The You Project

For this episode, Patrick stepped away from his tech desk and we spoke less about technology (not at all, in fact) and more about the psychology, biology, sociology and practicality of the human experience. We chatted about who we surround ourselves with, how to change the way we think, unconditional kindness, childhood table-tennis, my first ever self-help book and its impact on me, lucid dreaming, Meccano sets, moments that change us, emotional and behavioural tipping points, growing through discomfort and lots more. Enjoy. oksmartass.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Michael Shermer is the Founder of Skeptic magazine and the Executive Director of The Skeptics Society. He is the author of New York Times bestsellers Why People Believe Weird Things, The Believing Brain, Why Darwin Matters, The Science of Good and Evil, The Moral Arc, Heavens on Earth, Giving the Devil His Due: Reflections of a Scientific Humanist and his new book is called Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. He has also delivered two popular TED talks, appeared on Oprah, The Colbert Report, 20/20, Dateline, Charlie Rose, Larry King Live, Joe Rogan (7 times) and now, in what is clearly the highlight of his career (lol), he finds his way to TYP-HQ. Dr. Shermer received his B.A. in psychology from Pepperdine University, M.A. in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton, and his Ph.D. in the history of science from Claremont Graduate University. He has been a college professor since 1979, also teaching at Occidental College, Glendale College, and Claremont Graduate University, where he taught a transdisciplinary course for Ph.D. students on Evolution, Economics, and the Brain. Enjoy. michaelshermer.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are potentially living in the most ‘knowing’ era ever. Well, at the very least, we (the masses) have access to more information (about everything) than any time in history. But what are we doing with all it all? I was recently on Tiff’s show (Roll with the Punches) and we spoke about the propensity many of us have to be good at the theory of personal growth (idea, information, intention, talk, plan, goals) but not-so-good at the execution (the work, effort, consistency, resilience, discomfort, adaptation). Knowledge is great but it’s not action. Just like owning a pair of runners is not running. Transformation lives in the application of the information; the doing, not just the knowing. This episode is a chat about that. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Janine Kwoh is an artist, creator, author and story-teller, whose partner died when they were both 28 and who subsequently, has spent the last six years trying to navigate, understand and deal with, grief. It seems like this might be a heavy chat, it isn’t. Janine is the owner / artist / one-person assembly line behind Kwohtations; an ever-evolving collection of greeting cards and gifts that reflect and celebrate a diversity of identities and life experiences. She is also the author of ‘Welcome to the Grief Club’; an illustrated book on grief for anyone who is grieving the death of a loved one. Janine started making cards in 2011 as a way to reflect on and honour the lives we actually lead, versus the ones we think we should. Kwohtations is essentially her life in greeting cards, in which she offers up her own truths about navigating love and loss, (re)defining family and success, and figuring out what it means to show up for ourself and others. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kristin Neff, Ph.D. is a pioneer in the study of self-compassion, being the first person to operationally define and measure the construct almost twenty years ago and these days she is recognised as one of the world's most influential research psychologists. Kristin has written a best-seller, not surprisingly called Self-Compassion, is a sought-after Speaker and Educator and we had a great chat, covering all the ‘selfs’; self-compassion, self-sabotage, self-loathing, self-esteem, self-talk, self-sabotage and more. Enjoy. *Her new book is called ‘Fierce Self-Compassion’. self-compassion.orgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gregory Smith’s childhood was the stuff of nightmares. I won’t go too deep here but the snapshot is neglect, violence, abuse and misery. At 10, his mother left him at an orphanage, where the abuse continued, from 14 he was in and out of juvenile detention and by the time he reached his 20’s, he was an addict and alcoholic, living on the fringe of society, with significant mental health issues. For decades he was homeless and for an entire decade, he lived as a hermit in a tropical rain forest (without shelter) in total isolation. In his late forties, he emerged from the forest weighing 41kg (at 5’10”, 178 cm’s) and was at death’s door. From that point until now, Gregory has fully recovered, been clean and sober for more than twenty years, earned a PhD in Sociology (Dr. Gregory Smith), is a Senior Lecturer at Southern Cross University (on his way to being a Prof.), has written an amazing book, has done a TED Talk, been featured on numerous media outlets (including Australian Story) and his story is nothing short of incredible and inspirational. