The You Project

What should and shouldn’t we expect of others? If anything? Do we expect others to be how we want them to be? Or do we expect them to be what they’ve been the last hundred times? And while we’re at it, what do we expect of ourselves? Other than expectations, Bobby and I spoke about positive and negative drivers (moving away from the thing we don’t want, moving towards the thing we do want), the confusion around values and purpose, the overuse of self-help cliche’s, motivation as a driver versus motivation as an emotional state and plenty more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prof. Gordon Parker was almost too smart for me to interview. Nonetheless, I gave it a crack and we covered some hefty subject matter and explored a few things on the lighter side, like Crapsules. And yes, they are actually what they sound like. Enjoy your breakfast. The good Prof. is one of Australia’s most distinguished and respected psychiatrists and mental health researchers who has published more than 1,000 scientific papers, written 23 books, is the founder of the Black Dog Institute and is an Order of Australia medal recipient (OAM). He’s also a ripper Bloke and I enjoyed our conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What role does genetics, upbringing, culture, experiences, environment and social context have on the way we think, behave and treat others? Is free will real or an illusion? To what extent can science and religion coexist harmoniously and even agree? Are doctors and scientists less respected than they were 20 years ago? And if so, why? Are we getting our information from credible sources? And is our information actually information, or is it marketing? This was a fun chat with Dr. Bill. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Sam Casey is back at TYP Central chatting with me about how kids and their grown-ups work. Always an interesting chat.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick is back at the TYP desk and this time we diverge from the typical tech conversation and find ourselves ruminating on all things psychology, emotions, sociology, human behaviour and a modicum of tech, just so he doesn’t feel totally redundant. LOL. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The psychology of value, or perhaps more accurately ‘perceived value’ has been a curiosity of mine for years. Why would somebody pay $10,000 for a handbag? Is it 50 times better than the $200 handbag? Why would somebody happily pay $500 for a training session (it’s more common than you think) but complain about a $7 coffee? Why would somebody pay $1 million for a car that does pretty much the same thing as $50,000 car? And costs 40 grand for a service! Why does art from a world famous artist fail to sell for a tiny percentage of the actual price when it is placed in a context that people don’t expect to see it in? In this episode, Bobby and I explore all this and more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wow this was interesting. In nine years of the podcast, we have never had a conversation about guilt. And this was an eye-opener. Dr Jennifer Reid is a board-certified psychiatrist, author and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. Columbia-educated and UCLA-trained, her work focuses particularly on women’s mental health, mood disorders and the psychology of guilt. She is the author of Guilt Free: Reclaiming Your Life from Unreasonable Expectations, which explores how perfectionism, over-responsibility and unrealistic expectations can turn guilt from a useful moral emotion into a chronic psychological burden. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This was a highly informative, educational and eye-opening conversation with a brilliant woman who is a world leader in her field. Professor Jayashri Kulkarni AM is a psychiatrist, researcher and Professor of Psychiatry at Monash University, internationally recognised for her work in women’s mental health. A pioneer in psychoneuroendocrinology, her research explores how reproductive hormones influence the brain, mood and mental illness across menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum and menopause. With more than three decades in psychiatry, Jayashri has challenged traditional approaches to women’s mental health and helped reshape how biological, psychological and social factors are understood and treated.HER Centre AustraliaMultidisciplinary Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode with Tiff and Bobby was another unfiltered, unplanned, hold onto your seat, dive into the human experience. If you’re not partial to the freestyle ramble don’t listen to this.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Olivia Ong is a Melbourne-based rehabilitation and pain medicine physician, author and speaker whose personal story has profoundly shaped her career. In 2008, while working as a young doctor, Olivia was struck by a car in a hospital car park, sustaining a spinal cord injury that left her paraplegic. Told she may never walk again, she underwent years of rehabilitation, including treatment in the United States, eventually regaining the ability to walk and returning to medicine. Today, Olivia combines clinical expertise and lived experience to explore chronic pain, resilience, burnout, self-compassion and recovery. Her memoir, Back on My Feet, was published in 2026. This was interesting, inspiring and funny. Loved it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath is a Harvard-trained neuro-scientist and educator specialising in how the brain learns. As director of LME Global, he has worked with schools, universities, and governments across 30+ countries, and is recognised as one of the leading voices on learning and cognition in the digital age. He has published six books, over sixty research articles, and has been featured on CNN, the BBC, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Free Press, C-Span and now, the pinnacle of his media career, an appearance on TYP (lol). I loved this chat. The Doc’s new book is called The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Children’s Learning - and How to Help Them Thrive Again.