Cut Through

What happens when you finally achieve the things you thought would give your life meaning, only to discover you’re still empty? In this episode of Cut Through, Christian sits down with Trent Keegan, a former Australian Army reservist, outdoor wilderness instructor, martial arts instructor, personal trainer and self-confessed adrenaline junkie. Trent has spent years pushing himself to the limit thr...

Why are so many young men walking away from religion while quietly searching for meaning, purpose and something bigger than themselves? In this conversation, we sit down with  Dr. Quintin Betteridge  to explore one of the defining questions of our generation: Why, in the most connected, wealthy and technologically advanced period in human history, are so many young people feeling more isolated, an...

What do you listen to more: your fear, or your purpose? In this episode, Christian sits down with entrepreneur and business leader Warwick Schmitz for a conversation that cuts through hustle culture, self-help clichés, and the illusion that success solves the deeper questions of life. Warwick isn’t speaking from theory. He’s built and lost businesses multiple times. He started his first company at...

Most people chase success believing it will finally make them happy. But what happens when you actually get there? Loren Justins is the founder and CEO of Netconn Technology — a business he started in his early 20s and has built over more than 25 years. After dropping out of university, Loren went on to build a successful technology company, work with major organisations, mentor young leaders, wri...

Josh Gonzalez grew up in a good home. He wasn’t supposed to end up in gangs. But as a teenager in South-East Sydney, Josh was pulled into the streets, surrounded by violence, drugs and a culture built around respect, loyalty and reputation. What started as hanging around older guys became something much deeper. A search for brotherhood, identity and a place to belong. Before becoming a pastor, Jos...

Spotify Description: Josh Newbegin had what many young men dream of. Travelling the world. Snowboarding in Whistler. Chasing adventure. Living with freedom. But after finally getting the life he thought would make him happy, he discovered something confronting: It was fun… but it wasn’t fulfilling.   In this episode of  Cut Through , Christian sits down with Josh Newbegin — men’s coach, speaker, f...

What happens when AI can write essays, replace jobs, and teach you almost anything online for free? Is university still worth it — or are young people being sold an outdated system? In this episode of Cut Through, we sit down with Malcolm Coulson, Vice Chancellor of Avondale University, educator, leadership expert, and long-time researcher in human development and learning, to unpack one of the bi...

Most young men today aren’t lazy. They’re overstimulated, distracted, and starving for meaning. In this conversation, Dan Purdy breaks down why so many guys feel lost — even while chasing success, money, validation, and “self-improvement.” Drawing from decades leading teams inside Fortune 500 companies, mentoring young men, building businesses, and walking through personal pain, Dan shares a bruta...

Why are so many young men feeling lost, isolated, overstimulated, and disconnected from purpose? In this powerful conversation, Dr. Eric Walsh joins Cut Through to unpack the crisis facing modern men — from pornography addiction and social media overstimulation to loneliness, masculinity, discipline, identity, and faith. Dr. Walsh isn’t speaking from theory alone. He’s a physician, public health e...

What happens to young men when AI starts replacing jobs, universities lose value, and the future feels increasingly unstable? In this episode of Cut Through, we sit down with Justin Stafford — tech entrepreneur, engineer, founder and CEO of BlueShift, a software company building enterprise systems used by major Australian and global brands. Justin has spent more than two decades working at the for...

A plane crash in the middle of the ocean. Pitch black night. No rescue in sight. In this episode of Cut Through, Neil Watts shares the full story of the night his plane went down at sea — and the six-hour fight to survive that followed. From the moment the aircraft lost control, to the impact with the water, to being stranded in open ocean with no clear way out, this is a raw, first-hand account o...

Why are so many young men getting into shape… but still feeling lost? In this episode of Cut Through, Lorenzo Berry — a strength and conditioning coach who’s trained everyone from everyday clients to Olympians — unpacks a truth most people don’t want to hear: Getting fit won’t fix what’s going on inside. We talk about the “invincible” feeling that comes with progress in the gym… and why it fades f...

