LATEST EPISODES

Dr. Jodi Richardson is a regular and popular TYP guest and I recently jumped on her new podcast (Well, Hello Anxiety) to chat about control, perspective, emotions, imposter syndrome, anxiety, self-doubt, the human experience and how I’m now her official unreasonable friend. Enjoy.

Sam Powers fell in love with magic at three when he watched in awe during a magic show at his kindergarten Christmas party. By the age of five he was amazing his schoolteachers, at fifteen he made his first appearance on national TV and at eighteen he earned the coveted title of Australian ‘Magician of the Year’. At twenty-two Sam became the youngest ever Australian to vanish and reproduce a sports car live on stage, with the audience just meters away. With five ‘Magician of the Year’ awards to his name, he has performed in 19 countries across the globe and appeared on television before 20 million viewers on programs including The Today Show, Sunrise, Mornings, The Footy Show, The Morning Show, A Current Affair, Nine News, Ten News, Seven News, the Disney Channel and MTV. He now stars alongside six of the industry’s greatest illusionists onstage in the biggest magic show on the planet, ‘The Illusionists 2.0’ world tour. Enjoy.

Dawson Church, PhD, is an award-winning science writer with three best-selling books to his credit. ‘The Genie in Your Genes’ was the first book to demonstrate that emotions drive gene expression, ‘Mind to Matter’ showed that the brain creates much of what we think of as “objective reality” and ‘Bliss Brain’ demonstrates that peak mental states rapidly remodel the brain for happiness. I still pinch myself that most days of my life, I have the privilege of talking with brilliant people from all over the world, who are so generous with their time, knowledge and energy. Enjoy.

Two years ago, Josh Lenartowicz was one of the top ten Pro Bodybuilders in the world, getting ready for the Mr. Olympia competition, when a tumour inside his skull, a major surgery, a coma and a subsequent (and ongoing) series of medical issues and challenges, changed his life forever. I loved this chat with my friend. It was as raw, real and authentic as a conversation can get and Josh was extremely brave to share what he did. It definitely wasn’t easy or comfortable for him but I think you will love it and love him. This is not a conversation about bodybuilding but rather, a human trying to navigate life with incessant physical pain, a two year-old son, a loving wife, immense uncertainty, significant emotional darkness, moments of hopelessness and the burden of feeling like… a burden. Like I often say, bad things happen to good people and life gives no f*cks about our health, happiness or plans. Shit happens and we deal with it the best we can. And while this ep. not all laughs and giggles, there are some beautiful insights, lessons and lightbulbs to be found along the way. Enjoy.

For our 600th episode, we wheeled out one of our most requested guests and once again, Paul Taylor informed, inspired and educated us with his vast insight into human behaviour. Enjoy and thanks for your ongoing support.

Author, tech investor, entrepreneur, mum of 5, storyteller, crypto dabbler and ex pro athlete Susan Sly is back and this time we open the conversational door on artificial intelligence, the Metaverse, going broke and bouncing back, virtual reality, her time working in a maximum security men’s prison, lessons from pain and lots more. Enjoy.

Mares Van Lambaart and I go way back. Like, primary school days, way back. These days we often swim in the same pool, doing our best to support, encourage, educate and love people on the way to helping themselves create their best health outcomes. In this episode, we discuss validating people’s emotions, blokes opening up, the five love languages, dealing with feedback, mental health first-aid, why (after decades of being a non-hugger) Mares is ready to hug-it-out and lots more. Enjoy.

To understand how other people think is a super power. It is a crucial skill for connection, conversation, problem solving, conflict resolution, leadership, parenting, teaching, coaching, developing rapport, building trust, negotiation, marketing, teamwork and broadly speaking, all things communication. To not understand how the person you’re talking with thinks is a disadvantage, and sometimes, dangerous. In this episode, we explore why this type of understanding and awareness matters, the challenges and benefits and how to develop it as a skill. Enjoy.

