The You Project

Like (nearly) all of our guests, Dr. Amy Silver is ace. Great communicator, story-teller and educator and she has a capacity to explore (what can be) complicated topics in a fascinating, relatable and user-friendly manner. I loved this chat (mainly about fear). Amy has a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Masters in Forensic Psychiatry, Masters in Performance, Bachelor with Honours in Psychology and further therapeutic training in cognitive therapies such as Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Compassion Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy. She also has a new book out called ‘The Loudest Guest’. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is happiness the same as joy? Or ecstasy (the feeling, not the drug)? Is excitement a version of happiness? What about contentment? The absence of anxiety? What about ‘bliss’? What’s that? Is happiness sustainable? Temporary? What role does our mind play? And what about relationships, career and money, what’s their role? Is there a biological component? Are some people genetically predisposed to be more or less happy because of their unique brain chemistry? Can we manipulate our ‘happy hormones’ in a healthy way? And why did walking through the jungle on a tropical island, hand-in-hand with a six-foot-four dude make me so uncomfortable and then happy, all on the same day (true story)?drjodirichardson.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is part two of our conversation about high-performance. Enjoy. 🙂 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we hear the term ‘high performance’ what often springs to mind is the uber-successful, high-profile, annoyingly-talented superstars of business, academia, the military, sport, music, media, science, film, politics and so on. But for me (a not-super-talented human), high performance is really about our ability to get the most out of what we have (time, talent, energy, potential, skill, genetics, opportunities, resources), wherever we are. It’s not about running 100 metres in 9.5 seconds, joining the space program, curing cancer, winning a Nobel Prize, making millions, winning a Grammy or making movies (all good things though), it’s about being the person who perseveres, who adapts, who gets uncomfortable on purpose, who is courageous, who faces their fear and who is willing to do what most only talk about. Well, this is an episode about that. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Holmes’ company (Springfree Trampolines) makes the world’s safest trampolines and the evolution of their brand and business is a story of creativity, design, engineering, collaboration, innovation, passion, perseverance, courage and significant financial risk. Over the last two decades, Steve and his business partner (Dr. Keith Alexander), have built an amazing organisation, team, culture and reputation as being world leaders at what they do. About half way through this chat, the conversation switched from trampolines and business, to dealing with rejection, overcoming setbacks, love languages, leadership, tapping into potential, communication and being a Preacher’s kid. Steve is awesome and I loved this chat.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this episode of TYP, I sat down (cyber-sat) with gym owners, Russell Jarrett and Brad Cunningham and the three of us waxed lyrical (whatever that means) about thriving, surviving, adapting and dying in the fitness industry. We spoke about the ongoing evolution and changing landscape of fitness in Australia (and beyond), what people want, need and expect from their fitness-health professional, what makes some professionals stand out in an (expanding) ocean of competitors, how gyms have become some peoples’ ‘third place’, the ever-expanding range of getting-in-shape options, some of the more ridiculous fitness offerings, Brad’s compassionate approach to coaching vs. my…. er, not-so-compassionate approach and lots more. Enjoy.thefitshop.com.aurusselljarrett.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when we die? What’s on the other side? Is there another side? Maybe this is the only one? According to my training partner (the Crab) who died for 17 minutes at the gym… “there’s f*ck all.” According to my primary school teachers, there’s heaven (for the good kids), hell (for the bad kids) and purgatory (like an eternal halfway house), probably the best I could hope for. Depending on which theology, philosophy, ideology, institution or individual you pay attention to, there might just be a smorgasbord of eternal options. Or, if you listen to science (which relies on evidence), the Crab could just be right; f*ck all. We also discussed purpose versus values, Catholic guilt, my mum lighting candles (for my soul), Bobby’s multi-religion theological odyssey (as a young person), identity through beliefs, the emotional and psychological benefits of having faith and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lisa Tamati is one of the world’s best ultra-endurance athletes, a coach, podcast host, author, speaker and as it turns out, she’s also biohacker (somebody who uses science and technology to improve physiological function, performance, efficiency and outcomes). I can’t give away too much but, I may or may not be buying a hyperbaric chamber, having daily infusions of vitamin C and sleeping upside down like a bat. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At nineteen, I was an insecure man-child bench-pressing my way to nowhere in particular but at the same age, Ricardo Martinez was working at the coal face of chaos, taking 911 emergency calls, talking with highly-volatile people in extreme situations, informing and directing police officers, assessing dynamic and evolving scenarios in real time, making in-the-moment judgements and somehow, managing to be the calm and the clarity required in the middle of such chaos. Once again, this is an interesting chat with someone who has had a fascinating journey. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The last episode we did with Dr John Demartini almost saw me pull a cognitive hammy, just trying to stay in the conversation. We knew you’d love him as much as we do (and you did), so he’s back again. This time round we wind it back to a slightly easier-to-digest smorgasbord of insights. I even threw in a d*ck joke along the way and the good doc laughed. We talk about our relationship with out job, performing under pressure, maintaining high energy amidst high output, why we care what people think and the concept of ‘age appropriate’ behavior. Yet again, a privilege to have such caliber of human on TYP, enjoy the show.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.