The You Project

Award winning Molecular Geneticist, Exercise Physiologist, Medical Researcher, Nutritionist, International Speaker and Author, Dr. Denise Furness is back at TYP Central making us laugh, being mildly inappropriate and blowing us away with her vast knowledge, brilliant insights and giant brain. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our favourite, award-winning, best-selling Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology (Dr. Bill Sullivan) is back inspiring, informing and educating us. In this episode, we discuss the pros and cons of our ever-advancing technology, artificial intelligence becoming sentient (aware and 'thinking' for itself) human adaptability and our capacity for survival as a species, some of the ethical and moral considerations around science and technology and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marc Cohen, the amazing Triple-Doc (Medical Doc and 2 x PhD) is back and among other things, this time we discuss the ever-expanding number of toxins we humans need to navigate, avoid and mitigate in an attempt to create, not only a healthy body, but also a healthy lifestyle, home, workplace and day-to-day operating system. Interestingly, not all toxins are chemical; some of them are psychological, emotional and/or sociological. Did you know that just being around certain people can be bad for your physical health? And in better news, the opposite is also true.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Craig talks about understanding how and when your mind, emotions and body work optimally.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let’s be honest, some ‘friends’ are really just people we know. In fact, some of them are the opposite of kind, caring and loving towards us. So, not friends at all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s the ‘thing’ you want, there’s the work required to achieve it and there’s what you’re prepared to do to succeed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Craig talks about what our life might look like a year from now if we get our metaphoric sh*t together. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Craig talks about the cognitive pandemic that is, over-thinking. Why we do it, how it affects us and what we might do about it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Craig discusses the importance of being in the middle of that unhealthy compulsion and being able to say ‘no’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time Craig talks about how we might create our own optimal learning system. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Craig bravely (or perhaps, stupidly) opens the door on the age-old 'meaning of life' conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Craig talks about the idea of identifying our non-negotiables (personal rules, standards, behaviours, values), in order to live our best life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Self-examination is a worthwhile, if not always comfortable, component of the personal transformation journey.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Craig tells us why trying to impress people is often the opposite of impressive.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Craig explores the concept of our Internal Sat-Nav; what it is, why we have it and how to use it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christmas day; so many varied and contradictory emotions, expectations, beliefs, stories and experiences. From overwhelming love, happiness, joy and connection to anxiety, loneliness, anger and disconnection, to religious traditions, cultural rituals, excessive alcohol, gluttony and uncomfortable family gatherings. Oh, and throw in a few presents. In this episode, the fabulous Dr. Lillian and I talk about all this and more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just as it is with grown-ups, there is a myriad of factors, variables and individual pieces which contribute to the 'happy, functional, healthy kid' jigsaw puzzle. And just as it is with us 'older kids', there's no miracle three-step plan, no cure-all, and no single 'best' way to feed, educate, treat, communicate with, support or understand the extremely diverse part of our population known as children. What will work for little Indie, will be catastrophic for Sam. Kayla's healthy snack could be Tom's anaphylactic reaction. The words that motivate Sally might confuse Akira. And what will work in the classroom for Muhammad might leave Billy bored or anxious. We spoke about all this and more in our latest chat with Play Therapist Extraordinaire, Dr. Sam. Enjoy.@drsamcaseySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew May is a world-class Speaker, High-Performance Coach, Podcaster and Educator, having worked with elite sporting teams, corporations and individuals all over the world. Other than that, he's a compete dud. As is often the way with Andrew, this episode was a combination of Psychology, Motivation, Story-Telling and Edutainment (it's a thing). Oh, and he also did his best to Psycho-analyse me mid-show, and I may or may not have gotten mildly uncomfortable.performanceintelligence.comRear View Mirror DownloadSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Ingles is one of Australia's greatest ever basketballers (currently playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves) and not to be outdone, his wife Renae was one of Australia's greatest ever Netballers; both representing their country at the highest level on numerous occasions. All I'm gonna tell you about this chat is that I f***ing loved it, and they are both fantastic people. FYI.. for this recording, Joe was in Minnesota, Renae was in Florida and I was in the thriving metropolis of good ol' Melbs. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gillespo hits the ground running in this chat and we cover a vast amount of conversational territory in a relatively short time. While we talk about stimulants (Red Bull anyone?), screen addiction, the massive increase in teenage anxiety and my very periodic (and shameful) use of a cognitive enhancer, the thing that'll blow your metaphoric socks off is our discussion about the recent research linking seed oils (oils like sunflower, cottonseed, grapeseed, canola, rice bran and soybean) with an increased risk of colon cancer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pete Shepherd is one of Australia's premiere Corporate Speakers and Coaches, having worked with thousands of people, in a multitude of organisations and across different continents. He has an extremely user-friendly coaching style, a super listenable voice (you'll hear) and a gift for breaking down human behaviour and psychology into easy-to-understand (and operationalise) ideas, stories and concepts. Enjoy. *Just acknowledging that title of today's ep. is a homage to Seth Godin's book of the same title.humanperiscope.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Marc Cohen is a Medical Doctor, University Professor, Researcher, Author, Entrepreneur and Wellness Trailblazer who also has two PhDs; one in Traditional Chinese Medicine and the other in Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering. Putting aside his obvious genius, he’s also a compassionate, kind, creative and generous individual, who’s fully committed to helping people become their best selves. He’s one of my favourite guests and the good news is, next year he will be a TYP regular. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi Team, I’m caught up with work today but I’ll be back for the rest of the week with brand new episodes. This is a chat I had a while back with 'The Commando', I really enjoyed it, I think you will too. *Not gonna lie, I wasn’t sure what to expect going into a conversation with ‘The Commando’. Interestingly, it didn’t happen. I ended up chatting with Steve Willis, the deep-thinking, interesting, somewhat-introverted ex-soldier, who happened to be on the telly for a decade or so. I really enjoyed our conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing up, I was the poster boy for mediocrity; not gifted genetically, academically, creatively or intellectually, as well as being the obese kid with terrible choices, habits, behaviours and of course, outcomes. Not exactly a winner. Fortunately for me, I had a few experiences in my teens which stimulated my curiosity and truly opened my eyes and understanding to a thing called 'human potential'. I became obsessed with trying to understand what was possible for me if I could learn how to 'out-perform' my own physiological, psychological and fear-based limitations (of which there were plenty). Well, many decades later my obsession and curiosity are still there, except these days my focus has expanded from 'me' to you (and the rest of the humans). Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of TYP, Tiff and I got to meet Patrick's new friend who, despite being Al, was able to have an extremely real-sounding 'conversation' with our resident nerd mid-podcast and when I say 'extremely' real-sounding, I mean it's honestly hard to believe the evolution of 'Al conversation' , even over the last six months. Within a very short time, it will be almost impossible to distinguish between a human-to-human chat and a human-to-Al 'chat' (purely from an audio recording perspective). And that's both exciting and terrifying. We also chatted about a bazillion other things. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Jodi is back and among other things, we talk about the ever-present juggling act of parents wanting to protect their kids, while also giving them the space, freedom and responsibility to solve problems, experience (some) discomfort, develop people skills, scrape their knees (literally or metaphorically) and build resilience, confidence and the practical skills to be able to deal with the messy-ness and mayhem of life beyond the parental bubble. As someone who doesn't have kids, I found this chat fascinating and enlightening (and broadly relevant beyond parenting). Enjoy.drjodirichardson.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to Director, Award Winning Filmmaker and Author Pete Dickson, fiction writing is just a fancy name for 'making sh*t up' and well, he's absolutely right. While Pete is one of Australia's most respected and sought-after sporting documentary makers, it turns out he's also pretty good at writing books, with his second book (and first fiction) being picked up by a major US publisher before they'd even had a phone call! Pete is a truly gifted creator, writer and storyteller but perhaps what I love most (and you might too) is his humility, complete lack of ego and his unintentionally-charming self-doubt. Pete's brother Rob was one of my best mates who unfortunately passed away and so for a range of reasons, I love catching up with him and this (very public) catch-up was great. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tommy Jackett calls me Dad. I've known and mentored him since he was a teenager and over the years, we have forged a relationship that's part friendship and part pseudo father-son. l've watched him grow, graduate and evolve out of his teens and into fatherhood, family and business and at thirty-six, I love who he's become and I'm impressed by the amazing things he's doing. This was a nice catch-up where, among other things, we chatted about his recent trip to the US to film a documentary about the relationship Americans have with their guns. Fascinating stuff and I think you'll love the conversation. Enjoy. @tommyjackettSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of TYP, Tiff and I riff on a verbal smorgasbord of topics, including Russell Brand's very public conversion to Christianity, the idea of kneeling in tiny room to 'confess your sins' to a bloke that you can't see in an adjacent tiny room (not weird at all), faith and belief vs. facts and knowledge, my ever-present capacity to say stupid things and be thoughtless, my PhD Supervisor telling me to pull my (metaphoric) finger out, Tiff's recent mystery illness and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi Team, I'm tied up with PhD commitments today, so we’re revisiting one of my favourite episodes with Farmer Dave (David Graham). See you tomorrow with a new ep. *I wasn’t sure what to expect going in to this chat because unlike a lot of people, I knew virtually zero about farmer Dave (my bad) but what ensued, was an hour of captivating conversation with a bloke who’s had (and continues to have) a fascinating life. After years navigating all kinds of darkness and eventually finding his way into the light of happiness, purpose, love and connection, he’s now helping others do the same. A movie could literally be made about Dave’s journey. Here are a few snippets. He was in charge of feeding, cleaning and caring for twenty farm dogs when he was 3. He is the youngest of 11. Was an international model at 19. Grew up on 100,000 acre farm. ‘Came out’ on national television (Big Brother). Has travelled to more than 80 countries. Was crippled with depression and anxiety as a teenager. Is a father of five. Currently lives on his farm in the country with twenty-something dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, dwarf goats, alpacas, ducks, goose and a horse. Created RuffTRACK: a farm-based youth charity that protects kids, keeping them out of prison and up skilling them for a secure future (the story he shares around this is amazing), is an animal behaviourist, TV Presenter, speaker and good bloke doing good things. Enjoy. rufftrack.com@rufftrackSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this brief solo episode, I discuss a very simple but effective idea that I have incorporated into my day-to-day operating system over the last few weeks. It's free and for me, the benefits have been physical (I have more energy, I'm leaner, a little fitter and I'm sleeping better), cognitive (brain power, focus, clarity), emotional (I feel happier and calmer), practical (it's improved my efficiency) and professional (I've integrated the idea into the way I work). My specific protocol might not be for you but the general idea is transferrable across contexts, tasks and situations. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite being born without the lower half of his left leg, it didn't really occur to Don Elgin or his parents that he had a 'disability' until he was in high school. In fact, when he told his parents about a thing called the Paralympics - a big event called for people with disabilities - his dad told him in no uncertain terms that he didn't have one. Well three Paralympics, four World Championships and one Commonwealth Games later, we catch up with the one-legged bloke who doesn't have a disability. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does sugar really cause ADHD? The answer might surprise you. In this Episode of TYP, our resident exposer of bullsh*t, revealer of truth and all-round killjoy (David Gillespie) takes us on another rollicking ride into the world of nutritional deception, misinformation and dubious health tick endorsements by dubious organisations recommending junk food masquerading as nutrition.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you don't already know, play therapy is a real thing. An actual evidence-based treatment protocol that's currently being used with children in a broad range of settings and with great success. Less pills, more monkey bars, I say (do monkey bars still exist?). This was a fascinating chat with Dr. Sam Casey about the power of play as a potential tool for the treatment and/or management of a broad range of psychological, sociological, emotional and behavioural issues and as l often do, I learned a lot in this chat. Enjoy. **Oh and BTW, Dr. Sam's natural talking speed is about 1.5 (she gets excited) so, you've been warned. You might need a coffee (lol).@drsamcaseySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Stedman wears a number of hats to cover his delightfully bald head; he's a resilience workshop facilitator for businesses and organisations looking to support their employees in challenging work environments, a men's behaviour change facilitator with a large nonprofit organisation working with domestic violence offenders, and he works one-on-one with people navigating grief and trauma through the Rural Fire Service. As someone who grew up in a household that revolved around his stepfather's violence and mother's heroin addiction, he draws deeply from his own experiences. *Warning: some people might find this conversation triggering. It wasn't an 'easy' or typical fun TYP chat, but it was definitely an important conversation, with important messages.