Apart from being a three-time Olympian, world champion, three-time Olympic medallist, TV host, radio presenter, Order of Australia medal winner, board member of Swimming Australia, General Manager of the AFLW, ambassador for drug-free sport, former board member of the Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA), VicHealth, the Australian Olympic Committee, corporate speaker, mum of three and wife of one.. apart from all that, Nicole Livingstone has done f**k all. This was a fun catch up with an old friend.

This episode is amazing and so is Hollie McKay. I can honestly say I have had no other conversation like this on TYP. Or off it. Ever. It starts out typically (a normal chat) but gets truly fascinating about a third of the way in. Hollie is a journalist, author, investigative reporter and former newspaper columnist and TV reporter, currently living and working in Afghanistan. Yes, Afghanistan. She is, in my opinion, extraordinarily brave (a woman living in a country under Taliban rule and putting herself in harm’s way) but I will warn you that parts of our conversation might be confronting for some (like her recent trip to a ‘suicide bomber’ school). I personally found it fascinating, eye-opening and inspiring and yet again, I realised how little I know about so many things.

Not too much, not too little, not too hard, not too easy, not too heavy, not too light, not too fast, not too slow. So many variables, so many theories, so much confusion but how do we find what’s ‘just right’ for our body, when it comes to optimising our time, energy, resources and genetics? This is a conversation about just that, with Russ Jarrett (M.Ex.Sci.). Enjoy.

Not too much, not too little, not too hard, not too easy, not too heavy, not too light, not too fast, not too slow. So many variables, so many theories, so much confusion but how do we find what’s ‘just right’ for our body, when it comes to optimising our time, energy, resources and genetics? This is a conversation about just that, with Russ Jarrett (M.Ex.Sci.). Enjoy.

Some of my favourite chats are with people who aren’t famous, high profile or taking over the world. People I’ve met on my journey who have impressed me with their attitude, courage, values, kindness and energy. Christine Gaby is one of those people. We met a few years back when I did some work with her team at Healthy Horizons in the thriving Tasmanian metropolis of Dodges Ferry (pop. 2,500ish). I loved the place, the gym and the people. This episode we discuss finding your ‘thing’, stepping away from a job that makes you miserable, starting a business with zero business skills, setting up a gym in a place where a ‘gym won’t work’, being an older-learner, why I hate yoga (just kidding), doing things that scare us, building a culture at work and the ‘secret sauce’ that many business owners don’t ‘get’. Enjoy.

Gonna be honest, Hughesy wasn’t what I expected when I met him a year ago. Not sure what I expected but it wasn’t the philosophical, spiritual, meditating seeker I now know. We’ve since done some training together (in the lockdown gaps) and continued down the conversational existential rabbit hole every time we connect. If you like contemplating the small stuff like reality, the meaning of life and overcoming our programming, you might enjoy this. I loved it.

Richard Day is a pioneer with a background in elite sport, high performance and fitness but unlike the rest of us, Richard was coaching people (life, self-management, decision making, career, health) before ‘coaching’ (as is it today), was a thing. This was an interesting and freestyle chat (as usual) and towards the end, Richard opens up about some of his personal journey. It’s real, raw, powerful and will resonate with many. And BTW, love, peace and wisdom (the show title) are Ricard’s three core values. Enjoy!

Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. And… you’re forty. This is a pretty straight forward conversation (okay, mini workshop) around exercise, specifically exploring the ‘where, why and how’ of getting started and more importantly, creating an operating system that works over the long term. Four decades of working with humans seeking to change their body (health, function, fitness, sporting performance, appearance, pain management, body composition) has given me significant insight into the psychology and physiology of what’s required to create sustained change. This episode will potentially be valuable for beginners and novices, through to frustrated experienced exercisers and fitness professionals who might be interested in my philosophy. Enjoy.

