The You Project

What about when you wake up from a stressful, anxiety-producing dream, only to realise that you were just... dreaming? It's not real. Well, the anxiety is real but the threat is not. And while your mind understands the reality of the situation (I am safe, there is no danger, it was my imagination), the anxiety, discomfort and 'fear' in your body (elevated respiration, heart rate, stress hormones, blood pressure, nervous system) remains. Despite your knowledge (there is no imminent threat), the stressful physical experience continues. Often for hours, sometimes for days. This is a very brief (but interesting) chat about how that works.

I first met Toby Morrison when he was a teenager suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The once-elite junior athlete spent four years battling exhaustion, debilitating pain, confusion, frustration, mis-diagnoses, judgment (of others) and the multitude of physical, mental, emotional, social and practical challenges that come with such a condition. A few years later, Toby worked in one of my gyms specialising in CFS recovery and these days, he and his team work with thousands of CFS sufferers around the world. His insight into the condition is significant and fascinating and for some people, this chat will be invaluable. I learned a lot and enjoyed our catch up. cfshealth.com

This brief podcast is one of the thirty sections from my online audio program and it's certainly a message and metaphor which generally resonates with people. I'm a little under the pump today in terms of available time, so I've decided to share this (new to the podcast) audio with you. Enjoy.

When we recorded this chat (Saturday Oct. 10, 2020), Anna Kambranis weighed 68 kgs. On January 3, 2018, Anna weighed in at 206.5 kgs for her first workout. For my overseas (non-metric) friends, that 138.5 kg weight-loss represents 305 lbs. And no, that's not a typo. Along with her Trainer (and now friend) Kyle Johnston, Anna has had an interesting journey since setting foot (reluctantly) in the gym almost three years ago. This is a conversation about that journey. Enjoy.

Since I was the eighteen year-old gym instructor working all day, every day with humans who wanted to look, feel, function and perform differently, I've been having conversation about choices, behaviours, mindset, motivation, self-control and of course, the ever-present challenge of creating new healthier habits.

The Paleo Warrior is back and she's not pulling any punches, sparing any feelings or giving too many f**ks about ruffling feathers or feelings. And by 'too many', I mean zero. Which is why we love her. In this episode of TYP, the very bossy, somewhat anti-social, anti-establishment Dietician Vicky Kuriel dropped by to provide a basic 'how-to-get-started' guide for (a) people considering dipping their toe in the Paleo Pool for a short-term (4-6 week) test drive or (b) those seeking to switch to Paleo over the long term. This episode is not for everyone (obviously) but even from an education and information perspective, I found it fascinating. Enjoy. eatplaythrive.com.au lowcarbchallenge.com.au

In this brief episode, I talk about the five versions of you (and me) and the way we choose to reveal (or not) those 'people' to the world, depending on situation, circumstance, audience, environment, mindset, confidence, fear and motive. Enjoy.

Exercise Physiologist Unna Goldsworthy (B.Ex.Sci, M.App.Sci) is back and this time we go deep with listener questions to continue our chat on all things hormones, emotions, exercise, nutrition, hot flushes, body composition, lifestyle, energy levels and the unavoidable reality of navigating the midlife sh*tfest! @goldyguts

Jacqui Cooper is a five-time Olympian in freestyle skiing (aerials), world champion, five-time world cup champion, mum of three, corporate speaker, entrepreneur, author, all-round inspiration and funny AF. I had the pleasure of being Jacqui's first strength and conditioning coach and without doubt, when it came to competition, she was equal parts talent, skill, courage and crazy. Jacqui is ace and this was a truly fun conversation. You will love her.

2,633,256,000 Seconds. If you're a statistically 'typical' Australian woman, that's about how many seconds your heart will beat for. Us typical dudes on the other hand, we get a miserly 2,538, 648,000. If I'm statistically average, I have 23.5 years to live and annoyingly, Melissa has 51.5 years. Almost a year ago (October 11, 2019), my training partner died while we were lifting heavy shit. For seventeen minutes (5.05 - 5.22pm). Yesterday we went for a bike ride. Weird. Death is an inevitability and unlike Mark (my training partner, AKA the Crab), most of us will only die once. And while death (the actual cessation of heart beat and respiration) happens in a second or so, life is lived over billions of them. This is a chat about that. Enjoy.

Exercise Scientist, Gym Owner and Conditioning Coach Russ Jarrett (M.Ex.Sci) is back at TYP HQ and to be honest, this episode doesn't require an overview because it's all in the title. Enjoy. russelljarrett.com.au

Successfully navigating life and its many components (physical, mental, emotional, personal, professional, practical, spiritual) is the ever-present human challenge but without doubt, two of the most important components are self-awareness and self-regulation. That is (1) our ability to recognise and understand our own drivers, strengths, weaknesses, biases, beliefs, stories, fears, values and (let's be honest) bullsh*t and (2) our ability to manage our choices, actions and reactions in a manner which best serves us and those we care about. This solo episode is essentially a mini workshop, so feel free to hit the pause button, take notes and answer some of the questions I pose or just let it roll. Either or neither. Enjoy.

*Before I give my normal show synopsis, I want to tell you that this is one of my all-time favourite TYP chats (top 3 out of 281). To say that Dylan (Keys) was nervous, uncomfortable, anxious and hesitant before we recorded this is a massive understatement. Dylan is a follower of my work and one day I peeked at his page and saw his breath-taking talent. I told him he was a star, he replied and since that time we've interacted with regular messages and calls. The quiet, humble, unassuming gifted artist (who drew the charcoal gorilla), lives in rural New Zealand, has seen very few people in six years, deals with ongoing mental-health challenges, is a recovering addict, suffers from chronic-fatigue syndrome and seems to have no idea of his own potential. So, this is not a 'typical' podcast with a typical guest and while it took some encouragement (some might say.. coercion), to get Dylan through the TYP door, I wanted you to 'meet' him because I think his story might be a source of interest, encouragement and/or inspiration to many of you. Enjoy. @dylankeysart

It's fair to say that Paul and I covered a lot of territory in this episode, hence the title. We explored everything from implantable brain tech that gives us direct access to the internet (not terrifying at all), Elon Musk's plans for the integration of biology (you and me) with technology (computers, AI) to produce superior humans (more terrifying), sex robots (good grief), vegan meat, the way games hijack kid's brains and the potential dangers of technology more broadly, through to raising free-range kids, Paul's teenage waterboarding experience (for real), corporal punishment in the schools (well, my school) helicopter parenting and a thing called post-traumatic growth. Paul is always fascinating and this episode was no exception. Enjoy. mindbodybrain.com.au

Zoe Routh knows about people. And stuff. Which is why her new book is called... People Stuff. In this episode of The You Project, Craig and Zoe chat about the social, emotional and psychological Pandora's Box that is, people and their stuff. Specifically, they explore constructive feedback, the 3 traps of power, subterfuge, undermining and backstabbing, how to design a workplace to avoid the four devils, toxic behaviour and the four devils of people stuff. Enjoy. zoerouth.com