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At 17, Matt De Gruchy was legally blind, morbidly obese (over 150kgs at 170cm), on numerous drugs, dealing with a rare disease, trying to survive crippling anxiety and depression, becoming more and more isolated and socially disconnected and understandably, hating (his version of) life. To say that he has turned it all around, is a massive understatement but as you'll hear in this episode, he is indeed an inspirational young man with a great vision doing amazing things and helping countless people. I loved this chat and I loved meeting Matt.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retirement is an interesting idea. In our culture, it's seen as a good thing. A reward for decades of toil, work and sacrifice; the trophy at the end of the career marathon, with the idea being that our life will be better (and so will we) once we transcend the work phase of our existence. Without spoiling what's to come in this episode, I'm of the opinion that retirement is not arbitrarily 'good or bad' but I do think it's important to consider the 'when, how and why' behind our retirement and the potential physical, financial, emotional, social and psychological implications (good and bad) of what a post-work existence might be. My 'work' has never felt like a job, a slog, an anchor or something I want to escape. Over the decades, I have consciously created a paradigm that is (for me) an intersection of connection, fun, learning, unlearning, purpose, service, peaks, troughs, meeting awesome people, travel, sharing my passion, personal growth and making a few bucks. What I share here is not a recommendation but rather, a reflection. You might find something interesting in it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heston Russell has been through some horrible sh*t; physical, mental, emotional, personal and professional. Some of it he was highly trained for, some of it he wasn't. Some of it he chose, some of it he didn't. And while you might think his biggest challenges would have been as a Special Forces Officer in the middle of combat situations around the world, the reality is different. If you haven't watched the Channel 7 'Spotlight' doco that unpacks Heston's fascinating (and harrowing) journey to hell and back, I strongly suggest you do. I thought I’d share the channel 7 synopsis here because they did a great job. **With a proud lineage of military relatives, Heston Russell enlisted in the army at 17 and rose through the ranks to become a highly decorated officer with more than 10,000 hours of leadership in combat operations, including four combat deployments to Afghanistan and a fifth to Iraq to fight against ISIS. He proved fearless in battle, iron-willed in his personal convictions and prepared to put it all on the line. As a soldier, Russell led our troops into countless battles and when he retired, he kept fighting. He campaigned for the royal commission into veteran suicide, built charities for soldiers and even ran for a seat in the Queensland senate. But his toughest fight came several years after his discharge, when Russell became the target of a relentless attack launched by the investigations unit of the ABC alleging that he was the worst kind of soldier - leaving a trail of destruction in Afghanistan and involved in fraudulent behaviour back home. Russell's battleground this time: the Australian Federal Court, where he spent almost three years fending off the ABC's allegations of war crimes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just over four years ago, D'Andre Ricks was coming to the end of a lengthy prison sentence for selling drugs. Specifically, he went inside for being in possession of a kilo of cocaine. Today the guy who was fighting on the streets and involved in criminal activity from the age of twelve, is a dad (of three), a fiancé to Demi (hurry up and get married Mate), a business owner (Iron Monk Fitness), an Exercise Scientist (who topped his year at Uni), an Educator and one of the nicest blokes you'd ever meet. I loved him, so will you. @ironmonkfitSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick slices virtual targets in half with his virtual sword, in a virtual world, while wearing his virtual reality goggles and then wonders why I hesitate to pay him a visit. This was another hour of pseudo tech talk, laughter and mayhem. Proceed with caution.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we are revisiting one of my favourite chats with Dave Hughes. Hughesy is an Aussie icon, best known for his work on the telly, radio and comedic stage. And while I love Hughesy the performer, the bloke I got to chat with in this episode is a fascinating, deep-thinking, philosophical, meditating (twice a day), self aware human who is finding his calm in the chaos. And yes, he's still silly and funny but we already knew that. Enjoy :)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Radio host and TV personality Gus Worland is a ripper. I absolutely loved this chat with a great human who's doing great things to help other humans in need of someone to listen, care, support and occasionally, hug. Apart from being a well-known and highly-respected media performer (whose best Mate is Hugh Jackman), Gus is also the driving force behind Gotcha4Life; a charity working to prevent suicide and break the stigma around mental health issues. This was a warm, insightful and funny chat with one of the most inspired (and inspiring) people l've met in a long time. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ve spent most of my adult life turning theoretical 'somethings' in my head, into actual 'somethings' (businesses, programs, services, products, podcasts, books, speaking career) in the real world. In this episode of TYP, I offer ideas and strategies for those of you who might be considering turning that potential something in your head into an actual something that people can experience in the real world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I had intended to do an entire episode with Tiff around the concept of 'turning an idea into a reality' and by the time we finished our preamble, we had taken a left turn at "guess what I did this morning" and thirty minutes had evaporated. All I can tell you is that the unplanned chat revolved around health, movement and ageing, that it was broadly relevant and we had fun.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You and I are creatures of habit, good and bad. We don't always do things because they 'work', we do them because we did them Yesterday. Last week. Month. Year. We do them because, we're sleepwalking through (parts of our) life. We do them because they're familiar, not effective. Because our parents did them, so now we do. We do them because they are habits we unconsciously adopted, not actions we consciously chose. And then one day, we find ourselves trapped in a psychological, emotional and behavioural operating system that keeps us in holding pattern of... blah. Not optimising our time, talent, creativity, intellect or genetic potential. This is a chat about waking up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gillespo's back chatting about the new Al (a fake old lady, who's super chatty) designed to keep scammers on the phone, wasting their time and reducing their capacity to scam actual people (f**k those scammers). We also talk about Bunnings getting 'in trouble' for using face-scanning technology without the consent of their customers, the potential nefarious applications of such technology, me being filmed while I buy my groceries, the idea that 'being busy' might be good for people with ADHD, Tiff's love affair with her new decibel-increasing exhaust system (for her motorbike) and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So I just met Dr. Jeffrey Gross on the podcast and I loved him so much that I asked him to be a regular on the show and he said yes. Giddy-up. I love my job and the fact that I get to 'hang out' with people who, in any other situation, l'd never even meet, let-alone become friends with. So good. In broad terms, we chatted about the evolution, attitudes, cults, limitations, pros and cons relating to the world of allopathic (Western) medicine, alternative treatments, biohacking, regenerative medicine and lots more (as it stands in 2024). **About the Doc.. Dr. Jeffrey Gross graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in biochemistry and molecular cell biology. He earned his Doctor of Medicine in 1992 from the George Washington University School of Medicine. He contributed to virology research during his studies. After graduating, he undertook a residency in neurological surgery at the University of California, Irvine Medical Centre until 1997. He then pursued a Fellowship and Chief Residency in Spinal Biomechanics at the University of New Mexico until 1999. Licensed in California and Nevada, Dr. Gross has SPINE practices in Orange County and Henderson, Nevada. A trained neurological surgeon, he specializes in athletic injuries and spine procedures, and offers longevity and biohacking consultations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Dr. Bill Sullivan (our favourite award-winning professor, author and science superstar from the Indiana University School of Medicine), tells us about being evolutionarily equipped for predators and dangers that no longer exist, and what impact that kind of hypervigilance can have on our mind, body, emotions and in general terms, our health. We also chat about status hierarchy (it's been around for millennia) and our need to feel superior, important and valued. We learn that stoics and philosophers were talking (and teaching) about the human condition thousands of years before psychology was a thing. We discuss the concept of wealth being about much more than money and the connect (or disconnect) between the states of our external (physical) and internal (non-physical) worlds. And in one of my proudest TYP achievements, after dropping the F bomb around the very moral and articulate Dr. Bill a thousand times over numerous episodes, today he walked through the swearing door for the first time. I should be ashamed. I'm not.authorbillsullivan.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to understand, interact, and communicate effectively with others in a range of settings and situations. It's about being able to 'read the room'. Know what to say and not say. And how. And when. And how much. And to whom. It's about knowing what's 'being said' when nobody's talking. It's about understanding someone else's reality in the moment. That your intention is probably not their experience. That your 'funny' is their offensive. Your clear concept, their confusing idea. It involves recognising and interpreting other people's emotions, motivations, desires, and intentions, and responding in ways that foster connection, collaboration, and mutual understanding. I believe this kind of intelligence is an interpersonal superpower. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bianca Chatfield and I were recently on Musical Theatre Superstar Josh Piterman's Podcast - Behind the Mask - and we had a ball chatting about all-things 'success'; the idea, the process, the experience, the appearance, the illusion and the science (art?) of it. This TYP episode is what's called (on Planet Podcast) a co-share, thanks to Josh and the good folk at Rolln Media. Enjoy.@gobehindthemask@joshpiterman@[email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.