This is a podcast for children (actual children) and childish grown-ups (like me). There is no swearing (obviously) and it is a resource that can be used by parents, grandparents, teachers, childcare professionals, anyone working with or caring for kids, or anyone who is a kid at heart. About seven years ago, I wrote a children’s book called ‘Brian the Beige Bear’ and of all the things I’ve written (six other published books, hundreds of published articles, thousands of posts), Brian gave me the most joy. By far. I love him. A friend I’ve never met in person (the very talented Helen Beech from NZ) brought Brian to life visually with her incredible art but for a range of not-very-exciting reasons, Brian never went to ‘print’. So, after all these years, I thought he was being wasted on the ‘shelf’ and I’ve decided to share him with the world. Or at least, the people in my world. Later this week, I will be releasing a video version with Helen’s art and my narration and if it the podcast or video resonate with you, I’d love you to share. There’s some preamble (if you want to miss it) and the actual story begins at the 7.26 mark. Enjoy my favourite bear.

Danny McAllister and I went to school together. We grew up in the thriving metropolis of Latrobe Valley, had loads of fun, he was there for my ‘Jumbo’ phase and let’s be honest, neither of us were academic standouts. And while Danny excelled at sport, I excelled at eating. Until I became an unhinged exercise addict, but that’s another episode. This was a casual conversation between two old Mates about lots and nothing in particular. Enjoy.

This was a conversational extravaganza; an ocean of words crashing onto a beach of curiosity, insight, awareness and at times, confusion. Melissa, Tiff and I meandered through a gaggle of topics (gaggle: collective noun for topics), ranging from the psychological, behavioural and practical, through to all-things existential, philosophical and spiritual. We spoke about paradoxes, impermanence, purpose, uncertainty, dealing with feedback, self-belief, faking it, owning up to our bullshit, when to ignore the ‘experts, inner wisdom and lots more. BTW, the gaggle thing… just fuckin’ with ya.

Dr. Vanessa is our favourite child psychologist, parenting expert and Canadian and as I’ve recently discovered (thanks to a few mums), she’s kind-of a big deal! Well, the big deal is back and this time we spoke about the idea of free-range parenting, kids and risk taking, her youngest patients, the concept of counter will (I think I have it), moving at the speed of trust, the environment in which children best learn, how not to get in the way of a child’s cognitive development, when ‘protecting’ become handicapping, when children become aware of a reality bigger than their own (a developmental phase) and finally, we talk about the good Doc’s “crazy deranged ex-wife moment” (her words); super funny and real. Enjoy.

Dr. Lillian Nejad is back and this time we talk about people-pleasing, wishful thinking vs. actual doing, why we don’t need a fan club, the gift of mediocrity, how to build confidence, self-acceptance, my epic fail in front of five hundred people, seeking approval, being addicted to attention, why insecurity and needy-ness aren’t sexy, overcoming fears, a curious thing called ‘dialectics’ and lots more.

Imagine being a highly successful Yoga Teacher, Nutritionist, TV Presenter and Author of ten books and then making a choice to walk away from the comfort and security of it all to pursue an entirely different career with zero security or certainty. Well, four years ago Lola Berry began acting classes and she is currently pursuing her dream to become a successful actor, splitting her time between Australia and the U.S. This was a real, raw and ‘self-aware’ conversation with a self-declared bogan, who has weekly therapy, has dated her fair share of narcissists, keeps an ‘ideas diary’ with her always, has trained herself to have hard conversations, has dealt with way too many online haters and like me (and you?), is a work in progress. Enjoy.

Anne McKevitt is fascinating, direct, inspirational, courageous, unbelievably resilient and brilliant. She doesn’t suffer fools, doesn’t do ‘small talk’ and can’t be bothered with ‘fluff’. Like many of my guests, she’s done all the cool, high-profile, public stuff (TV, books, awards, businesses, brands) but more impressively, this woman has been through some serious sh*t (way too many times), yet she keeps getting up and keeps finding a way. She started working at 7 (really) in Scotland, was raised in a violent home, began planning her escape at 11, moved to London by herself at 15 (with zero contacts or support), got a job on the first day, built a multi-million dollar business within five years, spent almost a year in hospital after a horrible accident, has a rare debilitating medical condition (only 140 people in the world have it), has been close to death three times, was on the hit-list of a homicidal maniac (who killed her work colleague and was never caught), has dealt with Complex PTSD for decades and to top it off, she can’t take any medication (as in Z-E-R-O) for any reason because of her rare condition. I’ve chatted with lots of people with interesting stories but this was right up there. Enjoy.

