The You Project is a 30-90 minute dose of inspiration and education hosted by Craig Harper with great stories, ideas, strategies and lessons from high-performers in sport, business, science, media and health.
In the pursuit of a better 'us' (what ever that means on an individual level), sometimes we need to turn down the emotion and turn up the planning, logic, structure and accountability. Less finger-crossing and hoping, and more strategy and science. This is a conversation about that. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It sounds like something of a cliché' but Annabelle Chauncy OAM has literally built her life, her work and her not-for-profit (School for Life) on the principle of 'service above self.' For nearly all of her adult life, she has made the health, welfare and (specifically) the education of children and adults living in danger, disadvantage and poverty her mission and purpose. Annabelle is a courageous, compassionate and inspirational woman, doing amazing work and it was privilege to chat with her....
Over the next five days, I’ll be unpacking five simple but effective ideas (strategies, practices, habits) that have consistently proven to be high-yield psychological and behavioural investments on, not only my own journey of falling down and getting up, but also for the thousands of people I’ve worked with on their own journeys. Today I’m talking about taking the right path. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Vulnerability can be complicated. If not conceptually, then in the doing. Or is it in the 'being'? Like when, in what situation, with which person(s) and exactly how vulnerable (to what extent) should we be? And does vulnerability always equal some positive? I think not. So, what are the pros and cons of opening the vulnerability door? This was a deep, revealing, courageous and dare-I-say.. vulnerable conversation between Tiff and I (with all the courage coming from Tiff). See omnystudio.com/lis...
"WTF is body literacy?"… I hear you ask. Well, that's a good question which gets explored in this chat with Exercise Physiologist (and women's health guru), Unna Goldsworthy. We also Riff about the Olympics, the non-existent financial rewards for the athletes, the evolution of sport science, race walking (ouch), interviewers shoving microphones in the faces of an athletes at the worst times, how our priorities shift as we age and lots more. Enjoy. unnamovement.com See omnystudio.com/listener for...
I'm tied up today, so with the Olympics currently in full swing, I thought we'd revisit my chat with two-time Olympian Harry Garside, who just finished his campaign in Paris. It's fair to say that Harry's Olympic dream didn't eventuate this time and while he was bitterly disappointed with his loss, it's also fair to say that he definitely gained some new fans with his humble, emotional and vulnerable post-fight response. He literally apologised to the entire nation (not that he needed to, of cou...
Well this claim (the one in the title) from Gillespo might set the metaphoric cat among the pigeons! This was a fun chat covering hidden sugars, crap breakfast cereals, why sugar is super addictive, athletes who gained massive weight post-career only to lose it and successfully return to competition (Mark Occhilupo, et.al), the link between giving up booze and sugar, David's forty kilo weight loss (OMG!), why you should avoid barbeque sauce and lots more. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...
In this fun chat, Tiff and I talk about being on ‘lipstick duty' (all will be revealed), the importance of having an unreasonable friend, the skill of giving and receiving feedback, navigating the complicated social terrain of different personalities, proclivities and expectations, knowing when and where to have the ‘hard conversation', being more interested in someone's long-term well-being than their short-term emotional state, best friends and lots more. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for...
Everyone's favourite Phantom (of the Opera) and Jean Valjean (from Les Miserables) is back, and this time Josh and I talk about life beyond the stage, performance and spotlight, and the ever-present challenge of being a good human, doing good things and putting some 'goodness' (in all its forms) out into the world. Also... Josh does a little impromptu singing (he goes okay) and the lovely, but microphone shy, Melissa is back for a rare TYP cameo. This was fun. joshpiterman.com.au @joshpiterman S...
In this episode of TYP, Tiff and I chat about the pros and cons of working for someone else, versus working for yourself. Creating and growing your own thing, versus being part of their thing. We unpack some of the lessons, insights, problems, benefits and f**k-ups we've each experienced in both career 'models'. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There are so many people doing a job they hate, living a lifestyle that’s destructive, eating food that’s making them sick, making choices that are a form of self-sabotage, killing themselves slowly with destructive habits and behaviours and in many cases, waiting for the mystical, magical ‘right time’ to turn their lives around. If you and I don’t choose to live consciously and courageously, we’ll be unconscious passengers in our own lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
For many people who didn't grow up with tech, the unavoidable and ever-increasing integration of Al, online everything, cashless transactions and virtual worlds is a great source of confusion, discomfort and anxiety. My eighty-five-year-old parents feel like they're living on Mars and the world is becoming alien to them. The idea of not being able to pay bills with cash or a cheque has caused my mum more than a few sleepless nights and considerable anxiety. And in other news... as always, this c...
