The You Project

I often talk about the importance of having a purpose bigger than ourselves, well, Anika Molesworth (PhD.) is the epitome of that idea. In fact, she has multiple 'purposes'; the environment, climate change, the health of rural communities, nature conservation, farming, farmers, wildlife and education. In short, helping the earth and its inhabitants. She is an award-winning advocate, farmer, scientist, academic, media commentator, author, researcher and believe it or not, introvert. Yep, she hates public speaking but does it because of her commitment to making our world a better place. Her new book is called 'Our Sunburnt Country' and I loved meeting her. Enjoy.

These days Brett Turley is a High-Performance Coach who helps people optimise their physical, mental and emotional potential. He guides and empowers them to do what's required to create lasting positive change in their world, to build resilience, to perform under pressure and to become a better version of themselves. Previously, Brett served in the Australian Army (two tours, almost ten years of service) as an Explosives Detection Dog Handler with his boy (Gus) and along the way, saw the best and worst of people. Enjoy. minimalismfitness.com

It's the universal goal but what (exactly) is happiness? Where does it come from? Does 'happiness' (the word) mean the same thing for all of us? Can it be lasting or is it fleeting? Is it about the 'thing' that's happening in our physical world, is it about our internal 'story' about those external things (event, situation, conversation, outcome, encounter) or maybe something else? Is happiness the same as joy? Euphoria? Calm? Satisfaction? Contentment? Perhaps (for some) it's the absence anxiety, depression, over-thinking and discontent. Is it possible to experience happiness, despite being in a crappy situation? Can we consciously 'create' it? How does our thinking influence our overall level of happiness? What role does our programming, upbringing and conditioning play in ability to 'be' happy? This episode is me thinking out loud about all these questions (with input from Melissa). Enjoy.

We tend to discuss food in terms of micros and macros, good and bad fats, nutrient rich and nutrient poor, processed or not, energy in and out.. all normal and reasonable conversations to have. But our 'relationship' with food (we all have one) is about so much more than just the 'body stuff' (physiology). It's about psychology, social programming, culture, rituals, habits, rules, emotions and lots more. Joel Feren is a dietician who understands that healthy eating is not just about what we eat but also how, why and when we eat. This was a fun and broadly relevant chat. Enjoy.

Why do you think the way you do? Act and react the way you do? Communicate, connect and socialise the way you do? Make decisions the way you do? Where does your programming finish and where do you start? Why do you believe what you believe, where do those beliefs come from and do they serve or sabotage you? What are you scared of and why? What's it like being around you? What drives, compels and inspires you? What are your values and do you live them? What's the relationship between your external and internal world? And finally, where does your version of 'reality' come from?

Professor Nick Furhman (PhD) is part Wildlife Warrior, part Nature Evangelist, Part Edutainer (it's a thing), part Academic and part Story Teller. He's also a full-time passionate human who was the most inspirational guest we've had on the show in quite a while (along with our recent chat with Norm). Our conversation was full of insights, energy, wisdom, humour, great stories and I loved it. Enjoy.

Imagine if we could 'edit' our negative or traumatic memories to reduce, or potentially remove, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and even, PTSD. Which would in turn improve mental, emotional and physical health, leading to an improvement in overall life quality/experience. Well, Dr. Amy Milton and her research team from Cambridge University are at the threshold of some amazing, and potentially life-changing breakthroughs in this area. Enjoy.

To be honest, this was a much broader conversation than the title suggests. Professor Steven Laureys is a Medical Doctor, Author, Neurologist and Meditation Master, who hangs out with the Dalai Lama and is recognised worldwide as a leading clinician and researcher in the field of the Neurology of Consciousness. If that sounds over-the-top academically (and boring), don't panic; it's fascinating and so is he. He even took me through a two-minute (ish) meditation mid-show and apparently, I'm no monk! It never ceases to amaze me how down-to-earth, kind and humble some of my brilliant guests are, and Steven was no exception. After we finished recording, the world-renowned academic, told me to "let him know if I needed any help or advice with my PhD research." Amazing. Enjoy.

Norm McGillivray's dad was a successful business man who had a severe stroke in his early thirties and subsequently lost his marriage, business and financial security, became homeless and sadly, died at 42 living on the streets of London. This experience (and others) inspired Norm to create Beddown, whose aim is to take spaces that are commonly used and busy during the day (like massive carparks) but at night are left empty and then to repurpose those spaces into pop-up overnight accommodation, ensuring that the homeless (those sleeping rough) can sleep in a warm and comfortable bed. Those who sleep rough are always fearful of being attacked and/or robbed and by providing a safe and secure place to get a good night's rest, Beddown help restore health, dignity and respect for their guests. I love this concept and I love Norm.

And yes, I recognise the irony of having an asterisk in this title. WARNING: if you're easily offended, this might not be the episode for you. It's fair to say, there wasn't a lot of filtering (or editing) happening. But if you're okay with all that, you might fucking love it. Tony Doherty is a Mate who wears his heart on his sleeve, pulls no punches, walks his talk and fights passionately for the industry he loves. He's a main-stream media regular and is often the lone voice of reason in a sea of misinformation and confusion about all-things fitness, working out and gyms (health clubs, PT studios). Like me, he's imperfect, rough around the edges and can ruffle feathers but what he is, is real. There's no show. No persona. No bullshit. If he likes you, you'll know and if he doesn't, you'll know. But underneath it all, is a bloke who cares deeply, thinks deeply and gives freely. This was a catch-up chat to see where he's at with his business, life, future plans and his own personal challenges. I loved it. Enjoy. @tonydohertyoz

I tend to steer clear of too much pandemic talk on TYP (there's enough elsewhere) but as I was chatting with my friend Jacqui Louder (a Psychologist chatting daily to people with Covid challenges), I thought we'd see how people are travelling mentally and emotionally (from her perspective) in the chaos. Fear not, we keep it relatively light and amusing because nobody needs another depressing Covid conversation. Enjoy.

This was an awesome chat with my ex-business partner, Tara Jarrett, about all things career, self-belief, self-sabotage, creativity, problem-solving, business development, understanding the needs of others (clients, customers, colleagues, friends), overcoming self-doubt, treading water in a job we hate and turning an idea in our head into a reality in the physical world (business, service, career, product, program). *FYI, Flugelbinder: a fictitious word from the movie 'Cocktail' referring to ordinary things (objects, ideas) that can turn their inventors into millionaires. atpilates.studio

This was an awesome chat with my ex-business partner, Tara Jarrett, about all things career, self-belief, self-sabotage, creativity, problem-solving, business development, understanding the needs of others (clients, customers, colleagues, friends), overcoming self-doubt, treading water in a job we hate and turning an idea in our head into a reality in the physical world (business, service, career, product, program). *FYI, Flugelbinder: a fictitious word from the movie 'Cocktail' referring to ordinary things (objects, ideas) that can turn their inventors into millionaires. atpilates.studio

In this episode of TYP, Mark LeBusque and I discuss the science of creating lasting change. Along the way, we explore the roles of motivation, commitment, self-control, self-awareness, discipline, mindset, habits, rules and rituals. Enjoy. The Simply Practically Human Podcast

Mark LeBusque and I were back together for a yack (with Tiff) and we covered a fair bit of ground, including: • Public, Personal, Private & Secret You. • What 'authenticity' actually means (practically). • How to make 'comparison' a positive. • What makes someone an engaging speaker? • Stoicism: the original 'self-help'. • Socrates and 'self-awareness'. And lots more. Enjoy. The Simply Practically Human Podcast