Our favourite Sports Psych (Jacqui Louder) is back and this time we chat about pointless ‘Groundhog Day’ (type) conversations, performance threshold, walking meetings, creating our ideal work environment, near-death experiences (NDEs), YouTube rabbit holes, trying to change others, having hard conversations, the impact of scent, finding our calm and lots more. Enjoy.

This was an atypical chat for TYP but I totally enjoyed it. It was less inspiration, education and high performance and more.. meandering chat with a laid-back, fascinating bloke about all-things creativity, expression, writing, art and finding your voice. *Austin Kleon is the New York Times bestselling author of a trilogy of illustrated books about creativity in the digital age: ‘Steal Like An Artist’, ‘Show Your Work!’’ and ‘Keep Going’. He’s also the author of ‘Newspaper Blackout’, a collection of poems made by redacting the newspaper with a permanent marker. His books have been translated into dozens of languages and have sold over a million copies worldwide. Enjoy.

What am I going to talk to the grumpy judge from Dancing with the Stars about? I wondered. The bloke who wrote and starred in The Boy from Oz? I wondered. The bloke who starred in 42nd Street, The Pirates of Penzance, Camelot, La Cage aux Folles, Singin’ in the Rain, Priscilla Queen of the Desert (the musical) and Baz Luhrmann’s film, Strictly Ballroom? Well, the answer is.. plenty. We spoke a lot and laughed a lot. He’s funny, real and loves dogs (big tick). Of course, he’s a talented, successful and well-known performer but more than that, Todd McKenney is a genuinely interesting bloke who’s done a sh*t-load, is a brilliant story-teller (no surprise), is great to chat with and I absolutely loved meeting him. Enjoy.

There aren’t many people who inspire me mid-podcast but Susan Sly is one of those people. Not only is she a wildly successful business woman, author, speaker, AI entrepreneur, media commentator and philanthropist but she’s also an ex-professional athlete, mother and grandmother. Like me, Susan was an obese kid who turned who ‘thinking and doing’ around and along the way, became fascinated with human potential and possibilities. Oh, and she also cured herself from MS in her twenties after being told she’d be in a wheelchair within 10 years and dead within 20 years. I loved this chat. Enjoy. *NOTE: For the youngies.. MacGyver was a TV character who had a gift for solving problems in the most creative and resourceful ways. The Oxford Dictionary states that to ‘MacGyver’ is to make or repair something “in an improvised or inventive way, making use of whatever items are at hand”, eg. “he MacGyvered a makeshift jack with a log”.

Professor Peter Brukner OAM, is a specialist sports and exercise physician and the founding partner at the Olympic Park Sports Medicine Centre in Melbourne. He is a world-renowned sports medicine clinician and researcher. His most recent team appointments have been Head of Sports Medicine and Sports Science at Liverpool Football Club and, until 2017, Team Doctor for the Australian cricket team. He is Professor of Sports Medicine at La Trobe University, Melbourne and other than that (and a few hundred other things), he also co-hosted a show on Melbourne radio with me for a few years. Despite all the ‘medical stuff’, this conversation is actually about his current passion (obsession?); nutrition. Keep in mind that this information is not a personal prescription or program; just two blokes chatting. Enjoy.

At eighteen Lachie Smart created aviation history by becoming the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a single engine aircraft. The journey took nearly two and a half years to plan, fifty-four days to fly and almost cost the teenager his life multiple times. Now at the ripe old age of twenty-three, this impressive young man and I chatted broadly about the principles, habits, ideals, behaviours, skills and attributes required for success (no matter the goal). Oh, and of course, the trip. When I grow up, I want to be like Lachie.

So, Tiff and I were sitting on Zoom waiting for our guest to ‘show’ and they didn’t. Well, we’re always talking about adapting, solving problems, dealing with uncertainty and finding a way, so we did. We recorded an episode with zero planning, preparation or prior discussion and what transpired was a meaningful chat about the human experience. Including, managing fear, self-sabotage, self-limiting thinking, optimising our mental and physical energy, the benefit of doing new things, finding our excellence threshold, paying attention to our inner wisdom, thinking for ourselves and discovering what works (uniquely) for our body. Enjoy.

