The You Project

We are potentially living in the most ‘knowing’ era ever. Well, at the very least, we (the masses) have access to more information (about everything) than any time in history. But what are we doing with all it all? I was recently on Tiff’s show (Roll with the Punches) and we spoke about the propensity many of us have to be good at the theory of personal growth (idea, information, intention, talk, plan, goals) but not-so-good at the execution (the work, effort, consistency, resilience, discomfort, adaptation). Knowledge is great but it’s not action. Just like owning a pair of runners is not running. Transformation lives in the application of the information; the doing, not just the knowing. This episode is a chat about that. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Janine Kwoh is an artist, creator, author and story-teller, whose partner died when they were both 28 and who subsequently, has spent the last six years trying to navigate, understand and deal with, grief. It seems like this might be a heavy chat, it isn’t. Janine is the owner / artist / one-person assembly line behind Kwohtations; an ever-evolving collection of greeting cards and gifts that reflect and celebrate a diversity of identities and life experiences. She is also the author of ‘Welcome to the Grief Club’; an illustrated book on grief for anyone who is grieving the death of a loved one. Janine started making cards in 2011 as a way to reflect on and honour the lives we actually lead, versus the ones we think we should. Kwohtations is essentially her life in greeting cards, in which she offers up her own truths about navigating love and loss, (re)defining family and success, and figuring out what it means to show up for ourself and others. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kristin Neff, Ph.D. is a pioneer in the study of self-compassion, being the first person to operationally define and measure the construct almost twenty years ago and these days she is recognised as one of the world's most influential research psychologists. Kristin has written a best-seller, not surprisingly called Self-Compassion, is a sought-after Speaker and Educator and we had a great chat, covering all the ‘selfs’; self-compassion, self-sabotage, self-loathing, self-esteem, self-talk, self-sabotage and more. Enjoy. *Her new book is called ‘Fierce Self-Compassion’. self-compassion.orgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gregory Smith’s childhood was the stuff of nightmares. I won’t go too deep here but the snapshot is neglect, violence, abuse and misery. At 10, his mother left him at an orphanage, where the abuse continued, from 14 he was in and out of juvenile detention and by the time he reached his 20’s, he was an addict and alcoholic, living on the fringe of society, with significant mental health issues. For decades he was homeless and for an entire decade, he lived as a hermit in a tropical rain forest (without shelter) in total isolation. In his late forties, he emerged from the forest weighing 41kg (at 5’10”, 178 cm’s) and was at death’s door. From that point until now, Gregory has fully recovered, been clean and sober for more than twenty years, earned a PhD in Sociology (Dr. Gregory Smith), is a Senior Lecturer at Southern Cross University (on his way to being a Prof.), has written an amazing book, has done a TED Talk, been featured on numerous media outlets (including Australian Story) and his story is nothing short of incredible and inspirational. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I asked former international model Deborah Hutton if the window for my modelling career may have come and gone, and she informed me that, there was no window. Oh well, at least we cleared that up (lol). Deborah is fun. And talented. And driven.  And creative. And super smart. And I enjoyed getting to know her (a little). In this organic conversational casserole, we spoke about being an international model at 16 (and the myriad of variables and challenges around that), strategic people vs. freestyle people, experiential learning, knowing who to trust, her three rules for success, identity, self-worth and looks, lifelong learning, her skin cancer journey, saying no to people, feeling ageless, passion projects and lots more. Enjoy. deborahhutton.comcanopybay.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was recently on the ‘Simply Practically Human’ podcast with Mark LeBusque and as always, we waxed lyrical about all things mindset, behaviour, performance and self-awareness. It was fun. Enjoy. humanmanageracademy.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melissa Wu jumps off stuff. Specifically, diving platforms and boards. She is a current member of the Australian Diving Team, competing in the women’s 10m individual and women’s 10m synchro events, she’s a 4x Olympian, Olympic Silver Medalist (Beijing 2008), Olympic Bronze Medalist (Tokyo 2020), has represented Australia at four Commonwealth Games and is the reigning Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist in the women's 10m individual platform event. Oh, she also owns a gym, has her own diving academy, has a clothing line, is a corporate speaker and did I mention she made her Australian team debut at thirteen at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, where she won a Silver Medal? Other than all that stuff, she’s a complete under-achiever. This chat inspired and exhausted me. Enjoy. @melissapaigewuSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Gillespie is one of Australia’s most prolific (and successful) Authors, he’s a Lawyer, a Champion of equal-opportunity education, a tireless Researcher and a TYP Regular (clearly, the crowning achievement of his career). Again, we open the psychopath door and this time we learn why they don’t experience fear, nerves or anxiety like a ‘normal’ (there’s a loaded term) person, why they keep going back to prison at a rate five times higher than their non-psychopathic fellow inmates, why potential punishment doesn’t perturb them, how they (ironically) live ‘in the moment’, the early (brutal) research into psychopathy and lots more. Enjoy. davidgillespie.orgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cancer is f*ked but Johnny Ruffo is not. He is a weapon. Funny. Talented. Resilient. Courageous. Realistic. Most of you know his back story as a singer, songwriter, actor and performer and some of you have heard about his terminal brain cancer diagnosis but this conversation opened a door that, according to Johnny, he had never walked through before in an interview; “I’ve never been this real or open” (to an audience) he shared as we wound up our chat. Yes, we spoke about his diagnosis (the fear, the anxiety and the physical and cognitive challenges) but more importantly, we talked sh*t, laughed, had fun, told stories and shared some important ideas and messages, that will resonate. FYI, I’ll let you know that there are a few pauses and gaps in the chat (which we have left in) and while Johnny’s brain is fine (intellectually), there are moments of cognitive delay and ‘word-searching’. For me, this was a truly bitter-sweet encounter; I’m sad for my new friend who’s struggling with this c**t of a disease but I’m so happy we got to meet and hang out. *His new book is called: ‘No Finish Line’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Dowling is the founder and CEO of @stitchdotnet and WipeOutLoneliness.org. He is an internationally-recognised social entrepreneur who has been featured in TIME Magazine, The New Yorker, Forbes, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Australian, Bloomberg TV, Sydney Morning Herald, and more. ‘Stich’ is all about community and companionship for anyone over 50 and it is the world’s largest companionship community created by members, for members. Andrew and I spoke about the loneliness epidemic and how it impacts physical, mental and emotional health, the role of social connection in healing and wellness, the dangers of retirement, developing tech for the over 50’s (whoever they are), making friends as we age, dealing with feedback, fish that nibble your feet (really) and lots more. Enjoy. stitch.netSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.