The You Project

Jacqui Louder and I have been friends for twenty years, did radio together for ten of those and have both been working in similar spaces (sport, high-performance, psychology, health) for all of our adult lives. It was great to catch up and talk about life after a successful outcome (she’s the Psychologist for Collingwood FC and Melbourne Storm), hitting the reset button, competence vs. confidence,...

Over the years, there have been so many things that I thought I needed, but actually didn't. Things I thought I needed to do, or be, or have. And not only did I not need them but some of the things I believed I needed, were actually anchors and barriers to my growth, resilience, development and ultimately, my success. In many cases, my beliefs about what I needed (to survive and thrive) were objec...

Over the years, there have been so many things that I thought I needed, but actually didn't. Things I thought I needed to do, or be, or have. And not only did I not need them but some of the things I believed I needed, were actually anchors and barriers to my growth, resilience, development and ultimately, my success. In many cases, my beliefs about what I needed (to survive and thrive) were objec...

In this episode, High-Performance Coach, Trainer, Author, owner of ‘The Fit Shop’ and all-round good bloke Brad Cunningham and I discuss building a business when you don’t really know what you’re doing, understanding customers and clients and meeting their needs, the pros and cons of fitness trackers, creating lasting physical change, who makes the best Trainers and why, the proliferation of fitne...

Nikki Morrison and I are peas in a pod. Kind of. Okay, I'm a much bigger pea than her but peas, nonetheless. We have both spent much of our lives dealing with body dysmorphia, exercise obsession, disordered eating (me), an eating disorder (her), secret behaviours, control issues (around food and exercise), seeking approval and validation through our appearance, self-esteem issues and self-induced...

What's 'the best'... diet, lifestyle, exercise program, type of meditation, anxiety treatment, sleep protocol, career, communication style, leadership style, learning style (and so on)? You and I both know that my best job could be your worst job (mostly likely would be). Your optimal diet could make me sick. Your best workout might injure me. The movie that makes you laugh, might make me bored. T...

Bryan Caplan is Professor of Economics at George Mason University and a New York Times Bestselling author. He's written The Myth of the Rational Voter, named "the best political book of the year" by the New York Times, Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids, The Case Against Education, Open Borders, Labor Econ Versus the World, How Evil Are Politicians?, Don't Be a Feminist; A Letter to My Daughter, Vo...

Just like my training partner Mark (AKA The Crab), Brandon Griffith had a cardiac arrest (not a heart attack) and died for 17 minutes (the same amount of time as The Crab - weird huh?). Brandon who was a highly trained police officer (member of S.W.A.T.) was at home, stood up from his chair, took a few steps, his heart stopped and he fell forward, putting his head through a wall, dead. Oh and by t...

TYP's Head Sh*t Stirrer and Feather Ruffler David Gillespie is back and as always, he doesn't disappoint. We finish off our previous conversation (from his last episode) about the declining state of blokes' swimmers and the impending shortage of potential dads, and then he sheds some light on some fascinating (and alarming) information about a certain group of men who are six-times more likely to...

We all want one, but what is it? Is it the same for all of us? Is it the same for you now versus you ten years ago? Can a person in a great ‘life situation' be having a bad 'life experience'? Is it about what's happening around us or within us? Or maybe both? Can we reach the top of the mountain only to discover that we climbed the wrong mountain? Can we design and create our own good life? Can we...

According to Integrative Doctor Michelle Woolhouse, sometimes we are our own worst enemy. I know I can be somewhat 'self-critical' (to say the least) and to be totally honest, part of me feels like I need to treat myself somewhat harshly to get the best out of me. Clearly, I have some deep-seated, alpha-male bullsh*t that needs to be dealt with (lol). Anyway, apart from my numerous issues, the Goo...

If you don't take control of your life, it will take control of you and you probably won't like the outcome. But you know this already. This is not news. So, what's stopping you? Your life is always telling you something. Always sending you messages. Informing you. Whispering. Screaming. About how you're living. What you're doing and not doing. What's great and what's crap. What's working and what...

The reason for this curious title is apparent early in the conversation. In this episode, Patrick and I talk about the ever evolving technological landscape, my strange habit of saying ‘please and thank you' to ChatGPT (in the hope that, in the robot uprising they will remember my courtesy), the new wildly expense Apple Vision Pro googles, the radio work Patrick has been doing to provide sporting...