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I asked former international model Deborah Hutton if the window for my modelling career may have come and gone, and she informed me that, there was no window. Oh well, at least we cleared that up (lol). Deborah is fun. And talented. And driven. And creative. And super smart. And I enjoyed getting to know her (a little). In this organic conversational casserole, we spoke about being an international model at 16 (and the myriad of variables and challenges around that), strategic people vs. freestyle people, experiential learning, knowing who to trust, her three rules for success, identity, self-worth and looks, lifelong learning, her skin cancer journey, saying no to people, feeling ageless, passion projects and lots more. Enjoy. deborahhutton.comcanopybay.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was recently on the ‘Simply Practically Human’ podcast with Mark LeBusque and as always, we waxed lyrical about all things mindset, behaviour, performance and self-awareness. It was fun. Enjoy. humanmanageracademy.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melissa Wu jumps off stuff. Specifically, diving platforms and boards. She is a current member of the Australian Diving Team, competing in the women’s 10m individual and women’s 10m synchro events, she’s a 4x Olympian, Olympic Silver Medalist (Beijing 2008), Olympic Bronze Medalist (Tokyo 2020), has represented Australia at four Commonwealth Games and is the reigning Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist in the women's 10m individual platform event. Oh, she also owns a gym, has her own diving academy, has a clothing line, is a corporate speaker and did I mention she made her Australian team debut at thirteen at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, where she won a Silver Medal? Other than all that stuff, she’s a complete under-achiever. This chat inspired and exhausted me. Enjoy. @melissapaigewuSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Gillespie is one of Australia’s most prolific (and successful) Authors, he’s a Lawyer, a Champion of equal-opportunity education, a tireless Researcher and a TYP Regular (clearly, the crowning achievement of his career). Again, we open the psychopath door and this time we learn why they don’t experience fear, nerves or anxiety like a ‘normal’ (there’s a loaded term) person, why they keep going back to prison at a rate five times higher than their non-psychopathic fellow inmates, why potential punishment doesn’t perturb them, how they (ironically) live ‘in the moment’, the early (brutal) research into psychopathy and lots more. Enjoy. davidgillespie.orgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cancer is f*ked but Johnny Ruffo is not. He is a weapon. Funny. Talented. Resilient. Courageous. Realistic. Most of you know his back story as a singer, songwriter, actor and performer and some of you have heard about his terminal brain cancer diagnosis but this conversation opened a door that, according to Johnny, he had never walked through before in an interview; “I’ve never been this real or open” (to an audience) he shared as we wound up our chat. Yes, we spoke about his diagnosis (the fear, the anxiety and the physical and cognitive challenges) but more importantly, we talked sh*t, laughed, had fun, told stories and shared some important ideas and messages, that will resonate. FYI, I’ll let you know that there are a few pauses and gaps in the chat (which we have left in) and while Johnny’s brain is fine (intellectually), there are moments of cognitive delay and ‘word-searching’. For me, this was a truly bitter-sweet encounter; I’m sad for my new friend who’s struggling with this c**t of a disease but I’m so happy we got to meet and hang out. *His new book is called: ‘No Finish Line’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Dowling is the founder and CEO of @stitchdotnet and WipeOutLoneliness.org. He is an internationally-recognised social entrepreneur who has been featured in TIME Magazine, The New Yorker, Forbes, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Australian, Bloomberg TV, Sydney Morning Herald, and more. ‘Stich’ is all about community and companionship for anyone over 50 and it is the world’s largest companionship community created by members, for members. Andrew and I spoke about the loneliness epidemic and how it impacts physical, mental and emotional health, the role of social connection in healing and wellness, the dangers of retirement, developing tech for the over 