The You Project

Through no fault, choice or desire of our own, most of us are currently dealing with all things ‘UN’… uncertain, unpredictable, unfamiliar, unwanted, unknown, uncomfortable, unhappy. Which is both interesting and challenging because we humans like the opposite of all those things. We like predictable, known, familiar, comfortable and happy, which is why right now, a significant increase in anxiety...

In this episode of TYP, I discuss the Pros and Cons (yes, there are both) of body transformation programs. And while it might seem like a singular focus on a singular topic, it’s actually a much bigger (and broadly relevant) conversation about everything from consistency, mindset, temporary behaviours, expectations, self-sabotage, why people fail and post-program bingeing to subconscious programmi...

Depending on the assessment tool, my body can be classified anywhere on the continuum from borderline obese (height-weight chart, BMI) to very lean (body composition analysis). No wonder people get frustrated and confused. *Note: Apologies for the audio quality in this episode. Few challenges in lockdown recording conversations over the ol’ interwebs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

I was recently interviewed by Jack Nagle on his Podcast ‘Real Drug Talk’ and I think this is a conversation that many people will find interesting. Jack and I first met working at DayHab (our major sponsor); the one-time teenage ice addict and the boofhead Exercise Scientist. Among other things, Jack questions me about my thoughts and experiences around all kinds of addictive and obsessive behavio...

Dean Mawby, is a pioneer in the area of strength training for the 60 plus age group and this is a great chat about an important issue. I’ve long been an advocate of strength training for our ‘more experienced’ citizens, with benefits ranging from the obvious physical, practical and medical, to the not-so-obvious social, emotional and cognitive. Everything from improved strength, function, bone den...

This turned out to be something of a teaching session, with me banging on about everything from empathy, awareness and consciousness to communication, connection, subjective reality and viewing the world through someone else’s window (journey, stories, beliefs, values, culture, fear, experiences, emotions). Mostly though, it’s a conversation about the importance and value of understanding (but not...

This might be my favourite short episode of TYP. I love the topic and information in this instalment because it’s relevant, relatable and real for everyone. Why? Because we all say yes, when we know we shouldn’t. People-pleaser anyone? Scaredy-cat? This episode is actually one of the thirty sections from my online audio program . It hasn’t been released (free to the public) until now. Enjoy. See o...

Anna Feringa is an expert in Workplace Mental Health (super interesting for right now), Author, Trainer and International Speaker who is passionate about building a deliberate, energising and healthy culture in workplaces. Sadly, Mental Health is now the leading cause of workplace disability globally. Despite the serious subject matter, this was a fun conversation (believe it or not) with an outst...

On a semi-regular basis, someone responds to one of my messages with this enlightening revelation “that’s easier said than done”, to which I reply, “of course it is; literally EVERYTHING is easier said than done”. I will lose weight and keep it off forever (easy to say). I will quit smoking (also easy). I will change my life (easy). I’ll never do that thing again (just more words). Which is why sa...

JoAnna Ferrari lived male for 53 years. She was successful in business and happily married with 3 children for 23 years before finally making the difficult decision and commitment to transitioning her gender from male to female. Her announcement sent a shockwave through her entire world that caused her to lose everything; family support, friends, career and nearly, her life. ‘JJ’ as she prefers to...

Imagine a funny, likeable, clever bloke who stands in front of audiences for a living to inspire, tell stories, encourage, empower and educate. A knockabout bloke who is one of Australia’s most sought after speakers. A bloke who’s succeeded in business and worked at the pointy end of a small organisation called Facebook. Now, imagine a bloke who suffers from PTSD, is medicated every day for depres...

Over the years, I’ve posted more than three thousand whiteboard messages on my @whiteboardlessons IG page and thousands more on my two FB pages. So, when Melissa showed up for episode 258 with 14 randomly picked whiteboards for me to explore, explain and expand on, I had zero idea what she had chosen or what I would be talking about, until she shared each one with me live as we recorded the episod...

This was going to be a two-part Q and A session with Bobby and I but it wound up being one long-ish episode. I apologise in advance as there are a few moments where the audio is not awesome (totally listenable though) and we manage to talk over each other a little, as is often the way when there’s a slight delay chatting with someone on the other side of the world. Nonetheless, we covered some int...

