The You Project Podcast
The You Project Podcast is a 30-90 minute dose of inspiration and education hosted by Craig with great stories, ideas, strategies and lessons from high-performers in sport, business, science, media and health.
Listen to the Podcast now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.
LATEST EPISODES
#170: Travis Bell, The Bucket List Guy
Travis Bell is a globally recognised Speaker, Coach and Thought Leader who encourages, educates and empowers people around the world to live purpose-filled, fun-filled, regret-free, don’t-die-wondering (type of) lives. Oh, and he’s also ‘The World’s No.1 Bucket List Expert’. We had an interesting chat with plenty of take-aways. Enjoy.
#169: Fred Schebesta
At the ripe old age of 38, Fred Schebesta (creator of comparison website Finder) is on AFR’s Young Rich List with a personal fortune of $193 million. Which is quite the achievement. Of course. But what’s way more impressive for me, is the bloke behind the business, brand and money. I’m not exactly sure what I expected going into this conversation but what I got was way more than I hoped for. He’s awesome. I know I always say this, but this episode (no, really) is in my new all-time top 3. Among other things, we discussed Fred’s relationship with money, his parenting style, why he employed a divorce coach and an emotional coach, quarantine saving, trading time for money, why he teaches his kids to negotiate, self-loathing, self-awareness, the ‘you’ experience and his three tips for starting a business. Enjoy.
#168: Fearlessly Failing
Recently, I was on the Lola Berry Podcast (Fearlessly Failing) and I loved it. Lola has amazing energy, is genuinely curious, asked great questions and not surprisingly, we went deep down the conversational rabbit hole, exploring the complexities, intricacies and challenges of the human experience. This was one of those podcasts that felt more like an organic, interesting conversation with a fascinating person than it did, some kind of strategic or planned interview (credit to Lola). For me, the hour felt like twenty minutes. Enjoy.
#167: Challenging the Status Quo
In this Episode of TYP, one of our favourites (Geoff Jowett) is back sharing the love, laughs, lessons and inspiration in his unique, blunt and funny-AF manner. Among other things, Geoff talks about challenging the status quo, critical thinking, creating a new path, his seven rules (the ones that changed his life) and how he managed to blow a million dollars a year on (don’t ask) at the height of his hedonistic lifestyle. Oh, and in the last five minutes he reveals something that almost makes Craig cry.
#166: How to Optimise Your Workouts
For this episode, I dust off my jockstrap and step temporarily back into Exercise Science mode to chat with Sport Scientist, Educator and Elite Conditioning Coach (A.I.S., St. Kilda FC, Melbourne FC, Australian Women’s Cricket Team) Russ Jarrett and we go deep on functional training, working out over fifty, biofeedback, kettlebells (yes or no), warming up, stretching – yes or no (for sporting performance), training intensity, correcting poor posture, finding the right program, training volume and frequency, exercise myths and fallacies, kids and weights, how to recover optimally, getting massive… and lots more.
#165: What Does ‘Getting Conscious’ Mean?
Dr Ali Walker is the author of ‘Get Conscious: How to Stop Overthinking and Come Alive’, she’s also a social scientist, media presenter, corporate speaker and educator in the fields of sociology and social psychology. Luckily for us, she’s back on The You Project to talk about overcoming our programming and self-limiting beliefs, what it means to live consciously in an unconscious world and lots of other ‘social science-y’ (type) stuff.
#164: This Wasn’t My Plan
What happens when life makes our dream a physical impossibility? What do we do? How do we respond? From the age of five, Shaun Spence dreamed of being a professional rugby league player in the NRL and by the time he was a teenager, his life revolved around making that dream a reality. His talent was recognised by the Wests Tigers as a fifteen year-old, when they signed him and sent him to boarding school on a sporting scholarship. In his first senior season, Shaun showed great promise, playing nine games and scoring a try in his second game but amazingly, that was it. The lifelong dream was over. He was forced to retire at the ripe old age of twenty-two, having been on the receiving end of seventeen concussions (no, that’s not a mistake). In this episode, Craig and Shaun talk about overcoming disappointment, building resilience, self-pity, self-management, choosing our purpose, finding our reason, learning to adapt, recognising the lesson and of course, coming up with a plan B. Enjoy.
#163: The Mental Health Episode
In this episode, I was interviewed by Tristan Simmons from The Mental Health Connection Podcast and we had such a fascinating chat that I decided to share it here on TYP (thanks to Tristan). It’s fair to say that we cover plenty of territory and I’m sure this will be an interesting and valuable conversation for many of our listeners. Enjoy.