50’s (whoever they are), making friends as we age, dealing with feedback, fish that nibble your feet (really) and lots more. Enjoy. stitch.netSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Russell Foster (from Oxford University, no less) is one of those rare breeds of high-level academic with an amazing ability to break down the super-sciencey stuff into TYP-Friendly, easy-to-understand-and-apply info and inspo. Yes, I used inspo. You’re welc. Stop it. This chat is in my all-time top 20 (out of almost a thousand eps). Among other things, we spoke about circadian rhythms (what they are and why they matter), the neuroscience of sleep, our biological clock vs. the clock on the wall, why alarm clocks are crap, the perils of night shift, poor sleep and dementia, sleep deprivation as torture, the relationship between sleep and cognitive function, biofeedback, why are heart attacks and strokes more prevalent between 6am and midday, how modernity and technology has made us ‘lose touch’ with our biological sat-nav, why we’re crap at sleep, why exposure to early morning light is important and lots (and I mean lots!) more. The Prof’s new book is called ‘Life Time: Your Body Clock and Its Essential Roles in Good Health and Sleep’. Life Time: The New Science of the Body Clock, and How It Can Revolutionize Your Sleep and HealthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don’t try to bulls**t Steve van Aperen; it won’t end well for you. Not gonna lie (pun intended), I was a little self-conscious and tried very hard to cut back on my lying for this episode. Steve is as an expert in the field of behavioural interviewing, reading body language and detecting deception. He has received extensive training from the world’s leading international investigative authorities (LAPD, FBI, US Secret Service) in how and why people deceive. He has conducted behavioural interviews on 81 homicide and 2 serial killer investigations and has been consulted by various police departments, intelligence agencies and governments. This was a brand-new topic for TYP and it (and Steve) was fascinating. Enjoy. stevevanaperen.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would you eat lab-grown meat? How can a Doctor of Chinese Medicine diagnose a problem with your liver by looking into your eyes or a dodgy back by poking the soles of your feet? Should athletes be able to wear shoes that make them run faster if they all have access to the same shoes? Should TYP have its own Mardi Gras float with Patrick and I out front (Titanic style)? How does looking back at Earth from the darkness of space make astronauts (and space passengers) feel? Does being near your phone lower your IQ, even if you’re not using it? In this TYP instalment, Patrick, Tor and I unpacked this random selection of topics and much more. Enjoy. oksmartass.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is a chat with Doug Taylor, the boss of The Smith Family and he, and the organisation he leads, are good people, doing good things. The Smith Family has been working to improve the lives of children living in disadvantage for 100 years. They are Australia’s largest national education charity, supporting young Australians experiencing disadvantage to create better futures for themselves through the power of education. They currently support 58,000 students (directly), empowering them to break the cycle of disadvantage through targeted, long-term support for their education. They are an amazing organisation doing amazing things with the people most in need with their team of 800, along with 8,000 volunteers and 150,000 financial supporters. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The essence of Buddhism: (1) don’t be a dick (2) be kind to people (3) train your mind” – Charlie Morley (Buddhist Teacher). I didn’t want this episode to end. I loved the chat, loved Charlie and yes, I love my job. Charlie was a drug-taking, hard-living, wild young man who had a NDE (Near Death Experience) and who, through a series of twists and turns, became an internationally renowned Speaker, Lucid Dreaming Expert, best-selling Author (4 books, 15 languages), Teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, Mindfulness Coach and PTSD Expert, producing incredible results with military veterans. If you don’t enjoy this episode, I’ll refund your money. Lol. charliemorley.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doctor Lillian has slid back into the TYP Studio and she’s in fine form. She’s always great but I think this chat was her MVP TYP performance so far (acronym anyone?). This time we got to sneak behind the Doctor door and learn a little more about Lillian the person. We spoke about how much clinicians can/should speak about their own experiences (self-disclosure) with patients (it’s surprising), process-driven therapy vs. informal connection and conversation, building rapport, how finding the right therapist can improve healing (and not because of the ‘treatment’ per se’), people being intimidated to go to a gym (seen it a million times), burnout (signs, symptoms, treatment) and lots more. Enjoy. drlilliannejad.