Roll With The Punches

Do you see what I see? Is your red my red? Do we create our reality or simply observe it? Can rats feel regret? If our brain is a prediction machine, does this mean we are actually hallucinating our reality? So many questions, only to answer with MORE questions... When it comes to understanding consciousness, the brain, us (whatever 'us' is) and the human experience from a scientific perspective I...

I do. (In reference to the episode title). And Craig Harper is well and truly one of the greats for me. Today the lad and I are reflecting on that winding path that exists between being a white belt and a black belt in any given area of our lives.  Growth, skill development, adapting, failing forward, finding our personal style, being courageous, seeking understanding, harnessing and taming old ma...

Our boy Bobby is back after a two-week hiatus and boy oh boy did we miss him! Kicking off with the hard-hitting questions today with 'Is this the best life for my cat?'.  It's the age-old question, am I enough? Or does Bear need more support in order to endure life with TC? As always, simple questions go far deeper than necessary (or deep as absolutely necessary, perhaps?).  We reflect on the inev...

Ah December, you sneaky bastard... How'd you get here so fast? I only knew as I sensed the looming energy of busy-ness start to creep in and around me as my calendar filled up and my stress levels threatened to rise. Am I the only one? This week I'm talking about a handful of 1%ers that we can implement and focus on to lighten the load that adding more to our plate results in. So practices and str...

If you have sh*t knees, joint pain, wear and tear, injuries and long term limitations that have stopped you (or threaten to) from doing what you LOVE then you're going to wanna tune in to hear Arnie. Are you 50, 60, 70 or beyond (or 39 perhaps) and wish you could still sprint across the road to get to the coffee faster without feeling like you're going to snap three tendons and spend half a day in...

Why do we resist change when it's us who wants the change in the first place? Over the years I have been fascinated by my perceived ability to self-sabotage, reframe and create all sorts of stories around why I haven't made the changes I once (or maybe repetitively) said I would. I'm not alone... I bet you're even nodding your head right now as you think of a thing or two you've wanted to change b...

Based on the episode title, it's actually not what you think... We're not having a chat about driving under the influence. The legless and blind duo are back and every bit as brilliant as ever. Mike Rolls (the bloke with no legs) and Ben Pettingill (the bloke with no sight) have been mighty busy, not just by both having children since our last chat, but also hitting the road for 'Mates On A Missio...

'Everybody's different'. Yeah, yeah... it's been said for years. But it's not entirely helpful, is it? How some people get up at 6am, smash a HIIT class, eat a high protein breakfast and end up looking like an athlete who has done just that. Yet the next person follows that exact same plan and ends up exhausted, frustrated and with more body fat then when they started. It's called epigenetics, and...

Hands up if you ever overthink and worry about sh*t that 'might' happen... Yeah, me too.  Guess what... 94% of that rot never actually happens (that's a real stat btw). Hands up if you ever spend as much time thinking and feeling excited and grateful for the good things that also 'might or might not' happen... Thought so. Sounds crazy doesn't it? But what's really crazy is that we do it with the n...

If you haven't taken a look at the angelic face of today's guest on the cover art for this episode, go take a look. Because when we talk to guests about what it's like being in the middle of a war zone, it's quite often trained military personnel. Sure, Helen is trained, but for love, not war. So, this year when trouble unfolded for our Ukranian friends, Helen (after pledging in her previous chat...

ADHD, hey! Used to be a thing the odd rowdy kid at school got labeled with. Is it that we are seeing an increase in cases now, or have we simply improved our means for diagnosis? I don't know, but it appears that 5-10% of the population falls into this category either way. Third time's certainly a podcasting charm with Karen Hurd. On her third and equally brilliant appearance on the show, nutritio...

The title will become apparent at the end of this conversation... if you're on my socials, you're already well aware of what it pertains to. Sadly, this is a long chat, split in two halves, so that particular story is nestled into one of these two parts... Is it this one??  Amidst the hysteria of that story in this banter I fire a bunch of questions thoughts and ideas his way and see what gold he...

The title will become apparent at the end of this conversation... if you're on my socials, you're already well aware of what it pertains to. Sadly, this is a long chat, split in two halves, so that particular story is nestled into one of these two parts... Is it this one??  Amidst the hysteria of that story in this banter I fire a bunch of questions thoughts and ideas his way and see what gold he...