#162: Taylor Adams
In this episode Craig sits down with Collingwood young gun Taylor Adams and the boys go deep on the intricacies of high-performance (in sport and life), happiness, connection, self-management, finding balance, developing a personal blueprint, dealing with disappointing performances, self-awareness, self-punishment (it’s a thing), anxiety, giving and receiving feedback and the ongoing journey of personal growth. It was a fun chat.
#161: Rules, Rituals and OCD
Bobby Cappuccio is back and in this episode, he and Craig discuss everything from Bobby’s rituals, rules and general OCD, to building self-belief, resilience, skill and confidence. They also talk about finding a mentor, the line between healthy and unhealthy habits and the stupid advice that well-meaning friends and family often give us. Craig also asks Bobby if we can be simultaneously content and ambitious.
#160: Andrew Jobling
Andrew is an Author, Speaker, Mentor, former AFL player (St.Kilda), Business Consultant, former School Teacher and ex business partner of mine. This chat was essentially two middle-aged blokes talking about where we’ve been, what we’ve fucked up, what we’ve learned, where we are and what’s next. Enjoy.
#159: Kate Save.. Dietician, Exercise Physiologist, Entrepreneur
As well as creating and growing ‘Be Fit Food’ from idea into an eight million dollar (annual turnover) business in five years and winning Telstra business of the year, Kate Save is also a Dietitian, Exercise Physiologist, Mum and Wife who’s endured a lifetime of her own personal health challenges. We had a really interesting chat.
#158: The Hustle and Grind Myth
I knew Geoff Jowett when he was a high-profile, high-flying, multi-millionaire doing all the hustling, media, drugs, booze, sex, spending and distractions. He was smart, charismatic and kind of successful. Kind of because, at the same time, he was also broken, disconnected, addicted, miserable and lost. In the middle of his apparent success, he was mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually bankrupt. That was then but these days, Geoff is a different person. The penthouse has made way for the one bedroom flat. The Maserati for the old Hyundai Getz. The drugs and grog for horses, meditation and nature. The obsessive bodybuilding for golf. The getting for giving. The chaos for calm. And the misery for joy. As a friend, I’m super proud of how far he’s come. His realness, rawness, honesty, awareness and humour, make this one of my favourite TYP chats ever. Don’t miss it.
#157 Dr Hannah Macdougall
Apart from being an elite athlete in two sports (swimming and cycling), two-time Paralympian, former world record holder, academic smarty pants, motivational speaker, inclusion advocate, mindfulness coach and all-round funny bugger, Hannah is also currently training to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. We had a fun chat. Enjoy.
#156 Nick Dal Santo
Nick Dal Santo is one of those blokes who was a very good AFL player (322 games, All-Australian, runner up in the Brownlow), is a polished media presenter (Foxtel and SEN) a loving husband and dad (of course) but as you’ll discover in this episode of TYP, he’s just a really good human. Like, awesome. Super generous with his time, energy, knowledge and experience. We had a great chat about everything from high-performance, elite sport, leadership, work ethic and maximising talent, to what makes a champion, self-awareness, character, raising kids and growing up in the country (something we both did).
#155 My Favourite Whiteboard Lessons
In January 2016, I decided to write one of my daily Facebook messages on my office whiteboard and post a photo of it, instead of my daily ritual of typing a few words on a keyboard. While I can’t say it revolutionised the world, I can say that (for some reason) the same words hand-written on my whiteboard created far greater connection, impact and interaction than a regular typed post. Like, times ten. People seemed to resonate with the synergy of old (handwriting) and new (social media). Four years down the track, I’ve written more than three thousand messages on my whiteboard, with some of them being turned into posters, mugs, T shirts, calendars and even, a song (not all with my approval or knowledge). Oh, and of course there’s my Instagram page (@whiteboardlessons), which has slowly climbed from zero to just over twenty thousand followers in the last few years. In this episode, I talk about some of my favourite messages (and yours) and the meaning, idea and intention behind them.
#154 Why Are We So Dissatisfied?
Cecily Schwab is a Clinical Psychologist, Coach, Business Consultant and wife of one of our TYP Faves, Cameron Schwab. In this episode, Craig and Cecily go deep on why many of us seem to be perpetually dissatisfied, where it comes from, how it works and what we might do about it. And lots more head stuff. Of course.