So much information, inspiration and education, so little consistent application. So much knowing, so little doing. So much theory, so little change. So many intentions, so much stagnation. So much talent, so much wasted potential. In this lengthy (two-part) instalment of TYP, Mental Health Consultant, Author and Speaker Anna Feringa and I talk about the overwhelm of change-your-life (type) resources (books, programs, podcasts, people), the underwhelm of amazing results and the variables which (actually) stand between us and success. Enjoy.

So much information, inspiration and education, so little consistent application. So much knowing, so little doing. So much theory, so little change. So many intentions, so much stagnation. So much talent, so much wasted potential. In this lengthy (two-part) instalment of TYP, Mental Health Consultant, Author and Speaker Anna Feringa and I talk about the overwhelm of change-your-life (type) resources (books, programs, podcasts, people), the underwhelm of amazing results and the variables which (actually) stand between us and success. Enjoy.

I often talk about the importance of having a purpose bigger than ourselves, well, Anika Molesworth (PhD.) is the epitome of that idea. In fact, she has multiple ‘purposes’; the environment, climate change, the health of rural communities, nature conservation, farming, farmers, wildlife and education. In short, helping the earth and its inhabitants. She is an award-winning advocate, farmer, scientist, academic, media commentator, author, researcher and believe it or not, introvert. Yep, she hates public speaking but does it because of her commitment to making our world a better place. Her new book is called ‘Our Sunburnt Country’ and I loved meeting her. Enjoy.

These days Brett Turley is a High-Performance Coach who helps people optimise their physical, mental and emotional potential. He guides and empowers them to do what’s required to create lasting positive change in their world, to build resilience, to perform under pressure and to become a better version of themselves. Previously, Brett served in the Australian Army (two tours, almost ten years of service) as an Explosives Detection Dog Handler with his boy (Gus) and along the way, saw the best and worst of people. Enjoy.

It’s the universal goal but what (exactly) is happiness? Where does it come from? Does ‘happiness’ (the word) mean the same thing for all of us? Can it be lasting or is it fleeting? Is it about the ‘thing’ that’s happening in our physical world, is it about our internal ‘story’ about those external things (event, situation, conversation, outcome, encounter) or maybe something else? Is happiness the same as joy? Euphoria? Calm? Satisfaction? Contentment? Perhaps (for some) it’s the absence anxiety, depression, over-thinking and discontent. Is it possible to experience happiness, despite being in a crappy situation? Can we consciously ‘create’ it? How does our thinking influence our overall level of happiness? What role does our programming, upbringing and conditioning play in ability to ‘be’ happy? This episode is me thinking out loud about all these questions (with input from Melissa). Enjoy.

We tend to discuss food in terms of micros and macros, good and bad fats, nutrient rich and nutrient poor, processed or not, energy in and out.. all normal and reasonable conversations to have. But our ‘relationship’ with food (we all have one) is about so much more than just the ‘body stuff’ (physiology). It’s about psychology, social programming, culture, rituals, habits, rules, emotions and lots more. Joel Feren is a dietician who understands that healthy eating is not just about what we eat but also how, why and when we eat. This was a fun and broadly relevant chat. Enjoy.

Why do you think the way you do? Act and react the way you do? Communicate, connect and socialise the way you do? Make decisions the way you do? Where does your programming finish and where do you start? Why do you believe what you believe, where do those beliefs come from and do they serve or sabotage you? What are you scared of and why? What’s it like being around you? What drives, compels and inspires you? What are your values and do you live them? What’s the relationship between your external and internal world? And finally, where does your version of ‘reality’ come from?

Professor Nick Furhman (PhD) is part Wildlife Warrior, part Nature Evangelist, Part Edutainer (it’s a thing), part Academic and part Story Teller. He’s also a full-time passionate human who was the most inspirational guest we’ve had on the show in quite a while (along with our recent chat with Norm). Our conversation was full of insights, energy, wisdom, humour, great stories and I loved it. Enjoy.

