The You Project

"You're such a child" are words I've had directed at me for the entirety of my adult life. And to that I say, "correct." Just ask my mum. Without play, without fun, without creativity, I would be pretty miserable. Living a life of meaning, purpose and service (if that's of interest to you), doesn't need to come at the cost of play. In fact, the incorporation of intentional play (fun, problem solving, communication, teamwork, creativity - all parts of play) might be the very thing that makes us better at all the other 'grown-up' stuff. This chat with Cas Holman about the power of play was insightful, provocative (in a good way) and enjoyable.casholman.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the world of social media memes, madness and mayhem, the claim "I've done my research" is usually a euphemism for the far more accurate "I read, heard or watched something on the internet." In this TYP instalment, Professor Bill and I chat about the recent media hysteria around an alleged link between Tylenol (paracetamol in Australia) and autism. And while l'm no expert, it's fair to say that the bloke who's both a Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology and a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Indiana University School of Medicine (The Prof.) is more medically informed and qualified to comment than most. So he did. And I listened. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nope, it's not resilience. And nope, it's not grit. Or discipline. Or will power. They might all live in the same psychological suburb but only hardiness is hardiness. Paul Taylor (with his brand-new shiny PhD.) is back at TYP chatting about his new book (The Hardiness Effect) and sharing the inspiration and education with the usual abundance of facts and fucks. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Self-worth is the fundamental sense of your own value and significance as a person, independent of achievements, appearance, status, or others' approval - well, according to the dictionary that's what it's meant to be anyway. But away from the 'theory' it seems that for many of us, our version of self-worth is actually intertwined with the very things the dictionary tells us it 'should' have nothing to do with. This chat with Kelly and Tiff was an interesting reflection on a complicated component of the human experience. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"It's not really about tech is it?" That's what someone asked (told?) me today, when talking to me about the fortnightly 'Patrick' episodes. To which I replied, "nah, not really." Of course, we have an intention to talk tech each time - and I even have a Patrick-supplied list of relevant topics - but mostly the conversation descends into some kind of mildly amusing ‘tech-flavoured' conversational rabble. This time is no different. You've been warned.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WTF is a coach? Business coaches. Life coaches. Performance coaches. Health coaches. Financial coaches (yep!). So many coaches. Who are they? Where did they come from? How did they become one? Are there any regulations? Specific qualifications? Do I need one? Should I avoid them? Have they been successful themselves? What does 'good coaching' look like? In this chat with Bobby and Tiff, we explore the rapidly expanding industry that is coaching (in all its forms). Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trying to understand how our individual mind, brain, emotions, and body respond to, and interact with, the myriad stimuli in a typical day - work, exercise, food, people, weather, environment, events - is an ever-present challenge. Trying to understand how to "optimise" ourselves in the middle of all that, is even tougher. That's what this chat with Dr. Cam McDonald is all about.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m surprised that Andrea Leigh Rogers is not perpetually exhausted. She done, and continues to do, a lot! This was a fun episode with someone who has optimised and operationalised her skill, talent, energy, intellect, and opportunities more than most. Positive, practical, and passionate, I loved chatting with her. It dawned on me during this chat that, while her and I are kind-of totally different (in a way), we are also kind-of the same. **Andrea Leigh Rogers is a wellness entrepreneur, celebrity trainer, and creator of groundbreaking fitness sensation Xtend, a creative combination of traditional Pilates methods, ballet, and cardio. Featured in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle, with live appearances on NBC, ABC, and CNN networks, she is a popular thought leader in health and movement communities and a youth skincare advocate, and her online workouts have been viewed millions of times. Enjoy.andrealeighrogers.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm pretty sure my job is good for my health because for the most part, it gives me joy, fulfilment, growth, connection, meaning and purpose. Of course there's some unavoidable crap but overall, the good far outweighs the bad. And l'm grateful. Dr. Lillian is back and this time we chat about how our work (role, environment, boss, culture, responsibilities, relationships, hours, travel) affects our physical, mental and emotional health - for better or worse. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi Team, today we’re revisiting one of my favourite eps with Heston Russell. Heston is a Retired Special Forces Major, who after 16 years in the military and over 100 combat missions serving within the Special Forces, found his way to TYP Central for a chat and it (the conversation) was a revelation, inspiration and in some ways, not what I expected at all. I thought it would be good but it was brilliant. He was brilliant. We chatted about the mindset, morality and ethics around killing people when it’s part of your job (weird, I know), performing under the ultimate pressure (someone shooting at you), returning to ‘normal life’ after combat and some fascinating stuff that I don’t want to share in this overview because it will ruin the listening moment. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly Smith is back from her overseas jaunt and back at TYP sharing the love and banging questions my (and Tiff’s) way. I may have gotten a little evangelical and bossy with a few of my responses, so if you don’t feel like a ‘be all you can be’ (type of) coaching moment with the only child, see you tomorrow.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time around, we chat about Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (TES) - say that ten times fast. The TGA has just approved TES for treating things like mental health (anxiety, depression, addiction), physical pain, motor learning issues, stroke recovery and fatigue. We also talk about carrots, Tiff's anger issues, and David's lack of respect for my research skills. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an uncomfortable but important topic to explore because unfortunately, it's a phenomenon that is not only widespread, but it's also on the rise. According to PhD researcher (and TYP regular) Nicole Liddell, an ever-increasing number of people (mostly women) are being subjected to different forms of coercive control, manipulation and abuse via technology. This is a chat about that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tiff and I head down a philosophical rabbit hole in this one, chatting about life design, contentment, climbing the mountain, who we are when nobody's watching, why we don't change (even when we want to), understanding our mind, escaping our mind and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

*Hi Everyone!! Before you listen to this, just a quick heads-up... my guest Jane has a vocal cord injury which means her voice is relatively quiet, so it might take a little more listening effort than normal... also, her internet connection and microphone weren't awesome which means there are a few small gaps. Jane is a good friend of mine, former on-air radio partner for eight years and truly one of the most inspiring, courageous and loving people I know.. and I know some awesome humans. Please excuse the average audio quality but Jane's story, attitude and energy is incredible. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the bloke who’s allegedly our resident ’Tech Expert’, Patrick has quite the ability to not talk about technology for most of the episode. I blame Tiff. And Patrick. It’s definitely not me. Nonetheless, this was a lot of fun. Enjoy.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this TYP instalment I sat down with Dr. Avi Charlton and talked all-things wellness, nutrition, optimal health and why she stepped away from the mainstream medical model to better treat and serve her patients. Dr. Avi is a GP, speaker, author, and thought leader in lifestyle medicine. She is the founder of Melbourne Low Carb Clinic and Breathe in Health, where she helps people reverse chronic conditions and improve wellbeing through nutrition, functional breathing, and lifestyle interventions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time at TYP Central, Bobby and I chat about the myriad of variables which impact the way our brain works (or doesn't work), with a specific focus on the relationship between nutrition and cognitive performance. Oh, and lots of other stuff. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, it seems that three-hours is quite the time commitment, especially when it comes to listening to a single podcast, like episode 2,000. With that feedback ringing in my ears, today I'm sharing just the 'Melissa part' of that verbal marathon as a stand-alone episode for the many who missed out on the Queen of TYP (AKA my boss). For my newer listeners, Melissa is my Business Partner who prefers to be off-mic and behind the scenes, but just like the super shy Red Panda of the Himalayas, every now and then I manage to coax her out of her natural habitat (the TYP subterranean bunker) and into the studio (usually by dangling some kind of new Apple product in her face). Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes it feels like we're doing life on autopilot and often, that's because we are. Same habits, patterns, choices, actions, conversations, broken promises (often to ourselves) and outcomes that didn't really 'work' the last ten thousand times. But nonetheless, we find ourselves in day ten thousand and one, like a character in a story we didn't write, unconsciously stepping back into our very own mental, emotional, social and behavioural Groundhog Day. Consciously and intentionally changing our 'personal operating system' (the way we typically do things) is easier said than done (of course) but totally worth the effort.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.