The You Project

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.

Gillespo is back and this time we talk about the alarming rise of violence and other crimes in a culture where people seem to have less impulse control than ever before. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Bill Sullivan is back at TYP and this was a fascinating conversation about brand-new research suggesting that there is another component to depression, other than just brain chemistry. Knowing that about a third of people suffering with depression don’t respond positively to SSRI’s and the like, for some people, this new scientific insight and awareness might be life changing. This is definitely an episode where I learned as much as you will. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tai Chi-loving, rural-living, tech-obsessed, fifty-year-old-man-child-geek is back, supported by the host-with-the-most (issues), and the strangely muscular, inspirational and let's be honest, periodically (often?) hangry, Tiff. I won't go into specifics but we took yet another deep dive into a broad range of fascinating topics and issues. As we do. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our favourite neurological surgeon - turned regenerative (not degenerative) medicine specialist - Dr Jeff Gross - is back at TYP and we go deep on GLP-1s (specifically, Retatrutide), anti-ageing, recognising pseudo science, the hysteria and damage caused by the Covid years, the origin story of Jeff’s medical career and his subsequent shift away from traditional medicine, putting down the medical ‘Kool Aid’, the rise and evolution of anti-ageing and we talk about his personal health regime and protocol. Which by the way, is fascinating and extensive. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It dawned on me that three years down the track, I still didn’t really understand how David Gillespie ‘works’. I’ve known him for years but we’ve never actually met in person, and so I’ve never really chatted with him ‘about’ him - so to speak. Turns out, he’s fascinating. This was a very different conversation to our typical episodes, but it’s honestly one of my favourites. Maybe top three all time. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I actually loved this conversation with Tiff. It started out with about ten minutes of silliness (albeit scientifically insightful), but then we had a fascinating chat about emotional regulation, self-awareness, understanding the feelings that drive our choices and behaviours, and we finished off with a deep but valuable discussion about navigating grief.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Dr Lillian Nejad and I [and Tiff] took a deep dive into the idea of reading people and whether or not it's an actual skill that can be trained, developed and mastered, or whether it's just a social construct, and a story that we tell ourselves about some perceived social and psychological superpower. Along the way we talk about micro expressions, body language, understanding emotions, context, circumstances, environment and a few more scientific-sounding things like theory of mind, metacognition, meta-perception, nonverbal communication, impression formation, social perception, social intelligence and situational awareness. I think this is a conversation and a topic that is broadly relevant and potentially helpful for many of us. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was recently on the Performance Intelligence podcast with the fabulous Andrew May, so this episode is not so much on original TYP, but rather a co-share - a conversation I had with Andrew a week or two back. To be honest, there may be some repetition from previous podcasts you’ve heard from me (can’t really remember), but it’s always interesting being the interviewee not the interviewer. Enjoy.andrewmay.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hearing is the physiological process of detecting sound. It’s passive. If your ears work and sound waves reach them, you hear. Listening on the other hand, is the cognitive and psychological process of paying attention to, interpreting, understanding, evaluating, and responding to what you hear. It’s active and intentional. In this episode, Bobby, Tiff and myself talk about the science of being a good listener. I love this chat because it’s relevant and helpful for all of us, and a superpower for those of us wanting to excel in communication. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I loved this conversation with highly renowned American psychologist, Professor Barry Schwartz. I still have to pinch myself sometimes with the quality of guests that join me for a chat, brilliant people from all over the world. As per the title, we chatted about the gap between wisdom and intelligence - knowing things and how effectively we use that knowledge. We talk about the decisions that we make, big and small, and also the decisions that we don't make, that we could and should. We talk about all the places that echo chambers dominate and thrive in Religion, Science, social groups, politics, sport, etc. - and the impact those echo chambers can have on a life. This was much more of a free flowing conversation than anything resembling an interview, and I really enjoyed my time with the Prof.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick’s back for another chat on TYP and as always, we had fun. This time we talk about the increasing number of people using AI to make themselves look younger, more muscular and in general, more aesthetically pleasing (in their mind anyway). We chat about people falling in love with AI, which of course - and not surprisingly - ended in a discussion around sex bots. Yuck. We spoke about the idea of transhumanism - people becoming a fusion of biology and technology - and the potential consequences of this pursuit. Scientists using wool as a material to heal bones, growing stem cells in space, LED lighting and cellular energy production, silence being eliminated from modern life, the advancement of humanoid robots being used in China for street management (whatever that means), Air New Zealand using humanoid robots as travel companions.. and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The title is an expression that came out of David Gillespie‘s mouth mid conversation. For him, an unretrievable faux pas and for me, near the very top of my all-time funny moments on a podcast. We covered quite a range of topics in this chat, but maybe the most interesting is David’s claim that the science does not support salt’s bad reputation. In fact, quite the opposite. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Of course I’m fascinated with communication, it’s literally my job. Becoming an effective, if not elite communicator, has been a lifelong goal. Clearly, I’m not there yet. In this fun conversation, Bobby and I share a few stories, unpack some of the science around effective communication and share our personal thoughts about what does and doesn’t work. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tiff, Scott and myself sit down to discuss the ins-and-outs (pun intended), of new relationships. This is very much a conversation (focused mostly on their relatively new status) and is in no way, intended to be any kind of relationship advice or coaching. In fact, you might learn what not to do. LOL. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The very handsome, clever, charismatic and charming Dr. Cam is back at TYP Central, and this time we talk about how to live, not just longer, but how to live well - for longer. Fit, strong, healthy, functional, and full of energy. We discuss the eight factors that we believe move the needle the most in the health span equation. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Among many other things, Chris Rhyss Edwards and I discuss the real-world reality of living our best life, self-optimisation, self-awareness, understand how 'we' work (individually), identifying weakness and flaws, and building an existence based around who and how we want to be, and what we want to achieve. **Chris Rhyss is an Australian army veteran, acclaimed author, and innovative researcher dedicated to sparking transformative dialogue and pioneering technological solutions. With a rich background that spans a decade of military service, influential writing, and breakthrough achievements in health-tech, Chris explores the dynamic intersection of human resilience, emerging technologies, mental health, and societal progress - aiming, hoping, and praying to drive impactful change at every step.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My weird little brother from another mother (Bobby) is back at TYP Central and this time, we talk about the things that AI can’t do and probably won’t be able to do in the future. In a time where there is so much uncertainty and fear about the role technology will play in the future and the impact it will have on humanity, do we really need to hit the panic button or will we be okay?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know those movies that leave you feeling a bit sad, a bit inspired, a bit emotionally exhausted and a bit hopeful? Well, this podcast with the inspiring Katrina Umback is one of those movies. Well, a podcast equivalent, anyway. I could tell you more but I don’t want to ruin it for any of you. It’s definitely one of my favourite conversations this year. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The always fabulous and fascinating Dr Bill Sullivan is back at TYP Central and this time we speak about the world of scientific research, reason and funding, who makes great science communicators and why, fake science and conspiracy theories, Dr. Bill’s biggest discoveries as a researcher, a dangerous parasite that currently finds a biological home in 30 to 50% of the global population (what!!), and lots more. Enjoy. Or panic. Lol.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Sam Casey is back at TYP Central and even as a non-parent I found this conversation fascinating for a bunch of reasons. We talk about the multitude of challenges in parenting and the impact that our own habits, patterns, actions, rituals, communication and personal weirdness can have on our kids, even without us knowing or trying.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick's back at TYP and this time we talk about removing micro plastics from our water, why our Smart Watch might be contributing to our anxiety, the use of Al in psychiatry, the pros and cons of charging your electric car, the VR experiment where scientists change people's brain by giving them virtual wings, brain stimulating contact lenses that reduce depression, and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fabulous Bobby is back at TYP dropping a few bombs, sharing the knowledge and sharing the love. This time we continue the conversation trying to understand the human experience, how others work and perhaps more importantly, how we work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some old dude (Socrates) told the world a coupla thousand years ago (400ish BC) that "the begging of wisdom is to know thyself", so it's clear that the whole - trying to figure out who the-fuck we are, and why the-fuck we are the way we are - is not a new human endeavour. This time on TYP, the very brilliant, charming and accomplished Professor Beau Lotto and the mildly-competent me, continue the exploration. Beau is an American neuroscientist, author, entrepreneur and keynote speaker best known for his work on perception, uncertainty, creativity and human behaviour. He's a visiting scholar at New York University and the founder of the Lab of Misfits, a creative studio exploring the intersection of neuroscience, art, technology and innovation. Lotto's research focuses on how the brain interprets reality - particularly the idea that we don't passively "see" the world as it is, but actively construct perception based on past experience, context, assumptions and survival needs.evolvable.meSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eggs sure have taken a beating over the years (see what I did there?). This is a fun one with Gillespo (the nutritional kill joy) where we unpack the BS surrounding the 'healthy' heart tick, the more current 'health star rating system', and lots more.Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a rough week on Planet Harps, as I’m sure it has (is) for many of you. This might be a self-indulgent download or it might be a different TYP conversation that helps a few of you.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The You Project, we explore one of the most misunderstood human emotions: fear. In a culture obsessed with "fearlessness," we often treat fear like a flaw, weakness or personal failure. But what if fear isn't the enemy at all? What if it's actually an important and protective part of the intelligence of being human?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time around, Tiff has a humble brag about her double bodyweight deadlift, Bobby unpacks the firsthand experience of living with Tourette's, we talk about the aversion some women still have to strength training and why, we discuss where we each sit on the introvert-extrovert scale, I talk about my one-off panic attack, the challenge of training with an ageing body gets a mention and the idea of keeping our brain in shape - if not, improving - over fifty, and lots more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many cults don't look like cults, and many cult members would never consider themselves to be members. Most people think cults happen somewhere else... to other people. But cult-like dynamics can emerge almost anywhere humans gather around identity, certainty, emotion and power. In this episode, I explore the psychology of cults, coercive control groups and modern tribalism - from religion and politics to wellness culture, online communities and self-help movements. Why do intelligent people get pulled into unhealthy systems? How does manipulation happen gradually? And why are humans so vulnerable to certainty, belonging and charismatic leadership?