The You Project

Ashton Applewhite is the author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism and a leading spokesperson against discrimination on the basis of age. Ashton has been recognized by The New York Times, National Public Radio, the New Yorker and the American Society on Aging as an expert on ageism. She has written for Harper’s, the Guardian and The New York Times. She has been named as a Fellow by the Knight Foundation, The New York Times, Yale Law School, and the Royal Society for the Arts. As someone who is fast approaching middle-age (if I live to 120), I totally enjoyed this chat with Ashton. She explains ageism (and many other ‘isms’) in such an interesting, funny and provocative way, that she is undeniable. Her messages are powerful and insightful and I loved her energy and attitude. Enjoy.  thischairrocks.comoldschool.info@thischairrocksSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our favourite geek (Patrick) is back and to be honest these episodes are as much fun and silly-ness as they are grown-up tech talk but nonetheless, this episode we manage to explore café robots serving customers (they’re here), the pros and cons of electric cars (explained for non-geeks), why I definitely need a drone, a phenomenon called ‘the doorway effect’, some of the wild advances being made in the tech space, how and why tech gets cheaper over time (100 inch TV anyone?), the growth and potential applications of VR (virtual reality), Ron’s (dad) first time wearing expensive over-ear headphones (priceless) and lots more. Enjoy.  oksmartass.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seamus Evans has worked successfully as a TV and radio presenter, comedian and corporate speaker, despite living with Tourette Syndrome, ADHD and a few other not-insignificant personal challenges. I enjoy exploring life through the eyes, understanding and experiences of other people and this chat, was definitely that and more. Among other things, we spoke about Seamus failing school and being in the ‘wrong’ academic model (for him). He told us about hiding his Tourette’s when casting for a TV show (at 18), only to have it discovered not long after he got the gig. We spoke about being stared at, misunderstood, judged and avoided. We also discussed the pros of being neuro-diverse and how his ‘different’ brain can be something of a superpower when it comes to all-things creative. I enjoyed this. *A few facts about Tourette Syndrome: it is a neurological condition made up of both motor and vocal tics. 1 in 100 kids are diagnosed with it. TS is more common in males than females. There is no cure for TS, just awareness. Most children with TS have above normal or high intelligence levels. The condition is named after French Neurologist, Gilles De La Tourette. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 843 Episodes, I can say that this chat goes straight into my all-time top ten. It won’t (be top ten) for everyone but it is for me. I absolutely loved it. For a range of reasons, this conversation resonated powerfully with me, challenged me and made me realise a lot of things about myself that I wasn’t fully aware of, hadn’t acknowledged and maybe didn’t even understand. Like, how I learn best. And what would have been an ideal learning environment and model for me, when I was kid. Gavin McCormack has been a teacher for more than 25 years, working in countries throughout the world and building many schools in the Himalayan regions of Nepal. As a Montessori ambassador for Australia and the co-founder upschool.co and Educationinfluence.com, Gavin has worked tirelessly for 25 years to change the face of education for those before him. He has trained teachers all over the world and currently runs the two largest teacher training centres in Nepal. Enjoy. XxSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mercedas Taaffe-Cooper (Merc) is a registered Psychologist (M.Sc. Clinical Psych), qualified Sports and Exercise Scientist (B.Sc.), former elite kickboxer (having won both European and World Championships) and an International Boxing Coach, with forty years of experience. These days Merc combines her vast knowledge, experience, skill, education and passion to improve the lives of young people, with her unique program called CounterPunch. Enjoy. counterpunch.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Managing ‘me’ and getting the most out of my genetics, potential, intellect, creativity, time, resources, energy and opportunities has been an ongoing experiment since I was the fat 14 year-old. Trying different things. Seeking my own truth, insight and discoveries by being both the researcher and the ‘researched’ (participant) in my own project. N=1 and I am the ‘n’. You can be too. Creating simple experiments. Observing outcomes. Interpreting data. Building your own understanding, awareness, knowledge and insight, through trial and error, personal experience and effort. I’ve done it with my genetics, the various evolutions of my career, my nutrition, values, lifestyle, sleep, recovery, energy optimisation, finances, my development as a speaker, author and podcaster, my study protocol, finding my optimal physical environment and lots more. This is a chat about the idea of strategic, practical, life-improving self-experimentation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For me, this episode was super interesting, partly because of the conversation itself and maybe even more because of who I chatted with. Andy J. Pizza is a highly successful illustrator and speaker who has written kid’s books and comics and done client work for the likes of The New York Times, Apple and Nickelodeon. He also inspires people from stage with his unconventional and interactive presentations, while navigating life with ADHD and in his own words, ‘a different kind of brain’. Rather than pretending he’s something he’s not, Andy leans into his neurodiversity and has a unique energy, insight and like-ability, which is why this scheduled 45-minute chat, became a two-parter. Not only is he ‘quirky and creative’ but I absolutely loved the way he sees, processes, navigates and explains the world, as he experiences it. Enjoy. andyjpizza.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For me, this episode was super interesting, partly because of the conversation itself and maybe even more because of who I chatted with. Andy J. Pizza is a highly successful illustrator and speaker who has written kid’s books and comics and done client work for the likes of The New York Times, Apple and Nickelodeon. He also inspires people from stage with his unconventional and interactive presentations, while navigating life with ADHD and in his own words, ‘a different kind of brain’. Rather than pretending he’s something he’s not, Andy leans into his neurodiversity and has a unique energy, insight and like-ability, which is why this scheduled 45-minute chat, became a two-parter. Not only is he ‘quirky and creative’ but I absolutely loved the way he sees, processes, navigates and explains the world, as he experiences it. Enjoy. andyjpizza.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ex Journo, Researcher, Tech-Nerd, Fellow Podcaster and long-time Mate, Patrick Bonello is back and I gotta say, podcasting with him is the conversational equivalent of talking shit, eating Twistie rolls (with butter), devouring chocolate Big M’s and hanging out with my mates at lunch time in year 8. In other words, fun. We covered a lot of ground, including.. dumb people (me) with smart technology, in-home robots (they’re here), A.I. becoming sentient (thinking for itself), lifelike humanoids working in customer service and nursing, robots being deployed into homes to provide ‘company’ for lonely people, emotion recognition technology, AI and ‘sexual wellness’ and lots more.  oksmartass.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Fitzgerald, is a renowned and respected Australian property expert with over 40 years’ experience in residential and commercial real estate, property development and property investment. After completing high school at 17, he hitchhiked from Melbourne to the Gold Coast with $200 in his pocket, started working in real estate, quickly mastered the art of building wealth and by 25, he owned over $1 million in net property assets (back when a million was plenty!). These days John is a wildly successful business bloke who has personally bought, sold and developed over 10,000 properties and while he’s great at ‘making money and teaching others to do the same’, he’s even better at serving, empowering and equipping  people who society and/or systems have put in the too-hard basket. He is the chairman and founding benefactor of Toogoolawa Children’s Home Ltd, which has fostered over 1,580 youth at risk or wards of the state. He also established and runs a unique school for boys (currently with 118 boys enrolled at no cost to them or their family) who have learning and behaviour problems, which make them no longer welcome in mainstream schools. This was an uplifting and inspiring chat. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.