The You Project

It's been a wild ride. Kind of like a tempestuous affair. A relationship of peaks and troughs. Love and hate. Secret eating. Body dysmorphia. Self-loathing. Obsessive behaviour. Guilt. Shame. Lies. Breakdowns, break-ups and thankfully, breakthroughs. In my quest for optimal health, high performance and (let's be real) looking good, food has been my biggest challenge. Specifically, my mindset, choi...

My definition of 'Intentional Living' is living on purpose, and in purpose. And for me, living 'on purpose’ means that I am conscious, intentional and strategic about the way I live. It means that my life is not an unintended, unplanned, unconscious or accidental journey, process or outcome. And for me, living 'in purpose' means that the way I live my life is a reflection of my values, morals, eth...

According to David Gillespie, the Australian education system has never been in a worse state. And this is not some unsubstantiated claim; he walks us through the current reality of education in, not only Australia, but also around the world, and some of the data will fascinate you. We also talk about the charity he created to support and empower Aussie kids to better academic experiences and outc...

"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are" (Anias Nin). I love this chat about the human condition with Blake Eastman and I love him. Such a great down-to-earth science communicator, with a gift to de-jargon-ise (my new word) and distil, what can be complicated concepts and topics, into relatable and easy-to-understanding stories and language. Like me, he's a Pracademic (an a real...

Yesterday I opened the door on the 'Understanding You' conversation off the back of my weekend Melbourne Workshop (of the same title) where I (not-surprisingly) failed to get through the totality of my intended content. This solo episode is a little workshop-y, so you might want to either (1) give it a miss or (2) get yourself a pen and paper (or something more technologically advanced!). Enjoy. S...

Today (as I type this, Sunday Sept. 8) I facilitated a public workshop in good old Melbs (called 'Understanding You') and we had a great time, opening the door of consciousness, curiosity, self-awareness and personal transformation. As is often the way, the super-chatty only-child didn't quite make it through everything he wanted to cover (despite talking for more than three hours!), and as a resu...

This was another fun chat with Patrick and Tiff, and this time we opened the door on some of our favourite 'old tech', which at the time was groundbreaking and mind-blowing, but looking back through the 2024 window, well.. not so much. As usual, there was an unnecessary amount of silly-ness, banter and bullsh*t, which for some strange reason, some of you seem to enjoy more than the (alleged) 'tech...

Carly Taylor is back chatting about the propensity we humans have to invest time, energy and attention into the things we can't undo, change or control, while simultaneously doing little or nothing to address and/or impact the things which are actually within our influence or control. Weird but also common. This is a very relevant and practical conversation that will resonate with many people. Enj...

The title of this episode is the name of Ben Shewry's new book. It doesn't really represent the chat but I just loved the title because, over the years I've masterfully (and clumsily) turned my obsession (human behaviour) into a job, a business, a PhD Project, multiple books, a podcast and conveniently, a way to pay a few bills. If you don't know who Ben is, he is one of the most respected Chefs i...

Happiness, we all want it but how do we 'get' it? Or, do we just 'be' it? How much of 'being happy' is about our mind? Situation? Bank balance? Job? And what is its relationship with things like contentment, calm, joy and the absence of anxiety? Andrew Matthews is an Australian author and international speaker who has sold more than 8 million books in 48 languages, making him one of the world's fo...

Luke Reynolds is a Professional Strongman Athlete, Coach, Actor and Commentator and at 6'7" (over 2 metres), he's just 'trimmed down' to a diminutive 150kgs (from 173kg). Now before you think this episode ain't for you, think again. Many of you will find this conversation fascinating for a range of reasons; the training, psychology, preparation, injuries, competition, rituals and science of compet...

I’m tied up today, so I’ve decided to re-share one of my absolute favourite TYP chats. *Here’s the original synopsis.. In seven years of podcasting and twenty years of radio, this conversation is in my all-time top ten. Justin Wren is a both a cage fighter and freedom fighter, who has fought on the world-stage in the UFC and in the jungles of the Congo, championing the cause of one of the most mar...