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This was one of those conversations that I’m probably too stupid to be in but I guess when you’re the host, it’s unavoidable. And while I didn’t contribute much, I did learn about code-makers and breakers and Dr. Craig was kind enough to run a one-on-one workshop for me called ‘Cryptography for Dummies’ (a.k.a. ‘keeping your online sh*t safe from baddies’). Dr. Craig Costello is a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research in Redmond, Washington. He graduated with a PhD from Queensland University of Technology and is recognised as an Australian-American fulbright scholar at the University of California, Irvine. Craig was a postdoctoral fellow at both Technische Universiteit Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Microsoft Research in the USA.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Lachlan McIver is a medical doctor, writer, activist and musician, specialising in rural & remote medicine, tropical medicine and public health and in his spare time, he has completed a PhD in global health. Originally from far North Queensland, his travels have spanned almost one hundred countries, treating patients in some of the most isolated, volatile, resource-deprived communities on the planet, while grappling with complex health challenges such as climate change and antibiotic resistance. When Lachlan was sixteen he found his father dead on the side of a dirt road in North Queensland. He had suffered a sudden heart attack and died alone. It was this tragedy that motivated Lachlan to train as a doctor specialising in providing medical care for people living in remote, resource-deprived locations. Lachlan is an great bloke doing great things. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an interesting chat about the ever-present challenge of businesses wanting to make money, do some good in the world (for the planet and people) and let’s be honest, protect (or enhance) their brand along the way. It’s also about purpose and value driven people building commercial organisations with a primary focus of creating positive and sustainable impact in the world. I’m gonna be honest, until this conversation I didn’t totally understand what social enterprise looked like in practice or in the commercial landscape. In 2013, Kim founded ‘Thankful’, a social enterprise supported by more than 20 years of scientific research. Under her guidance, Thankful’s innovative model merges philanthropy and business to create a positive, sustainable, and scalable impact. She is committed to unifying influencers, thought leaders, brands and organisations to create the most significant impact for communities in Australia and beyond. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“What do you do?” “Oh, I design and build cities?” I thought being a podcaster, speaker and author was cool. Turns out, not a cool as I thought. We have so many ‘different kinds of smart’ on our show and I’m forever grateful that I get to meet and connect with such brilliant people. Lucinda Hartley is a globally recognised urban strategist, serial entrepreneur and sought-after keynote speaker on the topics of cities, technology and social change. Lucinda’s work over the past decade has focused on leading innovative strategies to improving the social life of cities, now implemented in more than 10 countries. She is best known as the cofounder of urban tech company Neighbourlytics. Her work has been featured by Google, Smart Company, Qantas and UN-Habitat. She was named as one of Australia’s 100 Most Influential Women by the Australian Financial Review and one of Melbourne's Top 100 most influential people by The Age. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Golinski is a much-loved Australian celebrity chef and on December 26, 2011, Matt's wife Rachel and his three daughters died when their Tewantin home was engulfed by fire in the early morning. Matt, who tried desperately to save his family, suffered severe burns to forty percent of his body, spent eight weeks in a coma, four months in hospital and has spent a decade healing and recovering, physically, mentally and emotionally. Despite Matt’s tragic story, this was a conversation largely about hope, family, the power of love and of course, food! Enjoy. mattgolinski.