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Medicine, meditation, punching sharks, elite athletes, self-healing, placebo’s, Sandman panelvans, great sporting comebacks, fighting cancer, the best all round sport for physical conditioning, ocean therapy, strength training as a cancer treatment, psychedelic therapy and lots more. Tim Baker is an awesome communicator, pracademic, storyteller and giver of hope. It’s podcasts like this that I enjoy listening to most.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the new glasses that can video record people without them knowing, seem to be drawing a lot of attention, conversation and debate. Understandably. Having said that, they do have some legit and positive applications, depending on the context, purpose and situation. Like all technology, there’s responsible use and irresponsible use. I guess the challenge is to somehow regulate the use of these tools that can both improve lives, and destroy them. Of course we spoke about many other things and of course, there was a lot of inappropriate bullshit in the middle of it all. And may I say in my defence (your honour), that for once, I wasn’t the lead troublemaker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tiff, Bobby and myself all coach people in various capacities, different contexts and for different reasons. But what is it that makes somebody a good coach? How much of it is about knowledge? How much of it is about personality? Social skills? Emotional intelligence? Self-awareness? Situational-awareness? Qualifications? I’m often asked about what’s required to become a successful coach in the avalanche of coaches we have putting up their hand in 2026. This is a chat about that. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I loved this chat with Professor Adam Kucharski, although recording it in the evening probably wasn’t the optimal time for my brain (LOL). *BIO: Professor Adam Kucharski is a mathematician, epidemiologist and award-winning science writer at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. His research uses mathematics and data to understand how infectious diseases spread and how outbreaks can be predicted and controlled. He has advised governments and health agencies around the world and played a significant role in analysing the COVID-19 pandemic. Adam is also the bestselling author of The Rules of Contagion, The Perfect Bet, and his latest book, Proof: The Uncertain Science of Certainty.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Cam is back at TYP and this time we chat about the powerful relationship between our mind and our outcomes. We speak about the role of mindset and performance in relation to sport and more broadly, life. We explore the habit we humans have of creating and obsessing about problems that don’t exist and the equally self-limiting habit we have of ignoring the problems that do (exist). We talk about blame, constructive feedback, owning up to our BS and our capacity to build a personal prison, composed of flawed beliefs, self-limiting thinking, self-doubt and a bunch of other fear-based emotions. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So many claims, so many counter-claims, so many sales pitches, so much information and misinformation, so much emotion and pseudoscience, but what is real and what is not? While this episode is not the “gospel of peptides” according to Saint Jeff, it is an interesting and educated conversation with a medical Doctor (and Neurosurgeon) who currently works at the coalface of integrative medicine. As I say on repeat, our chat is not a personal recommendation or prescription, it’s a thoughtful exploration into a topic that’s getting lots of attention for all the right and wrong reasons. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Exercise Physiologist, Dietician, Entrepreneur and Educator Kate Save and I had a fun time agreeing and disagreeing on the current state of affairs in Australia, when it comes to all things health, wellness, marketing, education and longevity. We even came up with a couple of ideas that could become real-life somethings, not just theoretical conversation pieces on a podcast. We might need a bit of help getting them off the ground, but at least the wheels are turning. This was fun. I loved it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Özgür Bolat is a Turkish educator, author and researcher specialising in learning, motivation, parenting and human development. With an academic background that includes study at Harvard University and a doctorate in education from the University of Cambridge, he has become a prominent voice on how children and adults develop confidence, curiosity and intrinsic motivation. Among other things, in this episode we chat about his new book The Reward Trap and why rewards and praise may not always produce the best parenting outcomes. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tune the-f*ck in, this is a goodie. I love chatting with people who question the status quo in their field, who challenge convention, who think outside the box and who do so with intelligence, integrity, compassion (for patients) and courage (it’s not a great way to gain popularity). Dr Matt Bernstein is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and one of the leading voices in the emerging field of metabolic psychiatry. With more than 25 years of clinical experience, he has held senior roles at McLean Hospital and is Chief Medical Officer at Ellenhorn and CEO of Accord. His work explores how metabolism, nutrition, exercise, sleep and therapeutic ketosis can influence brain function and mental health, particularly in conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Not surprisingly, I loved this chat.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This was one of my favourite chats this year. Two blokes throwing the vulnerability door wide open and it’s fair to say we went deep. I’m won’t say too much because I don’t want to ruin the listening experience but it’s fair to say that some of you will love it. You know when you don’t know what to expect from people and then you get pleasantly surprised? Well, this episode was one of those times. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who are we? Why are we the way we are? How do we see us? How do others see us? Where does our sense of self come from? What is our identity? And did we create it or did it create us? Do we conform to it, or does it emerge as a byproduct of what we do, why we do it, and how we do it? Bobby, Tiff and I took a stroll through these questions and more in this somewhat reflective and philosophical instalment of TYP.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Understandably, there’s a growing concern that AI could be the beginning of the end for our cognitive function, creativity, and IQ. My opinion is that we shouldn’t worry but we should be cautious and aware. There’s a big distinction between using AI to outsource our thinking and using it as a collaborative tool (one that’s in our control, not the other way round) to improve performance, efficiency and outcomes in different, contexts, tasks and capacities. We explore this and lots more in this instalment TYP.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems that people are becoming addicted to more and more things. But are they actual addictions in the context of some of the more recognisable and familiar addictions (drugs, booze, gambling, porn)? Or, are they ‘mere’ obsessions, compulsions or disorders that also lead to poor, and sometimes devastating, personal outcomes? Is there a line? If so, what is it, and where is it? This is a complicated topic and conversation, but at the very least, we had an interesting chat about it. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gillespo is back on deck following a brief TYP sabbatical and this time he is exposing the truth about one of the biggest medical issues in Australia; kidney disease. I won’t spoil the story but I will tell you that fructose is not your friend. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is all about body awareness, mind awareness (metacognition), creating a personal operating system, the space between discipline and obsession, self-regulation and self-actualisation (becoming who and how we want to be), owning up to our BS without the self-condemnation and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve done a few Q&A sessions before, but this might just be my favourite. We explored vast territory with a lot of great and diverse questions from you, our listeners. A quick snapshot of what we covered.. If my self-perception changed doing a PhD. Music and emotions. My advice on supporting our much-loved oldies. Voluntary assisted dying. My diet. Dealing with dad‘s death. Self talk. Asymmetrical bodies. Who inspires me. What shapes us to be who we are. Nervous system regulation. And lots more. And yes, this is a two part-er. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve done a few Q&A sessions before, but this might just be my favourite. We explored vast territory with a lot of great and diverse questions from you, our listeners. A quick snapshot of what we covered.. If my self-perception changed doing a PhD. Music and emotions. My advice on supporting our much-loved oldies. Voluntary assisted dying. My diet. Dealing with dad‘s death. Self talk. Asymmetrical bodies. Who inspires me. What shapes us to be who we are. Nervous system regulation. And lots more. And yes, this is a two part-er. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time around, Dr Bill and I discuss ancient wisdom that is as relevant and powerful today as it was millennia ago. We talk about some of the core ideas, messages, stories and lessons taught by the Stoics before the apostles were playing beach volleyball and how they (the Stoics) were the psychologists, sociologists and human behaviour experts, of the day. It appears the world has changed a lot, but we have not. Many of the same issues, challenges and problems remain. That is, all the human stuff. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, it’s been a while but I’m back in the TYP Studio to get the wheels turning again. A little two week unplanned sabbatical for very grown-up reasons, but I’m excited about what’s coming up over the next thousand episodes (LOL). In this episode, I explore the idea of chasing things that we want, but don’t necessarily need, and the psychology behind this endless pursuit of things that we convince ourselves are super important. In many ways, it’s me thinking out loud about the interesting beliefs we have about what will make us feel calm, content, happy, satisfied, safe and successful.