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MY HEALTH TESTS REVEALED SOMETHING I CAN’T IGNORE | PROJECT 98.9 EP. 9

Nine weeks in, PROJECT 98.9 is going under the bonnet.

After finally completing the health tests he’d avoided for years, Leigh sits down with functional medicine practitioner Rick Davids to start unpacking the results.

And one area needs attention: his cholesterol markers.

Rick walks Leigh through his lipid results, including elevated total cholesterol, LDL and ApoB, and explains why the results warrant a conversation with his doctor.

For Leigh, the biggest difference this time isn't just knowing the numbers. It’s what he does next.

In this episode:

• Leigh’s Week 9 standards and weigh-in
• Why the recent juice cleanse felt like a mental reset
• The habits that are starting to feel more natural
• Letting go of the need to appear “perfect”
• Introducing Under the Bonnet
• What Leigh’s cholesterol results showed
• Understanding LDL, HDL, triglycerides and ApoB
• Why Rick recommends further medical evaluation
• Leigh’s decision to stop avoiding his health and take action

There’s still plenty to understand, and Leigh is taking the results to his doctor rather than trying to figure it all out himself.

Because this time, putting it off isn’t an option.

Follow PROJECT 98.9 as Leigh and Sharkie document the 36-week journey to 98.9 — including what’s happening on the scales and under the bonnet.

Content note: This episode contains strong language and discussion of personal health test results.

PROJECT 98.9 shares personal experiences and general discussion only. It is not medical or health advice.

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WEEK 8: FEELING OVERWHELMED? HOW TO FOCUS ON WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERS

Eight weeks into PROJECT 98.9, Leigh is 6.7kg down and still hitting 89% of his standards.

But this week, the biggest challenge wasn’t food or the scales.

It was overwhelm.

After a massive weekend, family commitments, work and a growing list of things to do, Leigh found himself having one of the worst days he’s had in a long time.

The more he tried to get done, the less he actually achieved.

This week, Leigh and Sharkie unpack what happens when life gets too noisy — and why sometimes the answer isn’t doing more, but slowing down long enough to work out what actually matters.

In this episode:

• Why overwhelm can leave you completely stuck
• The problem with creating unrealistic expectations for yourself
• Why “being time” has become one of Leigh’s most important standards
• How systems can simplify your decisions when life gets busy
• Focusing your attention on what matters most
• Protecting your own wellbeing before trying to look after everyone else
• Why Leigh believes his standards now need to rise
• Simplifying his environment to make those standards easier to hit

Leigh checks in at 124.8kg — 6.7kg down since starting the project.

Sometimes you don’t need to fit more into your life.

You need to get clearer on what deserves your attention.

Follow PROJECT 98.9 as Leigh and Sharkie document the 36-week journey to 98.9 — and everything they uncover along the way.

Content note: This episode contains strong language.

PROJECT 98.9 shares personal experiences and general discussion only. It is not medical or health advice.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

EPISODE 7: STOP LOOKING AT HOW FAR YOU HAVE TO GO

Week 7 was Leigh’s worst week of PROJECT 98.9 so far.

After weeks of hitting around 85–90% of his standards, this week dropped to roughly 60%.

Life got busy. Routine disappeared. Social events stacked up. And the standards started slipping. But instead of only focusing on what went wrong, Leigh tried something different.

He looked backwards.

In Episode 7, Leigh and Sharkie explore the idea of the “reverse gap” — looking at how far you’ve already come and using your past as evidence of what you’re capable of doing next.

For Leigh, that means going back seven years and remembering the man who was terrified to coach his first group, whose original career plans had just been derailed, and comparing him to the person he is today.

In this episode:

• Leigh’s worst week of standards so far
• How to reset after falling out of routine
• Why we naturally focus on the gap still ahead
• Using your past as proof of what you're capable of
• How some of your hardest moments can become catalysts for change
• Why you don’t always need the perfect plan
• Learning to simply do the next thing
• Holding your behaviour accountable without attacking your self-worth
• Getting back into the gym after seven weeks
• Why progress sometimes becomes clearer when you look backwards

When you’re constantly focused on where you still need to go, it’s easy to forget the distance you’ve already travelled. Sometimes the proof that you can handle what comes next is already behind you.

Follow PROJECT 98.9 as Leigh and Sharkie document all 36 weeks of the journey to 98.9.

Content note: This episode contains strong language.

PROJECT 98.9 shares personal experiences and general discussion only. It is not medical or health advice.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

WEEK 6: THE EXCITEMENT IS GONE. NOW WHAT?

Six weeks in, PROJECT 98.9 has hit a very different phase.

The excitement of starting has worn off.

And Leigh is bored.