#153 How Dare You Not Be Like Me
As Podcasts go, this is super brief. Nonetheless, in under ten minutes, I manage to riff on confirmation bias, life in the echo chamber, loving people who aren’t like us, letting go of the need to be right, being okay with uncertainty and unfamiliarity and the idea of living harmoniously in a world full of different ideas, cultures, beliefs, lifestyles and people. This was recorded on my phone, so the audio is a 6-ish, sorry. Hopefully, the content is a 9.
#152 The Episode About Everything
I recently joined my adoptive sons on @thedailytalkshow for a nearly-two-hour chat and it’s fair to say we covered plenty of ground including: addiction, expectations, the nature of truth, knowledge vs. faith, convenient science, genetics, uncertainty, the first two months of my PhD, how success and failure co-exist, old vs. new media, the birth of low-fat eating, the food pyramid, unlearning, how frustration works, is perpetual happiness a possibility and towards the end of the show, I do some in-the-moment coaching with Tommy, Josh and Mister 97. This is a new favourite of mine.
#151 5 Questions for Humans
This podcast is Craig reading, reflecting and riffing on the following five questions (from his book). 1. What’s my life telling me? 2. What are my core values and how do I live in alignment? 3. Why do I self-sabotage? 4. How does the other person see this? 5. How can I change the way I think?
#150 Jules Lund
Jules Lund is a gun. In business and in life. You know when you’re keen to meet someone and when you finally connect, they’re even better in person? Well, Jules is exactly that. For real. Such a genuinely good bloke with a great heart, great mind and great energy. Gave me a hug at the front door, spoke from the heart, shared his journey (peaks and troughs), got vulnerable and travelled to my studio on a 44 degree day without a complaint, expecting nothing in return. I love him.
#149 Q&A: Food, Fitness and Function
This is a ‘Q and A’ session where Craig answers your ‘Getting in Shape’ (type) questions. He explores mindset, weights, cardio, finding the right program, training (in general), nutrition, supplements, time-efficient exercise, progression vs. maintenance, the value of a PT, calories (do they still matter?), over-training, biofeedback, excuses vs. reasons and lots more.
#148 Bobby Cappuccio: The Coach’s Coach
Bobby Cappuccio grew up in the middle of poverty, abuse, rejection, bullying and dysfunction on a range of levels. He was also given up for adoption, has Tourette’s syndrome and was physically deformed (requiring four reconstructive facial surgeries). Despite his numerous setbacks and personal challenges, Bobby has become (in my opinion) one of the best Coaches, Speakers and Educators in the world. And I have seen many. He’s also one of my Mates. Enjoy. *Note: there are a few moments where the audio quality dips a little, as Bobby is chatting with me from Singapore. Apologies.
#147: High Performance in Sport and Life
I was recently interviewed by Isobel Ross from the ‘Peak Endurance’ Podcast. Isobel is one of Australia’s best Ultra Endurance Runners and while our conversation revolved mostly around running and competitive sport, we covered plenty of things in the mindset, performance, preparation and self-management space, which also relates to life in general. In other words, there’s plenty in this chat for everyone. Athlete or not. Also, two amazing thigs I want to share with you (1) two days before we did this podcast, Isobel ran and won a 179km race (you read that correctly) and (2) she turns fifty soon! Enjoy.
#146 Getting the People Stuff Right (in Business)
This is a teensy-weensy poddy (10:50) that I recorded for the good folk from the Business Essentials Program. It came up pretty well, so I thought I’d share it. Because they’re more professional, more grown up and way fancier than me, you’ll hear no fucks and not one dick joke. I’m sorry. For those of you who have been listening to me for a while, the content is nothing new so consider it a refresher.
#145 Strippers, Pole Dancers and Crooks
Kennetta Hutchens left school at year ten, was a stripper at twenty-one, was on Melbourne’s biggest billboard (wearing not much) at the same time, was managing seventy strippers at twenty-three, worked in the exotic dance industry for over a decade, partied harder than most for twenty years (sometimes staying awake for five days!) and at thirty-four, set up Victoria’s first Pole Dancing Studio, Pole Divas, which has grown into a thriving organisation, with fifteen hundred students and studios in seven locations. Fortunately, she’s now settled the-fuck down and is a responsible mum and business owner with a super fascinating story.
#144 Two Metre Peter Returns
Before the Big Fella and I started recording this episode, I gave him a piece of paper with a bunch of ideas and topics that I thought we might talk about. We didn’t. More than an hour later, neither of us had drawn breath or even thought about the piece of paper. Subsequently, this episode is not so much a typical podcast, as it is a really interesting organic conversation that happened to be recorded. It’s one of my faves.
