Better Bloke

Join us as we sit down with Australian tattoo legend Rhys Gordon, best known for his Japanese work and timeless full-body suits. Rhys has been tattooing since the early ‘90s, coming up through old-school street shops before founding Little Tokyo and becoming one of the most respected names in Japanese-inspired tattooing. We talk about how styles have evolved over the decades, which “old” looks are making a comeback, and much more about the ink.Rhys opens up about the relationship between artist and client... how spending hours, sometimes years, on big pieces turns the tattoo chair into something not far off a therapist’s couch. We dig into the stories, trust, and head noise that come out during long sessions, and how that space can help blokes process life, loss, identity and change. We also unpack how society’s perception of tattoos has shifted from “rough and tough” to a mainstream form of self-expression, and how social media has both helped and complicated the industry.See more from Rhys: www.instagram.com/rhysgordon/

Meet Big Chocky, AKA The Controversial Coach, the bloke who’s blown up online this year for calling out what he sees as pure madness in Australia’s political and cultural landscape. From governments, courts and politicians, through to the worst kind of grubs... Chocky’s built a following by saying what a lot of people think but won’t say out loud.In this episode we dive into the messy stuff most people avoid: immigration, patriotism, and what it actually means to be Australian in 2025. We unpack the truth behind the March for Australia rallies, talk about why some racists have tried to latch onto his message, and draw a hard line between extremists of any culture or faith and the everyday people who just want to get on with their lives. Chocky lays out exactly who he’s aiming at... and it’s not the vast majority.We also talk about where we go from here: corruption, accountability, and what us normal people can actually do to have a voice without losing their mind in the process. If you’re sick of feeling like something’s off in this country but don’t know where to start, this one’s for you.Feel like supporting Big Chocky's Christmas Giveaway? Do it here - https://www.gofundme.com/f/big-chockys-christmas-give-away

Let's sit down with Danny, the mad genius behind the International Brawling Championship... a brand new combat sport that mashes boxing and MMA into one brutal, high-octane spectacle. Built for the fans first, the IBC is all about showmanship, chaos, and those “holy shit” moments you usually only get from WWE entrances and highlight reels.We dig into why Danny created a fight promotion that puts the spectator at the centre, how he looks after his fighters while still serving up mayhem, and what he really thinks about the way combat sports are viewed by the media, the public, and even other fighters. From dozens of failures and “this will never work” to an event that went viral and gave him the green light to double down, Danny breaks down the mindset behind the madness.We also get personal... fatherhood, resilience, building tough kids in a soft world, and the standards he sets for anyone who steps into an IBC ring. If you love combat sports, wild ideas, and people who back themselves when everyone else calls them crazy, this one’s for you.The next event is Friday in Brisbane, get your tickets at: https://premier.ticketek.com.au/Shows/Show.aspx?sh=BRAWL25See more from IBC at: https://www.instagram.com/internationalbrawling/

Australian car culture is among the strongest in the world, and there's few who live and breathe it more than Jesse, the founder of Oz Wheels. After begging Hot Wheels for years to produce models that resonate with the Aussie scene, he decided to do it himself... and what he produced hit the spot!This episode dives into Jesse's deep passion for the Australian scene, finding his creativity in producing models, and how he established a collectibles company by sharing his own love for these machines. See more from Oz Wheels at https://www.instagram.com/oz_wheelsHelp us help the blokes who need it: https://www.betterblokeproject.org/pages/donate-now

This week we're sitting down with AJ Williams, founder of Revel Saunas & Ice Baths. Yes... we touch the science: how heat and cold hit performance, recovery, and mental health, but this is really about the bloke behind the brand. AJ grew up in housing commission, bounced between blended, messy family units, left school in Year 9, and watched his pro-athlete dream fade. Two decades later, he leads an eight-figure company and is determined to be the father he wished he had. He’s humble, allergic to victim mentality, and big on owning your hand... then playing it hard. We dig into being a Dad, what he’s seeing in Aussie youth from the hiring front line, and the roadblocks he smashed through on the way to building a life that actually means something.See More From AJ at https://www.instagram.com/iamtheajwilliams& be sure to check out what Revel has to offer at https://revelsaunas.com.au/

What does it actually mean to be “masculine”? This week, we cut through labels and buzzwords to build something men can live by. Fact check: most major dictionaries describe masculinity as qualities regarded as characteristic of men... a useful starting point, but it doesn’t tell you which qualities, which is why the debate goes in circles.We unpack traits versus behaviours, real differences on averages (not absolutes), and how context turns raw traits into actions. We chat masculinity across time... protector/breadwinner frames of the past versus modern realities at work, home, and in community, and ask what still matters, what doesn’t, and what needs a rewrite.The goal isn’t to police blokes; it’s to work out some form of compass and unpack why there is so much debate around what this word means.Find out everything you need to know about the 46 for 46 Challenge: https://www.mycause.com.au/page/382055/walking-46-hours-straight-for-46-lives-lost-every-week

