The You Project

Over the years, there have been numerous ideas, thoughts, revelations and lightbulb moments that (for me), were truly powerful and truly transformational. Often, life changing. Realisations that enabled me to think, choose, act, create, connect and self-manage in a way that eluded me, prior to my new awareness or understanding. As always, the thoughts I share here are not a personal prescription o...

Young Tommy was back steering the TYP ship, launching questions at me with his verbal slingshot and we managed to meander through an hour (or so) of exploring the complexities and joys of being human. We spoke about the role of confidence, striving for perfection (is it good or bad?), evaluating our own work, people who over-estimate their ability, having our work (talent, results, creative output...

Matt Brumby is a Para Athlete Ironman World Champion, Half Ironman World Champion, Invictus Games Captain and Gold Medalist, Motivational Speaker and as it turns out, a larrikin Aussie who is equal parts courage, inspiration, commitment and humour. Half way through our chat, Matt complained that his Zoom settings meant that (on his computer) my head took up the entire screen. Apparently, it wasn’t...

It’s the ever-present challenge; learning to ‘operate’ me (you), optimally. Physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, practically. This is part two of a stupidly-long chat around the idea of creating our own optimal (specific to us) health plan. Keep in mind that there’s no universal ‘best’ workout, diet, lifestyle, protocol or operating system but rather a million ‘bests’, depending on a broad...

It's the ever-present challenge; learning to ‘operate’ me (you), optimally. Physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, practically. Exercise Physiologist Russ Jarrett is back at TYP HQ (along with Tiff) and this time we have a stupidly-long two-part chat around the idea of creating our own optimal (specific to us) health plan. Keep in mind that there’s no universal ‘best’ workout, diet, lifestyl...

Best-selling author, super-sleuth researcher, lawyer and TYP regular (we’re a big deal now) David Gillespie, is back and this time we talk about cults and religions (I’m starting one), getting in flow, the bendy-ness (a word) of time, his preferred writing process, universal basic income, crystallising thoughts, nootropics (cognitive enhancers), food labelling (super dodgy), why so many non-smoker...

Katy Milkman is a Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a secondary appointment at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. Her research explores ways that insights from economics and psychology can be harnessed to change consequential behaviours for good. When under 30 (she became a professor at 27!), Katy was named one of the world’s top 40 business school profes...

Professor Peter Brukner is back for another sesh at TYP Central and as expected, he doesn’t disappoint. This time the Medical Feather Ruffler (MFR) and I talk about diabetes (in some detail), healthy scepticism, ice baths (yes or no), stretching (yes or no), active recovery, the evolution of physical rehabilitation (over the years), why Alzheimer’s is sometimes called ‘type-3 diabetes’, why some p...

Ben Pronk is the Managing Partner of Mettle Global, a premium corporate advisory firm specialising in establishing and developing organisational resilience and preparing companies for the volatility and uncertainty of the contemporary world. His first career spanned 24 years in the Australian Army, with the majority of that time spent in the Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment. In this capacity, Be...

Is ethical lying even a thing? Not totally sure but nonetheless, we explore it. Turns out, I’m a periodic fibber. Sorry to disappoint you. I know I’m the only one. My adopted son is back in the big chair asking me questions and keeping me on my cognitive toes. Apart from our exploration into fibs, we also discuss the ‘Law of Attraction’ (don’t start me), manifesting success (FFS), free will (do we...

Is ethical lying even a thing? Not totally sure but nonetheless, we explore it. Turns out, I’m a periodic fibber. Sorry to disappoint you. I know I’m the only one. My adopted son is back in the big chair asking me questions and keeping me on my cognitive toes. Apart from our exploration into fibs, we also discuss the ‘Law of Attraction’ (don’t start me), manifesting success (FFS), free will (do we...

Stephen Scheeler is the former Facebook CEO for Australia and New Zealand, where he guided Facebook’s unprecedented rise from quirky Silicon Valley start-up to media and technology titan. Working with Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook’s Silicon Valley leaders, his tenure at Facebook saw the Australian and New Zealand business – including Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Oculus – grow to become one of...

Lance Picioane is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Adelaide, Hawthorn and the Kangaroos. Lance is the founder and CEO of the ‘Love Me Love You’ foundation; a not-for-profit mental health foundation, raising awareness and providing services and programs to improve the lives of young people who need help. What was Lance’s nightmare (alcohol and drug abuse, anxiety, depression, sui...

