The You Project

Jacqui Louder is one of Australia's leading Sport Psychologists, a good friend of Craig's and for a decade or so, was his co-host on 'The Science of Sport' (SEN sports radio)in Melbourne. This conversation was interesting, thought provoking, educational and funny. And the bit about cake decorating was weird. Enjoy.

At 17, Rachel Pope had her whole world thrown into chaos when her father was given weeks to live. He died at 47. Eight years later she tragically lost her brother in a car accident and then at 37, the mum of two became a widow, when her husband Ray passed away from the same cancer that killed her dad. Tragedy, grief and death are unavoidable components of the human experience, which is why conversations like this one are so important. There's definitely no 'three-step' plan when it comes to grieving or supporting others through their grief but opening the door on this topic is definitely a step in the right direction. These days, Rachel helps people find some light in their darkness with her book (Gifts from Grief), her speaking and the community she's building to empower and support others. This was a really important chat and I was privileged to be part of it.

Professional speaking is something I'm asked about often. How I got started. How I work. How it works. Getting work. Building a profile. What organisations want. And don't want. Putting together a presentation, keynote or workshop. Where to start. What to charge. When to charge. Reading a room. Building confidence, awareness and skill. Developing content. Being relevant and relatable. Performing under pressure. Dealing with anxiety. Scripted versus freestyle. Preparation. And lots more. This episode will be relevant and valuable for some, kind-of interesting for others and maybe 'come-back-next-time' for a few. Having said that, there are lots of ideas and suggestions shared which are transferrable and broadly applicable. Enjoy.

Travis Bell is a globally recognised Speaker, Coach and Thought Leader who encourages, educates and empowers people around the world to live purpose-filled, fun-filled, regret-free, don't-die-wondering (type of) lives. Oh, and he's also 'The World's No.1 Bucket List Expert'. We had an interesting chat with plenty of take-aways. Enjoy.

At the ripe old age of 38, Fred Schebesta (creator of comparison website Finder) is on AFR's Young Rich List with a personal fortune of $193 million. Which is quite the achievement. Of course. But what's way more impressive for me, is the bloke behind the business, brand and money. I'm not exactly sure what I expected going into this conversation but what I got was way more than I hoped for. He's awesome. I know I always say this, but this episode (no, really) is in my new all-time top 3. Among other things, we discussed Fred's relationship with money, his parenting style, why he employed a divorce coach and an emotional coach, quarantine saving, trading time for money, why he teaches his kids to negotiate, self-loathing, self-awareness, the 'you' experience and his three tips for starting a business. Enjoy.

Recently, I was on the Lola Berry Podcast (Fearlessly Failing) and I loved it. Lola has amazing energy, is genuinely curious, asked great questions and not surprisingly, we went deep down the conversational rabbit hole, exploring the complexities, intricacies and challenges of the human experience. This was one of those podcasts that felt more like an organic, interesting conversation with a fascinating person than it did, some kind of strategic or planned interview (credit to Lola). For me, the hour felt like twenty minutes. Enjoy.

In this Episode of TYP, one of our favourites (Geoff Jowett) is back sharing the love, laughs, lessons and inspiration in his unique, blunt and funny-AF manner. Among other things, Geoff talks about challenging the status quo, critical thinking, creating a new path, his seven rules (the ones that changed his life) and how he managed to blow a million dollars a year on (don't ask) at the height of his hedonistic lifestyle. Oh, and in the last five minutes he reveals something that almost makes Craig cry.

For this episode, I dust off my jockstrap and step temporarily back into Exercise Science mode to chat with Sport Scientist, Educator and Elite Conditioning Coach (A.I.S., St. Kilda FC, Melbourne FC, Australian Women's Cricket Team) Russ Jarrett and we go deep on functional training, working out over fifty, biofeedback, kettlebells (yes or no), warming up, stretching - yes or no (for sporting performance), training intensity, correcting poor posture, finding the right program, training volume and frequency, exercise myths and fallacies, kids and weights, how to recover optimally, getting massive... and lots more.

Dr Ali Walker is the author of 'Get Conscious: How to Stop Overthinking and Come Alive', she's also a social scientist, media presenter, corporate speaker and educator in the fields of sociology and social psychology. Luckily for us, she's back on The You Project to talk about overcoming our programming and self-limiting beliefs, what it means to live consciously in an unconscious world and lots of other 'social science-y' (type) stuff.

What happens when life makes our dream a physical impossibility? What do we do? How do we respond? From the age of five, Shaun Spence dreamed of being a professional rugby league player in the NRL and by the time he was a teenager, his life revolved around making that dream a reality. His talent was recognised by the Wests Tigers as a fifteen year-old, when they signed him and sent him to boarding school on a sporting scholarship. In his first senior season, Shaun showed great promise, playing nine games and scoring a try in his second game but amazingly, that was it. The lifelong dream was over. He was forced to retire at the ripe old age of twenty-two, having been on the receiving end of seventeen concussions (no, that's not a mistake). In this episode, Craig and Shaun talk about overcoming disappointment, building resilience, self-pity, self-management, choosing our purpose, finding our reason, learning to adapt, recognising the lesson and of course, coming up with a plan B. Enjoy.

In this episode, I was interviewed by Tristan Simmons from The Mental Health Connection Podcast and we had such a fascinating chat that I decided to share it here on TYP (thanks to Tristan). It's fair to say that we cover plenty of territory and I'm sure this will be an interesting and valuable conversation for many of our listeners. Enjoy.

In this episode Craig sits down with Collingwood young gun Taylor Adams and the boys go deep on the intricacies of high-performance (in sport and life), happiness, connection, self-management, finding balance, developing a personal blueprint, dealing with disappointing performances, self-awareness, self-punishment (it's a thing), anxiety, giving and receiving feedback and the ongoing journey of personal growth. It was a fun chat.

Bobby Cappuccio is back and in this episode, he and Craig discuss everything from Bobby's rituals, rules and general OCD, to building self-belief, resilience, skill and confidence. They also talk about finding a mentor, the line between healthy and unhealthy habits and the stupid advice that well-meaning friends and family often give us. Craig also asks Bobby if we can be simultaneously content and ambitious.

Andrew is an Author, Speaker, Mentor, former AFL player (St.Kilda), Business Consultant, former School Teacher and ex business partner of mine. This chat was essentially two middle-aged blokes talking about where we've been, what we've fucked up, what we've learned, where we are and what's next. Enjoy.

As well as creating and growing 'Be Fit Food' from idea into an eight million dollar (annual turnover) business in five years and winning Telstra business of the year, Kate Save is also a Dietitian, Exercise Physiologist, Mum and Wife who's endured a lifetime of her own personal health challenges. We had a really interesting chat.