This week, Leigh and Sharkie unpack what happens when a goal stops feeling new and you’re left with the less exciting part — simply doing the work.

For Leigh, that’s shown up as a subtle erosion of his standards. 10,000 steps becomes 9,800 and “close enough.” One chocolate becomes two. Cooking the planned meal becomes grabbing something easier.

None of it feels like a big failure.

And that’s exactly the point.

Because standards rarely disappear overnight. They slip gradually, until one day you realise how far you’ve moved from where you wanted to be.

In this episode:

• What happens when the honeymoon phase ends
• Why Leigh has felt flat and bored in Week 6
• The subtle erosion of standards
• Why 9,800 steps instead of 10,000 actually mattered
• Staying consistent when progress isn’t immediately visible
• Why “being time” matters when life gets busy
• Separating your behaviour from your self-worth
• Getting back into the gym without overcomplicating it
• How Leigh is handling social events differently
• Why his family might finally be starting to believe this time is different

The goal was never to be perfect.

But there’s a difference between giving yourself room to live and slowly lowering the standard.

Sometimes the hardest part of change is simply doing the reps when it stops being exciting.

Follow PROJECT 98.9 as Leigh and Sharkie document all 36 weeks of the journey to 98.9 — and everything they learn along the way.

Content note: This episode contains strong language.

PROJECT 98.9 shares personal experiences and general discussion only. It is not medical or health advice.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

WEEK 5: THE STORY YOU TELL YOURSELF BECOMES YOUR LIFE

What happens when a story you’ve carried for years starts shaping the way you live today?

Five weeks into PROJECT 98.9, Leigh is beginning to uncover some of the beliefs sitting underneath his old patterns.

After a solid week, a few beers, an extra rum and a Mint Slice quickly turn into the familiar voice: “See, you’ve done it again.”

But this time, instead of letting that moment derail him, Leigh gets curious about where that voice actually comes from. That leads to a much bigger realization — the feeling that he’s spent much of his life “in debt” to his past, his family, his mistakes and the things he believes he should have achieved.

Leigh and Sharkie explore how these stories are formed, how we keep finding evidence to reinforce them, and why changing your life sometimes means choosing a different story about yourself.

In this episode:

• Why a small slip can quickly reactivate old patterns
• Leigh’s realization that he’s been living with a feeling of “debt”
• The belief that he’s “not a finisher”
• How childhood and past experiences shape the stories we carry
• Sharkie’s own story around creativity and finally buying the easel
• Why two seemingly opposing things can both be true
• Separating what happened from the meaning you gave it
• How to catch and challenge the stories you tell yourself
• Setting higher standards without tying them to your worth
• What it means to live in the “spirit of growth”

Leigh also checks in at 125.9kg — 5.6kg down in four weeks.

The number is moving.

But the bigger change might be in the stories he’s finally willing to question. Follow PROJECT 98.9 as Leigh and Sharkie document the journey to 98.9 — and everything that gets uncovered along the way.

Content note: This episode contains strong language and discussion of childhood sexual abuse.

PROJECT 98.9 shares personal experiences and general discussion only. It is not medical or health advice.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

WEEK 4: BECOME THE PERSON WHO’S ALREADY DONE IT

What does the version of you who has already achieved the goal actually look like?

In Episode 4 of PROJECT 98.9, Leigh and Sharkie move beyond weight, standards and the number on the scale to explore something deeper: identity.

After missing a few standards over the weekend, Leigh notices how quickly the old negative self-talk returns. Instead of beating himself up, he starts looking at the man he wants to become — and asks what that version of Leigh would do next.

That opens up a conversation about manifestation, visualisation and why creating your future isn’t about wishing something into existence.

It’s about intentionally becoming the person capable of creating it.

Sharkie also reflects on his own career transition and how easy it is to let other people’s perceived expectations keep us attached to an old version of ourselves.

In this episode:

• Why missing a standard can trigger old self-talk
• Building your identity around the person you want to become
• What manifestation actually means to Leigh
• Setting standards based on your future self
• Why other people’s perception of you is often your own story
• Being compassionate with yourself while still setting higher standards
• How visualisation can turn an idea into intentional action
• Why change is about who you become, not just what you achieve

You don’t have to wait until you reach the goal to become that person.

Start becoming them now.

Follow PROJECT 98.9 as Leigh and Sharkie document the journey to 98.9 — and everything they discover along the way.

Content note: This episode contains strong language.

PROJECT 98.9 shares personal experiences and general discussion only. It is not medical or health advice.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

WEEK 3: THE BILL FOR AVOIDANCE ALWAYS COMES

For two and a half years, Leigh had health tests sitting there waiting to be done.

This week, he finally started getting the answers.

