recognition. Thomas has been listed as an Audie Awards finalist through Audible.com.
Eric Thomas Awards and Honors
Thomas has been recognized as a New York Times bestselling author for You Owe You. He has also been named an Audie Awards finalist for his audiobook narration work.
Beyond formal honors, several universities and youth organizations have honored him for his mentorship work. His undergraduate retention program, The Advantage, remains one of his most cited academic contributions.
Eric Thomas Wife
Eric Thomas has been married to De-De Mosley for more than two decades. The couple met at the Detroit Center Seventh-day Adventist Church while Thomas was still rebuilding his life.
They later moved to Huntsville, Alabama, together and married while attending Oakwood University. De-De also became active in ministry work alongside her husband.
Today, De-De co-pastors A Place of Change Ministries with Thomas in Lansing, Michigan. The couple continues to run the ministry together while Thomas maintains his speaking career.
Eric Thomas Children
Eric Thomas and De-De Mosley have two children together, a son named Jalin Thomas and a daughter named Jayda Thomas. Exact birth dates for both children are not consistently confirmed across reliable sources.
Jalin attended Michigan State University, where he worked closely with the men’s basketball program under head coach Tom Izzo.
He later partnered with his father to launch the Triple Double Academy, a program that teaches basketball skills alongside life lessons to young people in Metro Detroit.
Jayda played basketball in high school before continuing her education at the college level. Both children grew up closely connected to their parents’ ministry and mentoring work.
Eric Thomas Net Worth
Eric Thomas’s estimated net worth is $5 million as of 2026. His income comes primarily from speaking fees, consulting work through ETA LLC, book sales, and his YouTube channel.
Corporate consulting makes up a major share of his earnings. Thomas has worked with Fortune 500 companies and professional sports organizations for well over a decade.
Eric Thomas Social Media
Thomas remains active across several platforms under his “Hip Hop Preacher” branding. His main Instagram account is @etthehiphoppreacher, where he shares motivational content to millions of followers.
His YouTube channel, etthehiphoppreacher, remains the platform where his speeches first gained mass attention. He also maintains an active Facebook page under the same name.
Eric Thomas Height and Height
Eric Thomas is not only perfect in terms of his professional life but also amazing in terms of his physical appearance. He stands around 5 feet 10 inches tall, or 180 cm or 1.80 m.
His weight is around 62 kg or 136 lbs. All these combinations make him perfect.
The Bottom Line
Eric Thomas built his reputation on speeches that spread by word of mouth and YouTube views, eventually earning a New York Times bestseller with You Owe You. His words have also reached music audiences through features on albums by Disclosure and Meek Mill.
Thomas turned a personal story of homelessness and a G.E.D. into a doctorate in Education Administration from Michigan State University. He has stayed rooted in ministry throughout, co-pastoring A Place of Change Ministries with his wife, De-De, for years.
Thomas now runs ETA LLC, consulting for Fortune 500 companies and professional sports organizations. He continues to tour and post new content regularly through his YouTube channel and Instagram account.
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