I recently threw my hat in the ring and came out on top as the award-winning 'PHed Talk' speaker for the Precision Health Alliance Professional Medical Series (Pro Series) Gala Dinner. These are eight minute TED style talks designed to educate, inspire and engage individuals around PH360 epigenetic science.  I've been a PH360 coach for two years now and it's fair to say that I'm a flag flying advo...

In a world where human cyborgs are fast becoming a thing, where our technological evolution is surpassing our biological evolution and the sheer pace of the lives we live is ever increasing, Jem Fuller is back on the show as we unpack ideas around how we might find a sense of 'okay-ness' amidst it all.  From recognising how vastly insignificant yet simultaneously significant we are, to exploring o...

Dean Yates is a journalist, about-to-be-published author, mental health consultant and a former patient of Ward 17, a Melbourne psych unit that treats veterans and first responders. Now residing in Tasmania, his book is set to release in 2023 and tell the tale of his experience with PTSD and moral injury as a result of his longstanding work as a foreign correspondent. Over the years Dean covered t...

'Don't be silly, it's just one drink.' Or is it? There's a vast gap between sobriety and alcoholism, but where is the elusive line in the sand where our relationship with this widely accepted substance becomes problematic. Is it only when we wake up in the morning and can't function without alcohol? Is it only when our loved ones view us as an alcoholic? Surely it's only when we have to go to meet...

Today with Bobby we are talking about my obsession with words and language, given the words we use and how we use them influences not only how we interact and engage with others but also our own understanding of ourselves and our inner world. We hear some alcohol stories and share some thoughts on what is and isn't perhaps an idea relationship with booze. And of course we share some ideas around w...

****ing look out!  The old Cook-powered cogs have been turning in this inquisitive mind of mine again and churning out some rando thoughts, ideas and questions.  Like, does my stuff matter when I get the story I tell myself about my stuff right? Why does my sense of 'satisfaction' or 'happiness' or perhaps even my 'sense of self' swing wildly in opposing directions at times despite the actual real...

Do you ever struggle to feel like you're 'enough'? Do you believe you are 'worthy' of love? Are you forgiving of your shortcomings? Would you treat or speak to a friend the way you speak to and treat yourself? Yeah, I think not hey. Self-compassion is the art of turning compassion inward. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that it is no easy feat.  Dr. Kristin Neff is someone I have been waiting fo...

I'm a bit late to the party here, but last month (October) was sexual violence month. ****ing ridiculous that we need a month to raise awareness around such a topic if you ask me. However, I stumbled across a post on the @dangerousfemales instagram page that read: 'Sex with a consent, is only sex. There is no such thing as 'consensual sex' or non-consensual sex', that is rape. Rape is not a type o...

Sam Tait is a weapon of a human. He's an Australian Winter Paralympic Athlete who has been representing Australia in Para Alpine Ski Racing for 6 years now. In 2013 Sam severed his spinal cord in a motorcycle accident and became a T10 complete paraplegic. To this day Sam has no recollection of the accident, nor an understanding around what even occurred in that incident.  Without skipping a beat S...

Another Sunday, another banter with my brilliant friend Bobby Cappuccio.. Given he is currently moving house we happened to 'unpack' (pardon the pun) the idea around what makes home feel like home and how long does it take to happen... Do you know you're brain doesn't fully immerse in deep sleep when you spend a night in a foreign bed such as a hotel? We also get curious around a bunch of stuff li...

I want to tell you about the voices in my head. Yep, there's more than one.  And I want to invite you to sit quietly and listen for your own. They're in there and they are a powerful driving force behind your choices, your behaviour and the level of potential you tap into (or don't). The thing is these voices of ours have been present, consistent and loud for so long that so often we don't even re...

Michael Sugrue joined us way back in episode 36 to share his personal story around the trauma and mental health roller coaster ride he experienced around a major incident in his law enforcement career. In this previous episode Michael recounted in vivid detail the moment he fired his weapon and took a human life... the moment he had to do so, in order to save the innocent lives of many.  The incid...