In Episode 3 of PROJECT 98.9, Leigh and Sharkie unpack avoidance — why we put off the things we know we need to face, the temporary relief it gives us and the bill that eventually comes with it.

Leigh shares the first results from his blood tests and DEXA scan, including the relief of seeing healthy glucose levels, the reality of high cholesterol and what it was like finally seeing an honest picture of where his health currently stands.

The week itself wasn’t perfect either. Leigh hit 50 of his 56 standards and dropped another 0.8kg, but found the early buzz beginning to wear off.

And that brings up a bigger lesson: your standards tell you what to do next. They don’t tell you what you’re worth.

In this episode:

• Facing health tests Leigh avoided for 2.5 years

• The first blood test and DEXA scan results

• Why avoidance feels good now but costs you later

• Leigh’s Week 3 progress and another 0.8kg down

• The “dragons” we avoid in health, work and relationships

• Why starting small creates evidence that change is possible

• Staying on track when the initial motivation disappears

• Separating your standards from your self-worth

• Why facing reality doesn’t make your reality worse

Everyone has something they’re stepping around.

The question is: what’s yours?

Follow PROJECT 98.9 as Leigh and Sharkie document the journey to 98.9 — and everything that gets uncovered along the way.

Content note: This episode contains strong language.

PROJECT 98.9 shares personal experiences and general discussion only. It is not medical or health advice.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

WEEK 2: THE STANDARD IS THE GOAL

One week in, Leigh is down 2.9 kilograms—from 131.5 kg to 128.6 kg.

But the number on the scale isn’t the result that matters most.

In Week 2 of PROJECT 98.9, Leigh and Mick “Sharkie” unpack the first seven days of the journey and why Leigh is measuring progress differently this time. Of the 49 daily standards available across the week, he hit 46.

The conversation explores how standards become habits, why consistency doesn’t require perfection and what happens when you focus less on the outcome and more on becoming the person capable of achieving it.

Leigh also shares how those standards were tested at a mate’s 40th, why changing one area of his life is already affecting others, and why he hasn’t rushed to tell his family about his early progress.

After years of false starts, he doesn’t want to make another promise.

He wants them to see the change for themselves.

In this episode:

• Leigh’s first-week result: 131.5 kg to 128.6 kg
• Hitting 46 of 49 standards
• Why 90% consistency beats chasing perfection
• How standards become habits and shape identity
• Navigating alcohol, parties and social pressure
• Why focusing on the process matters more than the outcome
• Rebuilding trust through actions instead of promises

The scale is moving. But the bigger challenge is making the new standards stick.

Follow PROJECT 98.9 for a new, honest conversation every week as Leigh and Sharkie document the journey to 98.9.

Content note: This episode contains strong language.

PROJECT 98.9 shares personal experiences and general discussion only. It is not medical or health advice.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

WEEK 1: WHY 98.9?

For Leigh Stafford, 99 represented failure. Now, 98.9 represents opportunity.

In the first full episode of PROJECT 98.9, Leigh makes public the challenge he has avoided for years: getting below 100 kilograms. But this is not a conventional weight-loss story. Leigh coaches men through performance-based self-worth, avoidance and change, yet privately he has struggled with his own weight, body image and confidence.

Now he is giving himself 36 weeks to stop hiding and start rebuilding trust, especially with himself.

Sitting down with Mick “Sharkie,” Leigh explains why the target is 98.9 kilograms, why his previous attempts have stalled and why the real measure of success will not be a number on the scale. It will be whether he can meet a set of simple daily standards, recover from the inevitable off days and stop waiting for the perfect plan.

They discuss the stories men tell themselves, the cost of tying self-worth to performance, the shame of repeated false starts and what happens when the people closest to you stop believing your promises. Leigh also opens up about avoiding important health tests for more than two years because he was afraid of what they might reveal.

This episode marks the beginning of the experiment. No polished transformation story. No certainty about how it ends. Just an honest starting point and a commitment to keep showing up.

In this episode:

• Why 99 became a symbol of failure
• What 98.9 means to Leigh
• Performance-based self-esteem and the pressure to achieve
• The hidden effect of body image on confidence and ambition
• Why imperfect action beats waiting for the perfect plan
• Leigh’s daily standards for hydration, movement, reflection and nutrition
• Rebuilding trust after years of false starts
• The blood tests and health benchmarks Leigh kept avoiding
• Why curiosity may be more powerful than certainty
• How the project will define progress beyond kilograms

Will Leigh reach 98.9?

That is not the real question.

Will he keep showing up?

Follow PROJECT 98.9 to join Leigh and Sharkie for a new, honest conversation every week.

Content note: This episode contains strong language.

PROJECT 98.9 shares personal experiences and general discussion only. It is not medical or health advice.