I often wonder who and how I would be if I (me.. the same bloke, same brain, same genetics, same personality, same innate potential) grew up in a different environment and culture, having different experiences, surrounded by different people and with different influences, education and programming. This episode is a conversation about that idea. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chatting with Matt Formston, you'd think that his blindness has, in some ways, been a blessing. A platform to learning and growing, to pushing back, to challenging the status quo, to high-performance, to understanding human potential and possibilities, to creating opportunities, to step up when most would give up and perhaps most importantly, to inspire others to explore and optimise their own potential. Matt was diagnosed with Macular Dystrophy at age five and has since lived life with only 3% ...
Tammy Van Wisse is one of Australia's greatest ever marathon swimmers and endurance athletes, having swum the Murray River (2,438 kms) in a record 106 days without a single day off, the treacherous Bass Strait (97.4kms), the English Channel (multiple times), the freezing cold Loch Ness (40kms) in a record time of 9 hours and 6 minutes, Cook Strait (NZ) and plenty more. In short, Tammy has swum the equivalent of one-and-a-half times around the world, setting six world records, five of which are s...
Tammy Van Wisse is one of Australia's greatest ever marathon swimmers and endurance athletes, having swum the Murray River (2,438 kms) in a record 106 days without a single day off, the treacherous Bass Strait (97.4kms), the English Channel (multiple times), the freezing cold Loch Ness (40kms) in a record time of 9 hours and 6 minutes, Cook Strait (NZ) and plenty more. In short, Tammy has swum the equivalent of one-and-a-half times around the world, setting six world records, five of which are s...
Dr. Bill Sullivan, TYP regular and author of 'Please to Meet Me' is back and this time we discuss 'discordant twins’ and why having the same genes doesn't always equate to 'identical people'. We also talk about Joe Biden stepping down, why (some) low-income people are among the happiest in, the world, the numerous variables which influence how our genes express themselves, Bill's personal 'health protocol', his love of running (and the numerous benefits) and lots more. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/...
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 lon...
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.co...
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....
What does it mean to 'live in alignment'? What are the (alleged) benefits? And how do we do it? While it kind-of sounds like a cheesy self-help cliché, I think there's something to it, if we operationalise it (do something with it) in an intelligent and thoughtful way. In this very freestyle episode, Tiff and I talk about the psychological, emotional and practical benefits of building a life and lifestyle based on our personal values, beliefs and goals. Enjoy. *Language warning (yes, even worse ...
I’m in Sydney today wearing my corporate speaker hat, so with the Olympics a moment away, today I thought we’d revisit a chat I had with one of Australia’s best Sports Journalists (and my favourite), Mark Beretta. Enjoy. Mark Beretta OAM is an Australian journalist, best known as a sports reporter on Seven Network program Sunrise. This was a fun episode with one of the most easy-going, authentic and likeable blokes on the telly. Among other things, we spoke about his upcoming gig at the winter O...
There’s what you’re actually capable of doing, creating, learning and becoming, and then there’s the story of what you should and shouldn’t be doing “at your age”. One is an ocean of possibilities and one, a self-created prison. I’m of the belief most people ‘get old’ before they need to. This is conversation about potential and possibilities at any age. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, Gillespo and I realise that we may be workaholics, although l'm not exactly sure how one 'qualifies' for a such a dubious badge of distinction but if we're not, we're definitely in the neighbourhood. Workaholic adjacent, perhaps. But I guess the good news is that both of us seem to derive great pleasure, fulfilment and satisfaction from what we do and in the middle of our busy-ness, neither of us appear to be suffering from any kind of exhaustion, burnout or mental malaise. This...
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 lif...
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...
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 ...
It sounds cheesy but it's true that every day is literally an opportunity for you to change something (big or small) about your life; health, relationships, lifestyle, habits, behaviour, decisions, attitude, career and even, your day-to-day operating system. Maybe not in a profound way (at first) but every day you have the opportunity to create momentum and get those metaphoric wheels turning. Just to give you a heads-up.. I do get a little coach-y in this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...
With the Paris Olympics looming large and me being immersed in PhD research, I thought today would be a good opportunity to re-visit a conversation I had with three-time Olympian, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, five-time World Championship Gold Medalist and five-time Commonwealth Games Gold medalist, Bronte Campbell. She’s ace. Enjoy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If l'm statistically 'typical', l've got about twenty years to live. If my life is a one-foot ruler, I'm about three inches from the finish line. And if I'm like the majority, one or two of those inches won't be much fun. Obviously, I'm aiming for more than twenty years and lots more health and fun, but when you're sixty (or any age really), it doesn't hurt to think about how you might optimise your remaining years (be they five or fifty in number). And while we can't stop chronological ageing (...