Imagine if we could ‘edit’ our negative or traumatic memories to reduce, or potentially remove, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and even, PTSD. Which would in turn improve mental, emotional and physical health, leading to an improvement in overall life quality/experience. Well, Dr. Amy Milton and her research team from Cambridge University are at the threshold of some amazing, and potentially life-changing breakthroughs in this area. Enjoy.

To be honest, this was a much broader conversation than the title suggests. Professor Steven Laureys is a Medical Doctor, Author, Neurologist and Meditation Master, who hangs out with the Dalai Lama and is recognised worldwide as a leading clinician and researcher in the field of the Neurology of Consciousness. If that sounds over-the-top academically (and boring), don’t panic; it’s fascinating and so is he. He even took me through a two-minute (ish) meditation mid-show and apparently, I’m no monk! It never ceases to amaze me how down-to-earth, kind and humble some of my brilliant guests are, and Steven was no exception. After we finished recording, the world-renowned academic, told me to “let him know if I needed any help or advice with my PhD research.” Amazing. Enjoy.

Norm McGillivray’s dad was a successful business man who had a severe stroke in his early thirties and subsequently lost his marriage, business and financial security, became homeless and sadly, died at 42 living on the streets of London. This experience (and others) inspired Norm to create Beddown, whose aim is to take spaces that are commonly used and busy during the day (like massive carparks) but at night are left empty and then to repurpose those spaces into pop-up overnight accommodation, ensuring that the homeless (those sleeping rough) can sleep in a warm and comfortable bed. Those who sleep rough are always fearful of being attacked and/or robbed and by providing a safe and secure place to get a good night’s rest, Beddown help restore health, dignity and respect for their guests. I love this concept and I love Norm.

And yes, I recognise the irony of having an asterisk in this title. WARNING: if you’re easily offended, this might not be the episode for you. It’s fair to say, there wasn’t a lot of filtering (or editing) happening. But if you’re okay with all that, you might fucking love it. Tony Doherty is a Mate who wears his heart on his sleeve, pulls no punches, walks his talk and fights passionately for the industry he loves. He’s a main-stream media regular and is often the lone voice of reason in a sea of misinformation and confusion about all-things fitness, working out and gyms (health clubs, PT studios). Like me, he’s imperfect, rough around the edges and can ruffle feathers but what he is, is real. There’s no show. No persona. No bullshit. If he likes you, you’ll know and if he doesn’t, you’ll know. But underneath it all, is a bloke who cares deeply, thinks deeply and gives freely. This was a catch-up chat to see where he’s at with his business, life, future plans and his own personal challenges. I loved it. Enjoy.

I tend to steer clear of too much pandemic talk on TYP (there’s enough elsewhere) but as I was chatting with my friend Jacqui Louder (a Psychologist chatting daily to people with Covid challenges), I thought we’d see how people are travelling mentally and emotionally (from her perspective) in the chaos. Fear not, we keep it relatively light and amusing because nobody needs another depressing Covid conversation. Enjoy.

This was an awesome chat with my ex-business partner, Tara Jarrett, about all things career, self-belief, self-sabotage, creativity, problem-solving, business development, understanding the needs of others (clients, customers, colleagues, friends), overcoming self-doubt, treading water in a job we hate and turning an idea in our head into a reality in the physical world (business, service, career, product, program). *FYI, Flugelbinder: a fictitious word from the movie ‘Cocktail’ referring to ordinary things (objects, ideas) that can turn their inventors into millionaires.

This was an awesome chat with my ex-business partner, Tara Jarrett, about all things career, self-belief, self-sabotage, creativity, problem-solving, business development, understanding the needs of others (clients, customers, colleagues, friends), overcoming self-doubt, treading water in a job we hate and turning an idea in our head into a reality in the physical world (business, service, career, product, program). *FYI, Flugelbinder: a fictitious word from the movie ‘Cocktail’ referring to ordinary things (objects, ideas) that can turn their inventors into millionaires.