#143 Boobs, Bras and Business
For much of her life, Maxine Windram dealt with the mental, emotional, physical and social pain of big boobs (her term, don’t yell at me), embarrassing shopping experiences, incompetent sales people, ill-fitting bras and a complete lack of knowledge, service or care for people in her situation. In 2006, off the back of her experiences, some tireless research and countless conversations with other women (and also with zero business or sales experience), Maxine and her mum Lin, launched Brava; a brand catering for women in the D to K cup range. Thirteen years down the track, Brava is an award-winning company with a thriving online business, six retail stores (in Sydney and Melbourne) and an amazing culture that both customers and staff love to be in. I think most people will enjoy this chat but especially those thinking about building a business or brand (of any kind) one day, but have no idea where to start.
#142 Paul Chek: Mindful, Mystical and Magical
This Episode is anything but typical. There hasn’t been a TYP like it and there might not be another for a while. Paul and I explore all things physical, spiritual, metaphysical, philosophical and mystical and if you’re into such things, you’ll dig it. If not, your head might explode. Personally, I loved it. And love Paul.
*PAUL’S BIO: Paul Chek is a world-renowned expert in the fields of corrective and high-performance exercise kinesiology, stress management and holistic wellness. For over thirty years, Paul’s unique, integrated approach to treatment and education has changed the lives of many of his clients, his students and their clients. By treating the body as a whole system and finding the root cause of a problem, Paul has been successful where traditional approaches have consistently failed. Paul is the founder of the CHEK (Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology) Institute, based in California, USA and the P~P~S Success Mastery Coaching Program. He is a prolific author of books, articles and blog posts. In addition, Paul is a registered Native American Spirit Guide and Medicine Man with the Nemenhah Band (people of the truth) and Native American Traditional Organization (NAC) where he initiates a process of awakening often fulfilling comprehensive healing through sacred ceremony.
#141 Paul Taylor
The bloke with more degrees than a thermometer is back in the studio sharing his wit, charm, wisdom, directness and motivation in his unique and engaging style. Neuroscientist, Nutritionist, Exercise Physiologist, Affiliate Professor (Uni. San Franciso), High Performance Coach, Corporate Speaker and Author. Other than that, he’s done fuck all. *Oh, and BTW, Paul is speaking at our first ever TYP Conference in February.
#140 Once Upon a F*ckin’ Time
This episode is a random mix of nine brief self-contained messages, ideas and stories all with a focus on thinking, doing and creating better. It’s a kind-of coaching, thinking-out-loud session.
#139 Turning Your Idea, Skill or Passion into a Business
About twenty years ago, two young blokes flew from Sydney to see Australia’s biggest PT facility in action (mine) and to talk to me about creating their own business. What was meant to be a couple of hours, turned into two days! Not long after that meeting, Andrew Simmons and Geoff Jowett (who’s since moved on) created Vision Personal Training and their original idea (to set up one training facility) has morphed into a fitness industry powerhouse, with 59 centres across Australia and New Zealand. In this candid conversation, Andrew and I talk about turning an idea (fitness or other) into a living, breathing business. We also talk about understanding the market, having a point of difference, understanding the needs of clients (no matter what the industry, service or product), evolving and adapting to the ever-shifting business landscape and the personal dangers of ‘becoming’ the business.
#138 16 Hours on a Bus for a Coaching Session
Michael Markezic is a TYP listener and wanna-be Coach, who endured sixteen hours on a bus (to and from Canberra), just to spend an hour asking me some questions. That’s commitment. I loved this conversation, his questions and his genuine curiosity to learn, develop and understand the human condition. Among other things, we discuss ready-ness to change, excuses vs. reasons, thoughts on motivational speakers, choosing a path, optimising potential, why people give up, standing out in a sea of competitors, the need to innovate and create (vs. imitate and follow), my book writing process and why stories matter.
#137 The Future of the Fitness Industry
Like me, Ken Baldwin is a Fitness Industry dinosaur but unlike me, he’s still knee deep educating, training and inspiring Fitness Professionals to be their best for themselves, and of course, their clients. Ken is the Director of Education for Perform Better Australia, the Founder of The Healthy Ageing Institute and is on the advisory board for the Functional Ageing Institute. With over 30 years of experience in all areas of Fitness & Health, Ken now focuses on developing research based programming around the Active Ageing. In this episode of TYP, Ken and I talk about the state and direction of the fitness industry (past, present and future), how to age intelligently, specialising versus being a generalist (as a fitness or health professional), why most PTs have short careers (18 months on average), the importance of building rapport with clients and the importance of walking your talk and being a role model.