Today’s guest on TYP is responsible for my all-time favourite TED talk ‘My Stroke of Insight’ and her name is Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. About a decade ago, I watched this amazing Researcher and Neuroanatomist share in intricate detail about the day the left hemisphere of her brain went ‘off-line’ courtesy of a burst blood vessel and stroke that almost took her life. The Brain Scientist was able to wi...

It’s was Melissa’s turn to sit in the big chair and fire questions at me at TYP Central, so if you’re sick of the sound of my voice, you might want to give this one a miss. And as per the title, we recorded this ep. on a Monday arvo (Nov. 8) and we went deep, fast. And by ‘we’, I mean me. In essence, Melissa asked me a bunch of questions about how I (personally) navigate my life and all the accomp...

TYP fave, Bobby Cappuccio is back and this time he navigates some quick-fire questions with an allocated 3 minutes per question. If you know Bobby, ‘succinct’ is not really his thing, so this was fun. Here’s some of what we explored… what makes a great coach, learning styles, the relationship between the brain and mind, the Metaverse, what to look for in a gym, creating new habits, what makes a gr...

Dr. Guy Winch has a Ph. D. in clinical psychology, lives in New York, is a best-selling author (Emotional First Aid, How to Fix a Broken Heart, The Squeaky Wheel, How to Turn off Work Thoughts During Your Free Time), international speaker and super-successful TED presenter. I prepped for our chat by watching his TED talk: ‘How to Fix a Broken Heart’ and totally loved it. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/...

My adopted son TOMMY JACKETT is back in the number 1 seat firing questions at me and we cover some interesting territory including.. the skill of making-shit-up as we go, dealing with constructive feedback, the need to be right, the security blanket of faith and belief, the impossibility of objectivity, confirmation bias, the value of good questions, being okay with uncertainty, our attachment to...

I know I say this a lot but this was a ripper. HE is a ripper. Such and interesting and relevant-for-so-many conversation. David Gillespie is a lawyer and the best-selling author of Sweet Poison, a book published in 2008 about how we are all poisoning ourselves with sugar, generally credited with starting the current wave of sugar awareness in Australia. He followed Sweet Poison up with 4 more boo...

Dean Karnazes is a freak in the best possible way. I don’t often feel lazy or out of shape but next to this bloke, I’m Humphrey Bear in a hammock. If you’re into human optimisation, developing resilience, exploring your potential, lowering your biological age and living healthy into old(er) age, you’ll dig this episode. TIME magazine named Dean one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in the Wo...

When it comes to transforming your life (or part thereof), the actual project, is you (me, us). Because when you are different (thinking, choices, behaviours, habits, operating system), your life is different. Even in the middle of the same or a similar situation, our ‘life experience’ can be drastically different when we are physically, mentally, emotionally and/or behaviourally different. So, ho...

Like many others, Nicole Monteforte has been through some messy, complicated, very un-fun shit in her life. As in, a lot of it. Despite that, I had a fun and relatable conversation with someone who has continued to find a way to work through the mess and pain, develop skills and resilience, ask great questions, roll up her sleeves, do the hard (but effective) stuff, manage her stress and anxiety (...

This episode was essentially an hour of me thinking out loud (with Tiff) about the idea of being open-minded (what it means and whether it's possible), confirmation bias, life in the echo chamber, recognising our programming, the subjective nature of being human, our need to be right, the process of unlearning, being unteachable, the psychology behind religion, our desire for certainty and much mo...

There are so many conflicting ideas, protocols and messages, when it comes to optimal eating, what it means and how to execute it. Dietician Kate Save is back on TYP for a fun and informative chat and along the way we challenge a few theories, talk about my dad’s drastic improvement with his blood sugar (he’s a diabetic), discuss gut health, the impact of food on cognitive function, why I won’t be...

Christian ‘Boo’ Boucousis is an entrepreneur, business owner and executive leadership and performance coach. At the age of 19 he was recruited into the Royal Australian Air Force as a pilot and completed over 11 years as an elite fighter pilot; one of only 400 trained over a 38-year period. The product of a $15 million dollar training program, Boo reached the pinnacle of his career as a Squadron L...