The You Project

Dr. Ayesha Khanna is the Co-Founder and CEO of ADDO AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) solutions firm and incubator. She has been a strategic advisor on artificial intelligence, smart cities and fintech to leading corporations and governments. Of course, you TYPers know that I'm no expert (massive understatement) when it comes to AI, technology (in general), machine learning or robotics but despite my ignorance and ineptitude, Ayesha and I had a great chat about the past, present and future of biology (humans) and technology. I even understood some of it! Enjoy.

Named one of AFR's 100 Women of Influence at just 26 years of age and Boss Magazine's Young Executive of The Year, Felicity Furey has led multi-million dollar engineering projects, founded several successful businesses, including WeAspire, Power of Engineering and Machinam and secured partnerships with Qantas, Toyota and Energy Australia. Felicity now works with high-performing teams to give leaders the skills they need to ignite new possibilities in Business, Education and STEM. Felicity is an Educator, Entrepreneur, Extrovert, Creator and Problem Solver with infectious energy, inspiration and curiosity and I loved our chat.

Here on TYP, I'm always banging on about creating an optimal (or improved) life, health state, business, career, relationship, outcome (etc.). Well, this time I kind-of reverse engineer the conversation by sharing the antithesis of a good to-do list; my numerous mistakes. Working in media (radio and TV), bouncing in pubs, writing books, opening the first PT studio, running multiple businesses, making shit up as I go, employing hundreds of people, going to University for the first time at thirty-six, four attempts at a podcast, getting fat, getting fit, getting fat-again, learning to be a leader, working through my own emotional bullshit, learning by doing, self-sabotage, self-doubt, succeeding, failing, peaks and troughs... its been an ongoing lesson. Enjoy.

I was just on 'The Australian Fitness Podcast' with Russ Jarrett who had a ridiculous idea; for me to answer 10 complex questions in 3 minutes (each), when every question could easily be a one-hour conversation. Like I said, ridiculous. So, what you'll hear in this episode is not individual advice, prescription or recommendation (never is) but rather, me sharing my thoughts, insights and feelings about the following questions: 1. Why do (some) people still feel intimidated by regular gyms and where are we getting it wrong? 2. Do Superfoods really exist? 3. The 6 best exercises for building muscle mass? 4. Supplements - overrated or underrated? 5. Is cardio going to damage my (muscle) gains? 6. How do I manage my nutrition? Why can't I seem to get it right? 7. If I'm 50+ years of age, how many times a week should I train and what should I do? 8. Machines vs. free weights. Which is best? 9. Should my teenager join a gym? 10. Does intermittent fasting work for all?

I say I love my job so often, I worry that it might sound disingenuous but without the 'The You Project' as a conduit, the chances of me having a quality one on one chat with one of the world's most respected spiritual teachers (who lives 16,000 kms away), is zero. Elizabeth Lesser has worked with Oprah, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, Ram Dass and the Dalai Lama, to name a few. She is a bestselling author whose books have been translated into twenty languages, she is the co-founder of The Omega Institute in New York and she was a total delight to talk with. Enjoy.

A new host... for a day or two. After 550 episodes, it's about time we got someone younger and prettier in the main chair. Tommy Jackett and I have been friends, colleagues and collaborators for more than a decade. Sadly for him, today's guest (and tomorrow's).. is me. It was fun (and weird) being introduced and interviewed on my own show but as always, we found a way to go deep down the philosophical 'what's-it-all-about' conversational rabbit hole. Enjoy. @tommyjackett

A new host... for a day or two. After 550 episodes, it's about time we got someone younger and prettier in the main chair. Tommy Jackett and I have been friends, colleagues and collaborators for more than a decade. Sadly for him, today's guest (and tomorrow's).. is me. It was fun (and weird) being introduced and interviewed on my own show but as always, we found a way to go deep down the philosophical 'what's-it-all-about' conversational rabbit hole. Enjoy. @tommyjackett

Erik Rivera is an LA-based actor, writer, comedian, dad and good bloke. We had a fun chat, exploring everything from our almost-identical religious upbringings, his appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, navigating the pandemic, his creative process, performing comedy on Zoom, his annoying good looks, the professional downside of "being brown" (his words) and lots more. Enjoy.

