Roll With The Punches

What happens when our body starts changing - particularly around 40 and beyond, and why do so many of us keep trying to live like we're still 35 when our biology is screaming, "Yeah, nah, we're not doing that anymore, bro" In this ep with Dr. Cam McDonald, we talked perimenopause, stress, hormones, exercise, food timing, nervous system regulation, emotions, subconscious stories and why sometimes the answer isn't to push harder, but to actually back the fark up and recover. Cam shared some pretty fascinating case studies where tiny changes to training, meal timing, daily rhythm and stress completely changed people's symptoms. We also got into the way we interpret our feelings, why sadness doesn't have to mean something is wrong, and how easily we can create stories about ourselves that simply aren't true. At the end of the day, this is a conversation about how our body isn't our enemy and it's not trying to sabotage us. It's constantly giving us information about what's going on... We just tend to ignore it, smash another coffee and carry on. So yep, there's plenty in this one for the over-40 crowd, but honestly, this is about understanding your body as an individual rather than trying to follow someone else's rulebook. And apparently, we all need more rest. Annoying, right... but there it is. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Buckle up for this one! Since we last spoke, Jason Blyth has thrown himself headfirst into what he believes is the greatest social issue in the nation... protecting children. Jason is Australia's Child First Voice, and he's building the Child First Movement after spending his own childhood being failed by the very systems designed to protect him. He grew up in an incredibly traumatic home, begged to be taken away, reported abuse over and over, saw countless mental health professionals and still wasn't removed. Eventually that trauma followed him into adulthood, taking him to some very dark places before he finally started rebuilding his life. Now he's using that lived experience to awaken the conscience of a nation and call out the systemic failures happening across Australia's child protection system. We got into what happens when children fall through the cracks, why lived experience needs to have a seat at the table, why following procedures and ticking boxes means f*ck all if the child isn't safe, and what needs to change if Australia is serious about protecting its most vulnerable. Jason is building a movement around a pretty bloody simple idea: 5.8 million children. One national promise. You will be safe. And his message is that we are the Child First Generation. The generation that decides we're no longer going to tolerate children being failed, abused, neglected and forgotten by the systems that are supposed to protect them. It's confronting, it's angry, it's incredibly important, and honestly, it's one of those conversations that makes you wonder how the hell we've allowed this to become normal. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au JASON BLYTH Website: jasonblyth.com TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imogen Hobbs exclusively coaches men, and she pulls no punches... so it's fair to say we got along like a house on fire. We talked about why she walked away from coaching women, backed herself into a completely different direction, and nearly watched her business die for three months while she waited for the men to find her. We also got into why so many blokes don't want to talk about their shit, why group work can end up being one of the most powerful parts of the process, the difference between personal development and actually developing yourself, along with intuition, self-trust, spirituality, adversity, shame, childhood shit and pretty much all the things I love digging into on a regular basis. There's a lot in this one about trusting yourself enough to make the uncomfortable call, and what can happen when you stop treating your life like a series of random events and start asking what it's trying to show you. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au IMOGEN HOBBS Website: changechannel.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aaaah emotions... aren't they a farkin thing to get our heads around (and that's often half the problem). Well, I've dug up an EPIC guest, Hilary Jacobs Hendel, to get right into the guts of emotions with me. We talked about trauma, dissociation, depression, grief, anxiety, shame, relationships and the difference between actually feeling an emotion and just thinking about it. I gave Hilary some background on the Tiff Cook journey of emotions and how getting punched in the face (in the boxing ring, of course) eventually became the thing that helped me reconnect with what was going on underneath it all. If you've ever been told to 'just feel your feelings' and thought, 'Yeah, but what the hell does that even mean?', you're going to bloody love this one. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au HILARY JACOBS HENDEL Website: hilaryjacobshendel.com It’s Not Always Depression Book USA:https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/537514/its-not-always-depression-by-hilary-jacobs-hendel-lcsw/ It’s Not Always Depression Book UK:https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/292763/its-not-always-depression-by-hendel-hilary-jacobs/9780241976401 It's Not Always Depression, Sometimes It's Shame: https://www.hilaryjacobshendel.com/post/2015/06/30/its-not-always-depression-sometimes-its-shame TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Look out everybody, the fabulous Lara Briden is back, and this time we went WAY beyond periods. We got into what happens when we stop treating female physiology like a problem to be fixed, why the menstrual cycle is actually a pretty bloody clever system, and whether we've gone a little too far with the whole 'everything is a symptom' approach to perimenopause. Lara and I talked about cycle syncing, period pain, endometriosis, ridiculously heavy periods, hormonal IUDs, progesterone, breast health, HRT and what happens when you start looking at all of this through an evolutionary lens. But the bit I probably loved most was the bigger conversation underneath all of it. How much of what we believe about our bodies is actually true, and how much have we simply been told so many times that we've stopped questioning it? Lara makes a pretty compelling case that perimenopause isn't a disease or a deficiency, that women don't have to feel exactly the same every day, and that feeling fine in your forties doesn't mean something is wrong with you... Wild, I know! SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au LARA BRIDEN Website: larabriden.com TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeffrey's story is wild... Abused by ten, homeless by twelve, twenty years in and out of boys' homes and prison, and eventually part of a notorious Australian bank robbery crew, Jeffrey's life could very easily have ended up looking very different to what is does today. But somewhere along the way he started questioning the life he'd normalised, the people around him, his own identity, and the behaviours he'd come to see as just 'how life is.' We got into what it actually takes to change when your old identity keeps pulling you back, why he had to drop his pride and ego and even delete relationships, and how he learned to turn some of the traits that once made him a bloody good criminal into traits that now make him a successful businessman. We also got into culture, emotional regulation, nervous system chaos, the power of having good role models, and his grandmother's question that stuck with him for years: "Do you reckon this is culture?" There's a lot in this one about not accepting your current life just because you've become accustomed to it. Because as Jeffrey says, if you want something different, at some point you've got to stop waiting for someone else to change it and start doing the work yourself. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au JEFFREY MORGAN Website: jeffreymorgan.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scotty's back and since retiring last year from paramedicine after decades of doing work that became a pretty big part of who he was, we got into what happens when you suddenly don't have to work anymore. We covered money, identity, the weirdness of no longer being the provider, and why he's now much more interested in spending his time doing things he actually gives a shit about. Then we got into the (kind of all too recent, if you ask me) period of his life when he was diagnosed with cancer and how rather than sitting around waiting to see what happened, he started making plans for what would happen to his daughter if he died. He kept working as a paramedic, kept cooking, kept living his life and somehow found plenty of humour in a situation that wasn't all too funny at all. And then, because Scott is Scott, we ended up talking about his obsession with adventure, his ability to somehow get himself into rooms and friendships most people wouldn't, and the fact that he seems to have spent his entire life saying yes when someone says, "You should come." "You get one go on the merry-go-round and you should give it a good crack." Not a bad philosophy, dare I say, Scotty! SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au SCOTT DOUGLAS Website: horatio-jones.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Di often slides into my Insta DMs in response to gym content, then sent me a photo of her epic guns and I genuinely couldn't believe she was almost 64. So obviously I had to get her on the podcast for a good yarn... Di is not just incredibly strong with a phenomenal physique, she's also got a really interesting story. She was the 'fat kid' at school, got into powerlifting, walked away from training for a long while, then came back at 50 and has basically spent the last 14 years rebuilding herself through the gym. She's had total knee replacements, multiple surgeries, a broken patellar tendon and plenty of reasons she could have decided she was 'too old' or 'too injured' to train. Instead, she kept finding ways to work around what her body could do. We got into ageing, strength, training to failure, knowing when to push and when to stop, food, emotional eating, tracking calories, why all-or-nothing thinking keeps people stuck, and why women really need to stop worrying about everyone else in the gym. And then we got into her lifting numbers, which are frankly ridiculous.122kg deadlifts for reps. Eight pull-ups. Heavy sled work. Nearly 64 years old. She's also a weight loss and nutrition consultant, so of course got into the psychology behind why people eat when they're not actually hungry, and why sometimes food isn't really about food at all. Honestly, Di is exactly the kind of woman I want more women to hear from. And my biggest challenge to her at the end of the episode was this... Di, you need to get better at bragging about yourself, sista! SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I met Dallas Lane by accident at the gym, and within about five minutes of chatting I knew I needed to get her on the podcast. She’s 50, a boxer, a trainer, a mum, a writer, and someone who has lost around 70 kilos. She’s also living with MS, after spending years knowing something wasn’t right and fighting to finally get a diagnosis. And honestly, the MS is almost the least interesting thing about her. We talk about being told you’re too old, what happens when your body gives you limitations you didn’t ask for, why Dallas refuses to let MS become her identity, and how she’s still getting in the ring and training despite balance issues, foot drop and fatigue. We get into adaptive boxing, therapy, crying, grief, her dad, writing poetry, and why sometimes the thing that changes your life doesn’t actually get to decide what your life looks like. She’s bloody funny, incredibly honest and has one of those personalities where you could talk for hours without noticing the time. I absolutely loved this one. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I knew Stephen Seiler was going to be a bloody brilliant conversation, but I don't think I expected us to cover SO much ground. For those who aren't familiar, here's a bit about him... Stephen is a Professor of Sport Science whose work around endurance training and intensity distribution has influenced and catalysed international research into training intensity distribution and the 'polarised training model'. He's published a lazy 100+ peer-reviewed papers, written more than 100 science articles on exercise physiology and the training process, and is a founding editorial board member of the International Journal of Sport Physiology and Performance. So yeah... he knows a thing or two about training. In this chat we get into training, recovery, stress, AI, wearables, burnout, being an introvert who spends their life talking to people... and why the world's best athletes often trust what they feel in their own bodies more than what their watch is telling them. Stephen has spent decades researching how we actually get better at training, and one of the things I loved most was his take that training isn't a maximisation problem, it's an optimisation problem. In other words, more isn't always better. A lesson I seemed to want to learn the hard way in far too many areas of my life... and training is no exception. We also get into the idea that all of our stress goes into the same bucket, whether it's a hard workout, work, kids, life or even exciting things happening. And honestly, this is a bloody good reminder for anyone who is constantly pushing, achieving and wondering why they're knackered. Oh, and we have a pretty cracking conversation about AI in coaching, why your Garmin might actually be making your sleep worse, and why sometimes the smartest thing you can do is take the damn rest day. Basically, Stephen made me question quite a few things I thought I knew about training, recovery and performance, which is exactly what I want from a conversation. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Burnout... Imagine if the fix was as simple as just pee when you need to pee. Well, Cait Donovan (who I adored chatting with) has landed on the hypothesis that it very well starts right there. Cait's spent years pulling apart the research on burnout after the seemingly unlikely reality of landing there herself as a passionate Chinese Medicine practitioner. And what she discovered is that burnout is a whole lot more complicated than simply doing too much and needing a holiday. We get into why some of us become so disconnected from the signals our bodies are sending us that we don't even realise we're ignoring them, how the pathways we've spent a lifetime building become the easiest ones for our brains to keep taking, and why recovery isn't about finding one magic answer. We talk resentment, self-abandonment, boundaries, trauma, athletes, emotional regulation, and why sometimes the thing that finally helps isn't THE answer... it's just the next piece of the puzzle. And honestly, there were a few moments where I thought, well f*ckety f*ck... that's uncomfortably familiar. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au CAIT DONOVAN Website: caitdonovan.com TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Vasiliou is back to chat with me today about boys, men, masculinity, algorithms and, lo 'n' behold, we even throw a lil' politics on the table... very un-Tiff-like indeed, huh! Ben's spent years working with young people and now leads The Man Cave, so he's in the thick of these conversations every single day. And I dare say, I found myself nodding along for most of it. His new book, Better Man, was what prompted me to ask him to come on for this chat about what healthy masculinity actually looks like when we stop looking at it through the loudest voices on the internet... But I reckon this conversation is about way more than men. It's about all of us, really. What happens when we stop trying to win arguments and start getting curious instead. About finding connection in a world that's becoming more divided by the minute. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au BEN VASILIOU Website: www.simonandschuster.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I knew this one was going to be an absolute ripper, but I was so not prepared for just how much I'd laugh. If you've ever wanted to learn about Yucatan micro pigs... and the breast implants Dr. Chris Winter gave them in the name of groundbreaking sleep research... then, boy oh boy, you're in luck. Because, as it turns out, when I hunted down one of the most reputable sleep experts I could find, little did I know he's also the world's foremost expert on the sleep habits of said pigs. Naturally. Somewhere amongst all the glorious shenanigans and completely unnecessary detours that unfolded, we actually did manage to unpack an absolute stack of sleep gold. So hold off on the melatonin, kids, and stick with us... We talk about why chasing the 'perfect' night's sleep often backfires, why one rubbish night doesn't mean tomorrow's ruined, what actually changes in women's sleep as our hormones start doing their thing, and why so many people spend years trying to fix their sleep, when what really needs fixing is the panic they feel about not sleeping. Chris has a brilliant capacity to make complicated science feel ridiculously simple and remove the unnecessary overwhelm that often comes with this whole 'optimisation' saga. I reckon you might just come away from this chat wanting to sleep better... but caring a whole lot less about trying to get it perfect. And lo and behold, I dare that's the magic sleep elixir right there. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au DR. CHRIS WINTER Website: wchriswinter.com/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I loved this conversation... partly because I learned a stack, and partly because it reminded me that no matter how much time you spend in health and fitness, you're never too experienced to discover you've been doing something a bit... dumb. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD has spent decades studying nutrition, sleep and weight regulation, and thankfully she isn't in the business of selling magic foods, miracle supplements or "this one weird trick..." nonsense. We got into why one crappy night's sleep can have you eyeing off every biscuit, chip and carb within a five-kilometre radius, why your brain basically turns into a dodgy wingman when you're sleep deprived, and why the answer is almost always less exciting than we'd hoped. Then, as always, I accidentally turned the microphone on myself. I've been down a proper nutrition rabbit hole lately while building a new strength program, and despite boxing for years, working in health and fitness for decades and generally feeling quite smug about how well I fueled this biological Ferrari of mine... turns out I dare say I've been running it on fumes. Specifically, not nearly enough carbs. Which is a little embarrassing to admit publicly... but ah well, here we are. I reckon that's why I enjoyed this chat so much. It wasn't another conversation trying to convince us that seed oils are plotting our demise or that blueberries will solve all our problems (unless we combine them with banana #FML). It was about staying curious, looking at the evidence, questioning our own assumptions and remembering that sometimes the body has been trying to tell us something for years... we're just busy arguing with it. So, if you've ever demolished the pantry after a rubbish night's sleep, wondered whether meal timing actually matters, or just enjoy listening to me discover, in real time, that I don't know nearly as much as I thought I did... I reckon you'll love this one. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au MARIE-PIERRE ST-ONGE Website: marie-pierrest-onge.com/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ooooh look out... this one is going to make your brain itch! This week I'm joined by the incredible evolutionary psychologist Professor Steve Stewart-Williams as we dive balls deep into one of the most fascinating, misunderstood and polarising conversations out there... sex differences. What evolution itself might have to say about why men and women are different? Where does biology end and culture begin? And why do these conversations make people so uncomfortable? Are we really just arguing with millions of years of evolution without even realising it? Lots of interested questions to ponder here... and if we can just manage to put our bias's aside for a second, it makes for a much more compelling chat! I also hit Steve up for his take on dating, attraction, masculinity, femininity, parenting, ADHD, gender identity, workplace differences, consent, mental health, and why understanding human nature isn't actually about 'limiting people'... it's about understanding ourselves a lil' better. You don't have to agree with everything... which is kind of the point. But if you're curious enough to question your own assumptions, I reckon you're going to LOVE this one. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au STEVE STEWART-WILLIAMS Website: stevestewartwilliams.website/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Kel Holliday first shared parts of his story with me, I knew he'd lived a life. I just didn't realise how many times he'd had to rebuild that bad boy from scratch. We talk about what happens when you lose almost everything (not to mention, doing so only days after reaching your life goal and retiring). Not just millions of dollars, but trust, identity, relationships and eventually your own will to keep going. Kel opens up about betrayal, business, suicide, recovery, and the one phone call that quite literally saved his life. We also dive into why loyalty means everything to him, how growing up shaped his obsession with fairness, and why success without character isn't success at all. If you've ever wondered whether it's possible to come back after life absolutely wipes the floor with you... this one's for you. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au KEL HOLLIDAY Website: kelvinholliday.com TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ooooh buckle up kids... I knew this would be an interesting conversation, but I had no idea just how much it would stay with me. Kat Rae's story is one of those rare ones that refuses to fit into neat lil' boxes. We talk about serving in the Australian Army, what twenty years in Defence taught her about courage, resilience and purpose... and how those lessons were tested in ways no one could ever prepare for. After losing her husband to suicide while raising their two-year-old daughter, only days after escaping his violence, Kat found herself carrying grief, relief, anger, compassion and heartbreak all at the same time. We dive into the messy reality of complex grief, domestic violence, parenting through unimaginable loss, and why healing isn't about finding neat answers. We also explore the stories Australia tells itself about war, sacrifice and service, and why Kat's work as an artist is challenging the narratives we've become so comfortable accepting. This one left me with goosebumps more than once. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au KAT RAE Website: katrae.net TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grab a notebook, whipper snappers... this one goes deep. I sure hope ya'll can keep up! Dr. Eben Alexander spent years as a Harvard-trained neurosurgeon believing consciousness was created by the brain... until a near-fatal case of bacterial meningitis left him in a week-long coma and threw everything he thought he knew in the bin! We talk about his near-death experience, why he believes consciousness exists beyond the brain, where science is starting to catch up with spirituality, and why meditation might be one of the most powerful tools we've got for exploring ourselves. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au DR. EBEN ALEXANDER Website: ebenalexander.com/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I loved this chat with Harry Moffitt. After 30 years in the SAS, losing mates in combat, surviving an IED blast, becoming a psychologist and now working with elite teams, he's got a perspective that cuts through all the usual bullshit. We talked about grief, guilt, why some teams thrive while others fall apart, what actually makes a great leader, and why 'resilience' might be a useless term these days. There's so much practical wisdom in this ep, whether you lead a team, run a business or you're simply trying to become a better human. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au HARRY MOFFITT Website: Harry Moffitt - harrymoffitt.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where are my single mums at?? Here's an ep for you legends... for the ones who somewhere along the way started believing that you're supposed to do it all on your own. Raise kids, build careers, do life... cope. Well... Jenna Wilson has a very different take. After becoming a single mum, she didn't just accept that loneliness was part of the deal. She invited another single mum to move in. What started as sharing a house ended up becoming something that looked a lot like family. That experience sparked an even bigger idea, Lioness Den, a community where single mums can support each other, save for their own homes and create the village so many of us keep wishing existed. We also got into the hidden reality of homelessness, why so many women stay in relationships they desperately want to leave, the power of asking for help, ADHD, building purpose from pain and why community might be one of the most underrated ingredients for a good life. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au JENNA WILSON Website: lionessden.com.au/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I reckon we've all met someone who makes you think... holy snapping ducksh*t, how the hell do you fit all that into one life? Yeah, well that's Dale. He's designed underground explosions, now designs mine ventilation systems, built a bloody pub in his backyard during lockdown, brews his own beer, smokes meat like he's training for a world championship, plays guitar, cooks restaurant-quality food, and somehow still manages to be one of the most down-to-earth, kid-like blokes you'll meet. We had a laugh about all of that, but we also got into the stuff that really matters... Like the mental health challenges in mining, the pressure that comes with chasing the big bucks, why relationships matter so much on a mine site, and how putting your hand up for help can change everything. This one feels like you're just sitting around having a beer with a mate (that he brewed himself, of course) who happens to have one of the most interesting jobs in the country... and a few pretty bloody good stories to go with it. Oh yeah... and he's one of Scotty's best mates too, so clearly a bloody legend! SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Keith's life reads like a bloody movie. Undercover cop. Drug dealers. Gunfights. Tactical policing. But the stories that grabbed me most weren't even the action scenes... They were the moments where we talked about identity, trauma, therapy, why so many people carry things for decades before asking for help, and how we've somehow forgotten the simple art of connecting with other humans. It's a conversation about resilience, but probably not the way you think. And if you're anything like me, you'll finish it wanting to call someone for a coffee... just because. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au KEITH BANKS Website: keithbanks.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This chat started with plenty of laughs before we even hit record, but it quickly turned into one of those conversations that reminds you what real friendship actually looks like. Mike and I unpacked why making genuine friendships as adults is so bloody hard, how easy it is to let relationships drift without ever saying what we're really thinking, and why communication matters far more than most of us realise. We also wandered into some really honest territory around belonging, gratitude, giving feedback, accepting praise (something I clearly still struggle with), and the stories we tell ourselves about success and failure. Mike shared one of the most powerful lessons from losing his legs and how embracing, rather than hiding, what happened changed the way he saw himself forever. It's a conversation about friendship, identity, resilience, and the courage to tell the people in your life that they matter. Plus, plenty of completely unnecessary tangents, sarcasm, and evidence that some of the best conversations happen when there's absolutely no plan. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au MIKE ROLLS Website: mikerolls.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This ep started with Craig giving an unsolicited TED Talk on fibre, psyllium husk and bowel movements... and somehow ended with us talking about grief, emotional avoidance, ageing parents, self-awareness and what it actually means to process life's hard stuff. It's perhaps one of the most honest chats I've had in a while as I shared some of the things I've been wrestling with lately... losing a client to suicide, watching people age, and the weird gap between understanding what's happening intellectually and actually feeling it emotionally. Harps, (fortunately for me) had plenty to say about grief, fear, empathy, self-regulation and the difference between knowing something and actually living it. It's a conversation about being human. About not always getting it right. About carrying things we don't fully understand yet. And about trying to show up well when life feels messy, complicated and a little bit uncomfortable. Also, if you're struggling to poo, Harps has some advice for that too. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I sat down with the bloody brilliant Holly Bailey, founder of Play Like A Girl, and honestly, this one felt like watching a mate realise she’s not just building a 'thing' anymore. She’s building (and built) a movement. We talked about her recent corporate golf day event, the surreal moment of seeing her work reflected back through other people’s pride, and the weirdness of sitting inside something enormous while still feeling like the little human behind the curtain trying to keep the wheels on. Holly shared where Play Like A Girl really began, from her own moment in netball when a coach basically held up a mirror and showed her she had been limiting herself, to the years of workshops, networking, advisory boards, scholarship models, commercial conversations, self-doubt, learning curves, and “do it before you’re ready” moments that turned a passion project into a national community. We got into sport, leadership, identity, confidence, women backing themselves, and the bigger idea that sport is not just about medals, winning, or being the best little weapon on the field. It’s about belonging. Confidence. Resilience. Connection. Learning who the hell you are. And how... "Girls who play sport become women who lead." BOOOM! Bloody ripper of a chat with a woman I am VERY proud to call a mate. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au HOLLY BAILEY Website: playlikeagirlaustralia.com TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I sit down with Professor Linda Byrne, clinical neuropsychologist and Dean of the Cairnmillar Institute, to unpack what’s going on in the world of psychology, neuropsychology, mental health care, and the messy intersection of labels, titles, coaches, influencers, algorithms, and self-diagnosis floating around out there. We get into the difference between psychologists, neuropsychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists, and coaches, which is handy because, let’s be honest, the mental health world can feel like a word salad with a Medicare rebate attached at times, aye. Linda also explains the proposed changes to psychology training in Australia and why she’s worried that trying to pump out more psychologists faster might actually backfire. More access sounds great, obviously, but not if we end up lowering training standards, losing experienced providers, or still failing to get psychologists into the rural and regional areas where they’re desperately needed. Then we wander, as I do, into ADHD, neurodiversity, social media diagnosis, algorithmic nonsense, learned helplessness, labels, identity, and whether a diagnosis becomes wings for freedom or an anchor that keeps us stuck. It’s a really thoughtful, nuanced chat about reform, responsibility, self-awareness, and the importance of not outsourcing our entire sense of self to a reel that says “five signs you’re definitely ADHD.” Bloody algorithms, mate. Always stirring the pot. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this solo riff I’m unpacking the wonderfully chaotic, occasionally brilliant, sometimes slightly questionable world of ideas. You know, the ones that arrive like a lightning bolt and suddenly I’m building a program, launching a thing, reimagining my whole life and wondering if everyone else is watching going, “Here she bloody goes again.” But this one is really about knowing yourself. Knowing when an idea has legs, when it needs to be parked, when quitting is actually wisdom, and when the fear of how something looks from the outside is getting in the way of what’s true for you. I talk about creativity, consistency, business, Ten Rounds With Tiff, the new strength coaching idea I’m building, and why sometimes the thing you stopped doing wasn’t a failure at all. It was just part of the weird little puzzle that comes back later and fits somewhere you couldn’t see yet. It’s a chat about saying yes quickly, saying no quickly, letting things evolve, and not white-knuckling your way through something just to prove you’re gritty. Because life’s not a straight line, thank fark. It’s a strange little treasure hunt, and sometimes the thing you think you quit is actually still working quietly in the background. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jess Kelly is one of those humans who walks into a room, says hell yes before she’s fully qualified, figures it out on the fly, and somehow makes the rest of us feel a little braver for existing near her. In this episode, we talk about business, risk, failure, family, starting again, and what happens when the thing you’ve poured everything into comes crashing down. Jess and her husband spent years building a prefab housing business with a huge vision, a tiny budget, and a whole lot of guts. Then, after years of pushing, pivoting, borrowing, sweating, hoping, and believing, they had to make the brutal call to put it into voluntary administration. But this ain't no doom and gloom chat... Not even close. Jess talks about owning the narrative, choosing family in the middle of the chaos, writing her way through the mess, and why everything is either good news or a good story if you’re willing to look at it through the right lens. We also get into imposter syndrome, shame, the weird freedom of having nothing left to lose, and why curiosity might just be the thing that keeps us moving when life goes full catastrophe mode. Honestly, Jess is a bloody weapon. Funny, honest, optimistic without being fluffy, and wildly refreshing. This one is a big, warm, slightly chaotic permission slip to take the risk, tell the truth, and give the thing a crack before you’ve got the shiny website, the perfect plan, or any idea what the hell you’re doing. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Anthony Douglas is back on the pod, and as always, his brain is doing 47 things at once while simultaneously making total sense of chaos, trust, travel, danger, discipline, trauma, intuition, and why sometimes you just have to climb on the bloody roof and ask questions later. From paramedic work to mining, hospitality, motorcycles, skateboarding, oil rigs, Ireland, big-wave surfing, hitchhiking, sleeping in bushes, and somehow making friends with strangers in almost every corner of the planet... this chat went everywhere! But beneath all the epic and entertaining stories is something that fascinates me even more, which is Scott’s relationship with chaos, safety, trust, and that highly tuned internal radar that tells him when something is off before anyone else has even read the room. So if you're up for a conversation about trusting your instincts, knowing yourself, staying pliable, and learning that sometimes the world is much kinder than we expect it to be. Unless your spidey senses say otherwise. In which case, off ya scoot 'n' see ya next time... SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au SCOTT DOUGLAS Website: horatio-jones.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dave Greenberg is one of those blokes who has done more wild sh*t before breakfast than most of us will do in a lifetime. Born in New York, he knew at eight years old he wanted to be a fireman, saved his first life at thirteen doing CPR on a stranger in the street, then somehow ended up in New Zealand doing more than 4,000 missions on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. Ya know, just easing into life gently. This chat went everywhere, which is exactly how I like it. Rescue helicopters, farmers finding wildly inventive ways to injure themselves, jumping into the ocean from a hovering chopper, crisis training, mindset, adrenaline, identity, ageing, pressure, and why chick flicks were apparently Dave’s emotional pressure valve. Sure didn’t see that one coming, but here we are. What I loved most about this conversation was the bit underneath all the good yarns. Dave talks about the difference between assumed readiness and observed behaviour, which is basically what we reckon we’ll do under pressure versus what we actually do when life says, 'Righto superstar, your turn.' SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au DAVE GREENBERG Website: thedavegreenberg.com/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winter punched me in the face this week, and it got me thinking about all the things that influence who we are, how we feel, and how we show up. In this solo riff, I unpack the sneaky invisible shit steering the ship... from food, movement, recovery, stress, and hormones, through to the people we spend time with, the information we consume, and the environments we put ourselves in. I share why winter and perimenopause have forced me to get a lot more deliberate about my energy, why a yoga class reminded me how noisy life has become, and why cleaning up your social media feed might be one of the most underrated mental health strategies going around. I also dive into tribe, belonging, accountability, novelty, and why sometimes the fastest way to change your mood, mindset, or momentum is simply to change what you're exposing yourself to. Turns out, we might not control everything that influences us... but we can absolutely influence the things that influence us. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this ep Bobby and I wandered through ambition, expectations, creativity, performance, fear, trauma responses, authenticity, and the strange ways we can get in our own way. We talked about what happens when life gets chaotic, why some people thrive in a crisis but freeze over the smallest decisions, and how often we're trying to be who we think we're supposed to be instead of who we actually are. We also explored why detaching from outcomes can sometimes make us more effective, why creativity doesn't respond well to force, and why some of the biggest breakthroughs happen when we stop trying so bloody hard. As always with Bobby, we started somewhere sensible and ended up deep in the weeds of human behaviour, identity, and what it means to show up when life gets messy. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are so many of us are unknowingly blocking ourselves from feeling loved whilst desperately trying to chase it? Harry Reis is a renowned social psychologist and Professor at the University of Rochester who has spent decades researching love, intimacy, vulnerability, and what actually makes humans feel connected. He recently co-authored the book 'How to Feel More Loved' with Sonja Lyubomirsky, who is one of the world’s leading happiness researchers. Ripper collab right there, huh! We spoke about online dating checklists, social media validation, the weird performance of modern identity, AI relationships, conflict, growth, and the fear most of us carry that if people really knew us… they’d leave. Harry also dropped one idea worth pondering... that love isn’t just romance. It’s belonging... it's being seen, understood, valued, and safe enough to be fully human around other people. There’s also a lot in this one about the tension between comfort and growth too. Why relationships that never challenge us don’t actually deepen us. Why rupture and repair matters. Why conflict isn’t failure. And why the things that shape us most are usually the hard conversations, awkward truths, and moments where we stop hiding behind the polished version of ourselves. Also… we somehow ended up talking about robot partners, Star Trek, and whether AI could ever replace human love. So, there’s that... SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au HARRY REIS Website: howtofeelloved.com/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloody hell… this one smacked me right in the chops. Stephen Jenkinson (my favourite guest, just quietly) is back on the show and this conversation was nothing like the others… and somehow also exactly like the others. We talked about Parkinson’s, terror, identity, regret, suffering, joy, and what happens when the bloke who helps people understand death and life gets blindsided by his own brutal reality. There were moments in this chat where I genuinely forgot to breathe. Stephen spoke about the collapse of certainty, the illusion of control, the strange grief of losing parts of yourself while still being alive… and whether we’re actually supposed to remain the same person forever. We got into regret, awe, suffering, old wounds, childhood survival, dancing with trembling hands, and the active pursuit of joy. Not happiness. Not comfort... Joy. This isn’t a neat conversation with tidy answers. It’s raw, confronting, beautiful, deeply human… and as it always is with Stephen, it's honestly one of the most important chats I’ve had. Enjoy, legends. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au STEPHEN JENKINSON Website: orphanwisdom.com/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Maryellen MacDonald, she's joining me in this ep and we're talkin' about talkin'. Turns out talking isn’t just about getting words out… it sharpens how we think, helps us regulate emotions, and even slows cognitive decline. We got into why talking is actually hard work (even if it doesn’t feel like it), why Gen Z are low-key avoiding it, and why retirees might be losing more than just social connection when conversations drop off. You might leave this ep feeling inclined to start naming your emotions. Not just feel them, not just react to them… actually put words to them. As simple as it sounds, generally most of us humans are pretty average at that, and learning to do so makes all the difference. Also… we covered journaling, self-talk, conversations with strangers that turn into something weirdly meaningful… all of it matters more than we think. Moral of the story… stop just consuming. Start talking. Even if it’s just to yourself. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au MARYELLEN MACDONALD Website: maryellenmacdonald.com/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A little over a year ago I sat down at my mum’s kitchen table with my Pop, Frank Cook, and recorded what would become one of the most special conversations I’ve ever had. At the time he was 101 years old... sharp as a tack, funny as hell, still telling stories and cracking jokes like a bloke half his age. And now, after saying goodbye to him at 102 just this year, this episode is even more special... so here I am sharing it again. Pop was born in 1924. He grew up on a farm in Tasmania when people still travelled by horse and cart, when school was too far away for many kids to attend, and long before television ever reached Australia. His father carried shrapnel in his leg from WWI, WWII broke out when Pop was just 15, and life was built on hard work, community, resilience, and character. This is a chat with a legend of a man who made it to 102 without ever becoming bitter. A bloke who proudly said he’d made “thousands of friends and not a single enemy.” A husband, father, grandfather, sportsman, farmer, and one of the most rock-solid humans I’ve ever known. Instead of saying "I'm sorry to lose him", I'm going to say "let's celebrate a long, happy, healthy life lived like the perfect fairytale right to his last moments. Honestly... if there’s a better way to leave this world than peacefully surrounded by family after 102 years of love & laughter... I ain't sure what it is. I feel incredibly bloody proud to call him my Pop. I hope ya'll love listening to his stories as much as I do. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloody hell, I knew this one was going to be a ripper the second I got off the phone with Mark the first time. You know when someone just has that energy and you’re like yep, this is gonna be a wild ride. Aaaaaand that it was. He's an epic communicator, incredible storyteller, and someone who has seen and done a thing or two. This is the first episode in a series I'm producing for The Code 9 Foundation dubbed the Bravery Series - and of course, we want to share it here for you pack of legends to hear it too. Anyway, back to Mark (or 'Trigger')... he's lived more than a few lives! We’re talking getting deported, locked up, running around with poachers… and somehow that was before policing even began for him. We chat about what defines courage, bravery, and resilience. What actually happens in your body, what goes through your head, and the bit I keep coming back to… that you don’t get to choose who you are in those moments... You just meet yourself. So, buckle up for some wild tales, kids! We're talkin' pyjamas, samurai swords, three blokes, and absolute chaos kind of wild. But underneath all of that… this is a conversation about instinct, training, fear… and the decisions you make when there’s no clean or safe option. I LOVED this one. You will too. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au MARK TREGELLAS Website: backupisthreehoursaway.com.au/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for another ep where we pull back the curtain on the fitness industry and realise half of what we’ve been stressing about doesn’t actually matter. I sat down with Lauren Colenso-Semple to talk all things hormones, training, protein, fasting, supplements, wearables and more… all the stuff that gets thrown at us daily and leaves most women thinking they’re doing it wrong. We talked about why consistent, challenging training beats every shiny hack… why your hormones probably aren’t the villain you’ve been told they are… and why chasing perfection is often the thing slowing you down. Lauren also gives us a spicy lil' reality check in here about supplements, cycle syncing, and the whole 'you need a special program because you’re a woman' narrative. If you’ve ever felt confused or overwhelmed... the good news here is, there's every chance you're just overthinking and under executing. This one cuts through some of the ever-present noise. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au LAUREN COLENSO-SEMPLE Website: drlaurencs.com/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's a bloke who was told he’d have a couple of years to live… and he’s now in his 40s, travelling the world, speaking, and might I add... bench pressing 150 kilos!! But here’s the thing… his skin literally tears just from movement. Like… existing is enough to cause damage. So, everything he does is quite calculated. And yet… he’s not sitting around feeling sorry for himself. Not even close. His condition is called Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB)... often referred to as butterfly skin or cotton wool babies, because the skin is so fragile it can tear or blister from even the slightest friction… literally like tissue paper. Dean has one of the most severe forms, and he's one of the longest living people with this condition... He sure knocked that 2–4-year prognosis out of the park! We talked about what it's like living with constant chronic pain… And how instead of numbing it or avoiding it, he’s built an insane ability to work with it. We also talked about what it’s like growing up knowing you might not be here for long… and how that changes the way you live. There ain't no room for "I’ll do it later” with Dean. If it matters, it happens now. And something I loved… you see him, right… and yeah, it’s confronting for about half a second. And then all that just disappears and you’re just chatting to Dean. That doesn’t happen by accident. That’s who he’s become. Enjoy it. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au DEAN CLIFFORD Website: deanclifford.com/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This one wasn’t planned… I woke up ready to record with Stephen Jenkinson… only to realise I’d stuffed the days. So instead of wasting a perfectly fired-up brain, I jumped on the mic and went for a wander through something that’s been quietly running the show in the background… the rules we make for ourselves. The sneaky ones. The unconscious ones. The ones that sound like logic but feel like pressure. I unpacked my own weird little rules around money, time, productivity, networking, and even fun… and how quickly I default back to outcome-chasing, even when I know that’s not where the magic lives. There’s a bit in here about the podcast, the pandemic, accidentally building something incredible by not trying to force it… and why some of the best things in my life have come from following energy, not strategy. It’s messy. It’s honest. It might poke you a bit. But if you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the “right” things and still feel a bit off… this might be worth a listen. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an episode with Don Gillies I recorded for the Conversations With Code 9 Podcast which I, of course, love to share with you legends on this show too. We kicked off chatting about his time in Victoria Police initially followed by 37 years as a paramedic… and the reality of what that kind of life actually does to you. Not just mentally, but physically too. PTSD, yeah… but also years of chronic pain that he just pushed through like most first responders do. Shoulder gone. Neck issues. Constant pain sitting at a low hum every single day… until one day it wasn’t a hum anymore, it was a full system crash on the side of the road. A moment that changed everything. Don talks about the impact of chronic pain and it's relationship with mental health... He's just had FIVE surgeries in a short window. Neck fusion. Knee replacement. Eyes done. Thumb rebuilt. Basically, a full body overhaul… a process that was done with his psychiatric team in his corner every step of the way. And surprise, surprise… when the body started to feel better, so did everything else. A pretty powerful reminder that we can’t separate our physical health from our mental health… no matter how much we try. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kate spent 24 years as a NSW police officer, right in the thick of trauma, chaos, and humanity at its messiest. And instead of hardening into someone cold or shut down… she made a conscious decision to stay kind. We got into trauma, coping, why so many people in high stress roles lose themselves, and what actually helped her not just survive it, but come out the other side still intact. Kate talks about creativity literally switches off anxiety in the brain… and what avenues she uses to practice it. We also explored the not-so-comfortable stuff. The people we struggle to forgive. The tension between gratitude and resentment. The reality that sometimes you don’t get closure… you just choose who you’re going to be anyway. This one’s about doing the work. Owning your reactions. And choosing kindness, even when it would be way easier not to. Oh, and 'Hey Siri... thanks for the intro' (that'll make sense when you tune in!) SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au KATE BAKER Website: thekindrebellion.com/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I met Ali at the Global Speakers Summit this year… within about five minutes I knew we were going to get along like a house on fire (mainly because he called me ‘jacked’… instant favourite human). But then he started sharing what life was actually like growing up as a refugee… and I knew straight away this was a conversation I wanted to bring to the show. We got into identity, belonging, loneliness, purpose… and why knowing where you’re going might be the only thing that stops you getting swallowed by everything around you. This one's about moving forward when there’s no map, no certainty, and no permission. Enjoy. I did. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au ALI AHMADI Website: aliahmadi.com.au/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steven Bouris grew up 'different'. He grew up with a visible birthmark covering a large part of his face and head. And get this… no one really talked about it. Not strangers, not family, not even him. For over 40 years. So, what happens when the thing everyone can see becomes the thing no one speaks about? You get a bloke walking around in full defensive mode… overthinking every interaction, managing everyone else’s comfort, while quietly carrying a lifetime of unspoken stuff. Today we banter about what it took for Steven to shift all that... The confronting conversations, the identity rebuild, the moment you realise you’ve been living from a 4-year-old’s fear in a 40-year-old body. At the end of the day, like much of the stuff in our lives that sneaks up and gets us, it's about much more than a birthmark... It’s about what we don’t say... What we assume... And what we carry. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au STEVEN BOURIS Website: stevenbouris.com.au/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, as an athlete (especially a boxer) this one sure hits a bit close to home… and I don’t just mean physically. I sat down with Professor Alan Pearce and we got right into the stuff most athletes don’t really want to look at too closely. Concussion, CTE, brain health, and what actually happens when you spend years copping hits… whether you realise it or not. We talked about the difference between getting knocked out and the thousands of smaller hits that quietly stack up over time. The stuff no one tracks, no one remembers, and honestly… sometimes no one wants to know. There were moments where I found myself thinking, 'Yeah… I’ve definitely ignored that.' And I reckon a lot of athletes will feel the same. This isn't a doom and gloom chat though... It's real, insightful, honest and with one of Australia's leading CTE & concussion experts, it sits at the leading edge of what we know and where we are headed with brain research. Join us for a chat about risk, responsibility, and the tension between loving a sport and facing what it might cost you. If you’ve ever played contact sport… or you love someone who has… this is one of those conversations that might make you pause for a second. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au PROFESSOR ALAN PEARCE Website: https://neuropearce.com Website: brainbank.org.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I might start calling him 'No-Bullsh*t LeBusque'... Mark's back for a chat and we went straight into the messy middle of self-awareness. Where you realise you’re actually part of the problem. You know, the moment where you sit there reading your own behaviour back at yourself and go… “well, sh*t.” We got into why most of us only become self-aware when something breaks… why we’re wired to justify our behaviour… and why curiosity might just be the most underrated skill in the game. Mark also shared some of his latest insights about burnout, doing the hard internal audit on where he was placing his worth, and the brutal honesty it takes to actually change something instead of just talking about it. No shortcuts and quick fixes. Just small, uncomfortable shifts over time. There were moments that landed. Moments that made me laugh. And moments where I got called out in real time… which, turns out, is exactly the point, aye! SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au MARK LEBUSQUE Website: Human Manager Experience TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I went in thinking we’d have a cheeky yarn about policy (yep, a very un-Tiff-like topic, I know)… and instead got my brain flipped inside out. Salli (The Policy Pig... and what a cracking title that is) dragged policy out of the dusty, boring corner we all shove it in… and made it personal. Like, everything you do, everything you experience, every system you bump into… that’s policy at play. We got into kids on the street, homelessness, violence, government decisions, and the uncomfortable truth that most of us are living inside systems we don’t understand… but are absolutely shaped by. There were moments that made me laugh, moments that made me go quiet, and moments that genuinely pissed me off and drop a few f-bombs! And underneath it all was this simple but confronting idea… if we actually gave a sh*t, if we actually paid attention… things might look very different. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au SALLI COHEN Website: thepolicyroom.com/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes within seconds of 'meeting' someone on the show I realise I'm going to have an absolute ball for the next hour or so... Mick Marshall sure was one of those humans! This bloke fell 120 metres inside a wind turbine, had his legs absolutely wrecked, got rescued by mates who’d barely trained for it… and that was just the warm-up act. What followed was years of pain, identity loss, medication overload, and some properly dark moments. In this chat we got stuck into trauma, labels, addiction, hope, comparison, and the messy business of figuring out who the hell you are when everything you knew gets ripped away. There’s something beautifully simple about his message too… no fluff, no rah-rah… just do the work, know yourself, and stop waiting for permission to live your life. Also… if anyone ever tells you that you can’t do something… Mick’s probably the bloke you want in your ear! Ripper dude, ripper episode... Enjoy! SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au MICK MARSHALL Website: mickmarshall.com.au/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ohmigoodness, this one got me. I sat down with the absolute legend that is Leah Ashton, founder of Hand in Hand Ballarat, and what started as a chat about her incredible foundation (and a laugh about my inevitable wardrobe malfunctions and high-heel dramas at the recent gala ball we met at) turned into one of the most raw and brave conversations I sure didn't expect to be having today... Leah runs under the Sebastian Foundation banner, funding programs in local schools, giving kids from kinder through to year 12 the tools, the language, and the awareness to navigate the hard stuff before crisis hits. But then... amidst all this she shared something that stopped me in my tracks. Her own son... A 1am phone call... A car accident that was not an accident.... And the moment she realised she knew nothing about mental health at all. This episode is everything. It is brave, it is honest, it is heartbreaking in parts and full of hope in others, and it landed with me at the timeliest of moments (as I share in the conversation). Leah is doing the most important work and she is doing it with her whole heart. Go listen and then go give Hand in Hand Ballarat a follow because these guys are a pack of legends! SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au LEAH ASHTON Website: handinhandballarat.com.au/ TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This one started as a bit of a yarn about paramedics and ended up punching me in the guts a lil' bit. We got into the day-to-day of the job. The pager going off, the adrenaline, the fact that what most of us would call chaos… just becomes a Tuesday for these guys. Scotty’s one of those humans who downplays everything. Reckons he’s 'not that interesting' while casually dropping stories about delivering babies, walking into absolute carnage, and being what they call a 'shit magnet' on the road. So here we are talking about instincts and that feeling when something’s off and you just know. The pressure of walking into someone else’s worst moment and needing to be the calm one in the room. And how your nervous system kind of adapts to that world. There’s some epic lol-worthy stuff in here too. Bit dark... Bit cheeky... and the kind of humour you wholeheartedly need for a job like this... And then… Scotty tells a story and this whole thing shifts gears. I won't spoil it for ya'll with details... but yeah, this one might stay with you. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au SCOTT DOUGLAS Website: horatio-jones.com.au TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 1000… and somehow I landed it with one of the most honest, straight-shooting, no bullsh*t humans I’ve come across in the gender transition space. Daviana sure doesn’t tiptoe or dress things up to make people comfortable. She says what she thinks, stands in facts over feelings, and lets it land where it lands. We got into identity, gender transition, parenting, sport, pronouns, and the very real, very messy experience of living in a body and a world that don’t always line up the way you expect. From navigating relationships and raising a daughter, to finding a version of yourself that actually feels right… this one covers some ground. Underneath all of it though, this is a conversation about honesty. About choosing to live in a way that feels true, even when it’s complicated… even when it costs you. There are moments that will make you laugh, moments that will make you go 'holy shit,' and moments that might stop you in your tracks… like hearing about rocking up to a daddy-daughter school dance in full glam and owning every second of it. It’s bold, it’s unfiltered, and maybe for some it's going to be uncomfortable in places... Exactly how episode 1000 should be. SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au DAVIANA (DAVID MEMONT) Website: facebook.com TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: tiffcook.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.