The You Project

This was a conversational extravaganza; an ocean of words crashing onto a beach of curiosity, insight, awareness and at times, confusion. Melissa, Tiff and I meandered through a gaggle of topics (gaggle: collective noun for topics), ranging from the psychological, behavioural and practical, through to all-things existential, philosophical and spiritual. We spoke about paradoxes, impermanence, purpose, uncertainty, dealing with feedback, self-belief, faking it, owning up to our bullshit, when to ignore the 'experts, inner wisdom and lots more. BTW, the gaggle thing... just fuckin' with ya.

Dr. Vanessa is our favourite child psychologist, parenting expert and Canadian and as I've recently discovered (thanks to a few mums), she's kind-of a big deal! Well, the big deal is back and this time we spoke about the idea of free-range parenting, kids and risk taking, her youngest patients, the concept of counter will (I think I have it), moving at the speed of trust, the environment in which children best learn, how not to get in the way of a child's cognitive development, when 'protecting' become handicapping, when children become aware of a reality bigger than their own (a developmental phase) and finally, we talk about the good Doc's "crazy deranged ex-wife moment" (her words); super funny and real. Enjoy.

Dr. Vanessa is our favourite child psychologist, parenting expert and Canadian and as I've recently discovered (thanks to a few mums), she's kind-of a big deal! Well, the big deal is back and this time we spoke about the idea of free-range parenting, kids and risk taking, her youngest patients, the concept of counter will (I think I have it), moving at the speed of trust, the environment in which children best learn, how not to get in the way of a child's cognitive development, when 'protecting' become handicapping, when children become aware of a reality bigger than their own (a developmental phase) and finally, we talk about the good Doc's "crazy deranged ex-wife moment" (her words); super funny and real. Enjoy.

Dr. Lillian Nejad is back and this time we talk about people-pleasing, wishful thinking vs. actual doing, why we don't need a fan club, the gift of mediocrity, how to build confidence, self-acceptance, my epic fail in front of five hundred people, seeking approval, being addicted to attention, why insecurity and needy-ness aren't sexy, overcoming fears, a curious thing called 'dialectics' and lots more. drlilliannejad.com

Imagine being a highly successful Yoga Teacher, Nutritionist, TV Presenter and Author of ten books and then making a choice to walk away from the comfort and security of it all to pursue an entirely different career with zero security or certainty. Well, four years ago Lola Berry began acting classes and she is currently pursuing her dream to become a successful actor, splitting her time between Australia and the U.S. This was a real, raw and 'self-aware' conversation with a self-declared bogan, who has weekly therapy, has dated her fair share of narcissists, keeps an 'ideas diary' with her always, has trained herself to have hard conversations, has dealt with way too many online haters and like me (and you?), is a work in progress. Enjoy.

Anne McKevitt is fascinating, direct, inspirational, courageous, unbelievably resilient and brilliant. She doesn't suffer fools, doesn't do 'small talk' and can't be bothered with 'fluff'. Like many of my guests, she's done all the cool, high-profile, public stuff (TV, books, awards, businesses, brands) but more impressively, this woman has been through some serious sh*t (way too many times), yet she keeps getting up and keeps finding a way. She started working at 7 (really) in Scotland, was raised in a violent home, began planning her escape at 11, moved to London by herself at 15 (with zero contacts or support), got a job on the first day, built a multi-million dollar business within five years, spent almost a year in hospital after a horrible accident, has a rare debilitating medical condition (only 140 people in the world have it), has been close to death three times, was on the hit-list of a homicidal maniac (who killed her work colleague and was never caught), has dealt with Complex PTSD for decades and to top it off, she can't take any medication (as in Z-E-R-O) for any reason because of her rare condition. I've chatted with lots of people with interesting stories but this was right up there. Enjoy.

Our favourite Sports Psych (Jacqui Louder) is back and this time we chat about pointless 'Groundhog Day' (type) conversations, performance threshold, walking meetings, creating our ideal work environment, near-death experiences (NDEs), YouTube rabbit holes, trying to change others, having hard conversations, the impact of scent, finding our calm and lots more. Enjoy.

This was an atypical chat for TYP but I totally enjoyed it. It was less inspiration, education and high performance and more.. meandering chat with a laid-back, fascinating bloke about all-things creativity, expression, writing, art and finding your voice. *Austin Kleon is the New York Times bestselling author of a trilogy of illustrated books about creativity in the digital age: 'Steal Like An Artist', 'Show Your Work!'' and 'Keep Going'. He's also the author of 'Newspaper Blackout', a collection of poems made by redacting the newspaper with a permanent marker. His books have been translated into dozens of languages and have sold over a million copies worldwide. Enjoy.