I started this episode thinking I was heading in a certain direction (topics, discussion, themes) and, as is often the way with a good conversation, I was totally wrong. We went somewhere totally different and what transpired was something much more powerful and interesting than my lame plan. It’s not often that Melissa lets her guard down and opens up about her thoughts, experiences and challenge...

John McMahon is an interesting character with an interesting past, who’s living an interesting life, helping troubled teens navigate their own challenges and hopefully, to avoid some of the things he didn’t. Complete with Harleys, ink and colourful past, the Rev (as he’s known) is anything but typical and while his approach to working with kids is not exactly Chapter 4 of the ‘Psychology for Teens...

Tiff Cook booked in for a coaching session three years ago and hasn’t stopped stalking me since (her words). And while she continues on her own personal and professional development journey, it’s fair to say that she’s been doing her own share of empowering, inspiring and coaching others towards their best lives. Tiff has a really interesting story and this conversation ended up being about one th...

Exercise Physiologist and Elite Conditioning Coach Russ Jarrett (M.Ex. Sci.), joined me for a slightly-sciencey chat about all things fitness and exercise. Along the way, we discussed progressive overload, program design, finding the right ‘dose’, how and when adaptation happens, training intensity, recovery, over-training, kids training, periodisation, weight training for strength vs. power vs. h...

Exercise Physiologist and Elite Conditioning Coach Russ Jarrett (M.Ex. Sci.), joined me for a slightly-sciencey chat about all things fitness and exercise. Along the way, we discussed progressive overload, program design, finding the right ‘dose’, how and when adaptation happens, training intensity, recovery, over-training, kids training, periodisation, weight training for strength vs. power vs. h...

Tony Doherty is a Business Man, Entrepreneur, Fitness Industry Pioneer, Gym Owner, Business Partner of Arnold Schwarzenegger and among other things, the Godfather of Australian Bodybuilding. He’s also interesting, creative, funny and a curious mix of brutality and compassion. Tony and I go way back, we’re good mates and this was a fun chat. If you’re easily offended, it may not be for you. @tonydo...

Not only is Dr. Jodi Richardson an expert in the field of understanding, explaining and treating anxiety, she’s also been dealing with it personally her entire life. So when she writes (two books on the topic), talks and teaches, she’s speaking from, not only an academic, research and clinical perspective, but also from a place of lived experience. This is a great chat and I learned a lot. drjodir...

Your mind is ‘You HQ’; it’s your cognitive, social, personal, professional, academic, creative and practical headquarters. It’s the place where stories are told, decisions are made, habits are formed, data is processed, lessons are learned, meaning is given, beliefs evolve, fears are embedded, understanding grows, confusion prospers, problems are solved (and created), calm and chaos are neighbours...

Carly Taylor is an Educator, Nutritionist and Coach who uses a combination of Acceptance-Commitment Therapy, Stoic Philosophy, Japanese Psychology and Neuroscience to help people do stuff, change stuff, learn stuff and unlearn stuff (it has a lot to do with stuff) and to improve the quality of their lives (mindset, energy, choices, performance, outcomes) along the way. Oh, she’s also married to th...

New TYP favourite, Dr Ingrid Nielsen (Psychiatrist) is back and this time we dive into exercise, nutrition, lifestyle and all things health for our ‘more experienced’ folk. Among other things, Ingrid tells us how she increased her bone density by 36% (unheard of), is able to build muscle (function, performance, strength, power) in her seventies, completed a competitive 10k run five months after a...

My body and I go way back. We’ve spent years together. Sometimes connecting, sometimes not. We’ve often been at odds about the best course of action with things like food, sleep, exercise, stress and lifestyle because not surprisingly, my body has always been concerned with health, healing, recovery, energy and performance, whereas for much of my life I operated in the tastebud nirvana, instant gr...

I’ll be honest, the ‘business’ wasn’t really so secretive but it was definitely an interesting conversation focused on understanding and navigating the female experience (pre-pubescent through to post-menopausal) from a metabolic, hormonal, nutritional, recovery, energy management, exercise, sporting, performance and general health perspective. If you’re a dude, this is probably not (so much) for...