No matter when I talk to some people, today is never the 'change' day. It's always soon. Not now. Not today. Soon. The mystical, mythical, magical... soon. Sadly, some people have been waiting for the right time for years. They are the 'almost brigade'; almost making the necessary decision, almost taking action, almost doing the work, almost using their potential, almost creating positive change b...

Like it or not, want it or not, you've been programmed. By life. Family. Friends. School. Culture. Religion. Society. Media. Social media. Experiences. Interactions. Relationships. In many ways, you weren't taught how to think but rather, told what to think. If you're like most, then many of your beliefs were not consciously chosen (by you) but rather, unconsciously adopted. In other words, their...

Depending on where you're at on your personal growth journey, this episode will sit somewhere on the relevance scale between totally irrelevant (the bottom) through to 'do you have a f**king camera in my house' (top of the scale, pay attention, take notes, re-listen)? This list is a collection of some of the most common self-destructive, time-wasting, talent-wasting, toxic habits and behaviours th...

Obviously it's no revelation to suggest that the combination of young kids and vast amounts of time spent on smart phones (and the like) is problematic but it might shock to you know just how bad it is for the developing brain, nervous system, emotional system and mental health of our future grown-ups. Interestingly, one of the UK's largest mobile network providers is now (to their own commercial...

When we dig down deep into people's goals (the 'why' behind their ‘what’), what they really want is generally something in the ballpark of emotional and psychological calm, contentment and peace. In other words, the opposite of anxiety. Less over-thinking. Better sleep. An internal state of bliss. As always, this was an informative and helpful chat with clinical psychologist and author, Dr. Lillia...

Carly Taylor is Japanese Psychology Practitioner, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Practitioner, Counsellor and personal friend. This time we had a conversation, essentially exploring the 'how, when, why and why not' of personal transformation. Among other things, we chat about why have some people been 'almost' changing their lives for years. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Our body is always speaking to us; trying to gain our attention so that we might give it more of what it needs, and less of what it doesn't. Yep, the human body is an amazing biofeedback system and it's constantly communicating some kind of wisdom. Sadly, sometimes we inhabitants (of that amazing biofeedback system), have our metaphoric fingers in our ears. While this conversation with Unna and Ti...

Sure, you've had lots of days 'like' this one but you've never had, and will never have, this particular day again. For me, that day (as I write) is Sunday, August 25, 2024. And while I've had thousands of Sundays, I've never had this one. This one is unique because, in the history of humanity, there will only ever be one August 25, 2024. And this is the one. This is my one. We commonly say that e...

Hi Everyone. I’m having a TYP breather today, so we’re re-visiting this chat I had a while back with Dr. Adam Mastroianni. He is a postdoctoral research scholar at Columbia Business School who studies how people perceive and misperceive their social worlds, from the person sitting across the table to the broader community buzzing around them. He writes a great blog called Experimental History, is...

If you're after some brain food, philosophical insights, groundbreaking wisdom or personal development gold, you definitely shouldn't listen to this. If, on the other hand, you're after something silly and (arguably) entertaining in your ears while you go about your day, this might be it. I say, might. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Okay, so I might have been somewhat lazy and negligent when it comes to looking after my skin and having regular checks. I may have also just got off the phone with the Skin Doc who told me that I'm an idiot for waiting, avoiding and being irresponsible. The pathology just came back from two biopsies (forehead, elbow) and one surgery (chin) and let's just say none of it was great news (basal cell...

Years of incarceration. Addiction, alcoholism, attempted suicide, rehabilitation, recovery, redemption and re-invention. Depression, anxiety, healing, happiness. Fatherhood. Peaks and troughs. More troughs. Breakdowns, break-ups and breakthroughs. Addiction counsellor. Business owner. Entrepreneur. Radio presenter. And now in his fifties, Mick Hall is an elite athlete; a world boxing champion. Thi...

You're gonna find this hard to believe but, some people don't like me, what I do or how I do it. Shocking, I know. I mean, l'm so fucking adorable, how can they not? Of course I jest, and of course, me and my stuff (podcasts, whiteboard messages, conversations, personality, language, humour) will land well with some, and not with others. Of course. The same exact message will confuse person A, ins...