What am I going to talk to the grumpy judge from Dancing with the Stars about? I wondered. The bloke who wrote and starred in The Boy from Oz? I wondered. The bloke who starred in 42nd Street, The Pirates of Penzance, Camelot, La Cage aux Folles, Singin' in the Rain, Priscilla Queen of the Desert (the musical) and Baz Luhrmann's film, Strictly Ballroom? Well, the answer is.. plenty. We spoke a lot and laughed a lot. He's funny, real and loves dogs (big tick). Of course, he's a talented, successful and well-known performer but more than that, Todd McKenney is a genuinely interesting bloke who's done a sh*t-load, is a brilliant story-teller (no surprise), is great to chat with and I absolutely loved meeting him. Enjoy.

There aren't many people who inspire me mid-podcast but Susan Sly is one of those people. Not only is she a wildly successful business woman, author, speaker, AI entrepreneur, media commentator and philanthropist but she's also an ex-professional athlete, mother and grandmother. Like me, Susan was an obese kid who turned who 'thinking and doing' around and along the way, became fascinated with human potential and possibilities. Oh, and she also cured herself from MS in her twenties after being told she'd be in a wheelchair within 10 years and dead within 20 years. I loved this chat. Enjoy. *NOTE: For the youngies.. MacGyver was a TV character who had a gift for solving problems in the most creative and resourceful ways. The Oxford Dictionary states that to 'MacGyver' is to make or repair something "in an improvised or inventive way, making use of whatever items are at hand", eg. "he MacGyvered a makeshift jack with a log".

Professor Peter Brukner OAM, is a specialist sports and exercise physician and the founding partner at the Olympic Park Sports Medicine Centre in Melbourne. He is a world-renowned sports medicine clinician and researcher. His most recent team appointments have been Head of Sports Medicine and Sports Science at Liverpool Football Club and, until 2017, Team Doctor for the Australian cricket team. He is Professor of Sports Medicine at La Trobe University, Melbourne and other than that (and a few hundred other things), he also co-hosted a show on Melbourne radio with me for a few years. Despite all the 'medical stuff', this conversation is actually about his current passion (obsession?); nutrition. Keep in mind that this information is not a personal prescription or program; just two blokes chatting. Enjoy.

At eighteen Lachie Smart created aviation history by becoming the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a single engine aircraft. The journey took nearly two and a half years to plan, fifty-four days to fly and almost cost the teenager his life multiple times. Now at the ripe old age of twenty-three, this impressive young man and I chatted broadly about the principles, habits, ideals, behaviours, skills and attributes required for success (no matter the goal). Oh, and of course, the trip. When I grow up, I want to be like Lachie.

So, Tiff and I were sitting on Zoom waiting for our guest to 'show' and they didn't. Well, we're always talking about adapting, solving problems, dealing with uncertainty and finding a way, so we did. We recorded an episode with zero planning, preparation or prior discussion and what transpired was a meaningful chat about the human experience. Including, managing fear, self-sabotage, self-limiting thinking, optimising our mental and physical energy, the benefit of doing new things, finding our excellence threshold, paying attention to our inner wisdom, thinking for ourselves and discovering what works (uniquely) for our body. Enjoy.

So much information, inspiration and education, so little consistent application. So much knowing, so little doing. So much theory, so little change. So many intentions, so much stagnation. So much talent, so much wasted potential. In this lengthy (two-part) instalment of TYP, Mental Health Consultant, Author and Speaker Anna Feringa and I talk about the overwhelm of change-your-life (type) resources (books, programs, podcasts, people), the underwhelm of amazing results and the variables which (actually) stand between us and success. Enjoy. annaferinga.com.au

So much information, inspiration and education, so little consistent application. So much knowing, so little doing. So much theory, so little change. So many intentions, so much stagnation. So much talent, so much wasted potential. In this lengthy (two-part) instalment of TYP, Mental Health Consultant, Author and Speaker Anna Feringa and I talk about the overwhelm of change-your-life (type) resources (books, programs, podcasts, people), the underwhelm of amazing results and the variables which (actually) stand between us and success. Enjoy. annaferinga.com.au