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You wouldn’t think a conversation about trauma could be uplifting, entertaining and even fun, but this chat with Dr. Sarah Woodhouse (trauma expert, research psychologist, author and coach) is all that and more because not only is she a high level academic with a great understanding of the science, but she’s also endured her own trauma journey and come out the other side with amazing compassion, insight, energy and humour. Among other things, we discuss eating disorders, bullying and sexual abuse (all part of Sarah’s story), post-traumatic growth, the trauma spectrum (there’s a range), vicarious trauma, what trauma does to our body, healing and recovery, what causes a trauma response, the stress-anxiety-trauma relationship and why swearers are smarter than non-swearers (it’s science Bro). Enjoy. sarahwoodhouse.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a fascinating conversation about human optimisation. Specifically, getting ‘better’ as we get older, challenging pre-existing norms and beliefs around physical potential for over forties, life-long learning, skill development, optimal cognitive performance at any age, self-limiting thinking, flow states, behavioural neuroscience and lots more. BIO: Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. He is the author of ten bestsellers (out of fourteen books), including The Art of Impossible, The Future is Faster Than You Think, Stealing Fire, The Rise of Superman, Bold and Abundance. His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes, translated into over 40 languages, and has appeared in over 100 publications, including the New York Times Magazine, Wired, Atlantic Monthly, Wall Street Journal, TIME, and the Harvard Business Review.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Major General Mick Ryan (recently retired) is a highly skilled leader and strategist with thirty-five years of experience as an officer in the Australian Army, having deployed in many countries and been in the middle of much conflict and combat. In this episode, the MG and I speak about preparing for competition and combat in war, sport and life, how to train people for the most brutal and violent of roles in the most extreme of circumstances, why failure can be more empowering and valuable than success, the growing number of women in the military, who makes the best soldiers and why, his new book (War Transformed) and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of TYP, Author, Coach and Business Bloke Jim Sheils and I speak about how some of us are simultaneously great at the career stuff but kinda-crap at the important stuff; you know.. family, life, communication, connection, parenting, health, happiness. As someone who went through a period of prioritising business and neglecting the important stuff, this was an insightful and meaningful chat for me. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two Tommy eps in two days. This time we discuss my internal struggle with posting tough-love whiteboard messages (on social media) that (1) I believe are relevant and potentially transformative (2) are often misinterpreted and (3) can simultaneously inspire, inform and polarise. We also talk about the idea of teaching our kids ‘how’ to think rather than ‘what’ to think, what anti-aging actually means, self-awareness and self-regulation around technology and lots more. Enjoy. vidpod.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tommy is back at TYP Central and this time talk about why we seek approval from people who don’t care about us (I’ve done it), why we’re so insecure, my walking backwards update (and why it’s so good), being barefoot in the supermarket (apparently it’s not okay), why we’re so crap at asking for help, my dodgy lower back and how I’m fixing it, the pandemic of poor posture and lots more. Enjoy. vidpod.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was recently on young Tiff’s show (Roll With the Punches) and we had a great freestyle, organic chat and so this episode of TYP is what us young kids call, a co-share. Among other things, we spoke about her (and many other people’s) propensity to push the metaphoric flush button before they finish weeing (blokes will get it). That is, impatience. And frustration. And unrealistic expectations of how long things like growth, skill, success and mastery can take. Try selling patience and perseverance to a society obsessed with quick-fixes and instant gratification. It was a fun and broadly relevant chat. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Gillespie and I went into this episode with a planned topic and two minutes into our chat, he started talking about some other fascinating sh*t and our plan went out the window. At least you know this conversation is totally organic and unscripted. Yes, we’ve touched on psychopaths before but this time we did a deep dive into the psychology, sociology, anatomy and neurology of not only psychopaths but also, psychotics (not the same), sociopaths and narcissists. Among other cool stuff, David explains how psychopaths are lacking a certain type of spindle neuron (that most of us have), which drives their total lack of empathy, how their brain is literally anatomically different to the majority and why they consider empathy to be a weakness. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Stan Beecham is a ‘good ol’ boy’ from Georgia (in the US). He is a Sport Psychologist, High-Performance Coach, Author and as I discovered in this chat, Adventurer and Globetrotter. This time on TYP, the Doc and I talk about producing better outcomes with less effort (I think it’s called efficiency), getting in ‘flow’, being inspired by the achievements of others, exploring our potential (instead of wasting it), why satisfaction and contentment are so hard to maintain, challenging self-limiting beliefs, awareness of our own programming and bias, and taking total ownership of our journey. Enjoy. drstanbeecham.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TYP Favourite Dr. Jodi is back sharing the love and this time we open a plethora of conversational doors, talking about the accuracy of our memory of events over time (it’s dodgy), why people are going nuts over true-crime podcasts (often women), cults (ours is launching soon), the power of ‘Influencers’ (for good and bad), quirky personal rituals (I reveal one or two of mine), creating deep connection with others versus social role-playing, knowing when belonging to a certain group is good or bad for us, echo chambers and algorithms (whatever they are) and our mutual love of Playschool. Enjoy. drjodirichardson.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hugh Brasher is the Director of the London Marathon (one of the biggest marathons on the planet), philanthropist, wildly successful entrepreneur, motorcycle racer and visionary. Among other things, we speak about the transformative experience of doing hard things (like running a marathon) and the incredible love, connection and support that can happen (between total strangers) when a bunch of people all do something hard together. On some level, we’re all doing a marathon (of sorts) and we all need support. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yes, the title sounds like a piss-take but it’s actually the title of Rob’s cleverly-named stage show, which came into being after a stream of reviews essentially saying the same thing; “Rob Mills is surprisingly good.” Both a compliment and insult. Also, kind-of hilarious (and genius) when you use their back-handed complement to brand your own show. Rob is an Australian actor (including the last five years on Neighbours), television host, stage performer (Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease, Legally Blonde, Ghost, Chess, Into the Woods) and singer-songwriter. I’m not sure what I expected heading into this chat but I loved it and Millsy was funny, smart, genuine, somewhat philosophical and surprisingly good (lol). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick is back and this time we talk about control freaks, deep fakes, the nerd conference he attended, his recent trip to Amsterdam, the irrelevance and ineffectiveness of TV ads, the proliferation of internet-based businesses and careers (all the ‘new jobs’.. like podcasting), touring Rome in a golf cart, the meaning of dreams and lots more. oksmartass.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“What’s a good weight, time, distance, speed, result (for this activity, exercise, movement) for somebody at my age?” I’ve been asked a version of that question thousands of times and this episode is kind-of about that question. I began training bodies and working with the humans who live in those bodies forty years ago. Exercise Physiologist Russ Jarret has been doing the same for about thirty. We’ve both worked with people at all levels of the fitness, sporting, genetic and performance spectrums; from ‘Mr. I’ve Never Been to a Gym’ to ‘Miss (or Mrs.) I’m going to the Olympics’. Old. Young. Elite. Novice. Inspired. Lazy. Human. In this episode of TYP, Russ and I talk about a range of exercises and activities and casually discuss what-might-be a good result (number, time, weight, reps) for certain tasks, specific to different ages, fitness levels and training ages (how long you’ve been working out). Once again, our discussion and ideas are not recommendations, prescriptions or personalised programs but rather, what might be a pretty good achievement relative to certain activities for different people at different ages and stages. EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Todd Sampson is an adventurer, award-winning documentary-maker, television presenter and businessman. He is the former national CEO of Leo Burnett and currently sits on the Board of Directors of both Fairfax and Qantas. Todd has two-part doco airing next Monday and Tuesday (as I type this) on Aussie telly (Channel Ten Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 10 and 11) and as I’m fascinated with the subject matter - how the internet is changing us and what we can do about it - I thought we’d get him in to TYP Central for a chat about his latest project. He is a brilliant communicator, has an amazing mind and (in my opinion) is a good bloke trying to do good things in the world. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gorgi Coghlan is a ripper. Real, vulnerable, philosophical, smart, driven, compassionate, perfectionistic (self-admitted) and great to talk with. She has worked as a successful TV Host, Presenter, Journalist, Reporter, Singer and before all the famous stuff, she was a passionate and dedicated school teacher. I love it when people I’ve watched on the telly for years turn out to be ace in real life. So, Coggers (as I now call her) and I spoke about her anxiety journey, her philosophy on maintaining a healthy marriage, the Untethered Soul (her fave book), seeking external validation, attaching to thoughts, interviewing famous people from around the world, recovering from perfectionism, hanging out with Will Ferrell, life on her farm, responding vs. reacting, the science of self-regulation and lots more. Enjoy. @gorgicoghlanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems The You Project is having a run on Neurosurgeons at the moment. Last week it was Dr. Charlie Teo and this week, Dr. Alex Koefman is back at TYP Central; quite the feat considering there’s only about 200 of them (Neurosurgeons) in Australia. This time the Doc and I discuss why his colleagues regard him as an agitator, his inability to be content (perfectionist anyone?), our need for a (metaphoric) security blanket, managing self-doubt, the role of the amygdala (it’s not only about emotions), why the left and right hemispheres of the brain are not only about logic and creativity (as previously thought), his most inspirational moment in an operating theatre, contact sports and brain damage (CTE), his presentation at our TYP conference and lots more. Enjoy. dralexkoefman.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sue Fennessy is a serial technology entrepreneur, innovator, creator, thought-leader and disruptor. She’s also cheeky, funny, curious and like me, periodically inappropriate. Which, of course, I celebrate. This was a fun chat with a passionate woman, who’s determined to bring some light, laughter and positivity into what-can-be the messy, negative, polarising and hateful landscape of social media. Sue is all about creating a safe, supportive and empowering online space for people to be inspired, informed and educated and she’s on a f*cking mission! That space is called WeAre8. Among other things, we chat about wanting to rescue a sloth (her first big project as a kid), how social media algorithms work, seeking approval from people who don’t care about us, being addicted to drama, being an entrepreneur (it chooses us), under-estimating our own power and potential, imposter syndrome, falling apart on the floor of the shower, online nasty-ness and lots more. Enjoy. weare8.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Hannah Korrel is a Neuropsychologist, Educator, Speaker and Author (the name of her book is today’s episode title) with a skill to make what-can-be confusing mind-brain stuff, relatable, interesting and understandable. In this episode, we explore the ‘mind cage’, psychology vs. neurology, guilt, brainwashing, neuro-depression, neuro-anxiety, self-regulation, belief viruses, toxic friendships, transactional vs. reciprocal relationships, developing assertiveness and lots more. Enjoy. @nobullpsychhannahkorrel.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick and Tor are back and this time it’s a little less tech-talk and a lot more chat in the research, medical and health space. Among other things, we talk about how vitamin supplementation can improve cognitive function (brain performance), uterus transplants (it’s a thing), how improving cardiovascular fitness can add 6 to 8 years to our ‘health-span’, software developed to catch students cheating, Patrick gives us an amazing insight into life in Malta (where he’s currently at on his global adventure) and he also shares with us how he considers his twin brother to be something of a biological safety net, in case he needs a new organ. Dark (lol). oksmartass.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Cam is back and as always he was brilliant! Following on from our last episode, we got him back to answer some listener questions. We go real deep, so you might need a pen and paper. This time we explore the link between cravings and hormones, medical testing for food intolerances, shift work and circadian rhythms, puppy porn, how our dietary needs change as we age, reducing inflammation, veganism, weight training, tracking calories and macros (to count or not to count?), creating optimal online learning environments and lots more. shae.aiph360.me/tech4goodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Firstly, the reason for the title becomes clear during the chat. Dr. Julian Abel is