Harry started out in Excel Series racing through his teenage years before stepping up to the Toyota 86 GR Series, a dream he shared with his dad... but only a few months after they began racing together, tragedy struck when he lost his Dad to mental health issues.Unsure if he’d ever get behind the wheel again, Harry did choose to return to the track... making his comeback at Bathurst, the place every racer dreams of, to continue what he and his dad had started.This chat isn’t just about loss... it’s about purpose, resilience, and doing what you love. It’s a mix of laughs, reflection, and insight from a young bloke without an ego, just out there giving life a red-hot crack.Follow Harry for some top-tier entertainment: www.instagram.com/harry_tomk1ns

Meet Kyle Van Der Poel - better known online as your mother’s favourite boxer - with an impressive 0–2 loss streak and a personality that more than makes up for it.What started as a bit of a shit talk fest turned into one of our most unfiltered, unpredictable conversations yet. We covered everything from Greta Thunberg to vaccines, climate change, immigration, and conspiracies, all while finding some glimpses into what makes a better bloke from Kyle's viewpoint.Between the chaos, we dove into what drive, self-improvement, and purpose look like when the cameras are off, and unpacked some alarming statistics about Australia’s gambling culture that every bloke needs to hear.

It's time to unpack two uncomfortable truths from psychology that hit closer to home than most people realise. The first... your brain lies, or at least doesn't get it right all the time. We break down how past experiences, neuroplasticity, and rumination warp your perception of reality, shaping beliefs that feel true but often aren’t.The second... you’re not who you think you are, you’re what you practice being. This one challenges the old “I think, therefore I am” idea. We explore how 'who you are' isn’t fixed, but built through what you actually DO. This episode cuts through the noise of self-help clichés and gets to the real, uncomfortable truths that are backed up by thousands of years of history's greatest thinkers.Help us help the blokes who need it by supporting the 46 for 46 Challenge: https://www.mycause.com.au/page/382055/walking-46-hours-straight-for-46-lives-lost-every-week

This episode marks the official launch of the 46 for 46 Challenge…. a brutal 46-hour walk representing the 46 men who take their own lives every week in Australia. It’s not just about endurance; it’s about standing up for every bloke who’s ever felt like giving up, and turning pain into purpose. Every step taken and every dollar raised will go directly into funding the programs BB has developed to keep blokes alive and not forgotten.They also share exciting updates on the Better Bloke Mental Health First Responder Program… a proactive, peer-led system that reaches men before crisis hits, and the Toolbox Talks that take honest, relatable conversations straight into workplaces. Together, these initiatives are the future of the Better Bloke Project's real-world impact.Donate to the challenge: https://www.mycause.com.au/page/382055/walking-46-hours-straight-for-46-lives-lost-every-weekFind us on socials:https://www.instagram.com/betterblokeproject/https://www.facebook.com/thebetterblokeproject/https://www.tiktok.com/@betterblokeproject

Let's dive into the advice men wish they could give their 20-year-old selves... pulled straight from real blokes in the BA community. We hit the biggies: money mistakes, choosing the wrong partner, ignoring red flags, family and fatherhood, partying too hard, skipping travel, and staying stuck on repeat.This is a straight-talk session on priorities, accountability, and growing up without losing who you are or what's actually important to you. If you’re sick of paying interest on dumb decisions (financially and emotionally), this one’s worth the listen.Help us help the blokes who need it: https://www.betterblokeproject.org/pages/donate-now

Meet Jock, the boxer and self-proclaimed degenerate who stared down addiction and built Soreheads to pull others out of the dark places. You’ve seen the Catch a Fade's... anyone, anywhere... but you haven't heard the whole story. We sit with the man behind the chaos: the bloke figuring out how to stay straight after battles with addiction.This episode explores the itch for trouble that many men feel, & how to overcome it even when you've given in. Jock breaks down how fighting gave him a reason to change and continues to keep him on track. Redemption isn’t tidy, but this is what it looks like...Follow his story (and fades): https://www.instagram.com/jockboxing

We’ve spoken with thousands of blokes, and the same reasons for avoiding therapy keep popping up. On this episode, we say the quiet part out loud: why men don’t book in, why some first sessions fall flat, and why it often feels like therapy wasn’t designed with blokes in mind.We dig into the big blockers... relatability in a female-dominated field, fear of judgment, not knowing what actually happens in the room, and the belief that “talking about feelings” won’t fix real-world problems. Then we get practical: how to pick a therapist who fits your style, what a first session really looks like, and bloke-friendly alternatives if the couch isn’t your thing.Whether you’ve never tried therapy, had a shocker first run, or you’re the partner/mate trying to help a bloke take the next step... this is a straight-up, no-fluff chat designed to make the whole thing less weird and more useful. Not an anti-therapy rant, just a map that actually helps men get help.