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So many people spend so much time talking about starting, while never really truly starting. And when I say starting, I mean properly starting. As in, diving into the project or process fully committed to do the work (and not to stop), no matter what. So many ideas, plans, intentions and conversations about things that never actually get done. Always going to do it, but not now. Soon. One day. The mystical magical day that never comes. This chat with Tiff is about why we avoid starting, why we avoid commitment, why we avoid doing the actual consistent work, and what we might do in order to get out of that holding pattern and become the person who both starts and finishes. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our favourite geek is back at TYP, and along with Tiff we dive into AI, digital interactivity, audiobooks (including fiction) that you can ask questions as you read, cyber security and surveillance, automotive technology and safety, consumer electronics and why many electric cars could be the end of you, if you find yourself off the road and in a body of water. If you are familiar with these episodes, you won’t be surprised when I tell you there are some mildly (?) inappropriate conversational detours taken along the way. I blame Patrick. Of course I do. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not unlike most episodes with Bobby and Tiff, this one meandered away from the core topic and back, but much of the conversation was exploring what I call ‘The Awareness Pyramid’ - a kind of summary of what I’ve been working on for the last six and a half years in my PhD. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Ezekiel "Zeke" Emanuel is one of the world's most respected physician-philosophers. He's an oncologist, bioethicist, health policy expert, and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. His work sits at the intersection of medicine, ethics, public policy, and healthcare reform.Zeke has a MD from Harvard Medical School and a PhD in political philosophy from Harvard University. He also earned an MSc in biochemistry from University of Oxford and a BA in chemistry from Amherst College. It was great to sit down with one of the most respected researchers and academics in the world. I really enjoyed my time with the Doc, and while we agreed on nearly everything, we did diverge on one or two things but of course we did; we’re two humans. Enjoy!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This was an interesting and somewhat different conversation with Dr Bill Sullivan - one where we explored the idea of going back to school (in some form) in our ‘more experienced’ years. Chatting with someone who is a world recognised researcher, scientist, author and educator (and still crushing it in his sixties), it was a great opportunity to discuss a topic that more and more people are choosing to explore and engage in. Like the bloke writing this. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s never a boring chat with David Gillespie and this time we talk about the research, the challenges and a potential cure for Motor Neurone Disease (MND), also known in the US as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). As always, David talks to us about a potential chemical culprit, a molecule known as 4-HNE. You might need your thinking cap firmly in place for this one.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time Patrick and I talk about AI biasing certain moral perspectives and certain cultures. We discussed the pros and cons of e-bikes, why you might need to get a new cable to charge your phone, BYD trying to pull a shifty on its customers, a 20-year study focusing on decreasing the risk of dementia, a bunch of other geeky stuff, and a liberal smattering of conversational bullsh*t. Of course. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lucas Aoun is a naturopath, researcher, educator and one of Australia’s most respected and popular biohackers. This was one of my favourite conversations this year. Personally, I learned a lot. There’s too much in it for me to do justice to the conversation by providing an incomplete snapshot, but I’ll just say, if you’re interested in outside the box thinking, alternative treatments and therapies, and zero bullsh*t or bro science, take a listen. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Cam slid by TYP Central to share the love, the knowledge and the fun (as he does), and along with Tiff, this time we discussed how general medicine, health care, disease treatment, pharmaceuticals, integrative medicine, and treating the human body as one system - not fifty - might evolve over the next decade. It’s a bit scary and a bit exciting. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is artificial intelligence making us less intelligent, or could it help us become better thinkers? Are we outsourcing our brain to a machine? What happens when we start sharing our cognitive workload with AI? Is there a healthy way to use and interact with it? Is it possible that it’s a tool that could help us become more efficient and effective at what we do, while upgrading our capacity to think, create, solve, and understand? Perhaps it’s neither good or bad, perhaps the positive or negative impact it has in our life, is all about how we use it and the power we give it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the deal with mentors? What’s their role? Who needs one? How do we find someone who’s a good fit? Can you be one? Perhaps ‘being’ a mentor has as many benefits, as ‘having’ a mentor? Apart from mentors, Bobby, Tiff and I also explored learning styles, optimising your energy, how to retain information and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, this conversation got real deep, real fast. It might not be for everyone, but I know it will resonate with some. The brief synopsis is that Tiff and I spoke about the very human challenge of navigating complex, painful, emotional and unfamiliar situations, especially when it comes to supporting loved ones. We also chatted about knowledge, perception, belief and faith. And lastly, we spoke about the struggle many of us have to acknowledge our own flaws, own up to our mistakes and biases, recognise our need to be right and ‘win’, and finally, our willingness to unlearn and let go.