awesome. I wish he lived in Melbourne, because we would definitely be friends. I love how he thinks, his compassion and kindness, his philosophy around health, healing and dying and I love that it’s all wrapped in a wicked sense of humour and great story-telling skills. Every now and then I chat with someone on TYP and I sense I’m getting the ‘show’ but with the Doc, he’s a genuinely beautiful soul who (despite his medical training) believes that compassion, connection, kindness and care are the greatest healers (literally, not metaphorically) and by the way, there’s significant research to back his ideas up. For me, this episode literally felt like I was hanging out with a mate having a fascinating conversation. *BIO: Julian is a retired palliative care physician, Director of Compassionate Communities UK Author and Podcaster. Over the last decade, he’s become increasingly interested in the impact of compassion being the basis of human relationships and he’s applied this in healthcare, in communities and beyond. He believes that society has developed in such a way to facilitate a drastic malnourishment of community, connection and compassion. Enjoy the Doc.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nima is back and this time we discuss the perils of Paracetamol and how it can kill people when abused (it’s scary), cognitive decline that comes with age and what we can do about it, the practice of off-label use (drugs being used for reasons other than their intended use), Ritalin, peptides, opioid addiction, inflammation vs. nerve pain, my crazy hallucination taking Lyrica (literally one tablet) and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Kylie Moore-Gilbert is an Australian academic who was arrested at Tehran’s International Airport in Iran in September of 2018 for a crime that she didn’t commit. In fact, a crime that didn’t actually happen. She was charged with espionage and subsequently spent 804 days incarcerated in a Tehran prison; an innocent Aussie stranded in a version of hell on earth. Not only did she spend much of her time in total isolation (solitary confinement), but she also endured ongoing abuse, mental torture, deprivation, threats and months of interrogations. In the middle of the darkness, there were moments of sunshine, in the form of some beautiful woman (fellow prisoners) who showed her love and compassion when she needed it most. This is an amazing story of courage, resilience, adaptation and survival. Twitter: @KMooreGilbertInstagram: @kyliemooregilbertSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing up, Dr. Charlie Teo wanted to be either a rubbish collector (because they’re fit), a bouncer (because he was a martial artist) or a mechanic (because he was into motorbikes - and still is). He actually started an apprenticeship as a mechanic before he studied medicine. This was a fascinating and meandering chat exploring Charlie’s strategy for avoiding jet lag, neuroplasticity, improving with age, people wanting him to fail, dealing with criticism and hate, mapping the brain, a brain-machine interface, contact sports, poo transplants (yep), why he became a vegan, his exercise regime, our mutual love of motorbikes, patient-centred care, hanging out with the Dalai Lama 1 on 1 (for 4 hours), the power of kindness and lots more. BIO: For over 30 years Dr. Charlie Teo AM has been instrumental in the development, dissemination and acceptance of the concept of keyhole minimally invasive techniques in neurosurgery. Dr. Teo runs a fellowship program that attracts applicants yearly and has trained many of the world's leading figures in neurosurgery. He has trained at distinguished centres such as the Barrow Neurological Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, Stanford University, Vanderbilt University and Harvard University. charlieteofoundation.org.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Cam McDonald is back and this time we dive into personalised learning, how our physiologically changes as we head into spring (here in Oz), the relationship between our biology and identity, how different kids respond to the same stimulus in the classroom and why, kids being penalised for doing what they’re brain is programming them to do, creating an environment works for our brain, personality and operating system, differentiated learning, good and bad anxiety, constipation, placebos, caffeine (good or bad?) and lots more. Enjoy. ph360.me/tech4goodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The animal-loving, deep-thinking, nature-loving, story-telling Aussie bogan philosopher is back, waxing lyrical about all-things life, happiness, meaning, purpose and of course, animal therapy (while being interrupted mid-podcast by a Scottish Terrier trying to steal his banana bread). Part mayhem, part discussion, part genius, all Geoff. Enjoy. @geoffjowettSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.