Meet Jamie, the ex-cop who was medically discharged after a PTSD diagnosis. The uniform came off, but the echoes stayed... panic, sleepless nights, and the weight that doesn’t clock off. We sit down with the bloke behind the badge: the partner, the mate, and the man learning how to live when the chaos stopped.This episode digs into what many blokes don't talk about... the maze of psychologists and doctors, the ups & downs of medication, and the power of sitting with other veterans who actually get it. Jamie talks about how a boat became his anchor - clear lines of sight, known surroundings, and nature doing its quiet work.

You might know Aaron for his 1996 Toyota Supra - better known as the Scary Supra - one of the wildest builds in Australia’s car scene. The car turns heads everywhere it goes… but that’s only the surface. We sit down with the man behind it: the stepdad, the partner, and the bloke who had to face a past where he wasn’t the man he wanted to be.This episode digs into what most fellas never put on Instagram: building a blended family, the hard yards of taking accountability, and how your definition of happiness shifts as you grow. Aaron opens up about mistakes, lessons, and the moments he realised the real rebuild wasn’t under the bonnet... it was in himself.Whether you’re into cars, navigating stepdad life, or just trying to figure out the man you want to become… this episode is a raw look at the roads we all travel.See more from Scary Supra: www.instagram.com/scarysupra

You might know Matty “Bombs” for Australia’s biggest golf swing. On the long-drive grid he’s a world champ for launching nukes... but that’s only the highlight reel. We sit down with the man behind it: the partner, the new dad, the step-dad... navigating a premmie birth with just 10 weeks notice and the wild life that real life throws at us all.This episode digs into what most blokes never talk about out loud: the fear, the fatigue, and the friction of step-parenting, plus the weight of old wounds that don’t vanish when you hit it 400 yards. Matty opens up about childhood trauma and how a guy who thought therapy wasn’t for him finally gave it a crack,and why it changed everything. Practical tools, hard truths, and a fresh take on strength that goes way beyond the swing.Whether you’re a new parent, a step-dad in the trenches, or a bloke who’s been putting off getting help… this episode is a good look at the daily things some of us are facing.Find more from Matty at www.instagram.com/mattybombs

AI is everywhere... so do you use it, or does it use you? In this one, the boys scrap over dependency, pressure to keep up, and whether leaning on a bot makes you soft. Rob isn’t shy about hating how much Matty uses AI… until talk turns to self-development: prompts, planning, learning faster, doing the hard work smarter. Half conspiracy and speculation, half straight talk every bloke should hear. Perfect if you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, or you’ve only dipped a toe and want real ways it can make life easier without losing your edge.

Most Australians have no idea that rural men are facing one of the highest suicide rates in the country. For Mary O’Brien, founder of the Are You Bogged Mate? charity, that reality became brutally personal when two well-known blokes in her community took their own lives. Digging into the research, she found the truth was even worse... men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women, and if they’re in a rural setting, the risk jumps even higher.In this episode, Mary explains why the current mental health system isn’t built for bush blokes, how the “out of sight, out of mind” attitude is costing lives, and how her organisation is changing the conversation. We cover everything from the tractor analogy that resonates with men who hate ‘talking about feelings’ to the practical ways both men and women can start helping the people around them today.Find out more about Are You Bogged Mate?, or apply for the Bogged Brakes event: https://areyouboggedmate.com.au/

You might know Viktor Lyall as the MMA fighter who dismantled two angry men in Surfers... cool, controlled, and unapologetically lethal - but that’s just one side of the man. Behind the cage persona is a thinker with degrees in psychology, business, and history literature, and a deep belief that a man’s happiness comes from finding his duty and living in alignment with it.In this episode, we dive deep: modernity, postmodernism, masculinity, violence, virtue, and authenticity. Viktor speaks with clarity and conviction, challenging what it means to be a man in a world that’s lost its compass. This isn’t just a fighter’s tale... it’s a conversation about who we are, who we were, and who we could be.Hear more from Viktor at www.instagram.com/impalervikki

A returning voice, a mural artist, and a man who’s pulled himself from the edge more than once, Lini is back on the couch to catch us up on what he has learnt. After years of battling his own demons, digging deep into psychology, and speaking with thousands of others doing the same, he’s landed on a philosophy that challenges the way we think about mental health.Lini doesn’t see it as illness... he sees it as pain. Not something to medicate and manage forever, but something to understand and cure at the root. In this chat, he unpacks where society’s gone wrong, where it’s trying, and why so many men are still slipping through the cracks.Find out more about Lini at: www.instagram.com/whoislini