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazingly, the title of this podcast is not a metaphor. Rhys Thomas literally held his own heart in his hands. I don’t want to spoil the story because it’s so great, but the snapshot is that Rhys is a former professional rugby player and international representative who has had a crazy, fascinating, and inspiring life, full of peaks and troughs, breakdowns and breakthroughs, agony and ecstasy, and 11 weeks ago he received a new heart. I loved every second of this conversation with Rhys (and his new heart). Enjoy.@realrhysthomasSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I often bang on about self-awareness (because it’s super important) on this show, but how do we develop it, how do we benefit from it, and how do we operationalise it in day-to-day life? This is a teaching/coaching session where I unpack, what I consider to be, some practical and powerful questions that can supercharge our self-awareness, in a relatively short period of time. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, if that title doesn’t get you salivating, there’s something wrong with you (wink). This podcast started with Patrick giving us the history and evolution of tai chi that none of us knew we needed. Seriously, it was a pretty interesting chat and opened up into a discussion around the benefits of slow controlled movements in an era when the exercise conversation often focuses on explosive, dynamic, high-performance and complicated movements. Oh, we also spoke about tech stuff (for those of you not captivated by the tai chi chat). Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of TYP, Bobby and I talk about compassion fatigue, homelessness, performance threshold, who to help and when, being responsible for the effort but not the outcome, and we also had an interesting chat about Bobby‘s often-unrecognised disability and some of the challenges of navigating life with a traumatic brain injury, Tourette’s syndrome, PTSD, and a mind that won’t be quiet. Enjoy.theselfhelpantidote.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It might not sound like a fun episode, but it was. Gillespo and I explore the reason why cancer rates among young people are on the climb, the impact that high sugar and low nutrition food can have on things like cognitive function and certain neurological conditions, finding healthy sauces that don't contain seed oils (good luck), the difference in lifespan over the last two hundred years, and lots more. Oh yeah, we also test Tiff's real-time research skills and let's just say that she had a mixed bag of results (lol). Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This could go well or not, but you don’t know if you don’t have a go, so I’ve decided to do a teaching series (of sorts) where, once a week or so, I will drop a solo ep. into the TYP mix. Not so much an inspiration or entertainment offering, as it is a sharing of science, coaching and let’s be honest, me thinking out loud about stuff that fascinates me and drives me to understand more about the human experience. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is happiness anyway? Is my version of happiness the same as yours? Can we consciously create it, or is it an unintentional byproduct of doing certain things and being a certain way? Can it be a permanent state, or is it transient? Is it a single thing or is it a combination of things? Is happiness a good goal? Is it about what’s happening around me, in my external world, or is it about what’s happening within me, in my internal world? Is it about the intersection of both worlds? Will two people in the same state necessarily use the same label? I loved this conversation, it’s a topic that fascinates me, as it’s something that virtually everybody strives for. But is happiness about getting more and doing more, or is it about letting go and striving less? Or something else? Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Sam Casey (PhD.) and I were having a fine chat on this episode about trauma informed therapy, overcoming stagnation, the challenges of parenting (for both parent and child) and then somehow, we fell into a version of a coaching session with Dr. Sam - all about how she can get more bang for her buck in the gym. Yes, two very divergent topics indeed. She stepped into the Client role and I put on my Exercise Science hat and we went on a quest to produce better results with her workouts. This was fun. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When people ask me what I do for a job, I often say “I help people change”, which I know is a very broad and vague answer, but it’s also pretty true. People ask me “change what?” and I say everything from choices, actions, behaviours, outcomes, career, lifestyle, mindset, health and even, identity. But how helpful am I, how effective am I as a coach, speaker and writer, and behind the razzle-dazzle of personal development and motivational hyperbole, what is our actual capacity for lasting transformation? This was a fun chat with Bobby and Tiff. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.