Being scared is an unavoidable part of being human. Of course we don't love it but perhaps choosing to do things certain things that scare us (not all) is a good idea? An opportunity for growth, learning, skill-development, resilience and understanding? An opportunity to build our courage muscles? Maybe some of the things we're scared of, need to be embraced, not avoided? I'm of the opinion that t...

In this somewhat unique episode, Food Scientist, Nutritionist and TYP regular Matty Lansdown and I discuss the recent Netflix series titled 'You Are What You Eat', which extols the virtues of a plant-based diet. In a time when people can get a little hysterical (on all sides) about how to eat, exercise, vote, live (etc.), it can be tough to have an objective and reasonable conversation about a top...

Let's be honest.. life's not fair, it doesn't care about your feelings, bad things happen to good people, good things happen to bad people (WTF?), hard work doesn't always pay off and in general terms... sh*t happens. And in the middle of the unfairness, the mayhem and the discomfort (and also., the good, joyful and beautiful), you and I need to do what we can, where we are, with what we've got to...

Luke Darcy is a former AFL champion, TV presenter, sports commentator, entrepreneur, father of 4 and husband to the lovely Rebecca (who was a brilliant PT in one of my gyms). Luke and I went far and wide in this catch-up; talking about life after professional sport, some funny moments as an inept (and reluctant) tennis commentator, how he trained himself to commentate on the footy as a kid, the st...

Do you understand you? Who you are, how you are and why you are, the way you are? Sometimes I don't understand my own thoughts, actions, reactions, choices and outcomes, and l've been on a journey of self-discovery, self-awareness and self-regulation for most of my adult life! And while I definitely haven't reached enlightenment, l'm happy to say that I have moved the self-awareness needle a littl...

Dayne Beams was an elite AFL player, having played 177 games for Collingwood and Brisbane between 2009 and 2020. Dayne was named in the all-Australian team, he is a Collingwood premiership player, he captained Brisbane for two years, won best & fairest awards at both Collingwood and Brisbane, and for a range of interesting reasons (which you'll hear about in this chat), he left footy at the ri...

It's official; blokes are shooting weaker loads. Less volume and fewer swimmers. Science huh? If I get too technical, let me know. Over the last eighty years, sperm production by the average producer (there's a term) is down by about seventy-five percent; from 134 million sperm (per ml) on average in 1941, to less than 40 million (per ml) in recent times. Typical sperm production and ejaculate vol...

When Zac Pettit lost his best mate Zane to osteosarcoma, his life was forever changed. Being by his mate's side as he bravely battled cancer required Zac to navigate a broad range of practical, psychological, emotional and personal challenges that, at the time, were incomprehensible and somewhat terrifying for the (then) teenager. These days, Zac is running ultra-marathons, working as a sparky and...

There's self-help, the product (programs, books, courses, workshops, podcasts), and there's self-help the practical, roll-up-yer-sleeves, raise a sweat, step into the unknown, periodically terrifying, process. In other words, there's the theory of self-help and there's the practical work required to literally help yourself. And while the self-help theory is not all junk (but plenty is), it's the s...

There's self-help, the product (programs, books, courses, workshops, podcasts), and there's self-help the practical, roll-up-yer-sleeves, raise a sweat, step into the unknown, periodically terrifying, process. In other words, there's the theory of self-help and there's the practical work required to literally help yourself. And while the self-help theory is not all junk (but plenty is), it's the s...

We humans have a propensity to make things harder than they need to be and without doubt, one of the things we complicate the f**k out of, is food. Has there ever been more confusion, disagreement and (let's be honest) hysteria around how we should eat and why? Echo chambers. Food cults. Pro this. Anti that. Ask ten experts (whatever 'expert' means) one question about diet and you may very well ge...

Can we become more effective thinkers? Can we expand our curiosity, creativity, awareness and cognitive output? In the simplest of terms, can we think better? And can that higher level thinking lead to higher level choices, behaviours and outcomes? Can we rise above the immediate context or subjective experience to access a more universal understanding, find more innovative and effective solutions...