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Sam is back and this time we chat about the impact of parents arguing in front of their kids, whether boredom is necessarily a bad thing, thoughts about toddlers and screens, the idea that the risk of tech-addiction is 'dose dependent', why letting kids experience a degree of risk, discomfort and uncertainty to build confidence, resilience and adaptability is okay, psychological safety vs. psychological flexibility and lots more. **Dr Sam Casey is a Registered Play Therapist, Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, has a PhD in Psychology and has spent over twenty years working with children and families. She's also the founder of the Play Prescription® Method.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The TYP Circus led by Patrick and Tiff is back in town with all its irreverence, misinformation, exaggeration and a sprinkling of legitimate information. Strangely, some people like this fortnightly extravaganza the most. Weird. Anyway, this time we talk about perv glasses (with cameras), the comeback of records, CD's and DVD's, a new material that 'self-repairs', new cars with actual knobs and buttons, medical self-diagnosing with Al, humanoid robots working as ground handlers at airports, switching from plastic to hemp and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you noticed how 'bendy' time is? Well, seems to be? I call this "the perceptual juxtaposition of time." Why does an hour of something that sucks feel like a f**king month but an awesome two-week holiday simply 'goes too fast?' In this solo episode, I explore the practical objective reality of time (a constant), how fast or slow it 'feels' to us (a subjective experience) and why (and how) this happens. A bit of psychology, a smattering of neurobiology and some general conversational meandering. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The thinking behind the title is revealed during this convo when Gillespo makes a never-heard-before verbal stumble - and I couldn't have been happier (lol). Among the general Tiff-Dave-Craig chit-chat, we manage to talk about how Australia is now the second-highest consumer of methamphetamine (meth) in the world, what's driving it, how it happened and what we might do about it. FYI, last year Aussies consumed 523 million doses of meth at a cost of $11 billion!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm a big note writer. It's how my mind and my process works. It's a theoretical starting point that might turn into something bigger. Like a book. Or podcast. Or workshop. Or post. Or keynote (address). Or project. I'm always having a lightbulb that needs to get out of my head, onto a screen and into a document ASAP. I have literally thousands of notes, ideas, questions, themes and concepts stored in my computer. They are single sentences or questions. They are paragraphs. They are unpolished. They are freestyle me. They are philosophical. Sciencey. Personal. Practical. Weird. They are starting points. Today I stumbled over some notes that I wrote years ago - they made me think, smile and wonder. Today was the first time l have read them, since they were written. They are not necessarily related and they do not flow from one to the next. They are really just me thinking out loud. But individually, I think they are worth considering. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Addiction comes in many forms, expresses itself in various ways, impacts the lives of millions (billions?) of people, and comes at a huge mental, emotional, social, financial and real world (living life) cost. In this TYP chat, Mick Hall (and Tiff) and I open the door on the thinking, emotion, behaviour and chaos (internal and external) that underlies this global problem. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the middle of the ambition, the grind, the hustle and the quest for success, can we also experience a level of contentment? At the same time? Can the drive to succeed in the future and over the long term, co-exist with an underlying calm and contentment in the moment? Or do ambition and drive need to be fuelled by a degree of insecurity, dissatisfaction and anxiety? Bobby and I opened this door and many others in this instalment of TYP. Enjoy.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Chris French is back and once again, we opened the parapsychology door for an hour plus diving into the science of weird shit (the title of his book). Chris is a British psychologist and Professor Emeritus at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he founded and led the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit. His work focuses on understanding paranormal beliefs and unusual experiences - why people believe in ghosts, psychics, UFOs, and other extraordinary claims - through the lens of psychology rather than the supernatural.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine waking up in a hospital bed (in ICU) with wires, tubes, machines and monitors everywhere and in front of you is an attractive woman - who happens to be your wife - and you have no idea who she is. Zero. She doesn't even look familiar. On top of that, you're awake but can't comprehend WTF is going on, you literally don't know who you are, don't know your own name, and your mind has gone (in his words) "offline." I loved this chat with one of my mates who's never done a podcast, never been a public speaker and is currently working his way through a life-changing (and almost life-ending) 'brain event’. To say this experience has had a profound effect on - not only Christian's physiology and function - but also his philosophy, attitude and world view, would be a massive understatement. This is not a teaching, coaching or informing (type) of episode but nonetheless, I believe many of you will find it fascinating, insightful and maybe even, a little inspiring.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're all aware by now that social media, doom scrolling and broadly speaking - smart phone addiction are hijacking attention, downgrading brains (cognitive performance), impacting mental health, decreasing social skills and changing the way we do (and don't) interact and communicate. Well, good ol' Gillespo has written a new book - not only about the predicament we find ourselves in - but also about how we might begin to undo some of the damage and turn it around. Great chat, great book and great real-world solutions and strategies. Enjoy.Booktopia: The Attention Recovery PlanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.