What if the reason you feel lost… isn’t random? In this episode of Cut Through, we sit down with Dan Patterson to tackle the questions most people avoid: is belief in God just a crutch? Can faith and science actually coexist? And why, in a world with more freedom than ever, do so many people still feel empty? We explore the real tension behind Christianity, not just the surface-level arguments, bu...

AI is already here. And whether you realize it or not… it’s changing everything. Jobs. Identity. Confidence. Direction. In this conversation, Wendy — a tech leader who’s been through redundancy, reinvention, and the reality of AI disruption — breaks down what most people still don’t understand. This isn’t about hype. It’s about what happens when the world moves faster than you can keep up… And how...

Most young men today feel lost — but they’ve never had more freedom. So what’s going wrong? In this episode, professor, author, historian Daniel Reynaud breaks down why the ANZAC soldiers — facing death daily — had a stronger sense of purpose, identity, and direction than most men today. This isn’t about glorifying war. It’s about understanding what creates  meaning . We dive into: Why modern masc...

What happens when the thing you built your identity on… disappears? In this episode, Grant Faatoia shares the real story behind chasing the NRL dream — and what came after it all fell apart. From discipline, sacrifice, and the pressure of professional sport… to injury, isolation, and losing his sense of self — this conversation goes far beyond rugby. We talk about: The hidden cost of success Why d...

Most young men have been sold a lie: That drinking makes you more confident, more social… more of a man. In this conversation with  , we break down what alcohol actually does — not culturally, but biologically. → How it suppresses testosterone → How it affects your brain and decision-making → Why it slowly erodes discipline, clarity, and control And more importantly… Why something so damaging has...

At 18 years old, Neric watched his father drown while trying to save him. What began as a normal family day by the river turned into a moment that would change his life forever. In the years that followed, he wrestled with guilt, grief, and the deeper questions many young men face today — about identity, purpose, and meaning. In this episode of  Cut Through , Narek shares the story of that day, th...

Early-onset dementia has increased by  200% in the last 20 years  — and most people still believe it’s a disease that only affects the elderly. In this episode of  Cut Through , brain health expert  Dr Simon Pedzisi  explains why the foundations of brain health are built much earlier in life — often in our teens and 20s. We unpack the lifestyle habits that quietly shape the brain during its most i...

Is science enough? Or does it point beyond itself? In this full-length conversation, Dr. Sven Ostring (PhD) and Christian unpack one of the biggest questions of our generation: Is belief in God intellectually dishonest — or is it actually more rational than we think? They explore: The Big Bang and the problem of “nothing” Fine-tuning and why the universe looks designed DNA, information, and irredu...

If AI can outthink you, outwork you and outlearn you… what hope is there for a 20-year-old? In this episode of Cut Through, I sit down with Kevin Jackson — CEO of Sanitarium — to talk about the future of work, leadership under pressure, failure, faith, and what actually gives a person value in a world obsessed with performance. We break down: – Is AI really coming for your job? – Should young peop...

What does it do to a man to hold a dying stranger in his arms… to be surrounded by 200 people who want to kill him… to protect witnesses by erasing their identities… and to spend decades staring evil in the face? In this raw and unfiltered conversation, retired police commander Paul Roussos pulls back the curtain on 30+ years in the force — from gun-to-gun standoffs and riot chaos, to undercover w...

From World Champion Dreams to Suicide Watch — And the Faith That Rebuilt Him At 15, Lawson Walters was living in Spain, training every day to become a world champion motorbike racer. Five months later, everything collapsed. The money ran out. His family fell apart. His identity disappeared. Sleeping on couches. Struggling with alcoholism, self-harm, and depression. Eventually ending up in hospital...

What happens when you do everything right — work hard, chase the dream, build the body, build the business — and still feel empty? In this long-form conversation, two young men share their raw journey from: • chasing money and success • door knocking and building a business from nothing • living for hustle, discipline, and image …to realising that achievement alone wasn’t enough. This isn’t a moti...

What does it actually take to build a meaningful life? In this long-form Cut Through conversation, I sit down with  Gary Rayner  — inventor, entrepreneur, and founder behind technologies that helped shape modern dash cams, digital lighting systems, and more. But this episode isn’t about success highlights. It’s about: Being bullied and not fitting into school Dropping out — and what most people ge...