The You Project

When I was an eighteen-year-old Gym Instructor, I would never have imagined the multitude of twists and turns that my forty-two-year career (so far) would take. Especially considering the fact that Personal Trainers, Podcasters and High-Performance Coaches weren't even ‘invented' back then. Even Corporate Speakers and Exercise Scientists were few and far between and in a million years, I didn't ever see myself as being a published Author or a Neuropsychology Researcher (neither did any of my long-suffering Teachers - lol). But before we explored the career stuff, Tiff and I got off to a funny start discussing the 'bits' of our body that we may (or may not) like to have surgically... er, improved.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We make thousands of decisions every day and while most of them are incidental and kind-of autopilot (hitting the brakes as we approach the lights), some of them are significant and intentional (choosing to help a stranger in distress) and some of them are potentially life-changing (giving up booze). There's definitely a correlation between our decisions, actions, outcomes and the quality of our lives and sometimes, it's the decisions we're not making that have the most impact.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apart from being one of my Mates, Francis Leach is a highly-regarded Australian radio announcer, sports editor and journalist, who also happens to be a deep-thinking, philosophical polymath (has a broad knowledge) and I love chatting with him. As we're at a stage of our lives where we both have elderly parents, we decided to talk about some of the philosophical, moral, physical and practical issues surrounding morbidity and mortality. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harps and Tiff discuss the benefits of living in alignment with personal values, beliefs, and goals. They emphasize the importance of embodying beliefs through actions, self-awareness, and authenticity. The conversation includes reflections on loyalty, learning from negative experiences, and the significance of personal attributes in professional success.

Mark Beretta, sports reporter on Sunrise, shares about his 13th Olympics, water-skiing championships, parenting challenges, tearing his quad, toughest athletes mentally, inner bogan, and being the hardest worker in the room.

Harps and Tiff discuss the psychology of ageing, challenging societal norms on personal growth. They emphasize defying age-related stereotypes through intrinsic motivation, social connections, and continuous personal development. The importance of mindset and community connections in promoting vitality and health as we age is highlighted.

David Gillespie and the host discuss workaholism, deriving gratification from work, and avoiding burnout. They touch on topics like multitasking, success, handball, brain health, aging psychology, social media addiction, and investing time wisely.

Ironically, changing your body doesn't have as much to do with your body, as you might think. Mostly, because your body doesn't make bad decisions. Or tell lies. Or wait for the magical right time. Or rationalise bad behaviours and outcomes. No, the human body is an amazing biological system that simply responds to (deals with) the choices, behaviours, rituals and habits of the owner-operator. You and me. The human body doesn't choose booze, junk food, drugs, laziness, toxic habits or a crap lifestyle. No, it just tries to survive it. Being 'out of shape' is not a body problem; it's a person problem with a body consequence. Forty years at the coal-face of fitness and health have repeatedly taught me that if a person can't manage their mind, they can't optimise their body. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After decades of searching, Brendan Watkins discovered that his birth parents were a Catholic priest and a nun. To say that his story is fascinating is like saying that the ocean's a bit damp and Antarctica can get chilly. As someone who grew up in a Catholic bubble, this conversation was totally gripping for me. Deception, corruption, denial, pathological lying, neglect, coercion and devastating secrets; this story has it all. Amazingly, Brendan has come out the other side a compassionate, wise and beautiful soul. Enjoy. brendanwatkins.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Honestly, this chat was mayhem. It's fair to say that Patrick let himself, the team and the entire geek community down with his tardiness, his lack of preparation and his fraudulent behaviour, in trying to take credit for the work of a fifteen-year-old work experience kid. He's now on his first official warning and I may even have to dock his pay. What's fifty percent of zero anyway? Other than that, we had fun. This episode ain't for everyone but then, neither am I.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.