David Knoff is an Antarctic Expedition Leader and Leadership expert who specialises in hostile environment diplomacy, resilience, remote leadership, specialised instruction, and mentoring. His first furore onto the international stage was as a young Platoon Commander in the Solomon Islands in 2007, where, as part of the Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands (RAMSI) he worked to maintain peace and order in the island nation. A few months ago, David arrived back in Australia after spending 537 days in Antarctica as the leader at Davis Station. When they left Australia in late 2019, David and his team did not know that a global pandemic would change the world and leave them isolated for longer than they had expected or planned for (they went for 12 months), or that they would be forced to endure an extended stay without replenishing supplies. As always, another fascinating chat with a great bloke. Enjoy.

Tom Cronin is the founder of The Stillness Project; a global movement to inspire 1 billion people to meditate daily. He's something of meditation guru who's spoken all over the world, worked with some of the biggest companies on earth and now in his ultimate achievement, he gets to talk shit with me on TYP. This was an interesting, timely and relevant chat (for many people right now) with a bloke who dragged himself back from the physical, mental and emotional brink. Enjoy.

For me, this was one of those surprise conversations that I really loved and learned a lot from. Julian Treasure's five TED talks have been viewed more than 125 million times. And for good reason. I watched his "How to talk so that people want to listen" presentation and was hooked. As someone whose job is communication, I was fascinated to learn about the multitude of variables that help us build rapport, connection, interest, understanding and trust with an audience (of one or one thousand). Enjoy.

Like me, Geoff Jowett helps people to help themselves. Like me, he cares a lot and has a crack. And like me, he's a bogan. This episode is two chatty, empathic bogans talking about the how, why and when of living our best lives. @geoffjowett

Let's be honest, there's plenty of us trying to keep our sh*t together at the moment in one of the most 'interesting' times in recent human history. Trying to self-manage in the middle of all the things we can't control, is our ever-present challenge. It's not fun, not painless, not familiar, bad things are happening to good people and as a result, lots of us are hurting. Of course, I don't have a miracle solution but nonetheless, I recently decided to offer some encouragement, support, motivation and good vibes via a 'Facebook Live'. This episode of TYP is the audio from that session. For those who are long-time CH listeners, there'll be plenty of familiar messages (and some new ones), so you may want to check back in tomorrow or you might like a little refresher. Enjoy.

TYP fave Dr. Ingrid Nielsen is back and this time we go deep, talking about her personal journey and it's fascinating. Among other things, we discuss her husband walking out when her three children were under four years-old, the subsequent challenge of raising those kids while being a full-time Doctor, retraining to be a Medical Examiner and performing over seven thousand autopsies (no, not a typo) in one of the most violent cities on earth at the time (Johannesburg), relocating to the other side of the world (with her kids) and being totally isolated, becoming a Psychiatrist and dealing with traumatised patients daily for thirty-plus years, her (perceived) shortcomings and failures as a mum, finding meaning, purpose and new direction later in life and lots more. Enjoy.

Dr. Caroline Leaf has spent the last 30 years researching the mind-brain connection, the nature of mental health and the formation of memory. She was one of the first in her field to study how the brain can change with directed mind input (neuroplasticity). Throughout her years of clinical practice, she has helped hundreds of thousands of people learn how to use their mind to detox and grow their brain to succeed in every area of their lives including school, university, and the workplace. The good Doc gets on a roll, talks fast and downloads a mountain on information in a short period of time. She also used a few visual props as she spoke, so I'll upload this episode to my YouTube page in case anyone wants the visual experience.. but please excuse my dopey expression; it wasn't my original plan to use the video! Enjoy.